Once in the newly organized study, I found it similar to his office in the OC Textiles, and of course, decorated with my chosen furniture. Similar dark wooden desk, two long shelves filled with files and books, a gray leather couch in a corner and a small golden chandelier hung right above the desk.
Except one thing.
The huge picture frame on the wall, covered with a white sheet. The same one I saw in this room during my last visit. I still remembered that blue diamond ring on her finger was unconcealed. But this time, the sheet hid it whole.
I had the same question again. Whose picture was that?
Still securely clutching my hand in his, he stood before the picture. A soft sigh left him.
“Ace?” My voice came out as a whisper.
Rising his hand, he tugged at the sheet, letting it fall on the floor. My eyes widened slightly.
It wasn’t a picture. It was a painting. Painting of his mother, Ophelia.
As graceful and sophisticated as ever, she stood there with her head held high. Confidence sparkled in her blue eyes. The navy-blue velvety gown hugged her petite body perfectly when dark red lipstick sat on her lips, bringing her smile to life. My eyes fell on the blue diamond on her finger. It was evidence of her high-class status and taste.
Whoever drew this painting was a hell of a talented painter. They brought this painting to life so beautifully. One could mistake this as a picture instead.
“She’s beautiful, as always,” I complimented.
He nodded. “She always wanted a painting of herself. And she finally got one on my sixteenth birthday.” With his gaze fixed on his mother’s face, he spoke in a low voice. “She was very happy that night.”
Though it seemed like he was telling a happy story, I could hear the pain in his voice. The way he let out a defeated sigh, my heart clenched for him. He missed her.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. Turning to me, he gave me a close-lipped smile.
“She loved this painting and always kept it in her room. But since… since she didn’t take it with her when she left, it remained in that dark old room. So, I thought, why not bring it here?” One of his shoulders lifted in a shrug. “As much as I didn’t want to open the memories of my past, I couldn’t leave this. I had to bring at least one of the things related to her over here.”
I squeezed his hand. “You did the right thing. Just because of some bad memories, we can’t abandon the ones we spent in felicity. I’m glad you’re starting to cherish those memories, even if you don’t want to think about your past.”
I was happy that he was opening up to me. He never talked to me about his mother before like that. But he was doing it now. It wasn’t much, but it was a beginning. I hoped he’d let me in properly soon.
He kissed the back of my hand. “Honestly, even though I brought it to this house, I wasn’t planning to hang it here. My first plan was to lock it in the basement. But then—” his eyes met mine, “—I remembered your words. The same ones you told me at Tess’s rehearsal. I thought it over. You were right. Until I accept my past, I can’t move on with my present. I can’t be at peace. So, I…”
“So, you decided to keep it here?”
Nodding, he took my hands to his lips again.
“It’s one of the best decisions you took, you know.”
He smiled. “Come, there’s more.”
Curious, I followed him closely as he went around his desk and got out an album from a drawer. An album full of his and Caleb’s pictures, there were Tess and Tobias’s pictures as well.
“These are from our high school and college,” he said, standing beside me as I flipped the pages. Some of them were even from their childhood. Two little chubby kids were grinning at the camera with their mouths smeared with chocolate. And I didn’t have any difficulties pointing out which one was my man. Those gorgeous stormy grays could never be missed.
I stared at the picture in awe. “You were so adorable back then.” He looked barely three or four in the picture.
“What do you mean? I’m not adorable right now?”
I laughed at his playful, accusing tone. Shaking my head, I pecked his lips. “No, you’re not adorable now.” At his raised brow, I winked at him. “You’re hot.”
Amusement danced across his eyes as he let out a chuckle, circling his arms around my waist.
“When did you get this picture?” I asked, looking at a photo of him and Caleb eating cookies with both of their mouths and hands full.
A look of nostalgia crossed over his features. “When Grandma used to babysit us. When we would be alone in the house, Mom used to call Grandma over to look after us before leaving for work. And being the kind woman she was, she always used to make cookies for us, even after Mom asked her many times not to spoil us.”
Although I never met that woman, the fondness in his tone made me like her immediately.
“Here, look, here she is.” He pointed at a picture of a woman smiling at the camera with her gray hair tied in a bun on the top of her head and two little kids on her lap. “After the death of Caleb’s parents and mine being busy all the time, she took care of us. She’d have loved to meet you, you know. She’d be proud of my choice.”
His loving gaze on me made my cheeks hot.
“I would have loved to meet her, too. She sounds like an amazing woman.”
He nodded, kissing my head. “She was.”
Then a picture of a couple caught my eye. I didn’t know them.
“Caleb’s parents,” he answered.
They were a beautiful couple.
Among so many pictures, I didn’t find even a single photo of his father. Only one photo of his mother was there. She was with his grandma and Caleb’s parents. I knew he avoided keeping his parents’ photos in the album. Especially his father’s. From what I knew, he had a strong dislike towards his dad. He talked about his mom to me, but he never mentioned his father. His parents were a sore subject for him. That could be the reason why he kept his mom’s picture covered with the sheet.
But I was glad he was at least trying to cope with his past.
After sharing some of his memories with his grandma, he showed me some of the trophies he won in his college. Those shining trophies were proof of him being active in sports, he was a born winner in everything. He even told me how sports and gym helped him with his drug addiction. He spent most of his time in them to keep his mind busy and away from drugs.
