Protected by Shadows (11 page)

Her indecision about holding the weapon poured off her in waves. Deep in his chest, he wanted to go in and hold her, offer up some support. Instead he backed away in silence. This was her decision and only she could make the one that was best for her. Plus, knowing how proud she was, he didn’t expect she would be very accepting to him finding her in such a vulnerable state.

By the time she made it back out to the living room, he had a plate of desserts and some coffee for the both of them on her table. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him suspiciously.

“What’s going on?” she questioned.

“It’s our wedding night.”

Her gaze flickered to his groin briefly and he did all he could to stay where he was. A task which could be classified as anything but easy.

“It’s not a real marriage.” Lexy sniffed.

His grin wasn’t gentle, he knew that. What it was however was full of heat and arrogance. “It wouldn’t have been, had you just gone along with it. You made it real today when you insisted we actually get married. So yes, now it is real. All the way around.”

Her pupils dilated before she narrowed her eyes briefly. Then she adopted a blank expression.

“So what, you think you are buying your way into my bed with some sweets?”

He sat and began to put a variety of pieces on a plate for Lexy. “We both know I don’t have to buy my way there.” Gesturing with his chin to the seat opposite him, he slid the plate toward her. “Eat something.”

She did as he’d ordered and he could tell she wasn’t sure about his motive. Was she right about him wanting in her bed? Fuck yeah. But it had nothing to do with the desserts before them, he always wanted to be in her bed with her.

“So what’s this for then, Val?”

“It’s Valentino,
Alexsa
. And why shouldn’t we have something nice on our wedding day?”

“We could have if you hadn’t thrown a hissy fit outside earlier. I was perfectly happy with ice cream, sprinkles and a waffle cone.”

He winced slightly at her comment. “I was an ass and I’m sorry.” The silence had him looking up. Lexy stared at him, blinking in astonishment. “What?”

“You apologized. I’ve never heard you say those two words before.”

He quirked a lip. “Probably never will again. We both know what kind of man I am, Lexy. There’s no reason to pretend otherwise.”

“That’s true. You’re always going to be an asshole.”

He clenched his jaw as he put a square of lemon petit four on his own plate. “I’m serious.”

“Serious, asshole. Tomato, to-ma-to.”

With a few more on his plate he sat back, popping one in his mouth. Her mix of desserts sat untouched on her lap.

“I’m hoping we can come to some agreement on not being at each other’s throats all the time.”

Her gaze held his before she gave a smile, which worried him. There was nothing nice about it. In fact, it downright scared him. He held still, despite the urge to shift on the seat.

She leaned forward, placed her plate down and shook her head. “This will not get you what you want, Val. I told you before, I didn’t like to be cornered and pushed into doing things. Sure, I demanded the marriage be real because I refuse to lie to my family. But shoving some sweets—no matter how good they look—under my nose isn’t going to have me forget the way you were today. Thanks for saying you were sorry, I’m sure it was like pulling teeth for you, but I don’t care. I’m going to make this miserable for you every single day until you want a divorce.” She stood. “Then, once it’s given, you can move your damn ass out of my house and give me my life back.”

His phone rang and he watched an evil tilt to her lips. He withdrew his phone and saw it was Gio’s number.

“Oh yeah, I told Jaydee you married me. Have fun with your family.” She spun on her heel and walked out of the room.

Shit!
He didn’t want to take this call but knew they wouldn’t stop coming until he did.

“Yes, Gio?”

“Are you kidding me? You went and married Lexy?” His brother’s tone rang loud as if he were in the same room with him instead of across the country.

“Hello to you, too, brother,” Valentino replied drolly.

“Explanation?”

“I’m sorry, did I miss the point where you bypassed me as the eldest brother?”

“Cut the crap, Valentino. What the hell were you thinking marrying Lexy?”

“She insisted on it.”

The silence was telling. He could see his brother’s reaction of a raised eyebrow in his mind’s eye.

“Right. Because the Lexy I know loves you so much. It’s obvious by the way you two treat each other that marriage was just on the horizon.”

“It was necessary.”

“Ohhh, I bet that went over well. You married her out of necessity. That would explain why Jaydee is glaring at me. If my home life gets hellish because you—”

“The marriage was her idea.”

“Really? Jaydee said you told her brother you were married and she insisted you make it so she wasn’t lying to her family.”

He rolled his eyes.
Is there anything those two women don’t share with one another?
“Trust me when I say it had to happen.”

“So all those times when you were at each other’s throats, it was what?”

He hooked his ankles. “Foreplay.”

Gio snorted. “I know I give you a hard time, Valentino, but I mean this from the bottom of my heart. I’m proud of you.”

His brow furrowed. “Proud?”

“For marrying a second time. After Alyssa, I never thought I’d see the day when you’d take the plunge.”

Valentino scowled. “Don’t mention her name.”

“Let it go, brother. It’s been years, time to move on.”

His fists clenched. Easy for Gio to say—he didn’t know the full story of how everything had gone down. Striving for calm, he blew out a harsh breath.

“I know what I’m doing, Gio.”

His brother laughed. “I’m sure you think you do. This is Lexy you’re dealing with, I fully suspect you’ll change your mind.”

Valentino didn’t appreciate the sarcasm or amusement he heard in his brother’s voice. Regardless, he had to concede a point to Gio. It was Lexy, and based on her reaction to his attempt at mending the bridge, it wasn’t going to be like he wanted.

