“Valentina!”
“I am your wife, and if you didn’t want me to see you this way, then you would have changed elsewhere.” She wasn’t going to allow him to pull away now.
If this was what Giovanni intended, then he was mistaken. She had seen a great deal in her life, and a man covered in blood wasn’t the worst she’d seen.
Valentina started to pull him toward their bathroom. She let go of him long enough to begin drawing a bath. Her hand had stains of red on it, but she ignored it.
She turned toward Giovanni, but he had stepped into the shower.
He said nothing as he removed his clothing, and it fell in a heap on the floor. The guns he wore, he handed to her, and she placed them on the bathroom floor, not wanting to touch them.
Completely naked, he stepped out of the shower and into the bath.
It didn’t take long for the water to turn red.
Grabbing the soap, she lathered up the sponge and got to work, washing his body and checking him for any cuts. There was a gash on his side. The skin seemed red, and it was weeping blood. He didn’t show any signs of pain.
He didn’t speak, and Valentina kept the silence, not wanting to disturb him. She had no choice but to get him to stand up so she could change the water.
“I will finish in the shower.”
Valentina wanted to argue with him, but he waited until he was clean, and then he moved into the shower. She didn’t leave as he rinsed the blood out of his clothes and tossed them into a corner.
He looked up at her and curled his finger for her to join him.
She didn’t strip out of her clothes, but the moment she was within reaching distance, Giovanni took care of her clothes, tearing them from her body. She didn’t put up a fight. There was no reason to.
The moment she was naked, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“Your wounds.”
“I’ll take care of them.”
“What about a doctor?”
“I don’t need a doctor to take care of me. I’ve stitched myself up plenty of times. All I need is you.”
He pulled her in close, and she wrapped her arms around him. “You have me, Giovanni, always.” She stroked the tips of her fingers down his back, feeling him shake just a bit.
She eased away and stared up into his eyes.
This man had been marked by so many people as being a monster. The Butcher. A man to fear.
She wasn’t afraid of him. Putting her palm against his cheek, she stroked her thumb across his lips. “I love you.”
The words came out before she could stop them, and as they filled the air, she didn’t want to. Steam had already started to build up.
“Say it again,” he said.
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you, Giovanni Romano. My husband, I love you.”
He grabbed her ass and pulled her in close, slamming his lips down on hers. Relief flooded through her, and she held him tightly, but also with an awareness that he was hurt. She didn’t want to cause him any more pain.
“I love you.”