The cuts hadn’t been clean, nor the bruising lasting.
Over the years, he’d learned how to perfect his craft, and as such, he was far more skilled, but still, The Butcher remained, and he relished the title.
He liked that Valentina wasn’t tense in his arms. The sweet smile she offered up to him was more than he could have asked for.
Since he’d picked her, he’d not had the opportunity to be alone with her. Their traditions had to remain in place. As did her virginity—until tonight.
He wanted to fuck her. To fill her full of his cum and get her pregnant with his child.
When it came to Valentina, even before she was taken, he’d been enraptured by her. She was a beautiful woman. Curves in all the right places, especially on her thighs as well as her ass. She could take a nice, hard fuck. Her body had been designed for him, and he couldn’t wait to get his hands on her. To bring new memories to chase the darkness away.
“I saw you looking at Leonardo,” he said, hating the bastard’s name on his lips.
“I wasn’t,” she said.
“You don’t have to lie. In fact, that is what I would like in our marriage. Complete and total honesty.”
She tilted her head slightly to the side. “You do?”
“Yes.”
“That’s not … heard of.”
He chuckled. “I know, right? I am a glutton for punishment.” He leaned in close and pressed his nose against her hair, inhaling her sweet strawberry scent.
His mouth watered.
After rescuing her and taking a chance to visit her in the hospital, he’d leaned in close and promised he would protect her. It was why he stayed close to home, never going too far, handling business where he could be close to her.
Valentina had been taken because he’d taken his eye off the ball. He’d been in another country with Rossi, handling business. The moment they got the news, they had been on a plane back home, but the damage had already been done.
“So, tell me what you are thinking about right this moment,” he said.
“Are you sure you want to know the simple thoughts of your wife?” Valentina asked.
“You will soon come to see, my sweet, that I don’t ask for anything I don’t want.”
She licked her lips. He saw the tip of her tongue as it traced across her bottom lip, and he so wanted her mouth on his body, licking at him, sucking at him.
“Er, I … I’m not a very good dancer,” she said.
He chuckled. “Neither am I, but I did put in a few hours of practice so I didn’t stand on your toes.”
“You did?” she asked.
“Yes, does that surprise you?”
“A little bit. I had to practice as well. With my brother and my mom. My dad didn’t want me to make him look like a fool.”
“That would be impossible for you to do when your father looks like a fool with no help from anyone.”
This made her gasp and then laugh.
Good. He wanted her to be happy. Not afraid.
“I can’t believe you just said that.”
He leaned in close, pressing his lips against her ear. “Any man who is willing to allow his daughter to be overlooked and let go is a fool. Don’t even get me started on Leonardo. He doesn’t have the first fucking brain cell to even know who he gave up.”