Her eyes started drooping but she didn’t get up; she probably wasn’t sure if she was allowed to leave. I decided to make it easy for her. “Let’s go to bed,” I suggested and stood.
That was obviously the wrong thing to say because the tension in her body returned full force. I sent Fabiano a questioning look. After all, he was the woman whisperer. He only shrugged.
“Good night,” Kiara said before she followed me silently into our wing. I tried to figure out the reason for her tension. I thought I was doing her a favor when I suggested we go to bed. I wasn’t even tired.
When we arrived in our bedroom and her gaze lingered on the bed, she swallowed thickly and it dawned on me. “Are you worried because you think I want sex?”
She bit her lip. “I’m a horrible wife.”
“I’m not a good husband either. It is what it is.” I pointed at the bed. “As I said before, you don’t have to fear me. I won’t touch you unless you desire it. We discussed this. I assumed you understood that our bedroom doesn’t pose a threat to you.”
“I guess it’s difficult to believe,” she said.
“I keep my word.”
I wasn’t sure if it finally sank in or if it needed more time. When I joined her in bed later, she had her back turned to me and was half hidden beneath the covers. I couldn’t see if she had tensed but her breathing definitely changed. I waited for her to fall asleep before I got up. This was going to be one of those nights where I wouldn’t get any sleep. With a last glance at my sleeping wife, I walked out into the corridor. I was never going to be a good husband; my disposition would always prevent that.
KIARA
When I woke, it took me several moments to realize where I was. Once I did, my pulse quickened. I sat up, looking around. Nino was gone, and I didn’t hear any sounds coming from the bathroom either. I got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. As I’d noticed yesterday, there wasn’t a lock on the door. It was a bit unsettling since Nino could walk in at any point. For that very reason, I hurried through my shower and quickly got dressed in a maxi dress with a high neckline. Even if I preferred to keep most of my body covered, it was too warm outside to wear something long sleeved. My eyes were drawn to the window behind the Jacuzzi tub and the blue sky outside. From the looks of it, it was going to be another hot day in Las Vegas. The sprinklers in the gardens were spewing water. I supposed there was no other way to keep the grass this beautifully green.
After that, I busied myself by putting away my clothes into the drawers that Nino must have cleared for me in the walk-in closet. When I was done, I hesitated, not sure how to proceed. I was hungry and I couldn’t very well stay in the bedroom all day, but the mansion didn’t feel like home yet. I wasn’t sure if it ever would, so walking around on my own felt like I was intruding.
Eventually, my hunger drove me outside. It was quiet in this part of the house, which wasn’t surprising considering its size. Nino was probably in the main wing with his brothers. I wasn’t really sad that he didn’t wake me when he left the bedroom this morning. I was used to being alone most of the time and preferred solitude over the company of people.
I moved downstairs into the smaller living area in Nino’s wing and froze on the last step. There, beside the French windows, stood a beautiful Steinway D piano. I couldn’t do anything but stare. I took the last step down then approached the instrument almost fearfully. How did Nino manage to get it over here so quickly? But this was Las Vegas and he was a Falcone, so he probably had his ways. The more important question was why did he buy this for me?
Of course I told him I loved to play, but it wasn’t as if he needed to put in an effort to win me over. We were already married, and I was bound to him forever. If anyone was required to please someone, then it was me as the wife. And so far, I’d failed miserably.
I sank down on the black leather bench, letting my fingers glide reverently over the smooth black and white keys, and then I began to play, but to my surprise it wasn’t the song I’d been working on these past few months. It was something new entirely, a melody I hadn’t even known was in me, but as my fingers moved over the keys, it took shape. Slowly, the knot around my chest loosened, and I realized the notes were my emotions shaped into music.