by Marian Tee
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 windo
ws---
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 Rafe Palazzo found his friend 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.
Rafe’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 Rafe 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 friend is here.”
Frowning, he turned his head to follow her gaze. He grinned when he saw who it was. “Good morning, Palazzo. I wasn’t expecting you.”
Rafe grinned back. “Clearly.” Then he turned to Luca’s wife, saying gently, “It is a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Valencia.”
As she and Luca stepped out of the elevator, she said with a shy smile, “Please call me Vivian.”
Rafe smiled back, saying, “Only if you also promise to call me Rafe.”
She glanced at Luca. “I’ll be heading to my class then?”
“Alright.” Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he murmured, “Be at my office by eleven, si?”
“Si.” After shooting Luca’s friend a quick smile and a nod, she hurried towards the meeting room where her Italian tutor was waiting.
Having heard her last words, Rafe asked, “Has your wife gone back to school?”
“Italian lessons with a private tutor,” he explained. “She takes them here five times a week.”
Rafe 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, Rafe could not help but marvel at how much marriage had changed Luca, and it was even more surprising that the changes were all because of his young, sweet wife.
Although Rafe and Ari 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, Rafe 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 Rafe 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 Rafe and Ari had seen Vivian Day, they had looked at each other and thought the same thing.
Luca Valencia 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, Rafe thought. Inside Luca’s office, his friend immediately had coffee and refreshments served, and Rafe briefly shared with Luca about the charity project he was involved in and which he would like his friend to take part of as well. Luca agreed readily, and when they finished ironing out the details, Rafe stood up to leave.
“You must bring Eula and Vivian over to our place one time. We would love to have you.”
“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 we’ve been together. I do not wish anyone to think that I am embarrassed of her or such.”
Rafe clapped a hand over his friend’s back. “You’re not doing anything wrong, Valencia. It’s entirely normal, for newlyweds and for a couple clearly in love with each other.”
About to speak, Luca remained silent instead, his friend’s last words causing him to whiten.
As Rafe 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 Rafe left, Luca slowly walked back to his desk. Taking his seat, he swung around to face the window, staring sightlessly at the sky as Rafe’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.
Rafe was…wrong.
He was not in love.
And he could and would prove it this very day.
Chapter Nine
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 Rafe Palazzo had told him something or Luca had learned something from Rafe – and whatever it was, this was the result.
Maybe, if she had been there, things would have been different.
Maybe.
Still, Vivian didn’t really blame Rafe Palazzo for this change. This, she thought sickly, was inevitable, no matter how she hard she tried to subconsciously convince herself otherwise. Taking a deep breath, she said finally, “If you’re busy, we can always postpone this.” She was already turning towards the door as she spoke, hoping she could escape so she would have time to just think about what she should say or do next.
“Hold on.”
Fudge. Double fudge. Triple fudge.
She reluctantly let go of the half-turned knob between her fingers, and when she turned around, it was like looking at a stranger.
A too-cold, too-beautiful stranger who had a too-perfect smile of apology on his lips as he came gracefully to his feet---
She watched him cross the room, thinking bleakly, This isn’t the man I’ve been married to for three months.
“I’m sorry I didn’t notice you soo
ner, cara.”
She almost flinched at the last word but caught herself in time. She had always loved hearing Luca call her that, but now that didn’t feel right either. It felt…forced.
He laid a hand at the small of her back. “Shall we go?”
She forced herself to smile. “Okay.”
Inside the limousine, she busied herself texting on her phone while he made one call after another, even though in reality she knew they were both pretending. He had never spent so much time on the phone while he was in the car with her, and now it was as if he just had to make a call to every manager on his phone book.
Her vision began to blur, but she blinked them back furiously. It’s not the end of forever yet, she told herself fiercely.
It wasn’t over until it really was over, and this wasn’t it.
It wasn’t.
The moment she saw where they were eating, she hated the sight of it, and the sick feeling in her stomach got worse.
Noticing the tense line of her mouth, Luca asked in surprise, “Have you dined here before?” It was unlike his wife to exhibit any sign of dissatisfaction, and he wondered if she had any unpleasant experience with the restaurant he had chosen.
She wished she could lie, but at that moment, just the thought of lying required too much energy. Right now, it was already taking everything to just be able to stay on her feet and not to give in to her fears.
Slowly, she shook her head.
Luca hesitated. “We can always change---”
Vivian managed a smile. “No, it’s okay, I was just thinking of something else, from my Italian lessons. This place is gorgeous.” And it was, really. Her only problem about it was the fact that it seemed too private, like someone had hired the entire place to himself.
And of course, the only people who would go to such lengths either had secrets to hide…or were about to do something that they intended to keep a secret.
Like dumping a wife.
The thought came out of nowhere, and she stumbled. Vivian would have fallen flat on her face if Luca hadn’t caught her by the elbow. “Are you alright?”
“I’m okay,” she reassured him brightly. “You know how clumsy I am.” Upon reaching the table set up for them, Luca pulled out a chair for her and she took her seat, her heart plunging when instead of taking the seat next to her, like he usually did, Luca opted to sit across her this time.
