Chapter 10 - Darya
I know I fell asleep late yesterday afternoon, after that long day of shopping. Stefano got the phone call and it interrupted everything. I was lying on his bed, and my eyes felt so heavy, I drifted off before I realized what was happening. But honestly, I thought Stefano would come in and wake me up.
I was so disappointed when I woke up in a dark room and found him nowhere near me.
It is late, I am not sure how late, when I wake up in his room, and he has tucked me in beneath his duvet covers. I roll over slightly, running my hand along the bed next to me and finding it empty.
Why isn’t he here with me? Why didn’t he wake me up so that we could carry on where we left off?
I sit up, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the dark. He definitely isn’t here. So where did he sleep? The house is so quiet. I can’t hear anyone moving about.
I guess he didn’t want to be near me.
Is this just another example of how little he feels about me?
In the dark, I huff loudly and toss the blankets off my body.
If he doesn’t want to sleep with me, even in his own bed, then I am going to my own bedroom. I can’t believe he was so insistent that I share his bed with him on our wedding night and ever since then has seemed reluctant to actually be with me.
I head barefoot through the quiet house and into my own bedroom.
I pull my jeans off and toss them onto the floor before climbing underneath the blankets and snuggling into my freshly cleaned bed.
The pillows are soft, and the Stefress is firm, just the way I like it.
Despite being annoyed, I fall asleep again quickly.
In my dreams, Stefano is sleeping next to me, his arm is around me, and I can feel the warmth of his body against mine. It feels so amazing and annoys me at the same time because he won’t let me feel this in real life.
When I wake up late in the morning, for just a moment, I have no idea where I am, and the confusion flusters me. But then I remember. This is my bedroom in my new home.
I roll over and stretch my legs out beneath the covers and catch Stefano’s scent. Divine, but confusing. It is really strong, as though he is here with me. But he is nowhere to be seen, and I know no one but me has slept in these sheets, because they were freshly washed when I came to bed last night.
I wriggle my nose, trying to figure out why I can smell his cologne so strongly. I grab the pillow next to me and hold it up to my face.
He was lying next to me last night. Or early this morning. I can smell him on the pillow. It is unmistakable.
Why would he lie next to me and then leave? Why didn’t he just sleep next to me in his own bed?
“Ugh. What is actually going on?” I say loudly.
Confused and annoyed, I toss the pillow back onto the bed and roll away from it.
It smells too good, and I want to get some distance between me and that incredible smell.
I climb out of bed and walk straight into my private bathroom.
Stripping down, I flick the shower on and wait for the steam to start filling the bathroom before I climb underneath the warm, splashing water.
I wash my hair to get rid of his scent on my skin and all around me. I don’t like the fact that I am so attracted to him. I actually hate the fact that I seem to be so much more attracted to him than he is to me.
Am I not good enough for him? Maybe because I am so inexperienced in all of this?
After soaping down three times, I finally smell like myself again, so I climb out and dry off. I take my time blow-drying my hair and carefully going through my morning skincare routine, then get dressed in a pair of tight jeans and a crop top.
It’s a beautiful, warm day out today, and I want to go out somewhere.
***
When I go through to the kitchen to see if I can find Stefano and let him know I want to go out, I am told he has already left for the day to go to his office.
I sigh, not really sure why I feel so disappointed by that, because it’s not like I even wanted to spend the day with him after he ditched me last night.
Well, actually, this means I can spend today redecorating my own bedroom.
I may as well add my own personal touch to it.
I call the driver and ask him to take me to the local interior design shop. I just need a few items to really make it feel like my own space.
***
That night, when I am lying in bed, Stefano still isn’t home. I feel cozy and happy in my room, which has been filled with a few personal touches of my own.
Stefano works long hours, which is what I assumed he did, and I haven’t seen or spoken to him all day. Thankfully, the housekeeper remade my bed for me with my brand-new bedding, and the other pillow doesn’t smell like him anymore.
I flick off my light and nuzzle into my pillow, unable to keep the thoughts of his sculpted body from my mind as I fall asleep.
