34. Valentin
THIRTY-FOUR
Valentin
I haven’t seen my Dani since the night she denied us both. She might have been right, that wasn’t a good enough proposal for that artist of mine. She needs some grand gesture or romantic shit that she’s seen in her movies. So, I comb through all the movies I know she’s watched more than once. It was my job to get them all and I’d make sure there were no sex scenes before I gave them to Tali for their movie nights.
Vlad’s ugly ass pops up like a gargoyle over my shoulder and he shakes his head. “I’ve got one brother pampering himself every day, and you’re searching for…” he looks at the screen, “most romantic movies. You’re both fucking soft.”
Tali is his annoying minion, but he comes to my defense, stroking Vlad’s cheek and declaring, “See that? Like sandpaper. Mine, velvety soft and a welcome seat.”
Sitting his big ass beside me, he takes my laptop and gives his input. He’s been forced to watch them, and I soak up every little thing he gives about Dani .
“That one’s shit, Dani kept saying it would be sad and make me cry but I laughed when they both died. Honestly, the guy was a boring prick and the woman playing his wife should have shot him in the head.”
Vlad slams it closed and stands in front of us both, giving an order, “Go collect from Rian, he’s got his launch tonight.”
I groan internally at the thought of being around his asshole brother. Zidane is a prick, who tried to fucking flirt with my girl, I don’t give two fucks that it didn’t go anywhere but he tried to touch her. Even if it was innocent he should keep his hands to himself..
Vlad goes to the bar and looks over his shoulder, never content on not being a dickhead. “And don’t fuck it up.”
Tali’s unhelpful ass sits back, and he reclines spouting out shit.
“Valentin and his cursed dick have already been there, somehow Lilah didn’t slit his throat, so I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Arguing like we’re teenagers again, he speaks over me doubling down on the dumbass nickname. “Your dick is so cursed your balls are full of ghosts.”
Fucking prick.
He chokes on his own joke as I go to leave, trying to show my maturity. But he shouts after me, “What? No comeback?”
I don’t turn and a dark smile takes over my face, knowing what I’m saying is true.
“You want my come back? Scrape it off your girls teeth.”
Dani isn’t his girl, she’s mine. But it works to make me feel better for the moment remembering how beautiful she looked with my cum dripping down her ass.
There’s a spring in my step because the fuckers will have invited her to see her designs proudly displayed. She won’t be able to run away from me and I’ve never been happier to collect in my life. I can make sure no little fucker gets near my woman and force her to marry me, we can leave tonight, go to Vegas and she’ll be my wife in a few hours.
I whistle as I drive, and my good mood is heightened as soon as I pull up to the casino. Her car is here, she didn’t come with some little dickhead because she is mine.
I see her as soon as I’m through the door. She’s amazing, a deep red cocktail dress with the most gorgeous slit showing her thigh. There’s no embellishment or jewelry, my little artist is stunning without it. I finally understand how people can look at someone and think I want to have your babies. If it was possible she’d be pregnant from the thought alone. My Dani will be filled with me, grow our family, and glow while doing it just like she is now.
I watch her like a creep as I go to the bar and she stands beside some woman. Jealousy takes over instantly, I don’t give a fuck about her sexuality; she just has to be consumed with me . Even with Tali it’s not about her fucking him, logically I know it will never happen, it’s about her time. She’ll fuck me but she won’t give me that one thing. I crave it, I always have, but it’s the same as when we were kids and she’d make excuses so she wasn’t alone with me.
They’re not touching but the cunt is stealing her smiles, getting pulled in when it’s only ever supposed to be me. Taking my drink, I’m at her side before I’ve even had a sip and my Dani tries to evade my touch when I wrap my arm around her. She looks up at me when I hold her hip and relaxes. Her first reaction is to lean into me before the idiotic part of her brain comes out and she turns cold.
Kissing her cheek because I can, and it helps every fucker in here know she’s mine, she blushes. So adorable. I came on her back after having my thumb in her ass but she’s blushing at my lips touching her face. Cute as fuck. I could pinch her cheeks she’s so sweet.
The woman she was talking to, before I kindly returned back to my rightful place, is familiar. It doesn’t click until she introduces herself and I pull Dani closer. The little cunt is the sister of the one person who made Dani’s life hell in school. I’ve never spoken to Kacey; Zoe was a bitch and I assume her sister is too.She gets the message that she’s unwanted and leaves us alone as she points at a table. “I’ll go test my luck.”
I guide Dani around the room picking the most discreet table as I whisper into her ear, “Why did you say no?” Her brows pull together as she looks at me and I add on weakly, “To being my wife.”
There’s no answer, just a small sad smile as she sits at the poker table primly. Sitting so I can see the room and that enticing slit is closer to me, we get dealt in. Rian and Zidane take the seats opposite, fucking sharks, they look at Dani trying to work out if they can speak freely. I tap a chip on the table to get their attention and shake my head out of her view, so they know it’s not business.
My intelligent woman is too quick and picks her cards up with a smile asking easily, “How do you all know each other?”
She’s protected from the Bratva, no one has ever mentioned anything in front of Dani. Maintaining that secrecy, I hold the back of her chair and play with the truth.
“We have mutual business interests.”
There’s not really a way to drop “we kill people for a living and their family are our disposal team” or the other interest is drugs, it would just confuse my little artist.She’d probably be pissed given her proximity to the shit storm Carly caused.
The dealer plays another hand and random guests filter through the criminality. I move closer to Dani and hold her knee writing my name on her skin with my thumb. Keeping my voice low so no one else hears, I ask for what we both want.
“Marry me?”
She doesn’t even look up from her cards or pause in her answer.
“No.”
Fucking infuriating, stubborn little shit. I’ll get down on one knee all she has to do is say she’s mine.
