Chapter 70 Water and Warpaint
Valentina
After he bent me over the dining table like I was something he owned—like I wanted to be owned—Matteo didn’t give me time to catch my breath. He just took my hand and led me straight to the bathroom, like this wasn’t over. Like we were only getting started.
The sound of the shower filled the space between us as he stripped me down the rest of the way. I wasn’t shy anymore. Not after everything that happened today. Not after everything he’d already seen, touched, taken.
But when the warm spray hit my skin, and he stepped in behind me, something shifted.
This wasn’t sex. It wasn’t rough hands or filthy words or the sharp slap of flesh against wood.
It was… quiet. Tender, almost. Intimate in a way that made me feel naked all over again—and not because of the water.
He reached past me for the soap and my loofah, then turned me gently by the shoulders to face him. His eyes scanned my body with something new in them—something that looked a lot like reverence. Or maybe hunger, softened by something he didn’t want to name.
He didn’t speak. Just lathered the soap, lifted the loofah, and began washing me. Slowly. Thoroughly. Like he was memorizing me with each pass.
He started with my arms, moved down to my belly, then slid up to my breasts with a pause that made my breath hitch. He didn’t rush it. Just circled, brushed, pressed—and when he moved lower, between my legs, I instinctively shifted my stance, silently giving him permission. Not that he needed it.
He lingered. Not sexually. Just… carefully.
Then, without a word, he set the loofah down and reached for the shampoo.
“Close your eyes,” he murmured.
I obeyed.
His fingers worked through my hair, gently massaging my scalp in slow, comforting circles. I could feel the grit of the day rinsing from my skin, the steam softening everything it touched—but it was his hands that undid me.
This man had crushed someone in a metal tomb two hours ago. And now he was washing my hair like I was something breakable.
And I hated how much I loved it.
When he rinsed me clean, I blinked water from my lashes and looked up at him.
“Thank you,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
Something flickered behind his eyes. Then he dipped his head, caught one of my nipples between his lips, and gave it a teasing nibble that made me gasp.
His tongue followed—a single, lazy swipe that sent heat pulsing through me all over again. Then he let go with a wicked grin and smacked my ass lightly.
“Get dressed before I bend you over again,” he said, already reaching for the soap.
I didn’t argue.
I stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel, and dried off with trembling hands. My skin felt hot, but not from the water—more like something was boiling under the surface now, something I wasn’t sure how to name yet.
Back in my closet, I stared at the racks of silk and lace and tailored showpieces Matteo’s staff had picked out for me.
But tonight, I didn’t want to be decorative. I wanted to be real.
I pulled on a soft pair of black pants, a fitted slate-gray tank top, and a cozy cropped cardigan I found buried behind a row of dresses. My hair was damp and brushed back, no makeup except the faint flush still coloring my cheeks.
Comfortable. Sensible.
By the time we made it down to dinner, the scent of garlic and wine sauce drifted down the hallway like a bribe. Matteo’s hand stayed on my lower back as we approached the dining room, but it wasn’t just for show. His touch lingered longer now. A subtle brand. A silent warning.
Mine.
Arianna was already seated at the table, in some sleeveless designer maternity thing that was trying far too hard to say glamorous fertility goddess and not attention-starved side piece. Luca stood behind her, refilling her water glass with the flair of someone who thought he was starring in his own mob drama.
Alessio sat at the head of the table, thumbing through a leather-bound menu he probably didn’t need to look at. He smiled as we entered.
“Ah, there they are. How was your day, you two?”
Before I could even think of a diplomatic answer, Matteo pulled out my chair, kissed my cheek, and replied like he couldn’t wait to tell someone.
“Productive,” he said with a grin. “Had to take care of someone this afternoon. Bit of a mess, but Valentina stepped up like she was born for it.”
I smiled sweetly, tilting my head. Well… I kinda was.
Arianna twisted toward Luca, batting his arm with a pout. “Why haven’t you ever let me help out with work?”
Luca let out a laugh that was more bark than humor. “Because, baby, you’d probably get us all shot.”
He reached for his wine glass. “Besides, Valentina probably didn’t do anything but sit in the car and keep her mouth shut like a good girl.”
Matteo didn’t even blink.
Instead, he turned toward them with a smile that made my spine straighten.
“Why are you two still here?” he asked casually. “Don’t you have a house of your own to squat in?”
Luca raised his brows, unfazed. “We would go home—if we had a way to get there. Not to mention Arianna wants to have the baby in the VIP wing of the hospital here.”
“Oh, how convenient,” Matteo muttered, clearly unimpressed. Then he turned to Alessio, his whole expression lighting up like a proud father bragging on his kid.
“She pressed the button,” he said.
Alessio’s attention sharpened instantly. “She did?”
Matteo nodded. “Not only that—she got around some rope and duct tape without needing a damn word of instruction. Like instinct.”
I didn’t say anything, just picked up my fork and cut into the chicken breast in front of me like this was just another Tuesday.
But Alessio leaned back in his chair with a pleased smile, eyes flicking toward me like I was a rare artifact he’d forgotten he had in storage.
“Impressive,” he murmured. “Very impressive.”
Arianna huffed and took a noisy sip of her sparkling water.
Luca just muttered something under his breath and started cutting his food like the plate owed him money.
But Matteo?
Matteo reached for my thigh beneath the table again and gave it a slow, possessive squeeze.
I didn’t have to look at him to know he was smiling.
And I didn’t have to ask to know I’d just passed another test.