All night I dream of Stefano again and wish that he was lying next to me so that he could wrap me in his arms.
I wake up in the morning feeling sexually tense and frustrated. When I roll over in my bed I huff loudly and sit up, grabbing the pillow next to me.
I shove my face into it and breathe in his scent.
I can’t believe it. He came to lie in my bed again last night and then snuck off before I woke up again.
Why the hell is he doing that? Why doesn’t he just stay and sleep with me?
I have no idea what this means.
I get dressed quickly and storm through the house looking for him.
I have to confront him about this. I can’t keep waking up surrounded by his smell, but without the pleasure of even knowing he was there all along. I want to know what is making him leave—or even what is making him come to sleep in my bed in the first place.
One of the housekeepers tells me that he is in his home office, working.
I march towards it angrily. I want to get to the bottom of this and resolve whatever is going on between us. I deserve to know. He is being so sneaky. Creeping in and out of my bed like that just seems wrong.
As I walk towards his office, I can hear his voice carrying out into the hallway. It’s deep and aggressive. I slow down, walking softer so that I don’t disturb him.
“What the fuck do you mean?” he snaps angrily.
I pause just outside the door, listening.
“How the hell did that happen? Where was security?”
He sounds furious.
“So how did it go missing, then?”
There is a long pause.
“For fuck's sake. How much of the product was tampered with? Did you check the security footage?”
I jump in fright as he walks out of the office with the phone pressed against his ear.
He glares at me. “I’ll call you later,” he says, then hangs up the phone.
“What the fuck are you doing eavesdropping on my call?” he growls darkly. “Are you in the habit of sneaking around and listening to things that have nothing to do with you?”
I think it is very hypocritical of him to talk about someone sneaking around as though he hasn’t been doing exactly that every night.
But at this point, I am not even bothered about him sneaking into my bed at night anymore. I am more concerned with whatever was happening on the phone right now. It sounded really serious, and like something that deserves all of our attention.
“Did something happen?” I ask bluntly, ignoring his anger.
“Nothing that you need to be concerned about,” he replies with curt annoyance.
“Don’t treat me like a child. Did something happen to one of your businesses?” I ask again, more forcefully.
“I think I just made myself very clear, Darya. This is nothing that you need to be worried about or interfere with.” He has lowered his voice, and his eyes are darkening, as though he is trying to display his authority. He steps towards me, standing over me, trying to intimidate me into backing off.
This is bullshit. I know about business. My family has many different branches of business, and I know that problems aren’t just small annoyances—they affect everything. They can affect income, flow, and impact the people working for you.
I place my hand on his chest and push hard so he is forced to take a step back.
“Stefano, don’t you dare, for even a second, think that I don’t know how businesses function. I come from a strong family and have grown up in a very business-oriented environment. Now tell me what the hell is going on. This isn’t just about you. This is about me as well; my family, your workers, everyone will be affected by problems with the business, and I can, whether you like it not, help in some way. I’m not interested in some macho bullshit. Tell me what is going on.”
Stefano blinks a few times. I can see by his expression that he was not expecting me to be so forceful about this. His thoughts are obviously running wild, because his eyes are darting from my face to his office and back again.
“Look, whatever is going on, you need to take care of it,” I insist.
“I will take care of it,” he mutters, annoyed with me. “I assure you that I will take care of this, but still, it’s not for you to worry about, okay?”
His jaw muscle is flexing. He locks his eyes on me, and I notice how they narrow. He steps up close against me again, his chest right up against mine. The heat from our bodies intermingles, and the scent of his cologne reminds me why I actually came looking for him in the first place.
“Did you sleep in my bed last night?” I stammer, overwhelmed by this body being this close to me.
He takes another step forward, forcing my back up against the wall. He pushes his hand into the wall above my head. I glance up and my eyes trail over the corded muscles of his arm and shoulder as they sit taunt against the fabric of his shirt.
“So what if I did?” he says darkly.
“It’s a yes or a no question,” I say, trying to be sterner and more focused, but it is nearly impossibly at this point.
“What makes you think that I did, Darya?”
