by Marian Tee
To control—-
To make sure that he would not be betrayed again.
Instead of answering him, she drew his head down and pressed her lips to his. “Good night,” she whispered, and with that kiss Vivian welcomed whatever the future would bring with eyes wide open.
Their marriage might be imperfect, but it didn’t have to stay that way.
Chapter Eleven
Thursday. Vivian didn’t care about what she thought yesterday, she just had a feeling today was going to be the best day ever of her life. But first, she had to get up and—-
“You think too loud, cara,” a sleep-roughened voice murmured from behind just before she was rolled to her back. A moment later, and Vivian was drowning in a sweet, hot kiss. Wrapping her arms around her husband’s neck, she kissed him back eagerly, her passion effortlessly rising to meet his. In truth, he only had to look at her, and she wanted him.
Like now.
Vivian let out a little gasp when he reversed their position in a quick roll, and then she gasped again as he slowly but steadily impaled her on his erection.
“L-Luca...”
His arousal sharpened at the way his wife threw her head back at her penetration, dark hair streaming behind her like a silky cloud that he itched to grasp and keep in his possession. Dio, but she was so beautiful, and it seemed like every time they made love, the more he could not get enough of her.
His wife began to move then, lifting herself up and then sinking back down, riding him the way he had taught her to, and his hands around her waist tightened. She began moaning as she rocked herself against him harder and faster, and the sound of her obvious pleasure had Luca drawing her down so he could catch one nipple with his mouth.
“Aaaah.” The way he sucked her nipple ripped her apart, and she could no longer keep her movements above his body steady. As if sensing the way she was fast losing control, he reversed their positions once more and as she fell on her back, she felt him rise to his knees. Her eyes opened in time to see him clasp her ankles. He pushed her legs as wide apart as possible before slowly entering her again.
“Luca!” He was oh so deep inside of her, and oh, it was killing her, the way it felt so, so good, to have her husband filling her. He began to move, thrusting hard and deep, and all she could do was follow his lead, head tossing and turning against the pillow.
Her swaying breasts drawing his attention, Luca reached out to cup them with each of his hands, squeezing and kneading the swollen flesh even as he continued to plunge his length into her over and over. When he started playing with her nipples, Vivian’s breathy little cries started echoing inside the room, and when he reached with one hand to pinch her tiny nub of pleasure, she jerked against his touch, her eyes rolling back as she came.
“Lucaaaaaa—-”
Lifting his wife’s lower body up as her cum streamed out of her, he began moving faster, and soon, he could feel his own release rising. Breathing hard, he pulled his length all the way out before sinking it one last time. Her inner muscles clenched around his erection, tightening and triggering his own climax, and Luca came with a rough growl, spilling his seed into her even as his thrusts became wilder and faster.
When Vivian finally managed to catch her breath, she opened her eyes and saw her husband staring down at her. It was embarrassing, even after everything, and she blurted out awkwardly, “Good morning.”
Luca’s lips twitched. “Good morning, Mrs. Valencia.” The last one had his wife’s cheeks turning pink, and this time he could no longer suppress his smile.
She socked his shoulder, mumbling, “You just say that because you know it still makes me blush.” She wanted to sound mad, but even to her own ears she sounded more breathless with pleasure. And how could she not sound like that, Vivian wondered helplessly, with the way their bodies were still joined, his length throbbing temptingly against her muscles.
Luca drew his knuckles against her cheek, murmuring, “You still blush so easily.”
She made a face. “I can’t help it.”
“I am not complaining.”
Vivian rolled her eyes. “You may get a kick out of it, but I think it’s silly and I’m determined to find a way to be less, I don’t know, blushable?”
He laughed. “Ah, Vivi, I am a full-blooded Italian, but even I know that is not a proper word.” He expected her to retort like she usually did, but when she didn’t, it had him looking down at her, and that was when he saw the way she was staring up at him in wonder. “Che cos’ e?”
Swallowing, she admitted, “Even after three months of marriage, it just feels like I don’t hear your laugh often enough.” When Vivian saw his eyes widen, it was her turn to laugh, and she asked teasingly, “Are you surprised you’ve lasted this long with me?”
“Has it really been three months?” He shook his head, saying wryly, “If you want the truth, cara, I am more surprised that it’s only been three months.”
“You feel like you’ve been married longer?” At his nod, she asked worriedly, “Is that a good thing?”
It was, he thought broodingly, and it wasn’t.
In truth, Luca could barely remember how life was without Vivi. Her quiet presence had more of an impact than he expected, and in ways that he had not imagined. The knowledge that Vivi was in his home, taking care of Eula, had actually allowed him to work more efficiently, and the knowledge that he had a family – a real and complete one – waiting for him had also made Luca cut back on his work hours. There was just something about Vivian’s willingness to listen that soothed his nerves, the way she never cared to be too funny or too smart allowing him to drop his guard and simply enjoy the moment with her.
She really was one of the best investments he had ever made in his life, and it was rather incredible, when he thought about it, that Luca had been able to acquire his wife for a measly sum.
His wife was indeed an asset, he thought, and it would always stay that way as long as he remembered that in the end, she was just that.
