Bones (Bonetti Brothers #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

BONES

Our server Miguel brings our food and sets it on the table in front of us. I chuckle as Athena’s eyes get wide, as she stares at her plate in disbelief.

“This is too much, Luca. I can’t eat this much.”

I don’t understand the issue with the amount of food on her plate.

“Eat what you can and leave the rest.”

She gazes at me from across the table. “This is a waste, Luca. People are starving, and I’m going to throw half my food away. It’s irresponsible.”

Her expression is serious, so I don’t laugh. “Would you like to donate money to the hungry?”

“Oh my god, could we?” she asks excitedly, and I nod because, fuck, if it makes her smile like that, I’ll donate to any cause. Her face lights up and it makes my chest squeeze. Her right eye is black and blue, but the other smiles right along with her mouth. The right cheekbone below her eye is yellow and purple, but she’s still gorgeous to me. My entire staff have been instructed to not stare and make my wife feel uncomfortable.

Athena takes a bite of pancake and chews with her eyes closed. I know this is likely making her think of her mother, so I ask her questions while she eats.

“Do you have any idea why she left?”

Her eyes pop open as she shakes her head. She swallows her food and says, “No idea.”

“Was your father abusive to her?”

She laughs bitterly. “I don’t know. I never saw him do anything to her, but of course he must have been. Knowing the things he did to me, I’m not sure he was ever capable of not being abusive. ”

I may regret my next question, but I need to know. “You told me Manny was your first. But your father?”

She shakes her head. “Really, Luca? Did you expect I would tell you my father took my virginity? Manny was my first in my mind, because back then he was sweet to me. I willingly gave him what he wanted. That was never the case with my father.”

“One last question and then I’ll stop.”

She stares at me while she continues to eat, clearly more hungry than she realized.

“Did you never tell anyone about the abuse?”

I know she may not have had the opportunity if he wasn’t even sending her to school, but if I find out anybody knew and did nothing, I’ll kill them.

“William,” she says with a heavy sigh, “I told him and he was disgusted with me. Like I had a choice. I honestly thought he’d try to help. Instead, he made me feel worse than I already did, and then fucked my mouth and called me a whore.”

“William who?”

She shrugs. “Rothschild. I thought we meant something to each other, but it was one-sided.”

Setting her fork down, she gazes at me with sad eyes. “I’m trash, Luca. I’ve always been used and abused like I don’t matter. Even you knew that. It’s probably what interested you. Let’s not pretend that I matter to you all of a sudden, because you found me in a cage, getting the treatment you would have given me. Why did you think I didn’t fight you the day you made me kneel in Manny’s blood to suck your dick? It wasn’t new. Give me your worst, and it’s probably been done before. We can drop the charade. We both know what this is.”

Her words make me feel two feet tall. I don’t bother correcting her because she’s not wrong. I never hit her and never would. Other than that, I’ve done the same things to her. I’d like to convince myself that it’s okay, because she’s not my damn child. But deep down, I know it’s not.

“Do you want to go into the pool?”

Her lips instantly lift into a smile. “Could we?”

I nod. “Whatever you want, baby. Your therapist will be here in a few hours. And my mother and sister would really like to see you later, but that’s up to you.”

“Can I wait until after therapy to decide?”

“Of course. Go into the tiki hut. There’s a changing room in there with a selection of bathing suits for you.”

With the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, she jumps up and heads into the hut to get changed. I am ready to go in the pool, since I was already wearing black swim shorts. I wait until my stunning wife walks toward me in a baby blue two-piece that makes my mouth water.

“Fucking gorgeous, Butterfly.”

She flashes me a shy smile. “Thank you, Luca.”

I grab her hand and pull her over to the pool. Taking the steps, we move into the heated water together. Wrapping my arms around her, just above her ass, I pull her in close to me. Leaning down, I kiss her neck before speaking directly into her ear, “I know you think I saw a victim and the predator that I am figured you were easy prey. That’s not the case, baby. I know it might feel like you have ‘victim’ stamped on your forehead, but that’s not what I saw. When I looked at you the very first time, I knew I was looking at pure beauty. That’s what drew me in. It was all you. If I could go back and do things differently, I would. I can’t rewrite history, but I can give you a future you deserve. You want to learn to read? Fine. You want to go to college? Fine. You want to go to the damn moon? I’ll buy a fucking space shuttle and take you there myself.”

