Fight Me Little Pearl

Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

FRANCESCA

I wake up the following morning smelling of the cocoa butter lotion that Valentino rubbed on my burning skin. My bottom is still sore, but I feel more relaxed than I have in days.

I’m reminded of the reason by the heavy arm draped around my waist. Even asleep, Valentino’s hold on me is tight, like he’s scared I will disappear. A few days back, the fear may have been valid, but right now, it’s not. The thought of leaving him burns a hole through my heart. I tell myself I’m crazy to give myself so completely to him, but somehow, I want this marriage to work. There is something here. Something special. I may be inexperienced, but even I know, this is not normal.

No one I know has this.

An image of Thomas flits through my mind’s eye, and I remember the way he scurried away. A little furry animal saving itself. All I feel is a strange sense of detachment. When Nonno told me I’d be marrying Valentino Barone, I was heartbroken. I promised Thomas I’d end the marriage in two years, and he said he would wait for me. But now that seems so far away, so strange. What man allows his love to marry another man for two freaking years while he waits patiently in the background. The answer is clear. A man that is not in love.

“Hey.”

I turn my head to meet Valentino’s translucent gray eyes. In the morning, they take on a smoky appearance, like rolling fog over a meadow. These are the little things that feed my attraction to this unknowable man.

“Hey,” I smile at him.

“How’s the bottom?” he asks.

“I’ll live.”

He pulls me closer and kisses my lips softly before pressing a chaste one to my forehead. “What were you thinking about?”

There’s no way I’m telling him I was thinking about Thomas, so I waive his question with a joke. “Are you going to give me a penny for my thoughts?”

Valentino sighs heavily. “Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, but there are no pennies in my wallet.”

I gasp. “A poor Barone? I never thought I’d see this day.”

He laughs, and I climb on top of him. “How come you’re not in a hurry to leave the house today?” I ask. “You’re always rushing to meetings…”

“I have a meeting,” he says, smiling up at me. “But I woke up to my wife’s smile, and now, I don’t want to leave.”

“Yeah right.”

One eyebrow rises. “You don’t believe me?”

“What’s your favorite color?” I ask.

He blinks at the sudden change of subject. “Uhh…gray?”

“You have to be sure,” I giggle.

He hums thoughtfully for a few seconds. “It’s a toss-up between gray and black.”

“Black suits you. Makes you look all dangerous and edible.”

He smiles. “What’s your favorite color? Wait, let me guess. Blue.”

I stare at him surprised. “How do you know that?”

“You wear a lot of blue.”

“I guess I do.”

He studies me for a moment, and I blush under his gaze. “What?”

“Got a question for you.”

“No need to be shy. Go on...”

He reaches up to smooth my hair back from my face in an affectionate gesture that causes my heart to melt. “Why did you drop out of college?”

“How did you know that?”

“It’s not a secret, is it?” he asks softly.

“No, I suppose, it’s not.”

He cocks his head and stares at me for a moment. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

I want to take him up on the offer, but it’ll be hypocritical of me to demand answers from him while withholding mine. After all, it was my idea to get to know each other.

“My father stopped paying my fees,” I say shortly.

“Why?”

I swallow. “Because he thought I was spending too much time with Thomas.”

Valentino’s arm tightens around me. “He shouldn’t have done that, but fuck me, that must be the man’s only saving grace.”

I smack his hand. Laughing, I say, “To be honest, I’m not sorry, either. I hated taking his money for anything. When I was nine years old I even went on a hunger strike because I didn’t want to eat the food his money bought.”

“How did that end?” he asks dryly.

“Principles are a fine thing, but it’s really hard to go to bed hungry when you’re just a child.”

He smiles.

“So we put up with each other but he never really loved me or wanted the best for me and that is why I was so astonished when he left me Terra de Barbiera. While he was alive, he wouldn’t even give me the time of day, but he willed a property worth millions to me. It still shocks me to this day.”

Valentino is silent for a while. Then he kisses my forehead. “A loving father would never have left that property to his daughter.”

“Why?”

“Because it is so highly coveted. If I was him, I’d have sold the land and left you the money. He exposed you.”

“He didn’t put me in any danger. He just made every Tom, Dick, and Harry want to marry me to acquire it. Even you.”

“Even me,” he says evenly.

“What are you going to do with the land?”

“Build the most modern living space known to man. A fifteen-minute city. The residents will be able to access everything they need within 15 minutes. “

“I see. Will you build a church too?”

He frowns. “No.”

“Can you do that for me?”

He looks at me strangely. “Are you trying to save my soul?”

“Yes,” I whisper.