An asset.
When Luca began pulling away, Vivian made no effort to stop him, sensing his silent need to put some distance between them. After three months of marriage, she knew him so much better now, and she knew that whenever he wanted to put more walls between them, it was only because he was feeling too much.
And these days, it was happening more often than usual.
So just be patient, she told herself. Don’t be too aggressive, too greedy, or too impatient.
When Luca saw his wife watching him walk naked towards the bath, he raised a brow at her, asking, “Enjoying the show, cara?” She threw a pillow at him, and he caught it handily with a grin. “There is nothing to be embarrassed about. I myself have no shame in admitting that I always enjoy watching you striptease—-”
She sat upright with a gasp at his words, and clutching the sheets to her, she protested, “I have never done a striptease!”
“Every time you strip in front of me, you tease me. You arouse me. Is that not the definition of a striptease?” Walking back to her, he caught the other pillow she threw at him effortlessly and threw it on the floor. Then he swept her up in his arms and silenced her planned retort with an open-mouthed kiss. By the time he lifted his head, his wife’s gaze was once again clouded with desire, and Luca smiled in satisfaction at the sight.
In the shower, they made love once more, despite his wife’s protests that she might be late in preparing Eula’s lunchbox for school. This time, he took her from behind, with her breasts flattened against the glass wall, and Luca teasing her that he might have forgotten to lock both the bathroom door and the main door of their bedroom.
“How could you,” she moaned in protest. But even so, the thought that anyone could enter the bathroom at that moment was both terrifying and shamefully exciting, making her feel even wetter and hotter.
Licking her ear, he whispered, “It turns you on, does it not, Vivi? That we are doing something forbidden, that people might catch us—-”
�
��N-no.” But her voice was weak, and soon enough she forgot what else she had to say when Luca’s thrusts sped up, and all she could do was pant and let him take command of her body.
In the end, she barely had enough time to shower and prepare a sandwich for Eula, and then it was a race against time as the driver figured out a way to beat the traffic and ensured her stepdaughter would make it to school in time.
Inside the car, Vivian was surprised when Luca told the child that she would not be able to fetch her after school.
“I’m not?”
“Why not, Papa?” Eula asked at the same time, visibly upset.
“Because I will be taking Vivi out to lunch—-”
“You are?” she gasped.
He lifted a brow. “Unless you would rather not?”
“I would definitely rather,” she said so quickly.
Eula was scowling. “But Vivi can have lunch with me.”
Luca laughed, more amused than annoyed at how his daughter was well taking after him with how possessive she was. And normally, he would have given in, but unfortunately for his little princess, today he happened to feel just a bit more possessive towards Vivi.
“No arguments, principesa,” he told her firmly. Gentling his tone, he promised, “But it is only for today. She will be yours again tomorrow.”
Eula’s scowl eased a little. “You promise, Papa?”
“Si.”
She sighed. “Then okay. You may borrow Vivi only for today.”
When they had dropped Eula off at school and they were all alone in the car, he asked her wryly, “Is she becoming too bossy, do you think?”
Vivian grinned. “Just a bit, but what can you expect when you’re her father?” But then she remembered his words from earlier and she hesitated, biting her lip before blurting out, “Are we celebrating our third monthsary?”
He winced. “Must you call it that?”
She blinked. “What, monthsary?”
Luca could not help wincing anew. “Si.”
“Monthsary?”
“Yes, that,” he snapped. Then he heard her unsuccessfully trying not to giggle, and he realized she had been teasing him.
When his gaze narrowed at her, she couldn’t help giggling again even as she tried to appease him, saying, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. You just looked so cute, I mean, because you had this sick expression on your face when I mentioned the word ‘monthsary’—-there, you looked exactly like that a while ago.”
As the sound of her giggles filled the car, he drawled lazily, “I believe I’m going to have a suddenly busy day today, Vivi. I might have to cancel—-”
Oh, fudge. She hastily covered her mouth until she was able to control her amusement, and lowering her hands, she told him earnestly, “I’m not going to laugh anymore, I promise.” But she wasn’t even finished speaking when her lips started to tremble at the effort not to smile.
Sighing, he drew her close to him, saying, “I suppose if I really want you to stop laughing, there’s only one way to do so.” Her lips parted, but before she could speak, he had already covered her mouth with his.
When they arrived at his office, it was Luca’s turn to sternly repress his smile. His wife walked beside him, her hand covering the side of her neck like a vampire had just bitten her. She had been like that the moment she caught sight of her reflection on one of the car windows—-
Oh my God, Luca, why are your hickeys always too big!
The memory had him coughing in an effort to control his amusement. At the same time, he heard his wife whisper, “Do you think they believed me when I told them I was stung by a bee?”
“I’m not, err, certain,” he said diplomatically.
“What about when I told the other woman I was bleeding?”
“A bit implausible but not, err, impossible, I suppose?” But this time, he had to cough again.
She looked up at him suspiciously. “Are you laughing at me?”
He pulled her inside the private elevator and waited for the doors to close before answering her with a grin, “Yes, I am.”
