Chapter 34 – Alessandro
I studied my wife as she lay under me. Penelope was breathing hard. She swore her ribs were fine, but I knew how badly she’d fallen into the counter when the gunfight started. It sometimes took weeks and months for bruises like that to heal.
I was too rough with her.
But dio! It felt good.
It felt right .
And the look on her face said she agreed.
Still, she was breathing harder than I liked.
Gently untangling her, I reached for my dress shirt and dabbed between her legs. That lush hazel gaze focused on me the entire time. When I was done, Penelope lifted her arms above her head and stretched.
“Come.” I held out my hand for her.
The smirk on her lips told me she wasn’t going to take the proffered help. So I bent and scooped her into my arms.
“Put me down,” she squeaked.
That wasn’t happening. I enjoyed touching her too much. Once we were in the bathroom, I perched on the tub ledge, balancing her carefully as I reached for the tap. Water spluttered and rushed out. Next came the salts, bubbles, and other items.
Penelope didn’t speak, for which I was glad. I didn’t want her to reassure me how much she hated our marriage. Not after the raw and brutal claiming.
My inner beast couldn’t take that rejection.
So I held her tight and drew her a bath.
“You know where everything is,” she mused as I dropped the essential oils into the water.
A lush, floral scent perfumed the space. I drew deep gulps of it into my lungs. The smell was nothing short of intoxicating.
“I’ve been watching you, little wife,” I murmured.
Her light, amused laugh was musical. “Well, that’s not creepy, lupo.”
Wolf—a beast without mercy. That was all she saw me as.
Gently, I lowered her into the hot water. The bubbles enveloped her decadent body, and she leaned back with a sigh.
“Call out if you need anything,” I instructed, pushing to my feet.
“Okay,” she whispered.
The fact that she’d agreed and hadn’t given me some snarky comeback sent my heart pattering. I slipped into a pair of sweats before sprinting back to my office. I didn’t want to be out of earshot in case she did call for me.
Collecting my phone and turning off my computer, I paused. The yellow square of paper stared back at me. I plucked it carefully off the desk.
What the hell had I been thinking?! It was madness to offer her whatever her heart desired. My business was at risk, the lives of my men! I was first and foremost a leader in the mob. The famiglia always came first. And yet, in a burst of madness, I raised the stakes and gambled.
So why did it feel like I’d won the hand?
“You’ve bewitched me,” I growled, pinching the sticky edge and stalking back upstairs.
It was the only explanation for the illogical offer.
With her freedom off the table, I pondered what she could possibly choose. I was a man of my word. Whatever she wanted, it was hers. Placing the note on her nightstand, I peeked into the bathroom.
Penelope was completely relaxed, body tipped back and eyes gently closed. The scent of jasmine and starlight filled the dimly lit space. That lush white flower would always have an association with her.
I’m obsessed with my wife. And she had no idea what kind of terrible power she had over me.
Pondering the strange turn of events, I stood there, watching her until she finally stirred. Only then did I slip into bed. Ten minutes later, she joined me.
But as always, she stayed on her side.
A silent sigh of resignation swept through me. There was still so much distance between us. So close, but so far away. I lay there contemplating the future, long after she fell asleep.
“What would it take for you to feel this way about me?” I whispered into the dark. What can I give you that will make you want to be here?
The crack of a fist sent me shooting straight up in bed. My lungs were bellows, gulping precious air. The blood in my veins pulsed rapidly. A ghostly pain made my jaw wince at the memory.
It was only a dream.
Scrubbing my hands through my hair, I shot a look to the side of the bed where Penelope slumbered peacefully. Good—that was good. I hadn’t woken her.
Slipping out of bed, I padded from the room. Experience taught me there would be no more sleep tonight. Since it was barely four in the morning, I resisted the temptation of slugging back a whiskey to banish the tendrils of the nightmare, instead going to the kitchen for a glass of water.
Ages ago, that demon tried to break us all.
Even now, my sire’s presence in my dreams succeeded in chasing away the rest I desperately needed. The bastard. Well, he hadn’t won. My siblings and I had a thriving empire, and my mother had spent her final years free of his terror.
She loved him .
I shook my head. It bothered me to no end that the kindest, sweetest woman I’d known was devoted to that sonofabitch up until his last breath.
Was that what people would think about my wife? I shuddered.
Penelope was capable of that loyalty and devotion. But it would be a crime to let her think it was misplaced. No, if Penelope ever showed me that loyalty, it would be because she learned I was a good man. A man capable of violence toward our enemies, but a good man to his family.
A sigh left my lungs. When I thought Penelope was beginning to see things straight, when we took a step forward, reality sent us spiraling backward. Just like the intimate, world altering sex, and then us sleeping apart in the same damn bed.
Cool, refreshing water trickled down my throat. Given enough time, she would understand the difference. I would make her care for me. There was no other alternative.