Page 30 of The Bikers Redemption

Despite my racing heart and desire to cry out, I remain still as he touches me. I’m waiting for his next move, holding my breath. But it doesn’t come, and soon his deep breaths indicate he has fallen asleep.

A sense of relief floods me, causing a tear to escape, which I quickly wipe away. I tell myself I’m free for tonight, and tomorrow is a new day. I shut my eyes and wait for sleep to claim me, but it’s impossible with him lying so close. His every move or breath makes me anxious that he’ll attack me again.

***

Not knowing what time I eventually fell asleep, I wake to an empty bed, and once again, I’m relieved.

In the silent room, I remove the sheets and stand. My neck is sore, and as soon as I walk into the bathroom, the steam proves he’s already showered and begun his day.

Since I couldn’t sleep last night, I did a lot of thinking and realized I need to talk to him about what happened between us in the study. I need to understand the reason behind his anger and reassure him I chose to be with him, not Harley.

The sight of my neck horrifies me as I see that the red welts from last night now turned purple and bruised. As the reality of what happened sets in, I give up on working things out with Luca.

Only a monster would do something like this, not a loving husband.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Luca’s voice startles me, and I spin around, my hand falling from my neck. As soon as he notices my neck, his smile disappears, and he rushes into the bathroom with a look of worry etched on his face. As I pull away, his expression turns to a frown.

“Did I do that?” he asks, his hand rubbing my neck. Tears fill my eyes. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” He embraces me, but I don’t reciprocate, letting my arms fall to my sides. He holds me close while supporting the back of my head.

I cringe and want to break free from his embrace, but I know it will only escalate things.

Luca grips my shoulders, pulls me back, and looks into my eyes. “Serena, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough.”

“I told you to stop!” I reply, emotion filling my voice.

He shakes his head. “No, you didn’t. I would know if you said that.” He lets go of my shoulders and steps back.

“Luca,” I say calmly, but I am not feeling it inside.

“You hurt me. You almost killed me.”

“Stop it!” he shouts, and instantly fear hits me. This is the side of Luca I’ve never seen before—the side I got a glimpse of last night.

“You’re exaggerating. You wanted it last night, and I gave it to you. I never forced myself.”

His anger is apparent. I know now is not the right time to bring it up, so I remain silent. I don’t need a repeat of last night.

He steps closer and lifts my chin so my eyes focus on his. Emerald green eyes I don’t recognize stare into mine. “You better be careful about what you accuse me of, Serena. I just fulfilled your needs. I wanted to show you how much I love you. Maybe it wasn’t loving and compassionate, but I gave you what you and your body wanted.”

I want to yell back and tell him that what he’s saying just isn’t true. It was anything but what I wanted. I want to tell him that if he loves me, he would never have left the marks on my body like he has. I might be naïve, but I’m not that stupid to think this was a show of love.

But I don’t.

Instead, I stare into his eyes, nodding.

He sighs. “Now that’s a good girl.”

The man I don’t recognize steps back and leans against the bathroom wall. He’s dressed in cream slacks and a white shirt sans a tie or jacket. This is something you rarely see him wear.

“We have a charity ball tonight, one my father always used to attend. In honor of him, I would like to go in his stead. So, wear something nice.” He kicks himself off the wall and reviews my neck. “Do something about those marks. They’re ugly as hell.” With that, he turns and walks out of the bathroom, shutting the door behind him.

Tears flow from my eyes as I sink and cover my face with my hands. I’m not sure how I’ll manage to get through this.What am I going to do?He’s obviously in complete denial about last night, but now I have to go with him to a charity ball and act like everything is normal.

Chapter Eight

HARLEY

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