Becoming Mrs DeLuca novel Chapter 47

VALENTINA

My eyes widened. Adrian bit down on my throat then lavished the spot with his tongue. “Aren’t you worried Sybil might see us?”

“She’s gone home.” His growl vibrated against my skin.

Holding me up with one muscled arm and the pressure of his strong body, he slipped his hand between our bodies. The hiss of his zipper sent a shiver down my spine for a moment before he shoved my panties aside and entered me in one hard stroke. I arched, half in pain, half in pleasure. It was the first time he took me without much preparation.

His mouth pressed against my ear. “I thought I was clear on how I felt about your clothes. Didn’t I tell you to stop wearing those over–the–knee socks and ridiculous dresses?”

I met his gaze, grinding myself against him, chasing the pleasure even as my body fought to accommodate Adrian’s length. “Is this my punishment?” My lips teased up into a challenging smile.

Adrian’s grip on me tightened as he thrust up again, driving me against the wall. I dug my heels into his lower back. “No, honey,” he rasped, and that word warmed me like hot cocoa. “It’s a warning.”

I laughed. It wasn’t a good one. The words never left my lips because Adrian started pounding into me, harder and deeper than before, forcing my body to yield to him, and it did. Soon I was so slick around him, the wet sound of our bodies joining filled the hallway.

Adrian’s harsh kiss swallowed my cries of release when I came in a violent shudder. He lowered me to the floor and my legs almost gave out. “Down,” he ordered.

My eyes flashed up in indignation at the demand, but his dominant expression and the primal hunger in his eyes spoke to a part of me that definitely didn’t mind his commanding attitude. I dropped to my knees.

His fingers tangled in my hair as he took my mouth.

I kept my eyes on his face, loving to watch him let loose.

Afterward, he pulled me up to my feet, tilting my head up. “Was it okay or too hard?”

I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my face into the crook of his neck, touched by the consideration in his voice. I was slightly sore and would probably continue to feel that way until tomorrow, but it felt good in a naughty way, as if Adrian had left his mark inside of me.

“Valentina?” The low rumble of his voice penetrated my thoughts. “Too hard?”

I shook my head with a small sigh. He cupped the back of my head then pressed a kiss to my crown. The gesture was so loving, it kindled emotions in me I was scared to allow. After all, this was a marriage of convenience before all else. I didn’t want to fall in love with him before he loved me.

What a silly thing to think. As if you could postpone your love until it was convenient. I pulled back and allowed him to lead me into the bedroom.

Later in bed, I snuggled against Adrian. I put my cheek on his chest and traced his upper arm with my fingers. We had already turned off the lights and were trying to fall asleep.

But from the lingering alertness in Adrian’s body, I knew he wasn’t anywhere close to sleep.

“You can’t fall asleep with me in your arms, right?”

I didn’t want to sound hurt, but I did.

Adrian paused in his stroking, his ribcage expanding under my head in a sigh. “Let’s see. I promised you I’d try.”

“Okay. Like you’ll try to trust me.”

Silence followed. He was trying. I couldn’t ask for more.

“Did Stefan say anything yet?”

“No,” I said. “He communicates with nods. His birthday is in two weeks, right?”

“Yeah. He’ll be six years old. I still remember when I first held him.”

“I saw a photo of a newborn online once. They don’t look very cute with all the grime on them.”

“He was already cleaned up when I held him the first time a few hours after he was born.”

“Don’t the nurses hand the baby over to their parents right after birth?”

“I wasn’t there when Stefan was born.”

“Oh, you were working?” I guessed.

Tension radiated from Adrian, and I knew it hadn’t been that. “Serena preferred to give birth alone.”

I was glad the darkness hid my expression. Why would a woman not want her husband with her when she gave birth to their child? “Oh.”

Silence filled the dark. “What about Sofia?”

Adrian shook his head.

“Isn’t it unfair toward you not to let you experience the miracle of birth?”

Wasn’t that what everyone called it, even though I couldn’t see what was so miraculous about squeezing something that big out of my vagina.

“I have a busy morning on Friday, but I want us to head out to my beach house in the afternoon, so we’ll have all of Saturday to enjoy our time there.”

“Why won’t you talk to me about the past?” I said softly.

Adrian shifted, his mouth hot against my ear. “Stop prying, Valentina. I guarantee you won’t like what you’ll find. Now go to sleep.”

His words stung. I began to roll over to give him space so he could sleep, which obviously wasn’t going to happen with me close, but his arm around my waist tightened. He lodged me against his body once more. I

swallowed.

“You’re young,” he said. “I worry about all the ways I’ll hurt you before you’ve grown into a jaded adult to survive in our world and at my side.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Not right now, but eventually you will.”