My head snaps up at her words, her voice barely above a whisper, as though she’s scared merely saying that she loves me would jinx it. “Say that again,” I demand as I turn back to face her.
She looks at me, her beautiful eyes filed with vulnerability as her long hair drapes over her body, covering up the red silk pajamas she’s wearing. I suppose it’s only right that she’s wearing red tonight.
“I love you,” she whispers.
I pull her closer, until I’ve got her in my lap. “Again.”
“I love you, Luca. I know I shouldn’t, and I know it isn’t part of our deal, but I do.”
“Fuck our deal,” I tell her. “The only reason it exists is because there was no other way I could make you mine.”
I bury my hand in her hair and hold her close, my heart hammering in my chest. I see the fear in her eyes, the vulnerability she shows me. Words won’t reassure her, but time will.
I tilt her face gently and kiss her, slow and deep, as though I’m praying my touch will convey what words can’t. “Luca,” she whispers as I push her back onto our bed. Her hair spreads over our pillows, and she looks so fucking disarmed, so trusting, so very much mine. How do I ensure I never let her down?
I move on top of her and press a soft kiss just below her ear, making her shiver. “I love you,” I whisper into her ear, before moving lower, to her collarbone. “I love every fucking inch of you, Mrs. Windsor.”
Her fingers thread through my hair as I move lower, and the way she writhes underneath me drives me fucking mad. Tonight, I want to make her feel as crazy as she makes me. I want her desperate for me.
My wife moans when my lips brush over her nipple, and I can’t help but smile against her skin before letting my tongue flick over her. She’s sensitive, and I fucking love that about her. “My beautiful Ice Queen,” I murmur, one hand making its way between her legs. “You’re melting for me. Do you feel that? You’re soaking my fingers.”
She blushes so fucking beautifully when I trap her nipple between my teeth, teasing her as I slip two fingers into her. I’m taking it slow, knowing she wants more. “Luca,” she groans. “Please.”
I pull away from her and chuckle. “Please what?” The way my heart overflows with love and desire for this woman is surreal. This is all I’ve ever wanted.
“Please fuck me.”
Goddamn. “I need you closer,” I murmur as I move so I’m sitting up, my back against the headboard. “Come here.” She climbs onto my lap and roughly pushes my boxer shorts down, freeing my cock. “If you want it, then take it. I’m yours for the taking, Valentina.”
My wife smirks as she grabs my cock, her eyes on mine as she slowly lowers herself onto me. “Fuck,” I groan. “I love your pussy so fucking much.”
She giggles, and the sound makes my heart skip a beat. I place one hand on her waist and cup her face with the other, my thumb brushing over her lower lip as she starts to ride me.
“I love you,” she whispers as she takes all of me.
Fuck. “You’re making every single one of my dreams come true,” I tell her as I grab her hips. “I can’t be gentle with you right now, Valentina.”
I hold on to her tightly as I thrust into her hard, and she moans. Her pussy has never felt better. I thread a hand through her hair and pull her closer, my heart racing. I want to lose myself in her tonight. Fuck, I’ve never wanted to be one with anyone but her. Valentina leans in and kisses me as she rotates her hips, her touch as desperate as mine is.
The way she pants my name against my lips in between kisses drives me wild. “I love you,” I whisper, over and over again, my heart fucking overflowing with emotions I can’t contain. I’ve had to keep it in for so long that the words refuse to remain buried tonight.
“I love you, too,” she tells me, her voice fucking heaven. Hearing her say that in that sexy tone, her pussy wrapped around me? Fuck. This is better than any dream I’ve ever had.
The way she’s riding me drives me fucking crazy, and I try my hardest to hold on to my sanity when her moans get a little louder. Watching her lose control for me is a fucking privilege.
“Luca,” she murmurs, pulling her lips off mine. Her hand threads through my hair, and she grips tightly, her face pressed against my neck.
I love her so fucking much. A soft chuckle escapes my lips as I grab her hips and fuck her harder, giving her what she wants. She’s right at the edge, and I love the way she just loses all her energy when she gets this close.
“Yes,” she moans. “Please.”
I bite down on my lip harshly when she sucks down on my neck, marking me. She’s never done that before, and the fucking rush she makes me feel nearly makes me come.
Her muscles contract around my cock, and I groan loudly, losing all control. “Fuck, Valentina,” I murmur. Hearing her moans in my ear, her lips pressed against my neck. Goddamn. I come deep inside her and hold her tightly, my head dropping to her shoulder. This woman fucking owns me.
She giggles as she tries to catch her breath, and I can’t help but join in and laugh alongside her. “I love you, Luca,” she says, and the pure joy in her voice makes it impossible to stop smiling.
I pull her into my arms and press a soft kiss to her forehead, my heart pounding wildly. I’ve never felt this happy before. I have no doubt that in fifty years, I’ll still remember this moment with her.
Valentina relaxes in my embrace, and I gently stroke her back as her breathing evens out. I’ve fallen asleep with her in my arms countless times now, but it’s never felt like this before. I’ve never felt quite so whole, so complete.
My wife presses a kiss to my neck, her leg draped over me and her head on my chest. “That acquisition,” I murmur eventually. “If you want to go ahead with it, you can. I don’t give a shit about Jessica. There’s nothing for you to worry about. I just wanted you to be aware of it, since I’m far from pleased to find Ben suddenly hovering around you. I hate the way he looks at you at the office, and the way he tries to find excuses to spend time with you. Your history with him makes me uncomfortable and restless, and I don’t want you to experience any of those feelings.”
I feel her gaze on me and gently caress her back, my touch soothing. I don’t want anything standing between us anymore. I’ve got her so close, yet it isn’t enough.
“I do want to acquire Metric, because it’s the right move for us. When we got married, I promised you that I’d help you realize your father’s vision, and this is essentially the final component of it.” She hesitates. “But I want to know what happened. I don’t want to face her and be caught unaware. If there’s anything I need to know, I’d rather hear it from you.”
I turn onto my side so I can face her properly. I’m reluctant to rehash a part of my past, but if I don’t, she’ll overthink things the way I did with her and Ben. “She and I are from the same social circle, so growing up, we’d run into each other often. I wouldn’t necessarily call her a friend, but she was definitely an acquaintance of some sort.”
Valentina stares at me so intently that I can’t help but smile reassuringly. What does she expect me to say for her expression to be filled with such apprehension? It’s clear that she’s expecting the worst, somehow. “So when we went to college and ended up in the same classes, we became friends. Everything with her was easy and natural, and it wasn’t until much later that I realized why. I kept running into her, and no matter what I needed, she was always there. Falling in love with her was effortless and natural, and knowing that our families would approve of us being together made it all the more easy. We dated throughout college, and I was close to bringing her home to my grandmother. I was going to ask for approval to marry her.”
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.
