The Temporary Wife: Luca and Valentina’s Story (The Windsors)
The Temporary Wife: Chapter 55

I sigh in irritation as I walk toward Lexington’s house for poker night. I really wish I could’ve just stayed home with my wife, which is fucking insane, because poker night used to be the highlight of my month. I used to love hanging out with my brothers, but now it feels like I’m sacrificing time with my wife. I can’t skip tonight, though, since even Dion made it back for this one. If he can make it here from London, I unfortunately have no excuse not to walk over, considering it’s only ten minutes to Lex’s house.

I frown when I replace Xavier and Zane loitering by Lex’s front door, lost in a seemingly intense conversation. . “It couldn’t have been her,” Zane says, his voice strained.

“Couldn’t have been who?” I ask.

Both men look up in surprise, and I raise a brow. Zane looks away and runs a hand through his hair, his expression tormented. What in the hell has him so rattled?

I glance at Xavier and cross my arms. “Speak up, or I’ll tell Sierra that you’ve been crashing our monthly poker nights. What do you think she’ll do with that information?”

Honestly, the possibilities are endless. Sierra hates Xavier, so she could show up at poker night and antagonize him, she could tell our security team to ban him from entering our premises, or she could use his location knowledge against him — one night a month where she knows for sure where he’ll be? That information is dangerous in her hands.

I honestly have no idea why a man like Xavier lets my sister get away with so much shit. She fucking torments him. If I were him, I’d already have had her arrested for some of the shit she pulls. I guess he doesn’t out of courtesy toward us and the friendship we’ve forged over the years.

“Celeste,” Xavier says, and the smile melts off my face.

“What?” I glance at Zane, concerned. No wonder my usual quiet and unshakeable brother seems so frenzied.

“I told her I’d make her pay if she ever dared appear in front of me again,” he says, his voice soft. “So, for her sake, I hope she stays far away.”

I nod, worried. Zane tries to shake it off and walks into the house, but the mere mention of her has him rattled. I hope she doesn’t go anywhere near him, but even I know that it’s inevitable. Those two are like a moth and a flame — I just can’t tell which is which.

“Where’s Dion?” I ask as I sit down.

Lexington shrugs and pours me a drink. “He said something came up, so he’s running late. He said to start without him.”

I nod and take a sip of my drink, my gaze roaming over my brothers. Everyone looks excited to be here and catch up, except for Ares and me. He catches my eye and smiles knowingly as he holds up his glass.

I tap my glass against his, and he shakes his head. “I guess I’m forgiven for instigating you when you rocked up here drunk a few months ago?”

I smile as Lex deals the cards. “I forgave you the second Valentina agreed to marry me.”

Ares chuckles. “Make sure you pay it forward. One by one, these idiots are going to fall. Since you and I both found happiness thanks to the little pushes we received, it’s only fair we return the favor.”

I nod and raise my glass. Ares is right, of course. All of us can be fucking idiots, but our saving grace is our bond, our family.

“There’s no way you’re not cheating,” Xavier says, his eyes flashing with irritation. Xavier doesn’t like to lose, which makes it all the more confusing that he continues to lose high value real estate deals to my sister. I could barely even get him to give up the land that Valentina’s tree is on.

“Yeah man,” Lex says. “That’s three times in a row you’ve won. It’s bullshit.”

I shrug. “What can I say? Just feeling lucky tonight.” Valentina gave me a lucky kiss before I left the house, and I’m convinced that’s what’s causing my lucky streak. It also helps that she told me she’d let me fuck her face if I won money instead of losing any. My wife does not like making a loss, and I don’t like letting her down.

“Disgusting,” Zane says, his eyes narrowed. His mood is still subdued, but he seems better now than he did outside. “It’s obvious you’re thinking about Val, and that’s fucking gross.”

“Yeah,” Lex agrees. “She’s like a sister to us, asshole. Keep those nasty thoughts of yours off your fucking face.” He shudders and throws a glare my way.

“What the fuck is with all this abuse? For what? For thinking about my wife?”

“Ugh,” Xavier says. “My wife,” he mimics me, ridiculing me. “You sound like fucking Ares. Marriage ruined both of you. Fucking repulsive.”

I glance at Ares for support, but he just shrugs his shoulders, unfazed. “Leave them be,” he tells me. “Just wait until it’s their turn. Karma is a bitch.”

Lexington pulls a face. “I will never become a fool over a woman.”

Ares and I exchange a look before both smiling knowingly. “Right,” we both say, in unison. Lexington is our youngest brother, and out of all of us, he’s the most sensitive. He’ll fall the hardest, and it’ll be so fucking amusing to witness.

The door opens behind us, and Dion walks in, his expression filled with rage as he joins us at the table. He doesn’t say a word as he grabs my glass and empties it before slamming it down.

“Deal,” he tells Lex, tapping the table.

Much to my surprise, Lex does as he asks without a single complaint and deals the cards, his gaze filled with concern. Dion never loses his temper, so none of us know how to deal with him when he’s like this.

Even when we were kids, he was the one who would never argue over toys, and he’d never entertain our attempts to instigate fights. He’s always been extremely calm and level-headed, even more so than Ares. But ultimately, he’s a Windsor, and there’s only one thing that could possibly affect any of us this way.

“Did you see Faye today?” I ask, my voice soft, patient. He’s always pretended not to care about his fiancée, but I know he isn’t entirely unaffected when it comes to her. I saw the way he looked at her when he danced with her at Ares’s wedding. He looked at her the way Ares looked at Raven. With desire he seemed to feel guilty about.

Dion looks up sharply, surprised. “Did you know?” His tone is accusing, sharp.

I shake my head in confusion, and he turns toward Zane instead. “You must have known. Tell me you didn’t fucking hide this from me, Zane.”

Zane holds his hands up and shakes his head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he instantly denies. “What happened?”

Dion slumps in his seat and runs a hand through his hair. “I ran into her at one of your hotels today,” he tells Zane. “She was on her way up to one of the rooms… with her boyfriend.”

The room falls silent, none of us sure what to say. “Fuck,” I mutter. Despite being engaged, Faye and Dion aren’t even really on speaking terms. I’d understand it if either of them hooked up casually prior to getting married, but being in an actual relationship when their wedding is in a few months? The mere thought of Valentina being in love with someone else makes me sick. I can’t even imagine how Dion must be feeling.

“What are you going to do? Did she ask you to break off the engagement?” Lex asks.

“No,” he says, grimacing. “She begged me not to. Besides, it’s not like I could even if I wanted to. Do you really think I’d be marrying her if I could get out of it?”

I inhale deeply as I refill my glass. Even Ares looks like he’s at a loss for words. I always hoped Faye and Dion would make things work, but how can they, with so much standing between them?