SWNOVELS The Temporary Wife: Chapter 53
My heart is racing as I walk into my office wearing my wedding ring, for the very first time. So far, no one has noticed it, and if they have, they haven’t said anything at all. I’m not sure if that fills me with relief or disappointment.
I’m scared about the backlash we might face, especially since we’re admitting to being married so soon after I was appointed as COO, but I’m more scared to hurt Luca any further.
I hesitate for just a moment before grabbing the plaque Luca got me, and place it on top of my desk. Valentina Windsor, Chief Operating Officer.
Seeing Windsor paired with my first name used to fill me with unworthiness and fear, but not anymore. A soft giggle escapes my lips, and I briefly bury my face in my hands, feeling oddly giddy. I need to show Luca. I have no doubt my husband’s eyes would fill with that mixture of pride and possessiveness that I can’t resist.
My gaze drops to the stack of pink sticky notes on my desk, and I burst out laughing all over again. I can’t remember the last time I felt this free, this happy. I really should be getting to work, but there’s something I must do first.
“Morning, Val!” Jane calls as I walk past my old desk. An entire team of personal assistants and operations managers stepped in to take over my role, and it surprised me that it took six of them to do what I managed to do all by myself. “The boss has a meeting in about fifteen minutes, so I don’t think he has a lot of free time this morning.”
I grin at her and nod in thanks as I walk into Luca’s office. He looks up from his computer, and his serious expression melts away, making way for a smile. “I thought you’d have left your office already,” I murmur. Back when I was his secretary, we were always present at meetings at least ten minutes ahead of schedule. “Don’t tell me you’re already destroying my carefully crafted routines?”
Luca leans back in his seat, his eyes roaming over the red blouse I’m wearing. “And what were you planning on doing in my office while I wasn’t there?” he asks, his gaze settling on my cleavage.
I walk up to him and hold up the pink sticky note I’d been hiding behind my back. “I came to stick this onto your screen,” I murmur as I carefully place my note. “You’re totally ruining my surprise.”
I love you
– Mrs. Windsor
PS. I have a confession to make. Come to my office after your meeting.
His eyes light up as he reads my note. “This one is my favorite one so far,” he murmurs, his gaze filled with the expression I was hoping he’d carry. Love, pride, possessiveness.
“What is the confession?” Luca asks as he grabs my hand. His eyes widen when he realizes I’m wearing my wedding ring. “You didn’t take it off,” he whispers, awed. He looks up at me and rises from his chair, his hands wrapping around my waist. “I know you said yes, but I wasn’t sure you truly meant it. I thought you’d want to move slowly, and I was scared to push for more than you were ready to give me. Baby, this… you have no idea how happy this makes me.”
I lift his empty hand and stare at it, a frown on my face. “When have I ever gone back on my word?” I ask as I press his hand against my cheek and lean in, my eyes falling closed for a moment. “This won’t do.”
I let go of his hand and grab his tie, undoing it in one smooth move. Luca smiles and bites down on his lip as he tightens his grip on my waist.
My eyes are on his as I grab the necklace around his neck. “Let’s get rid of this,” I tell him, my last few remaining doubts melting away as I undo the chain. I grab his ring and push it onto his finger with a wide smile on my face.
“You’re sure?” he asks, a hint of doubt in his voice. “There’s no going back from this point, Valentina. I will never let you go, and from this moment forward, you’ll never escape the Windsor name.”
My ring could be passed off as an heirloom piece or a gift, but his is very obviously a wedding ring. Within hours, rumors about us will have reached as far as the mailroom.
I nod. “I’ve never been more sure. I love you, Luca. There’s not a single doubt in my mind. I want it all with you.”
His hand threads through my hair, and he pulls me into him roughly, his lips finding mine with the kind of desperation that makes me lose all reason. He kisses me slowly and deeply, leaving me trembling with need by the time he pulls away. His forehead drops to mine, his breathing ragged. “Let me cancel my meeting.”
I chuckle and press another quick kiss to his lips. “Absolutely not.”
“Please?”
I bite down on his lower lip before pressing another kiss to the edge of his mouth. “Don’t even dream about it.” He groans and sends me a pleading look, making me laugh. “Come to my office after the meeting for that confession I owe you.”
