“I’d like to say something,” Valentina says, lifting her head and staring at my friends. “And then I’d really like it if we didn’t talk about my husband for the rest of the night. It’ll only put me in a bad mood, and Fiero has gone to so much trouble to make this night special for me.” Her smile is genuine as she turns to me and kisses me softly and sweetly. We break apart, staring at one another as our potent chemistry surrounds us in an electrifying bubble that feels safe but is only illusionary. She squeezes my hand before refocusing on my friends.
Cat is grinning, all previous ire forgotten, though I’m sure she’ll have more choice words for me another time. Massimo is deep in thought, hiding his emotions behind a well-practiced mask.
“I’m not going back to Miami.” Her voice projects confidently. “I left Miami with the sole purpose of never returning.” She casts a quick glance at me. “I’ve been saving money for years and plotting escape. This was the perfect opportunity to get away from him.”
“I suspected as much,” I admit.
“I know you did.” She turns on her side, sucking in a soft gasp as the plug moves in her ass, I’m guessing. “I, ah.” She’s flustered now, losing her train of thought. I circle my arms around her, anticipation building as I think of what’s to come. I didn’t do anything in the theater, wanting her to get used to the foreign object in her ass before I up the ante.
“Relax, kitten,” I murmur before dropping a kiss to her temple.
“And now?” Massimo asks.
“Now?” She eyeballs my friend head-on. “Now I have a reason to stay right here.”
“You haven’t known one another long.” Massimo watches her closely as he sips from his beer, effortlessly slipping from president mode into best-friend mode.
Cat whacks her husband on the arm. “If you know, you know.”
“Says the woman who ran off on me for five years and then spent months resisting when we reconnected.” My buddy shoots a knowing look at his wife.
“I had my reasons.”
“You did,mia regina.”
Valentina smiles. “It’s been fast, but it’s like we’ve known each other way longer, and it feels right in a way nothing has before.”
I press a lingering kiss to her temple as love swirls through my veins.
“You’re soulmates,” Cat says.
Massimo snorts, and I glare at my buddy.
“I like that.” I lean forward and kiss Cat on the cheek. “I like it a lot.”
Cat speaks directly to Valentina. “You’ve been living a nightmare with that monster, so it’s only right you now get to experience the dream with your Prince Charming.”
Massimo snorts again, and his wife thumps him hard in the arm this time.
Valentina clears her throat. “I hope this isn’t inappropriate, but I’ve seen the picture. I know what you did to your abusive first husband, and I want you to know you’ve always been my hero. At times when it felt like I couldn’t go on, I thought about you, and what you did spurred me on. It gave me hope there was a way out. That I could free myself and put it behind me, just like you did.”
Cat grasps my kitten’s hands. “We’re going to be the best of friends, Valentina, and if I can do anything to help, you only need to ask.”
26
VALENTINA
We have only just taken our seats at the table when it happens the first time. The plug in my buttvibrates, and I quickly slap a hand over my mouth to trap my shocked gasp. My eyes dart to Fiero’s. He’s sitting beside me on one side of the large circular leather booth perched against the window, offering magnificent views of Central Park, while his friends sit across from us.
“Are you okay?” Cat asks, her brow puckering in concern.
“Fine.” I wave her concern away. “I just felt a little nauseous there for a second.” It’s only a little white lie, but I still hate telling it.
“I felt a little ill on the plane from Miami,” Fiero says, snaking his arm around the back of the booth behind me as he scoots in closer. “Hope we’re not coming down with something.”
Guilt slams into me, but I keep a pleasant smile plastered on my face.
Cat pours some water from the jug into a glass and hands it to me. “Our daughter Bella is sick with a terrible bug right now. I hope you haven’t caught the same thing.”