“Goodbye, Gio.”

“One more thing,” Gio said, tone serious.

“What?”

“Don’t hurt her. Jaydee loves that woman and I’d hate to have to kick your ass because you hurt her.”

Valentino sighed and tossed the phone down only to scowl when the screen immediately lit up a second time. His mother. Not a call he wanted to take. He hesitated once more before reaching down and answering the phone in Italian. “Hello, Mama.”

* * * *

Lexy’s mood was just as foul come morning when she woke and found Valentino already awake and in her kitchen fixing breakfast. She rolled her eyes at the sight of him in another suit. Did he even own jeans?
I know he does, I’ve seen him in them a few times but damn, what is the point of wearing all suits? Just doesn’t make sense to me.

He glanced over his shoulder and gave her a nod. She ignored him, went to the fridge and pulled out some juice. Grabbing a glass, she then filled it with orange liquid and lowered it to the counter.

“Want some?” she asked.

“Please.”

Some marriage.
She poured him some OJ as well then returned the container to the refrigerator.

“Sit. I’ll have food for you in a few.”

“I was going to grab something on my way to the hospital.”

His look told her to rethink that idea.

She sat and was soon eating a lovely egg and sausage frittata. “This is delicious,” she said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go to the hospital with you.”

The refusal lingered on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed it back. This was the reason for their sham marriage after all. To keep her safe and to catch this leader of the group. It had bothered her all night—why could they possibly want her and what did they think she could or would do for them?

She cleaned up while Valentino went to the guest room for whatever else he needed. They met by her front door. She twirled her keys in hand as she led the way down the steps to her car. Ignoring the sidelong glance he gave her, she climbed behind the wheel and waited for him to get in.

Once he’d shut his door and buckled himself in, she got them on the road. She cranked her music—it didn’t hurt she knew he wasn’t a fan of it—and lowered the top to allow the warm morning sun to spill over them both.

Valentino didn’t argue once with her the entire drive. Part of her was a bit disappointed as she’d hoped to get under his skin. The more annoying she was, hopefully the faster he would be out of her life. For good this time. No more listening to her body and giving in to baser desires.

Yeah, right,
her brain scoffed.
That’s going to happen. The man is sleeping under the same roof as you. You’ll be in his bed before long. Or he’ll be in yours. Either way, no point in trying to avoid what we all know is inevitable.

She ground her teeth and did her best to ignore the unwanted commentary from her brain. Parking in the visitors’ lot, she put the top back up before heading inside. In her periphery, she watched Valentino keep up with her, silent as the shadows from which he seemed to live his life. The more she observed him the more impressed she became.

“You’re staring,” he commented without slowing as they approached the doors.

“Guess I am. I’m not used to this side of you.”

That got him to pause. “This side?”

“I’m used to seeing you cranky and all that but this—you have even more of an edge to you right now. I’m sure those who don’t know you wouldn’t see it, they’d probably chalk it up to you just being an ass. And they’d be right, but there’s this way about you that’s different.”

His hazel eyes bore into her own gaze. Lexy gulped as fire raced up and down her spine, scorching the blood in her veins. Need pulsed through her and her brain’s comments made all the more sense in that second of time. She would always want this man. Hell, she was in love with him, but she knew it wasn’t healthy how they were to one another when together.

She thought he was going to kiss her. Hoped he was. Instead he raked his gaze up and down her body before giving her a smile that made her knees weak.

“We need to talk when we leave here.” He continued on his way inside.

They rode up in silence on the elevator and he deferred to let her lead the way to her brother’s room. She knocked lightly before pushing her way inside. The room was dark and the beeping machines added an ominous feel.

Valentino opened the shades while she went to her brother’s side. Tenderly touching his face, she willed him to open his eyes.

“Come on, Eugene, open those eyes.”

He didn’t stir and she sat in the chair and took his hand in hers. The familiar sting of tears began and she ignored them as they leaked free and ran down her face. It killed her to see him like this. So unlike the full-of-life brother she’d always known him to be.

Peering behind her, she saw Valentino sitting in a chair in the corner. He had endless patience on his face, which surprised her. She’d expected him to want to be in and out, but he seemed content to wait and let her do what she needed to. Again, the shadows partially surrounded him to where it was only some of his features she could make out.

She returned her attention to her brother and spent about fifteen minutes talking to him, filling him in on everything, including her marriage to Valentino. Her phone rang and she frowned before stepping away from the bed to answer it.

“Hello?”

“And how is he doing today?” the computerized voice questioned.

Whipping her head to the left, she stared at Valentino while pointing frantically at the phone. He rose and moved toward her on silent feet. She repositioned the device so he could hear as well.

“How do you know I’m at the hospital?” she asked.

“We already told you, Lexy. We know everything and are always watching you.”

Her legs trembled and she couldn’t begin to explain the relief that coursed through her at Valentino’s light touch on her back.

“What do you want from me?”

“We will tell you when the time is right. I do wonder what you are doing married to an investment banker.”

“‘You’ do. Not ‘we’ again?”

“You need a man to teach you some manners.”

She couldn’t help the snort that escaped. “Right. Why are you looking into the man I married?”

Valentino motioned for her to keep him talking and pulled out his own phone and sent a text, still listening.

“Curious as to why he hasn’t been with you.”

She met hazel eyes and gave him a grin. “That’s easy. We’re going through some trouble. We’d been separated and I guess he wanted to see if it could work again.”