He raises a brow and shakes his head. “You’re going to leave me in anticipation all morning, aren’t you?”
I take a step away from him with the biggest smile on my face. “Of course.”
The smile melts off my face when I turn around to find three of our personal assistants gawking through the windows, their eyes wide. Did they… did they just see us… “Oh God.” How could I have forgotten about them? My old desk looks straight into this office.
Luca laughs, and I throw him a glare, but that doesn’t dissuade him. “Finally,” he tells me, his gaze filled with glee.
I shake my head as I walk out of his office, my face blazing. None of the assistants can look me in the eye, their faces as red as I’m sure mine is. I’m still reeling by the time I sink into my own chair, safely hidden away in my office.
He really does make me lose my icy cool. When I’m around him, I turn back into a version of myself I thought I’d lost. Is it okay for me to be this happy? Am I asking for too much when I pray that this will last forever?
I sigh, my happiness fading a little when I browse through my emails. Looks like Jessica is refusing to entertain our offer to purchase unless Luca is personally in charge of the acquisition. The thought of that makes me uncomfortable, and I hate that it does. I want to be able to trust my husband, especially because he deserves my trust more than anyone else.
“Valentina.”
I look up in surprise and check my watch. “Luca, it’s been fifteen minutes since I left your office.”
He shrugs as he walks toward me. “That meeting was bullshit, anyway. It could’ve been an email, so I was able to wrap it up qui—” His sentence trails off as his eyes zone in on the name plaque on my desk.
“Fuck,” he groans, his expression one I’ll never forget. He pauses in front of my desk and lets his fingers trail over the writing. So this is what true happiness looks like, what it feels like.
“The confession,” he asks, his gaze moving between the plaque and me continuously, as though he can’t tear his eyes off it. “What is it?”
When he looks at me that way, all of my worries are laid to rest. I promised him that I’d give us an honest chance, so that’s exactly what I’ll do. I grab the remote control on my desk and turn my windows opaque, refusing to make the same mistake as earlier. Luca’s eyes widen, and then he smirks mischievously before walking up to me.
“Promise you’ll forgive me?” I ask as I rise from my chair and push against him, making him fall onto it instead.
He smirks at me as he leans back, spellbound. “You know I will, because you’d never do something I couldn’t forgive you for.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure.” He raises his brows as I drop down to my knees between his legs. “This is an elaborate ruse that spanned years and years. I had you completely fooled.”
For a moment, I see his faith in me waver, but then I place my hands on his knees, and he smiles. “Tell me, baby.”
I slide my hands up his thighs slowly as I look up at him, barely able to suppress my smile. “Luca… I don’t like the color pink.”
He bursts out laughing and buries a hand in my hair. “What? The markers and sticky notes? The pens, the paperclips? The meeting notes you’d hand me printed on pink paper?”
I undo his trousers and grab his cock, delighted to find him already hard for me. I lick my lips and rest the tip of his cock against my mouth. “I only did it because I know how much you despise pink. I’m sorry, babe. I definitely deserve punishment for deceiving you that way, don’t I?”
“Yes,” he says as he guides his cock into my mouth. “You do.”
He grabs a fistful of my hair as I take him deeper, my tongue teasing him endlessly. Knowing how badly he wants me has my own desire rising rapidly. There’s something special about being truly wanted.
“My beautiful little liar,” he murmurs, pulling his cock all the way out of my mouth. I groan in disappointment, and he smirks as he rises to his feet, until I’m at eye level with his cock. He grabs it, his wedding ring a beautiful sight as he curls his fingers around it. “I’m going to fuck your face and punish you for the torment you put me through.”
He holds onto my hair as he gently pushes his cock back into my mouth, holding me still as he uses my mouth. He’s the only one I’ll ever submit to, and he knows it, revels in it.
“I fucking love you,” he groans as he thrusts a little harder, a little faster, but never enough to make me gag or choke. I look up at him to find him staring at me with utter devotion, and I suck down on him even harder.
I didn’t think I had a heart left to give, but perhaps that’s because he stole it long before I realized it.