Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 81292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81292 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Another dinner.
Another conversation that was going nowhere, and then I asked him why I was here. What did he hope to achieve? He told me. He told me that I was to be set free. I’m a rare and precious bird, and he saw me locked within the Russo cage, begging to get out. That he’d seen me so many times, broken. Each time he saw me, it was like another piece of my wings had been clipped, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.
A bird.
Clipped wings.
He had no idea.
I told him he was a fool and that he was to send me back immediately. Things got a little … heated.
I yelled at him. I screamed that he was a fool. That no one in their right mind would pretend to rape a girl to start some vicious rumors. That the lies he kept manipulating would hurt him and his people in the long run. Once my father found out the truth and that I was a virgin, and could be sold to whomever he chose, Valentino would be nothing more than a liar and a laughingstock.
Oh, my.
I don’t know what part of my rant set him off, but in the next second, his hand was in my hair, cradling my head, and his gaze was fierce. Like I had finally lit a fire inside him, and there had been no way to put it out.
He told me that no other man was ever going to know me. That I was his, and I needed to learn to accept it, and then, his lips were on mine.
I thought chocolate was supposed to send you to heaven, but I now know it’s Valentino’s kisses. Each and every single one of them.
My lips still feel tender.
His kiss was fire.
The heat, I never want to forget it.
I’ve never been kissed like that.
Under the mistletoe, I have. The drunken, sloppy kind of kisses where men forgot themselves, but never with full control.
Never like this.
This was a dream.
I loved every second of it, and what was more, I wanted to keep on kissing him.
I didn’t want it to stop, but his guard had alerted him to some trouble, and there was no way for me to stop it.
How can I make him kiss me again? Would I look desperate if I ask him? Do I … kiss him?
I don’t know these rules. I’ve never cared to know, but for Valentino, I’m anxious to find out more. So much more.
****
Trouble is happening between De Luca and Russo.
This is not news to me.
Valentino called me into his office, forced me to sit down, and even poured me a whiskey. It was disgusting. I’ve only ever been allowed to drink wine or champagne. My father felt it was rather unseemly for a woman to be seen drinking anything that was designed for a man.
Men could keep the whiskey. It’s gross.
With the war picking up speed, Valentino had told me everything. This was news to me.
I’m a woman. My father ignored me. Always did.
I was to be seen and not heard. To look pretty for my husband, but to keep my mouth shut.
Just thinking of all the rules my father imposed on me made me hate him even more.
Valentino looked me in the eye and asked me if I wanted to leave. If I wanted to go back home. The decision was mine.
He said I could have a day to think about it.
I didn’t need a day, or an hour, or even ten minutes. I told him I didn’t want to leave. He looked … shocked.
This did make me smile.
Feeling bold, I got to my feet, and I don’t know if it was because I’ve been living with Valentino for some time now, or just because I wanted to. But I approached him. He pushed his chair out a little as I stepped in front of him, and then, I sat on his lap, straddling him and wrapping my arms around his neck. I kissed him, hard.
Valentino’s arms were wrapped around me.
The moment he grabbed my ass, I felt alive.
I wanted his touch.
With Valentino, I wanted everything with him.
I know it’s a risk.
He’s my enemy.
I’m a Russo.
He is a De Luca.
There is no chance between us. We will not work.
Our lives are constantly against it.
But when we’re together, I can’t help but feel differently..
I’m alive.
I’d give everything, even if it means to only be his mistress. I’m happy with him, and I hope he is happy with me. I won’t go home. If Valentino will have me, I will stay with him.
****
Last night, I did it.
I … went to Valentino De Luca’s room.
I’d noticed my bedroom door was left unlocked the other night, and rather than ignore it, I decided to act on these feelings. Of course, Valentino could reject me. I’d accept it and go back to my father, without a word.