In just some short moments, I found out so much about him. The more I knew him, the closer I felt to him. And I couldn’t be happier he was opening up to me, letting me peek into his past.
As the day passed, we played some matches of chess. Of course, I made him promise he wouldn’t let me win on purpose. And obviously, I lost in every damn match! So, to make up my ruined mood, he made me lunch. My favorite, cheesy garlic shrimps and chocolate cupcakes. Though this time, I helped him make the food in the beautiful, fancy kitchen. Now who would miss ogling a half-naked Greek god cooking while his delicious abs were on display?
After he made me sit on his lap and fed me my lunch, he took me out to the open meadow that was filled with roses. The same one he showed me from our bedroom’s balcony during our last visit.
And he was right. It was breathtaking in daylight. The beauty of the freshly bloomed roses, the green meadow, the lush grass, and the gentle breeze filled with a faint fragrance of flowers blew my mind away. I could spend the rest of my life here without any complaint. And the fact that he groomed this place with rose plants for me, only made it more special to me.
Then he took me to explore the backyard. The woods. It wasn’t dense, nor there were any wild animals, so I thought it’d be a great place for children to play around. Of course, I didn’t voice out my fast-forwarded thoughts and let him guide me through the uneven ways with my hand tightly secured in his.
Tying the belt of the robe around my waist, I bit my lip, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
Mr. Valencian was waiting for me in the pool. The rooftop swimming pool I was quite excited to swim in. After exploring the woods and roaming around the small market nearby, we decided to take a dip in the heated pool.
Though I didn’t bring a swimsuit, as I wasn’t aware where he was taking me, I did wear matching black lacy underwear. Thank God for that!
And I looked quite good in those, sexy even. I was wondering what his reaction would be seeing me in them.
Grinning, I padded to the rooftop, where he was patiently waiting for me. With his back facing me, he stood in the water with a glass of fruit champagne we bought from the market earlier this afternoon in his hand. Gaze set in the distance, he took a slow sip on his drink.
Even though he smiled and laughed with me throughout the day, I could see his stress. His shoulders never relaxed, even when he was teasing me or kissing me. His grip on me was firmer than ever, his need to keep touching me was stronger than ever. Even when I told him to wait for me here, he didn’t look pleased.
He said he’d tell me everything today. And as the day passed, his stance grew more tense.
Hearing my footsteps, his stormy grays turned to me, making my heart skip. His hair was wet and swiped back, water droplets rolled down his broad shoulders and strong back. My mouth watered at the sight.
Will this man ever fail to amaze me?
“Took you long enough—”
His words stopped as I untied my robe and let it fall around my feet. The cool breeze kissing my bare skin wasn’t the reason for the goosebumps that crawled across my body. His lips parted as he let out a sigh, his intense gaze roaming up and down my body. My cheeks flamed hot.
Licking those firm pink lips sensually, he placed his glass of champagne on the edge of the pool and beckoned me with his head. And my feet obeyed.
The moment I was in the warm water, he pulled me flush against him. My heart thudded against my ribcage at the suddenly very awake, hard organ of his against my lower abdomen.
“Fucking hell, Rosebud! Do you want to kill me?” Letting out a curse, he ran his hands over my sides while undressing me with his eyes. They were glued on my chest that was barely covered with the lacy bra.
I let out a breathy moan when he pressed his lips against my neck, hands feeling my behind. A shiver ran through me at the feel of his hot tongue on my jaw and the calloused hands cupping my flesh roughly.
“So fucking soft,” he murmured in my ear, biting my earlobe. “You have no idea how much I crave to feel this velvety soft skin against me, to touch you, to taste you.” The husky groan of his directly hit my lower region, causing me to close my thighs. But he opened them soon with his leg in between them.
“Ace…” I whimpered as he sucked on my neck. One of his hands played with the edge of my panties.
“I had to take countless cold showers, thinking of you every night. You were so close to me, but I couldn’t touch you. Those nights and days were a torture for me.” Pulling me forward, he moved me against his hardness. My lips parted at the sensation. “You feel that, my rose? What you do to me? What pain you make me go through every fucking day with just a simple glance of yours?”
Closing my eyes, I leaned into him and felt his touch, his kisses, his warmth.
“You tortured me for years in my dreams,” he murmured.
At this, my eyes snapped open as a very troublesome question popped up in my head. Moving away slightly, I looked at him.
“How could I torture you in these years?” I felt a squeeze in my heart at the thought of some other woman touching him. “You—you didn’t have anyone to…”
Cupping my chin, he stared deep in my eyes. “There was no one in my life since college. Not even a single date. There was only you in my heart, baby. Only you.”
I was both touched and surprised at his admission. But then I couldn’t stop myself from asking another question.
“H-how many girls were you with in college and high school?” I knew I shouldn’t be jealous of the affairs he had in his past, but it still pricked me.
A brow of his raised. “Where is this coming from? I thought we were going to do something hot…” His hand crawled up to my chest, but I slapped it away.
“Answer my question.” My eyes narrowed. I wanted to know how many girls he slept with, where he was the only man who touched me. I just hoped the number wasn’t too high. But with his Greek god looks, I didn’t think girls were decent enough to keep their distance.