I want to tell him I can smell him on my pillow, and it is driving me wild. I want to tell him that when he sleeps next to me, he makes me dream about him. My body knows he is there, and I wake up looking for him, wanting to feel him again.
But it sounds too intimate.
I clear my throat lightly and try to turn my head away from him to pull my thoughts together again.
He runs his finger up my neck and beneath my chin, tilting my head back. Our lips are inches apart, and I can feel his cock growing harder against me. His breathing is heavy, the air between us charged with electricity.
Without thinking, I raise myself on my tiptoes and press my lips into his.
At first, he is surprised—perhaps it was too bold of me—but then his fingers wrap around the back of my neck, and he returns the kiss with force as he presses his hips against me as well.
I gasp against his lips, feeling his other hand running down my body.
I brush my fingers over his chest, up over his shoulders, and around his neck, pulling myself closer to him.
He growls a low sound that rumbles through me and sends shivers down my spine.
My entire body is tingling with anticipation. The dreams I have been having about him are all taunting me, teasing me about what it might feel like to be with him.
Suddenly, Stefano steps away from me and rubs his hand over his face. He turns his body to the side, looking anywhere but at me.
My brows knot together, and I feel my mouth pull tight. Why did he stop? Again .
“I am going out,” he says calmly, his demeanor changing slightly, his shoulders relaxing and his eyes softening. He rolls his shoulders back, and I watch the way his thick neck muscles pull taut.
How is he able to just stop like that? I want him so badly. But I won’t beg for anything. This is getting wildly frustrating.
He is starting to piss me off with the way he gets me all fired up and then pulls back.
I brush my hands over my clothes, straightening them, lifting my chin in defiance. I won’t let him see that he got to me like he did.
“Where are you going?” I ask, matching his tone and energy.
“Just to get some work done, perhaps to one of the warehouses.”
I am not stupid—I know exactly where he is going.
“The warehouse where the issue was?” I glare at him.
His jaw muscles feather slightly. “Yes.”
I continue to stare him down. He is not going to get away with it that easily. In my family, we openly discuss issues and work together to resolve them. We each add a unique perspective, and just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I have not been a valuable part of that process.
“Good. I am coming with you,” I say quite simply, not leaving room for negotiation.
“What the hell? No, you aren’t. Don’t you have something to do around here?”
“Stefano," I say with warning in my tone. “Perhaps you would prefer if I asked one of my brothers to join you at the warehouse where their business is linked to yours ? Or can I come along instead?”
He rolls his eyes and throws his hands in the air. “Are you always this impossible to deal with?”
I grin, feeling mischievously triumphant. “Maybe.”
Stefano shakes his head. “Fine, hurry up. I want to get going as soon as possible. I need to assess the damage.”
I dash off to grab my things before he changes his mind and leaves without me.
He is already waiting in the car with the engine running when I come outside. I climb into the passenger seat. He is driving himself today.
He leans over me and grabs my seat belt, clicking it in, then turns his attention to the steering wheel.
He doesn’t say a word as we head away from the mansion and out onto the road. I can see he is worried, so I decide not to give him any more shit, just to let him think things through. Whatever is going on, I am sure I will find out soon enough when we get to the warehouse.
Even though we are driving in silence, I am constantly stealing glances at him. He really is gorgeous. His perfectly shaped jaw and that shadow of stubble adds to his rugged yet refined appearance. His dark blonde hair is slightly ruffled after our make out session, as though he was running his hands through it. His bright amber eyes are glowing in the late morning sunlight, and I am reminded of a predator, like a lion.
His thick neck muscles lead into well-defined shoulders. I know he is not big on the gym, so this physique is mostly from hard labor. He is a man who knows how to get things done and isn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty to do them himself.
He glances sideways at me, and I quickly look away, realizing that I have been staring at him for far too long.
When I do look back in his direction, there is a naughty grin on his face, a slight lingering enjoyment that I was checking him out and he caught me.
For the rest of the drive, I am careful to keep my eyes in front of me, not wanting to give him any more power over me. He is already in complete control of me every time he kisses me.
For now, I just want to focus on helping him sort out whatever is happening at work.