The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina’s Story (The Windsors)
The Temporary Wife: Chapter 30

I smile as I lean back in my desk chair and scroll through the photos I took with Abuela. I’ve been going to see her every other day after work, and she seems to be doing so much better. Her new nurses are kind and incredibly professional, going as far as sending me hourly updates about her. It’s such a relief to know that she’s in good hands. I owe it all to Luca and his team.

I smirk and bite down on my lip as my thoughts turn to him. He truly seems to be trying his best to be kinder, to repent for the pain he caused. When he told me he’d earn my forgiveness, I thought it was a pretty but empty promise. I should’ve known better. He truly doesn’t do anything halfheartedly. He’s been patient, never asking for more than I’m willing to give, and he’s gentle with me in a way he never used to be.

I’m snapped out of my thoughts when the light on my desk phone starts to flash red, indicating a problem. I look into Luca’s office in confusion, but he’s immersed in his work, not a single hint of distress on his face.

Moments later, I hear the sound of heels clicking behind me. My stomach twists when I see Natalia walk toward Luca’s office, an excited grin on her face. Who let her up here?

“Excuse me, Ms. Ivanov,” I say through gritted teeth. “I can’t let you through.” Just seeing her fills me with a strange kind of jealousy. Technically, she’s still Luca’s fiancée, and I hate that I can’t just stop her the way I want to.

She chuckles and brushes past me as she storms into Luca’s office. I follow her in, uncertain how to handle her. “Darling!” she says. “Surprise!”

Unfamiliar anger grips me as I stand by the door, watching as she rushes up to him. Darling? Darling? Fury brews within me as Luca pushes off his chair, his brows raised. He looks past her, at me, a confused expression on his face. It’s clear he wasn’t expecting her, and that knowledge takes the edge off my anger, but it doesn’t appease it.

Natalia wraps her arms around his neck, and Luca takes a step back, putting some distance between them immediately. He shoots me a panicked look, but I merely lean back against the wall and cross my arms.

“I saw that you went to Laurier,” she says excitedly, referencing a famous reclusive jeweler. “So you got me an engagement ring, huh? I don’t want a grand proposal! We’re already engaged, darling. Just give me the ring.”

He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. “Where did you see that?”

She grins, and for a moment I feel helpless. She looks so beautiful when she smiles like that. I’ve never been one to compare myself to other women, but she makes me feel inferior. “The Herald reported that you were seen going into Laurier.”

Luca grabs his phone and groans. “Fuck.” He looks up at me, and the remorse in his eyes makes my stomach drop. I’m not sure what’s been reported, but it can’t be good.

“Natalia,” he says, his tone far too patient for my liking. “It looks like there’s been a misunderstanding of some sort. I’ll explain everything to you soon. For the time being, I need to ask you to leave.”

She pouts, and it irritates me how pretty she looks. I have no doubt she’s used to charming men, and Luca is probably no different. I was the convenient choice, but she’s the one he’d rather have in his bed. The thought of them together makes me feel sick, and I involuntarily ball my fists.

“But I came all the way here to see you. Besides, my dad wanted me to speak to you about the merger.”

“I’m working. Now isn’t a good time. I’ll have my driver send you back, and I’ll give your father a call later.” He sounds concerned, and I look away, a hint of guilt gnawing at me. I know he doesn’t have any feelings for her, and offending the Ivanovs any further won’t do him any favors, but I’m still irrationally angry.

Natalia’s eyes flash as she turns around and walks back out of his office, her gaze focusing on me for a moment before she slams the door closed behind her. There’s no way he can call the engagement off without informing his grandmother first, but I wish he could. I wish he’d just told her that they’re through.

I watch Luca and clench my jaw. “Would you like me to make a dinner reservation for you two, darling? Or shall I send her another hundred roses?”

Luca bites back a smile, his gaze suddenly far warmer than it was before. “Come here, Valentina.”

I push off the wall and walk toward him, my anger boiling over. He chuckles when I reach him and grabs my waist, lifting me onto his desk with ease. He looks into my eyes as he spreads my legs, making my skirt ride up.

“Luca!”

He smiles at me as he sits back down and pulls his desk chair closer, until he’s got my legs on either side of him. “So this is what it takes for you to finally start acting like my wife, huh? Don’t be mad, baby,” he murmurs, his hands wrapping around my hips.

Heat rushes to my cheeks and I glance behind us, at the glass wall that overlooks my desk. This floor is quiet, but all it would take for us to get caught is for someone to walk this way.

“I didn’t know she’d show up here. Just a few more days until we’re telling Grandma about us. Can you hold on for me until then?”

I look back at him, my heart racing. “Why would I be mad?” I ask him, sounding awfully mad for a woman pretending not to be.

He laughs and leans back to watch me, his hands sliding down to my thighs. My black lace panties are exposed, and the way his gaze darkens when his eyes settle on them makes me squirm involuntarily. After the way he tore my tights the other day, I’ve taken to wearing thigh-high stockings, and the look in his eyes tells me that he’s a big fan of them.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about the rumors?”

“What rumors?” I ask, nervous.

“The ones about me visiting Laurier.”