Eyeing her cards, she has a losing hand, so I change my offer.
“If I win, you have to marry me.”
I sit taller ready to collect more than winnings or payments due, but she crushes my mood with one word.
“No.”
She folds and stands like I’d possibly let her leave. Crazy girl. I was willing to search a country with a population of over two hundred million until I found her, I’m not going to lose her in a crowd of a couple of hundred.
I follow her out of the main room and grab her arm pulling her into a supply closet. Keeping her caged in against the door, I cup her face and beg, “Stop being stubborn.”
There’s too much wicked enjoyment on her face, my little artist likes watching me suffer and she repeats the same word again.
“No.”
I slip my hand down to her neck and my jaw hardens matching my voice as I repeat myself, “Stop being so fucking stubborn.”
She leans into my palm and my crazy girl is smiling from ear to ear as I squeeze the sides of her neck to stop the bastard word coming out. It doesn’t work and she spells it out.
“N. O.”
It’s the only word that’s left her mouth and I never want to hear it again.I kiss her cheek hoping it calms us both.
Everything I’d read to make it perfect has left my memory with having her in my arms. Moving closer to her lips, I soften my voice to coax out the truth.
“Why won’t you marry me?”
She was excited when we were teenagers and had a big dopey smile so it can’t be an age thing.We’re older now so if she was ready all those years ago she has to be ready now.
I stroke her cheek while waiting for an answer. Each swipe of my thumb is begging her to be mine. Her melodious voice is right in my ear pulling me into false security.
“Why do you want to?”
Her question is dumb as fuck, I’m fucked over her. I always have been, and I always will be.I move back to see if she’s having some delusional seizure or some shit, however there’s nothing but vulnerability on her face. My beauty doesn’t even see that she’s perfect, that’s why she can’t understand she’s mine. Tucking her hair behind her ear, my voice is the softest it’s ever been.
“You’re the best part of my days, always have been. Even when we were younger and you weren’t talking to me, I liked being around you. Knowing you were there and hearing you laugh.”
Her smile is slow and too small. Dani was put on earth to be a stubborn shit and test my patience.
“We haven’t even dated.”
Her argument is unnecessary as fuck but at least I know what to do. I’ve never been on a date in my life, unless she counts her birthday and I turn smug pointing it out.
“I took you to that art show.”
She rolls her eyes like what I said is utter shit and pushes against my shoulders wanting space as she continues arguing, “So, I should marry you when I’ve had one date? Oh sorry, half a date on the day I found out my parents killed themselves?”
I don’t see what the problem is. But I play her game and give in. “Daniela Carvalho, please will you go out with me?”
I’ll drop to my fucking knees to get her to say yes. She’s a cruel goddess and straightens her shoulders feigning indifference.
“I’ll think about it.”
I form a plan of what could class as a date in this moment and thread our fingers together. I like feeling her hands in mine, how the little callouses on the tips of her fingers make her less gentle. I always thought it was a contradiction but now I know that she has this fire inside of her it makes sense. She twists trying to free herself from me and my fingers tighten around her palm stopping anything from breaking the connection even the woman herself. Her arm goes limp unable to shake me off as she leans up and kisses my cheek sweetly. The innocent gesture is accompanied with horrible words.
“Thank you for the offer, but I have to go home with Kacey. My date.”
What in the actual fuck.
She doesn’t get to leave me to go fuck someone else. So, I steal her favorite fucking word.
“No.”
She hardens her voice, and her eyes darken as she lies. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
Our noses touch as I pull her closer and my tone is deadly promising to follow through. “If you fuck her, I’ll chain you up and write my name on every inch of your skin.”
Dani strokes up my thigh and cups my dick letting out the truth she was hiding. “You didn’t let me come before, now you’re off the list.”
She couldn’t be quiet, and no one gets to hear those soft moans but me. If Tali had woken up I’d have to kill him for witnessing what’s mine. Letting go of her hand, I trail my fingers up her thigh to go and correct my mistake but she slams her legs shut kicking me out of heaven before I’ve even got through the gates and speaks against my face. “Go fuck someone else.”
I want to throttle her until she actually pays attention to the facts.
“I want you. I need you. The only reason I fuck you is because that is all you’ll give me. You don’t sleep in my bed, you don’t speak to me, so open your fucking legs and let me have one part of you. ”
Her lips part and she softens her hands against me as her voice lowers. “I speak to you.”
Bullshit.
I can’t hold it in and prove that all she’s ever done is ignore me.
“The first birthday you spent with us, you wouldn’t look at me. I gave you that shitty rock thing you were obsessed with, and you thought it was from Tali. You ran to him and hugged him until he said it was from me, but you just mumbled at me. When you got your first period, Tali went to buy you everything you need, and he picked up diapers first because he’s a dumb fuck and I was the one who got you underwear and clothes, but you hugged him. You even spoke to Dima more than you did me.”
Her voice is small, and she still avoids my eyes. “I didn’t mean to.”
I lose my resolve, as always, and kiss her cheek unable to take her sadness. My voice is softer, pleading with her to change her answer, as I whisper, “Stay with me tonight, not to fuck. I want to wake up with you in my arms.”
I’ve only had one night with her in my bed, and she had tears in her eyes. That’s not enough and I’ll become a monk if she gives me this.
She hesitantly looks between my eyes. On anyone else hesitation would be a bad thing, but Dani’s default answer has been no all night. Combing her fingers through my hair above my ear, she smiles putting the world back in order and I’ve never heard sweeter acceptance.
“Pick me up in an hour?”
Tasting that curve, my own lips move up, but I don’t push my tongue into her mouth. I want that innocence in my life that only Dani possesses, for it to wash away the depravity and crimes.