I stare at his broad back as he leads me back to his car. Mrs. Windsor. I suppose that’s who I am now. It’s so surreal.
Luca holds the car door open for me, and I frown. Normally, that’s the driver’s job, and when the driver isn’t there, like today, it’s my job. “You’re my wife now,” he says, a small smile on his face. “It’s my duty and privilege to do these kinds of things for you. We aren’t at work right now, Valentina.”
My thoughts are reeling as I take a seat. Luca seems different now, less abrasive, and I don’t know what to make of it. “Is it true?” I ask when he sits down next to me.
He turns to face me and grabs my hand, holding it in his. His gaze drops to our hands, and he slowly entwines our fingers, his touch gentle. “Yes,” he says.
“Why? Why would you give me company perks no one else had?”
The way his thumb rubs over the back of my hand is distracting, and it throws me off. I wasn’t expecting him to be gentle with me. I thought everything would stay the same with the exception of us sleeping together occasionally, but this tenderness… it’s surprising. When he acts this way, it’s like I don’t know him at all.
Luca looks into my eyes, his expression one I’ve never seen before. “Does it matter?” He looks away for a moment and sighs. “To be honest, I’m not sure either. I just knew I wanted to do more for you, but I never really thought too hard about why. I just did it.”
I stare at his profile, admiring his straight nose and his strong jaw. I always tried not to look at him too long, out of fear it’d be considered unprofessional, but today I’m getting my fill. “For years, I thought you hated me.”
He smiles then. “I did, at the start. I still don’t know why my grandmother hired you back then, and I don’t like that. I felt manipulated, and I was convinced you had ulterior motives… But at some point, those feelings morphed into something else altogether, without me even realizing it. I kept convincing myself that I couldn’t stand you, but all the while, I kept relying on you more, until you became indispensable to me.” Luca looks into my eyes, and my heart skips a beat. “How could I hate you when you’re the only person I can see myself spending three years with? When you told me that you quit, I was a fucking wreck, Valentina. Nah. I don’t hate you. I hate how much I fucking want you. I hate how beautiful you are, and I hate how much you mess with my mind. Above all, I always hated that you weren’t mine.”
I tear my gaze away, my cheeks flushed and my heart pounding wildly. The man holding my hand… he isn’t the cold and indifferent Luca I know. I don’t recognize this version of him, and it terrifies me.
It terrifies me, because this version of Luca? This is a man I could lose my heart to.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Valentina
My heart is thumping in my chest as I sit up in Luca’s bed, my most conservative pajamas covering every inch of me. I purposely chose the ugliest, rattiest, most old-fashioned pajamas I’ve got. It’s a black and white checkered two-piece, and it makes me look like a freaking Dalmatian. I don’t think I’ve ever looked quite this unattractive before.
I can’t even figure out why I’m acting this way. I’m not one to get scared, or to be intimidated, yet the idea of spending the night with Luca fills me with a strange kind of anxiety. Everything happened so quickly that I haven’t had a chance to truly let it sink in. How are we supposed to go from weeks of arguments and distance to… whatever this is? We can’t.
The distinct sound of the shower running fills my ears, keeping my nerves sky-high. I’ve been in Luca’s home countless times, yet it all feels brand new and unfamiliar. I still remember when he had this place renovated, two years after we started working together. Back then, he still hadn’t given up on making me quit, and he’d made me decorate his entire house for him.
I’m the one who chose this bed, and I even hand-selected these pillows for him. I never thought I’d someday end up sharing his bed. I never could’ve imagined that someday, I’d be his wife.
My jaws clench involuntarily as I think back to the way he’d decline twenty different pillows, just to annoy me. It was around that time that he realized nothing he could ask of me would be too much. I did it all with a pleasant smile on my face, even when I felt like I wasn’t learning anything, or when the things he’d ask of me clearly fell outside of my job role.
Was that when things started to change between us? Shortly after, he started entrusting me with more important work. The change was gradual, but that was a definite turning point.
“What are you thinking about so hard?”
My eyes widen when I see him standing in the doorway with nothing but a pair of black boxer shorts on. My eyes roam over his body, and my face flushes instantly. I always thought he looked amazing in a suit, but he looks far better without it. My eyes settle on the waistband of his boxer shorts, where a deep V is clearly visible below his abs. I know that he works out every single day, but I never quite realized what the result of that would be.
“Valentina?” he says, his tone amused.
I tear my gaze away, my face no doubt red. “Just happy to learn that the pillows I picked are as comfortable as I remember them being.”
Luca chuckles, and I glance back at him to find him looking somewhat remorseful. He cups the back of his neck and looks away. “They were just replaced,” he murmurs. “Thank you for that, by the way. I’m not sure I’ve ever told you this, but when you do something, you do it well.”
My lips tug up into a genuine smile, and I shake my head. When I bought these pillows, I also requested that the store replace them every two years. I didn’t think he’d even realized that. I always assumed that’s something his housekeeper would handle. Luca has a whole team that comes in while he’s at work, and they take care of his every need.
He walks up to the bed, and I swallow hard. “Are you… are you going to sleep like that?”
Luca gets into bed and turns to face me, his back against the headboard. Is he purposely keeping his torso on display for me? “Why? Does it bother you?”
I tug at the collar of my pajamas and shake my head. “No. Of course not.” I can’t admit that it does bother me — that would feel too much like admitting defeat.
Luca laughs, and I glance at him, my heart skipping a beat. He looks so ridiculously sexy, lying in bed like that. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so relaxed, so disarmed. “Hey, Perdita,” he murmurs.
I raise my brows, surprised he knows the names of any of the 101 Dalmatians.
“There’s an important aspect of our wedding ceremony that we missed out on.”
“What part?” I ask, confused.
“The part where I get to kiss the bride.”
My eyes widen, and I look away, flustered. My embarrassment earns me another chuckle from him, and I see him shake his head from my peripheral vision. “You’re so fucking cute,” he murmurs. “I didn’t think you could get more beautiful, but I think I like you best just like this. Your long hair falling down your shoulders, your face devoid of any makeup. It just highlights how naturally beautiful you are, Mrs. Windsor.”