She gasped. “You—-”
Again, he swallowed the rest of what she had to say with another kiss, and for the second time, he moved his mouth down so he could mark her neck again.
Realizing this time what he was up to, Vivian couldn’t help laughing even as she protested incredulously, “You can’t be serious!” But then she felt him begin to suck at the tender skin of her neck, and she realized he was that serious. “Luca!” She was torn between amusement and chagrin, and oh, if she had to be honest, she was more than a little aroused, too, especially with the way his hard length was pressed against her.
And this was how Angelo Valencia found his older cousin when the elevator doors slid open to the penthouse, where he had been waiting for Luca’s arrival. His eyebrows shot up at the sight of Luca locked in an embrace with his wife of three months. He cleared his throat, and the woman froze, her eyes flying open.
Angelo's surprise deepened. She looked very innocent...and extremely in love with her husband. This might be not a marriage of convenience after all, he mused, and the thought brought him relief.
Finally taking heed of the way his wife seemed to be seriously trying to get him to stop marking her, he reluctantly lifted his head, and she immediately whispered, “Your cousin is here.”
Luca turned his head towards where his wife was staring. Ah. A crooked grin unfolded over his lips. "You have seriously bad timing, cugino."
Angelo laughed. "Clearly." Then he turned to Luca’s wife, saying gently, “It is a pleasure to see you again, Vivian."
"You, too," she said shyly.
Luca took hold of his wife's hand and brushed his lips against her knuckles. "Angelo and I will most likely talk shop. Go on ahead. Your tutor's already waiting."
"I'll be at your office by eleven," Vivian promised, and after shooting Angelo a quick smile and a nod, she hurried towards the meeting room where her Italian tutor was waiting.
"What does she have a tutor for?" Angelo couldn't help asking curiously.
“Italian lessons,” Luca explained. “She takes them here five times a week.”
The younger man grinned. “You don’t want to let her out of your sight that much?”
Luca rolled his eyes but didn’t bother answering.
As they walked towards Luca’s office, Angelo could not help but marvel at how much marriage had changed his older cousin, and it was even more surprising that the changes were all because of his young, sweet wife.
Although he and Lane had attended Luca’s wedding, they had not had a chance to speak with the bride at all. Following the ceremony, Luca had only briefly introduced everyone to her before whisking his family off and flying them to Tuscany.
At that time, Angelo had privately believed that Luca’s explanation of wanting his bride to immediately meet his mother and spend their honeymoon there were merely an excuse, to avoid hearing Angelo preach at him.
After all, no one had heard anything about Luca dating, and then all of a sudden the man had sent his friends wedding invitations, and to a woman none of them knew anything about. In fact, the first time Angelo and Steel had seen Vivian Day, both men had immediately thought of the same thing.
LucaValencia had hired himself a wife.
That could be the only reason why Luca was marrying someone so sweet and innocent like Vivian.
But clearly, they had been both wrong, Angelo thought.
Their discussion at Luca's office was brief but productive, with both men's decisive attitudes making quick work of the plans for their upcoming charity project.
“You must bring Eula and Vivian over to our place one time," Angelo murmured as he stood to leave. "My Lane would love to meet with them again."
“I might just take you up on that,” Luca answered with a twist of his lips. “It has just occurred to me that I’ve been monopolizing her too much and that I haven’t taken her anywhere in the three months w
e’ve been together. I do not wish anyone to think that I am embarrassed of her or such.”
Angelo clapped a hand over his cousin's back. “You’re not doing anything wrong. It’s entirely normal, for newlyweds and for a couple clearly in love with each other.”
About to speak, Luca remained silent instead, with the younger man's words making him feel numb inside.
As Angelo walked to the door, he missed the way Luca’s jaw hardened as he continued, “I’m ashamed to admit that for one second, I really thought you hired yourself a wife but I only have to look at you now – you’re definitely no different from me. You’ve lost your heart to your woman, and I’m glad it’s someone like Vivian.”
When Angelo left, Luca slowly walked back to his desk. Taking his seat, he swung around to face the window, staring sightlessly at the sky as his cousin's words rang in his mind.
You’ve lost your heart to your woman.
He closed his eyes, but it was no use. He tried to think of Vivian, his wife, but all he could see was her—
Maria.
The other woman who first had his heart.
His hands clenched.
Angelo was...wrong.
He was not in love.
And he could and would prove it this very day.
Chapter Twelve
The moment Vivian entered her husband’s office, she knew that something was wrong, like her instincts were stirred by impending danger and she began having a sick feeling in her stomach.
She had been standing by the door for five minutes, and not once had he looked up. He might think he was fooling her into thinking he hadn’t noticed her arrival, but he wasn’t. She knew he knew she was there, just as she knew he was purposely ignoring her.
Vivian just wished she knew why.
Every day of her marriage, there wasn’t a moment that she had regretted, not a moment that she had wished for something to change. But if she could have that wish today, Vivian thought, then it was to never have left Luca’s side. She didn’t know what had happened, but her guts were telling her that either Angelo had told him something or Luca had learned something from his cousin – and whatever it was, this was the result.
