Page 36 of Deceit
Sofia
Isincerely hopedthatwaking with a marching band parading through myhead wasn’t going to be a regular occurrence. It was the second time in as many days I’d woken up with my head thumping.
At least, this time, I was in my own bed.
It took several seconds to realize the pounding wasn’tjustin my headandthatsomeone was knocking on my door. I jumped out of bed, the sudden movement giving me a head rush, and nausea churned in the pit of my stomach.
Looking around my room for a robe, my gaze darted to the bathroom whenMiles strolled out, freshly showered if his damp hair was anything to go by. My cheeks heated in an instant as the memory from last night resurfaced.
He’d rejected me.
It had taken all of my confidence, and a hell of a lot of champagne, to buildup to puttingthatdamn outfit on, something I’d been fretting about since the minute the stylist showed it to me. She’d winked conspiratorially about giving my new husband a night he wouldn’t forget, oblivious to the panic she’d stirred.
After all my fretting, he’d done exactly as I thought he would. The rejectionstung. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a tiny part of methatwantedhim to take one look at what I was wearing and fuck me into oblivion, but I should have known better.
“I’ll getthat, shall I?”His scowl scorched me as he marched to the door andwhipped it open.
My heart plummeted when Papa and Rafe appeared, Papa’s eyes seeking meout. In a beat, my embarrassment at Miles’ rejection changed into guilt. Papa was going to do something to Rafe because I’d failed. I had to warn him somehow.
“Good morning,”Papa said, turning his stare onto Miles. Whatever I thoughtabout my new husband, I had to admire how he never showed any fear when it came to Papa.“I trust you slept well?”
My heart sankevenfurther when Miles’ glare moved from Papa to me, andback again.“Let’s not beat around the bush, shall we? You and I both know why you’re here.”
Um…what?!
Papa tilted his head in Miles’ direction, his calculating eyes fixed on him.“And what is it I’m here for?”
I held my breath; worry, fear…morbid curiosity at what was going to happennext, pounding through me. For several seconds, Miles stared at Papa, the tension between them stifling.
My gaze jumped from Papa to Rafe, who looked like he was struggling tohold back his temper, and back to Miles, whose face was devoid of any emotion until a devious smirk tugged at his lips. My heart tumbled the rest of the way to the soles of my feet.
Not looking at me, Miles charged over to the bed and ripped the sheets back.A soft, almost inaudible gasp left me when my eyes landed on the bloody stain right where I had been lying moments ago. My body began to shake.
I had zero recollection of anything happening between Miles and me; thelast thing I remembered was hiding under the sheets, too embarrassed to face him. Had he had sex with me while I was asleep?
It didn’tfeellike it. Between my legs, there was no ache like I thought therewould be when I finally lost my virginity, but the blood suggested otherwise.
“Is this what you wanted?”Miles snapped, his venom aimed at Papa. “Doesthis make you happy to see your daughter’s blood mixed with my come? Or perhaps you’d like to see the blood smeared on her thighs? I didn’t let her wash it off, so you could see for yourself.”
Bile crept up my throat, and without thinking, my gaze lowered to the hemof my nightdress. Aware of the three sets of eyes watching me, I hesitantly lifted it, stopping at the first sign of blood mixed with dried white stains coating my skin.
“Oh, god,”I whispered, swaying on the spot and earning a scowl fromMiles.
Papa stroked a hand down his immaculate tie.“As a matter of fact, itmakes meveryhappy.”
If it wasn’t for standing near to Miles, I would have missed the curse hehissed. He marched back to where Papa waited, and with the way his fists were clenched, I was certain he was going to throw a punch in Papa’s direction.
“I’m glad we’ve clearedthatup,”Miles sneered.“But I’ll say this once. Thisis the only time you get to know about mine and Sofia’s sex life. What I do to her is none of your fucking business. In fact, let’s extendthatpast our sex life, shall we? She’s a Wolfe now; you don’t get to knowanythingmy wife does from this point onward. Am I understood?”
I gaped at Miles. No one hadeverspoken to Papa likethat. I expected Papato argue; to tell MilesthatI would always be a Bianchi,evenif my lastname had changed. But to my utmost surprise, Papa clapped Miles on the shoulder, a deep, dark chuckle rumbling from him.
“Relax, Miles. I’m not interested in anything my daughter does,”Papa said,stabbing an invisible knife into my chest. Notthathis lack of interest in my life should have been a shock.“She’s yours to do with as you wish. I simply wanted confirmation of your union, which I now have.”
Miles’ fist clenched tighter.“Good. Now, if you don’t mind. I’d like for us toget going as soon as possible. I’ve got work to be getting on with.”
He nodded to the door, and a huge part of me wanted to throw my armsaround Miles for having the balls to kick Papa out of my room, something I’d never been able to achieve.
With a smirk in my direction, Papa walked out without another word,leaving Rafe hovering by the door. He’d remained quiet throughout the whole interaction, his features stoic, but as soon as Papa’s footsteps disappeared, he bolted inside, slamming the door behind him.
