One step at a time, I’ll win her trust, and then I’ll win her heart.
15
VALENTINA
It’s been two days since he laid himself on top of me, and I wanted all the things I protested. He could have entered me at any time, but he kept to his word and treated me gently. I don’t know why it shocks me every time he treats me kindly. It also wars with all the things Rose told me about him being a monster. However, I guess I haven’t been witness to that side of him yet. A part of me hopes I never will.
I stay in bed until the cook calls the room phone to ask if I’m eating breakfast. Once I tell her not to worry about me, I get out of bed, shower, and get dressed. Adrian filled an entire closet for me. Everything is beautiful and in my size. However, staring at some of the pieces, I think he means to take me out of his house, and I’m not sure how I feel about that prospect yet.
I grab a soft white cotton dress that reminds me of summer picnics and slip it on. There are shoes, but I don’t bother since I’m staying inside. Then I check my hair in the mirror. Usually, I put it up, restrain its heft in some kind of way, but I know how much he loves to touch it, so I leave it down to bounce around my shoulders with a mind of its own.
Since the fiasco in his command room, I usually only come out of the room for meals or to steal a quick book from the shelves tucked in his office. He doesn’t have a full library, but I’m wondering if I can change that.
I’m thinking as I walk and completely fail to notice and run smack into an entire hulking person. Solid arms go around me as I stumble, but they aren’t Adrian’s, and I rip myself free, ready to run. Kai, Adrian’s second in command, stands there grinning down at me. I saw him at the party, I thought, and in the command room. He has a distinct air of frivolity to him, from his expensive clothes to the playful grin on his full lips.
“Are you all right? Did I hurt you?” he asks gently like I’m a feral cat ready to strike.
I settle myself and try to be a normal human for once. It’s hard when I know he was there that night. That he saw me…”I’m fine. Thank you.”
He eyes me carefully, but there’s no heat there, not like when Adrian looks me over. I blush all the same, my ears burning. “No, really. I was just looking for Adrian. If he’s working, I can go back to my room and wait, though. I don’t want to interrupt.”
Kai steps to the side and waves his arm gallantly. “I think he’s in the dining room. Do you want me to walk with you?”
Shit. What do I say to that? He’s just trying to be nice, courteous, to his boss’s new pet. So I nod and march past him. He catches up with me, eating the distance with his long legs. He’s tall, I only just realized, as tall as Adrian, but not quite as large…he doesn’t take up the same kind of space Adrian does.
It hits me that I’m staring, and I focus my eyes back on the hallway again. “Um…so how long have you worked for him?” It sounds dumb even to my ears. I’ve never been good at small talk, considering my father never let me go anywhere.
“Long enough,” he says with a little chuckle. “We’ve all been with him a while. You should know, any one of us will keep you safe. He’s made sure it’s a priority for everyone. You come first.”
I blink up at him in surprise. “Me? But why? I’m just a deal he made…Does he usually get so protective about his…?” I can’t say possessions, so I just leave it there.
“He’s never had a woman here, living with us, staying in his home. I can promise you that.”
I don’t know why this makes my chest feel tight and my head feel bubbly. “Oh.”
When he grins down at me again, I pretend not to notice and keep walking. We get to the dining room doors, and he grips the knob to open it for me.
“Thank you,” I whisper and duck inside, closing the door quickly behind me. I’ve never been good at small talk. Rose has always been my buffer. She was smart, and clever, and cared way too much that everyone adored me the same way she did.
It takes me a second to get a hold of my emotions. The sense of loss I feel threatens to push in on me and drag me to my knees.