“I’m already saved, baby.”

“Hmph.” I scoff.

His eyes fill with amusement. “You think you’re better than me, huh?”

“I know I’m better than you,” I answer sassily. “Your soul is lost, Valentino.”

He reaches for me, but I slip away neatly and drop off the bed on the other side. He scowls. “Come back here.”

“No.” I’m standing naked before him, but I don’t feel ashamed or embarrassed. He doesn’t make me feel self- conscious because his every touch and kiss worships my body. As if I am a goddess.

“I’m going out today,” I announce.

“Where to?” He walks over to me, naked as sin. My gaze roams over his beautifully sculpted body as I fight my arousal.

“I’m hanging out with Louisa and a few friends today.”

He herds me into the bathroom. “Do these friends have names?”

“Why? You want to run a background check on them?”

“Yes.”

I laugh, but when I see the seriousness in his expression, my laughter disappears. “You’re serious?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you want to do that?”

“You can’t hang out with just anyone anymore,” he says softly. “You had enemies as a Barbieri, but you are a Barone now, which means you have picked up even more enemies. Plus, there’s a lot of strife going on at the moment. It’s my duty to keep you safe. It’ll just be a simple check.”

“It’ll be so weird...”

“It’ll make me feel better.”

He picks up his toothbrush while I watch him. He’s right, but I’ve always hated background checks. It’s like an invasion of privacy. But I understand Valentino’s concern, especially since the entire point of my marriage is for the safety and protection of the Barbieri clan.

“I’ll send you their names as soon as I find out who’s coming.”

“Thank you.” He kisses my forehead and starts to brush his teeth.

Things get a bit heated in the shower and we go downstairs about half an hour later. I glance sideways at his beautiful face. I’m going to be away from him the whole day, and I’m already dreading it. My attachment to Valentino is crazy, but I’ll never let him find out because he doesn’t feel the same way.

“I’ve organized a bodyguard who’ll be with you the entire day,” he says as we reach the breakfast table.

I groan. “Come on, Valentino, do I really need that?”

“Yes,” he says seriously. “Your protection is my priority.”

“I hate the idea. Everyone is going to look at me.”

“He’ll be discreet. None of your friends will even know he is there.”

I think of Louisa’s sharp eyes. “Louisa will and she is going to laugh at me.”

“Let her,” he says carelessly.

When I sigh, he reaches for my hand across the table and gently tugs me towards him. I sit on his lap, my lips pressed into a pout.

“It’ll be over soon, okay?” he assures. “I’m handling the situation. But until then, you have to get used to having a bodyguard with you at all times.”

I nod. “Okay.”

“Good. You’ll see. He’ll blend in so you won’t even feel his presence.”

“Good,” I smile.

Louisa is waiting for me at her house, and we embrace each other for a long time. It feels like so much has happened since we last saw each other and I feel overcome with excitement at seeing her again. Before my marriage, we saw each other at least twice a week.

“Marriage looks good on you,” she says as we run up the stairs towards her bedroom. “You look happy.”

“I am happy.”

She opens her door, turns to me and pretends to gasp. “The killer is making you happy? Who would have thought?”

I enter her room and she closes the door.

“Right, tell me everything. Don’t leave out anything.”

“Oh, Louisa, I’m so confused. I can’t understand what is happening to me. All this is exactly what I didn’t want for my life, but it’s happening, and—” I shake my head.

“And you like it?” she finishes, holding my gaze.

This is why we get along. She knows me too well. “Yes. I like it.”

“And is that so bad?” she asks.

“He’s not called the Silent Night for nothing, Louisa.” I lean forward, even though there’s no one in the room with us. “When we were in Italy, he raised a gun at his own cousin for disrespecting him, and he has shown no remorse since.”

“Hot.”

“What?” I explode.

Louisa and I stare silently at each other before she suddenly bursts into laughter.

“I need to confess my sins to a priest. I like forbidden fruit,” she says.

I laugh too. “Yeah. Valentino is definitely forbidden fruit.”

“How would the confession go?” Louisa asks. “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. I’m married to a mob boss, and despite his murderous tendencies, he turns me on and I’m enjoying him way too much-”

I hit her with a throw pillow, effectively shutting her up. “Okay, fine, don’t go to confession.”

Her phone beeps, and she checks the screen. “My friends are outside,” she says. “It’s time to go. Let’s turn up!”

“What are their names?” I ask as we leave.

“Maria Fabbri, Tina Cirilli, Bianca Neri, and Bella Conti. You know any of them?”

I text Valentino their names before looking up at Louisa again. “No, I don’t. But I’m sure I’ll love them.”