I look away, my heart clenching painfully. I don’t want to think about him picking a ring for Natalia. If The Herald is reporting on it now, he must have been photographed fairly recently. It won’t have been for me, since we got married so abruptly. Besides, he’d never get me a ring from Laurier. The Windsors shop there exclusively for heirloom pieces. He wouldn’t buy me a Laurier ring knowing that we won’t last a lifetime.

“It’s true, you know?” he murmurs. “I did go to Laurier.”

His eyes replace mine, and I try my hardest to hide the pain his words inflict. Luca smirks and cups my face for a moment as he shakes his head. Then he pulls his hand away and reaches for his drawer. I inhale sharply when he takes out a black box with the Laurier crest on it.

“The Herald got one little detail wrong, though. I didn’t go there for an engagement ring. I went to buy wedding rings.”

He opens the box, and my eyes widen when I see the huge diamond ring and the plain gold band beside it. “Three diamonds,” he says, picking up the ring. “One for each year you promised me. I know I fucked up in the past, and I haven’t always treated you right, but let me rectify my mistakes, baby. I truly am a terrible boss, but I’ll do everything in my power to be a good husband for you.”

He grabs my hand and slides it into my ring finger. It’s a perfect fit, but it’s too much for someone like me. This kind of ring… it’s meant for someone who truly could be part of the Windsor family.

“Here,” Luca says, holding up his ring. “Put this on me. We didn’t get to do this during our wedding ceremony, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do it at all.”

“We can’t,” I blurt out, taking my ring off. “We agreed we wouldn’t tell anyone but our families about our marriage, so we can’t be seen wearing wedding rings.”

Luca’s expression darkens when I place the ring on his desk, and he clenches his jaw as he places his own ring beside mine. He chuckles humorlessly and lets a finger trail down my thigh, until he reaches my ankle. A soft gasp escapes my lips when he lifts my leg over his shoulder and brushes his lips over my inner thigh, right above my stocking. “You’re so scared to wear something that’ll mark you as mine,” he says, his tone soft but dangerous. “I want to be gentle with you, baby. I want to be patient with you and treat you right, but you make it so fucking hard. You make me want to own you, brand you. You’re my wife, and it still doesn’t feel like you’re mine. Why is it that you insist on driving me fucking wild?”

Luca kisses my skin before sucking down on it harshly, over and over again, leaving countless kiss marks on my thigh as he works his way up. I bite down on my lip and thread a hand through his hair, gripping tightly as I try my hardest to keep my moans in.

“Who are you trying to hide me from, huh?” he murmurs, his lips brushing over my lace underwear. “You told me you forgave me, but you reject me at every turn. Do you do it because you know it drives me insane?” He kisses me straight through my panties, and I gasp, my hips bucking involuntarily.

He chuckles and wraps his teeth around the fabric, pushing it aside. “It looks like you need a reminder of who you belong to,” he whispers against my skin. “Maybe I’ve been a bit too kind, a bit too patient. That ends here.”

“Luca,” I warn, “anyone could walk by and see us.”

He looks up, his eyes flashing with anger. “Do I look like I give a fuck?” he asks me, before grabbing my other leg and pulling that over his shoulder too. He yanks me closer until he’s got me leaning back on his desk, my legs wide open for him.

Luca looks into my eyes as his tongue brushes over my pussy, and my eyes fall closed.

“No,” he tells me. “You know the rules. Look at me and watch me fuck you with my tongue. Watch, and burn this image into your mind. Even without a wedding ring, you belong to me, Valentina Windsor.”

He holds my hips tightly as his tongue flicks over my clit, his rhythm steady as he slowly drives me insane. He chuckles against my skin. “Delicious, and so fucking wet. Your body knows who it belongs to, but your mind needs a reminder.”

He pushes his tongue into me, brushing over a spot that has me begging for more. “Luca,” I groan. “Please.”

His tongue draws circles around my clit until he’s got me panting and delirious. The way he keeps me on the edge is unfair, and I tighten my grip on his hair, pushing my hips against his face harder.

I nearly lose it when he pushes two fingers into me and presses them against my G-spot, his tongue flicking against my clit. Every time he gets me close, he slows down, intent on punishing me.

“Please, Luca. Please.”

He pulls away a little to look up at me. “Who do you belong to?”

“I’m yours,” I swear. “Only yours.”

“Good girl,” he whispers, before sucking down on my clit, taking me right back to the edge.

“This pussy,” he whispers against my clit. “Whose is it?”

I pull on his hair, desperate. “It’s yours, Luca. Every single part of me is yours, I promise.”

He smiles and finally gives me what he had me begging for, making me come on his tongue at last. The sounds of my moans fill up his office, but I don’t have it in me to care.

He kisses my thigh as I come down from my high, my breathing erratic and my clothes a mess. He smiles up at me in that sweet and genuine way that has my heart skipping a beat, and I can’t help but look away. He’s rough with me whenever we’re intimate, but outside of that, he treats me like I’m someone precious. It’s crazy, and it’s addictive.

“I’ll buy necklace chains for us,” he murmurs against my skin. “Wear your wedding ring on that if you must, but one way or another, I want it on your body. Don’t make me punish you again, Valentina. Stop pushing my buttons.”

I nod, my heart racing. If this is the kind of punishment he doles out, I may just have to anger him again.