1
Francesca
Stefan was—gone.
Not just gone out of the room.
But—gone.
I tiptoed into the bedroom and headed for the front window.There, I saw Stefan get into a very sexy-looking black sports car.I had no idea what kind it was.The only kind of car I cared about was one that worked.The car sped off, leaving dust in its wake.
“Yikes,” I mumbled to myself.There was nothing I could do about the situation.Not right now, anyway.It wasn't like I even had a phone to call him with.Not that he'd answer.And if he did, he'd probably just scream at me again.
Jerk.
I let out a long sigh and slogged back to the bathroom.I cleaned up the mess Stefan left.Which was challenging without a broom.But I did a fairly good job.
I emptied the tub and gave it a quick rinse and a wipe down.Then I picked up the white bag that Stefan had dropped.There were still a few things inside.Like the cream the doctor had talked about, a large bottle of pain relievers, and a squeeze bottle of something that looked like lube.She had recommended using it the next time we had intercourse.Not that we ever would do it again.Even if I wanted to.
After Stefan's tantrum, I wondered if he'd ever want to be in the same room with me again—let alone sleep with me.
I stuck the lube into one of the many bathroom drawers.But I kept the cream out—and used it.Surprisingly, the pain down there wasn't as bad.Maybe the bath helped after all.
Or, maybe it was the orgasm Stefan gave me.Either way—I was feeling better.I still decided to take one of the pain relievers.I stored the cream away and went in search of clothes.
As soon as I walked back into the bedroom, I realized that our luggage was still downstairs.And there was no way in heck that I was going to carry that big suitcase up all those stairs.Not one chance.
Instead, I wandered into what I assumed was the closet.“Good grief.”I looked around at the rows and rows of clothes, shoes, jackets—holy crap.Stefan had more clothes than an entire men's store.
It smelled like him in here, too.All cedary and yummy.I snooped around and touched a bunch of his things.Everything my fingertips grazed over felt rich and lush.Not at all like the cheap, thin fabric my clothes were made of.
After I opened a few drawers, I finally found T-shirts.Even those were thick, soft cotton.I pulled out a white one and slipped it over my tired body.I grabbed a pair of shorts, too, and put them on, cinching the drawstring tight around my waist.This would have to do for now.I didn't know if anyone else was in the house.And I sure as heck wasn't going to walk downstairs naked and surprise someone.
And if Stefan had another tantrum because I wore his clothes—well, so be it.
The house was quiet as I walked down the hallway and down the stairs.The bottle of pills I'd stuffed into my pocket rattled with each step I took.Gosh.This house—or castle, I guess I should call it—was huge.It was the type of place that people would buy tickets to come and tour.
And Stefan—lived here.I hadn't seen even half of it yet.Maybe I'd go exploring after I grabbed some water.
When I got back into the kitchen, the view stopped me again.It was so unbelievably gorgeous.Did that man realize how lucky he was to have this?
Probably not.
I sighed and walked to the fridge.It was gigantic.And there was a large freezer right beside it, too.I found a bottle of water and grabbed it.
Then I wrestled with the packaging on the pain reliever bottle.Finally, I shook out a pill and popped it into my mouth.I swallowed it down with half the bottle of water.
I had the full intention of going back upstairs to sleep.Except I realized that the large wall of windows wasn't actually there.Stefan had opened it—but he hadn't closed it.He'd been in too much of a rush answering the door when the doctor came to visit.
I wasn't sure what he was doing while I was upstairs with the doctor, but apparently, it wasn't cleaning up our plates and food.I thought about leaving it out there for him to clean up later.That would just make him more ticked off, though.
So, I sucked it up and cleared off the table and brought everything into the kitchen.Then I thought about just leaving it on the counter.But I couldn't leave a mess in such a fabulous kitchen.
I put the food away and washed the dishes in the sink.It took me a while to figure out where everything went, but I thought I did a decent job.Then I wiped the counters off and polished the sink before heading outside to wipe the table there.I wanted to sit down and just—stare out at the peaceful water.But I knew I'd fall asleep if I stopped moving for a minute.
I turned around, figured out how to close and lock the wall of windows, and decided to go upstairs now that everything was clean.
I walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room.Then I spotted our luggage by the door.I feebly attempted to pick up the suitcase that Giselle and Eve had packed for me and took it upstairs.