She giggles in my arms. It’s the kind of laugh that’s with her whole body, and I love the way it feels as her body vibrates against mine .

“I don’t think you can just buy a space shuttle, Luca.”

I arch an eyebrow at her. “No? Maybe I’ll have to steal one then.”

Her laughter intensifies, making me feel like the luckiest asshole in the world. “I’m pretty sure you’d get caught really fast. And I’m equally positive you’d get us killed, because you do not know how to operate a space shuttle.”

“Don’t underestimate me, Butterfly. I will find a way to give you not only the moon, but every fucking star in the sky.”

Athena gazes at me while running her fingers into the back of my hair. “I don’t need the stars, Luca. I need this. You make me feel normal and safe. That’s everything I need.”

Sliding my hand into her hair, I’m careful to not hurt her, as I lean in and kiss her. With the slight hint of syrup, she tastes even sweeter than usual. She slides her tongue against mine while she moans and tugs on strands of my hair.

“Touch me, Luca,” she asks, with closed eyes, after I pull away from our kiss.

I run my fingers down her arm, which only earns me a glare. “Touch me like you want me.”

“Butterfly, it’s too soon.”

She laughs, but there’s no joy behind it, only bitterness.

“You only like it if I don’t want it? Is that it, Luca? Only when I beg you to stop do you want to fuck me? Either touch me like you fucking want me, or let me go.”

I remove my hand from her arm and step back. A tear rolls down her cheek, and she turns away from me and leaves the pool. Standing like an idiot, I watch her walk away and go back inside the house.

I have a feeling that my wife thinks I don’t want to touch her. I do. Fuck, I do. I’m not a therapist, so I don’t know if this is normal behavior. I have no clue if she should be wanting me to touch her, and I have no idea how long I’m supposed to wait.

Stepping out of the pool, I feel like a goddamn failure. This was meant to be a perfect morning for Athena. Instead, I fucked it all up. I drag a hand down my face as I walk back into the house, not even concerning myself with my wet body.

When I finally find Athena, she’s curled up in a ball on the bed, crying.

“Butterfly.”

She sits up, wrapping her arms around her legs, her gaze on her knees like she doesn’t know I am here, but I know better than that.

The bed dips slightly from my weight as I sit beside her. “You need to give yourself time to work through this. Trust me, if I thought fucking you would make everything better, I’d already be inside you.”

Athena blows out an exasperated breath. “I don’t want you to be careful with me. Can’t you just treat me like you used to?”

I arch an eyebrow at her, and she glares at me. “Not like that, asshole. Without chaining me to a wall or putting me in a cage.”

Wrapping my hand around her throat, I narrow my gaze at her. “Let me be crystal fucking clear, Butterfly. I told you more than once not to call me that. I’m trying to be a good husband, but I won’t tolerate my wife being a brat, and resorting to name calling.”

She swallows hard against my hand and whispers, “I’m sorry.”

“Good girl. Now, go take a shower. The therapist will be here soon.”

Climbing off the bed, she walks toward the bathroom, but then stops and turns to me. “I’m sorry I ruined it, but thank you for letting me spend time outside.”

With a nod, I say, “You’re welcome. If you can control your tongue, we’ll have dinner out there.”

If she wants an asshole, I’m more than capable of that. The problem is, I don’t think my wife knows what she wants. I know she wants to be treated normally, and I understand that, but I’m not sure she’s ready to be. I’m concerned if I push her too far too fast, I’ll lose her altogether. Not that I think she’ll leave, because I don’t. However, I know if someone retreats inside themselves, they can go so far no one can reach them.

I need to talk to Penelope about this, which is the last fucking thing I want to do. She may be a psychologist, but she hates what I did to Athena. It’s entirely possible that she’ll tell me to go fuck myself.