The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina's Story(81)

Valentina flinches and looks away, her gaze filling with sorrow. I cup her face gently and make her face me.

“A few days before I was supposed to tell my grandmother, I found out that she’d been cheating on me with multiple men throughout the years we were together. I still don’t know who it was, but I received an anonymous parcel with photos of her and other men. I confronted her about it, and she laughed in my face. She told me that I was idealistic and immature for thinking that we’d be faithful to each other for the rest of our lives. We argued, and she admitted that she only approached me because her family told her to. She chose her college and majors because of me, and everything that I thought was fate, was carefully orchestrated by her. She didn’t want me, she wanted to be a Windsor. I ended things and never looked back. It’s why I didn’t think I’d be opposed to an arranged marriage, you know? I thought a contractual relationship would suit me best. That way, I’d never have to wonder if any of it was real.”

She raises her hand and brushes the tips of her fingers over my temple, her gaze tormented. “How could she do that to you?” she asks, her voice breaking.

I grab her hand and entwine our fingers before lifting it to my lips. “If she hadn’t, we might not have ended up this way, baby. Ultimately, everything in life led me to you. You told me not to worry about Ben, and I’ve tried my best not to despite the way he keeps hovering around you… so grant me the same courtesy. If you choose to proceed with this acquisition, promise me you won’t worry about things that don’t matter. Promise me that you’ll remember that you’re the only one I love, the only one I’ll ever want.”

She nods. “I promise,” she whispers, her eyes on mine. She looks at me with a hint of disbelief, her smile so sweet that I wish I could engrave this image of her into my memories. “I love you, Luca. I’m not any less scared, but you’re worth the risk. If you end up breaking what’s left of my heart, I still won’t regret it.”

“I won’t ever hurt you,” I promise her. After everything we’ve been through, there’s no way I’ll let anything come between us ever again — not even her insecurities. For the rest of our lives, I’ll prove to her that her faith in me isn’t misplaced.





Chapter Fifty





Valentina

I reject Ben’s call for the 10th time tonight, annoyed he got his hands on my phone number in the first place. He’s been trying to find excuses to speak to me outside of the meetings we unfortunately both must attend, and I’ve been doing my best to avoid him. Is this what it was like years ago? How could I have fallen for his incessant pestering?

I only need to tolerate him for a little longer. There are only a few days left before the board makes a decision, and once they do, we won’t have to work together so closely anymore. Even if he stays at Windsor Finance, I won’t necessarily have to see him.

Luca closes his laptop and places it on the coffee table, his jaws clenched. “How long has this been going on?” he asks me as he leans back against the sofa, his voice soft. He takes my laptop from me and closes that too, his movements so carefully controlled that it gives away just how angry he is.

“I… you mean…”

“How long has that fucker been calling you? Your two months are nearly up. Have you been speaking to him all along?”

“Only about work,” I reassure him.

Luca’s eyes flash, and he pulls me onto his lap, my back against his chest. “Why?” he asks, his lips brushing over my neck. “Are you my only employee? Is there no one else he can turn to? You know it’s just an excuse.”

His teeth graze over my neck, and he bites down on my skin for a moment, before sucking harshly, marking me. “Luca,” I moan, my heart racing. There’s something irresistible about him whenever he acts this possessive. Everything I used to hate about him, I’ve come to love.

His hands roam over my body, and he pushes the straps of my pajama top off my shoulders, exposing my breasts.

“You know I only want you,” I murmur, before tilting my head back. His lips find mine, and he kisses me slowly as one hand slips into my pajama bottoms. A soft growl escapes his lips as his middle finger brushes over my clit.

My phone starts to ring again, and he pulls his lips off mine. “Pick up. If I find out this call is about anything other than work, there’ll be hell to pay.”

Luca’s finger moves down from my clit and slips into me just as I pick up the phone, and I bite down on my lip for a moment.

“Val?” Ben says, sounding a little drunk. “Where are you?”

Luca pushes another finger into me, and I gasp. “At home, of course. It’s nearly ten in the evening. Where else would I be?”

“I need to see you,” Ben says, but I can’t focus on anything when Luca is slowly slipping two fingers in and out of me, his cock hardening underneath me rapidly.

His lips brush against my ear, and he bites down on my earlobe for a moment. “This doesn’t sound like it’s about work, baby,” he whispers, his tone threatening. His free hand moves to my breast and he pinches my nipple as he pushes his fingers deeper into me.

“Why?” I ask Ben, my voice husky.

Luca pulls his fingers away, and I whimper. “Get on your knees,” he whispers, repositioning me on the sofa so my ass is in the air. His hand wraps around the back of my neck, and he presses my face into the sofa before placing my phone right next to me, on loudspeaker.