The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(54)

“How could you do this?” she asks me, her voice soft. I stare down at my lap, unsure what to say. “You will regret this, Valentina.”

Mom rises to her feet and grabs her walking stick, her face in obvious pain as she walks out of the room. I stare after her, my heart aching. How is it that once again, she left me feeling the same way she always does? Lonely and bitter.





Chapter Thirty-Five





Luca

Valentina is quiet as we walk into our house, clearly distraught by her mother’s behavior. The entire experience was unexpected, even for me. I didn’t think she’d be as antagonistic as she was, and I can’t help but wonder if she speaks to Valentina that way often.

“I’m sorry about my mother,” my wife says as she slips out of her heels, placing her shoes next to mine. “I’m not sure what I was expecting, but this is probably as well as it could’ve gone.”

She walks to the living room barefoot, and I follow her, oddly affected by her mellow mood. This was never meant to be more than a marriage of convenience, yet I hate the way she tries to hide her pain from me. I’ve never wanted to be someone women turn to for consolation, but that’s exactly what I want my wife to do.

“Your grandmother is incredibly sweet and really quite adorable.”

She puts her legs on the sofa and draws her knees to her chest, her arms wrapping around them. “She seems to be doing okay. I know it isn’t possible to cure her, but it’s such a relief to know that she has the care she needs. Just knowing that there’s no chance of her going missing again puts me at ease. I honestly can’t thank you enough, Luca. I never would’ve been able to afford top of the line care for her. The thought of her being mistreated, or her just being another patient that her overworked nurses don’t truly care about… I can’t take it.”

I turn to face her and lean back against the sofa. “You know what, Valentina? I thought it was especially adorable when she called me Lucifer,” I murmur, knowing it’ll shift her thoughts into a different direction.

Valentina’s eyes widen, and the guilty look she throws me makes it hard to keep from smiling, but I manage it somehow.

“I think she also said something about me being the devil incarnate? Or did you call me the devil himself? What was it? Remind me.”

She clears her throat awkwardly, and I bite back a smile as I pull her toward me. She falls into me, and I lift her into my arms and reposition her until I’ve got her straddling me, the two of us facing each other. “Care to explain, wife?”

She looks away, looking flustered in an entirely different way than she did when we walked into the house. I thread a hand through her hair and force her to face me, my eyes dropping to her lips.

“Um,” she says. “Well, it’s a long story, really.”

I raise my brow, bemused. “Good thing we’ve got all night.”

The edges of my lips tip up into a smile as I watch her think real hard about what she’s going to tell me. In the end, she decides to wrap her arms around my neck, a coy look in her eyes. “Luca,” she says, her tone cutesy. Fuck. “Don’t be like that, hmm?”

So my wife knows how to act flirtatious, huh? This is yet another side of her I never knew existed, and it’s one I surprisingly love. I’ve always hated it when women act coy around me, but when it’s Valentina, it’s a huge fucking turn-on. Watching her placate me like that? Fuck yeah.

Her cheeks turn rosy when she feels me harden underneath her, and she shifts in my lap, repositioning me so my cock pushes against her pussy. Does she even realize she did that, or did she do it without thinking?

My hands move down from her waist to her ass, and I knead her curves, enjoying the feel of her. “What other creative nicknames do you have for me, huh?”

She bites down on her lip and looks at me wide-eyed. “I think it’s best if you never ever find out. Don’t you know that sometimes it’s best not to ask questions?”

I grin at her and shake my head. “That bad, huh? Fine. Tell me instead how you’re going to compensate me for all the time I just spent at your grandmother’s house. You know my time is precious, right? Pay up.”

She bites down on her lip and frowns thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got this really flashy black card from The Windsor Bank. Would that help?”

I narrow my eyes at her, trying my best to hide my amusement. I was worried she’d be upset all night, but I’m glad I managed to turn her mood around. “My time is worth more than just money, Valentina. How long did we spend at your grandma’s? An hour?”

She nods, a smile on her face. This sight of her is additive, and I can already feel myself craving more. It’s funny how she thinks I’ll let her go in three years.

“Then give me back one hour,” I murmur, leaning in. My lips brush against hers, and I smile. “One hour of my name on your lips and your body at my mercy.”

I move one hand up and cup the back of her neck, my lips finding hers. This kiss isn’t as urgent as usual, but somehow, it turns me on even more. The way her breath hitches, the way she gently rotates her hips in my lap as she opens up her hot little mouth for me. Valentina is an addiction in the making, and I haven’t even fucked her yet.

She moans when her hands brush over the lapels of my suit jacket and I smile as I pull my lips off hers for a moment. “Take it off,” I murmur.