Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 21

ADRIAN

I had never been one for physical closeness at night. Even when Serena was alive, I rarely shared a bed with her. On the nights I did, it was more out of obligation than desire. She never hid her distaste for having me near her. If she reached for me at all, it was only because she wanted something- never because she simply wanted me. That was the kind of marriage we had. A cold and empty one.

Valentina was different. She had asked me to hold her, she had sought out my warmth. And I’d refused her. The look on her face when I pulled back haunted me now as much as any nightmare.

The pale light of dawn crept through the curtains, painting the room in a soft gray glow. I turned my head and found her face on the pillow beside me. Her lashes were clumped together, still heavy with the traces of tears she hadn’t wanted me to see. Her cheeks were slightly puffed from crying, and yet there was something innocent, almost fragile, about the way she slept. Sometime in the night she had drifted closer, unconsciously seeking me out until her small body was just an inch from mine.

An unreasonable urge stirred in me to brush the hair from her face, to rest a hand on her shoulder, to give her the comfort I’d denied hours ago. Not to demand anything in a sexual manner, but simply to offer my presence. I didn’t move. I stayed where I was, still as stone, because the idea of giving in to that urge unsettled me more than I wanted to admit.

Instead, I watched her. Her lips parted in a soft sigh. Her chest rose and fell in a rhythm that spoke of deep, undisturbed sleep. It was the kind of peace I never found, not even in exhaustion. My nights were filled with ghosts. Serena’s bloodied face was a recurring one, her lifeless eyes staring back at me, accusing and haunting. I hardly ever thought about the people I killed, but my ex wife still haunted my memories.

Valentina shifted slightly, brushing her hand against the space between us. I pushed myself up before the thought of reaching for her could root itself any deeper.

The mattress shifted behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder. Valentina had pushed herself upright, her hands were rubbing at her face, her hair was a tangled mess that somehow managed to frame her features in a way that was disarmingly sweet. When she noticed me looking, her eyes lifted to mine. A small, hesitant smile curved her lips, uncertain but genuine.

The light spilling into the room made her look fresher and younger. She looked every bit the young bride that she was. And it struck me like a punch to the gut.

Damn it all.

I forced myself to my feet. “We should get ready,” I said flatly, reaching for the shirt I’d draped over a chair the night before. “The women will come for the sheets soon.”

Valentina blinked at me, clearly surprised. She reached across the nightstand, and checked the time on my watch. “It’s only eight,” she pointed out softly. “Do you really think they’d disturb us this early? After our wedding night?”

Her voice carried that hopeful note, as if maybe I’d relent and stay in bed with her. But I wasn’t built for lingering. Not in the mornings. Not in this kind of intimacy.

18:47 Thu, Nov 6 d

Chapter 21

2200

“They probably wouldn’t,” I admitted, slipping the shirt over my shoulders. “But I’m not wasting half the day

in bed.”

While she studied me with that quiet, searching expression. I picked up my phone from the nightstand. A couple of quick taps, and I sent Gemma a message: [They can come for the sheets in thirty minutes]

Her reply came instantly, nosy as ever. [Won’t you even sleep in after your wedding night?)

I exhaled and typed back: [Stay out of my business.]

I set the phone back down, deliberately ignoring the way Valentina was studying me. She’d done the same last night, roaming her eyes over me when she thought I wasn’t paying attention, and now again this morning, I hadn’t expected that kind of reaction from her. But it was a pleasant surprise that she was at least attracted to my body. Serena wasn’t.

“Gemma and the others will come by in thirty minutes,” I said. “Do you want to shower first? I can use the time to shave.”

Her teeth caught her lower lip, and she dropped her gaze before nodding. “All right.”

She pushed the covers aside and rose from the bed. My eyes followed her without permission, tracing the curve of her waist, the long line of her legs, the quiet elegance of her movements. For a moment, the thought hit me that I could send Gemma a quick message to hold off. That I could pull Valentina back into the bed, sink into her warmth again, and forget about everything waiting for me outside this room.

The temptation was strong, almost overwhelming. She was standing there, impossibly beautiful in her unguarded state, still glowing faintly from the night before.

But then my gaze slid to the sheets. The stark bloodstain spread across the linen like a bright red reminder of why that couldn’t happen.

Fifteen minutes later, Valentina was showered and dressed while I made my way toward the bathroom. She’d chosen one of the dresses I’d delivered to her parents‘ house before the wedding- a deep red, long–sleeved number that hugged her slim figure and reached her knees. It gave her a touch of sophistication, but not enough to disguise what she really was. Still too young. Still far from my age. But at least, in that dress, she didn’t look like the college sophomore I knew she was only months ago.

“Should I cover my puffy eyes with makeup,” she asked suddenly, “or do you want people to know I cried?”

I froze with one foot already in the shower. Slowly, I turned back toward her. She stood just inside the doorway, her hands clasped in front of her, trying to look braver than she felt.

My frown deepened. “I didn’t want you to cry,” I said, more sharply than I intended. “Why would I want people to know you did?”

She lifted one shoulder in a small shrug, searching my face as though trying to gauge my reaction. “I just thought… maybe you’d want people to believe you made me cry. That it would make you look… stronger.”

I considered it. She wasn’t wrong. The men downstairs would draw their own conclusions, and fear had always been a useful tool. It wasn’t a decent thing to consider, but the men downstairs weren’t decent men.

And I wasn’t a saint either.

18:47 Thu, Nov 6 ..

Chapter 21

&

54

55 vouchers

“I don’t need that. I’m feared enough as it is,” I finally said. “And I don’t want my sister breathing down my neck the moment she sees your face. She’d never let it go. So put on the makeup, Valentina. Cover it.”

She regarded me a moment longer, and I couldn’t tell why. It was unnerving.

“Okay. I don’t want to keep you from showering. I know how busy you are today.”

The hint of disapproval rang in her voice. She hadn’t reacted when I told her I was going to spend the day in business meetings until we’d head to my mansion and children in the late afternoon. “I work a lot, Valentina, and I won’t explain myself to you. As a woman, your only job is to raise my children, but I can’t afford that luxury,”

Anger flared in her eyes, but she turned and left.

I wasn’t in the mood to consider her teenage antics. She’d better get rid of them soon.

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

55 vou