Page 86 of Unveiled

“Holy shit!” Tanya gasped.

“Yes. I have to hurry and go clean up because we’re leaving as soon as they return.”

Tanya’s gaze hollowed. She perched on the edge of an oversized chair, staring at the floor. I knew she was having flashbacks. I think those of us who were there at the time, were all experiencing the same. Laura closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she fell back on the sofa and crossed her knees.

I peered down at Isabelle. “Where’s a bathroom?”

“Come on.” She took my hand, leading me through a long hallway to a room at the end. The moment I closed the door, she spun around. “What happened, Valentino?”

“I shot him.” I did not want to go into details.

The simplicity of it was still something I was still processing. I emptied my pockets, took off my watch, and tossed them on the bed before striding toward the open door which I assumed was the bathroom. Coming to a stop in front of the mirror, I paused, inspecting myself. Now I understood why Isabelle gasped. Blood was splattered on my exposed skin, clothes, and shoes.

“What’s wrong? I thought you’d be happier than this.” Folding her arms tightly into her stomach, she turned toward me, leaning her back on the cabinets. “It sure as hell makes me happy but somehow jumping for joy seems inappropriate right now. What are you not telling me?”

Sighing, I turned away and stepped over to the shower, turning on the water hot enough to fog up the bathroom. “I’m happy but I also have to remain calm after something like this.”

“That’s all it is? Calm?”

I nodded, sticking my fingers in the water to test the temperature. Hands on the hem of my shirt, I slipped it over my head and tossed it toward the wall out of the way. With a quick glance, I checked my sutures to make sure I did not pop one open during the altercation.Altercation. Funny. It was not even really that. I had no idea what it was.Suspicious? Yes.

After removing the rest of my clothes without a word, I stepped into the shower, letting the shower head hanging from the ceiling, rain down on me for a few moments. Taking a step back from the stream, I slid my hands back on my head. I peeked at Isabelle in my peripheral vision. She remained quiet, still in the same place she had been leaning.

“Are you okay?”

Pushing off the counter, she took a couple of steps toward the shower. “I’m just thankful you were able to escape. Did Noah or Liam get hurt?”

I grabbed the unopened bar of soap in the corner of the shower on a shelf and opened it. I pushed out the glass door and handed the trash to her before lathering the soap in my palm. “Shockingly, none of us got so much as a scratch on us.”

“That’s a good thing!” She threw the wrapper in the garbage then spun back around. “Right?”

“Yes, bella, it is a great thing. I think maybe I’m just still in business mode.”

She giggled. “Okay, good because I don’t want to have to worry about something else right now.”

After I finished washing my body and hair twice, I rinsed and turned the water off. Isabelle grabbed a towel from the nearby linen closet and handed it to me when I opened the door. As I dried off, I watched her as she admired me with lust and relief in her eyes.

He was hiding something, though I was not quite sure what it was. He had evidence all over him that someone did in fact get hurt. I knew he would not lie to me, but he would omit the truth or details if he knew I would be bothered by anything.

Valentino always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders for both of us. We had many talks about him being more open with me when it came to certain things. He had no problem expressing his emotions to me these days, but if he did not talk to me about business, I did not push for answers. The problem was this time, it involved my uncle. I was guessing my fiancé was just in shock that he was actually gone.

“Was Jesse with him?”

He shook his head. “I wish he had been. I think he’s disappeared for good, but if I ever find him, he’ll vanish.”

“Good.”

He wrapped the towel around his waist and tucked it in before he strode into the bedroom. I followed, watching as he stretched. Like always, I was distracted by his physique. He grabbed his watch and put it on then checked his phone with a sigh.

“Worried about them?”

“No.” He set his phone on the nightstand, screen facing up. Normally, he faced it down. With a smirk painted on his face, he gazed at me, trailing his eyes up and down my body. “I guess I don’t have clothes until they return.” Sitting on the bed, he held his hand out. “Come here.”

I ambled over and straddled his lap. He cupped my bottom, giving it a squeeze. Wrapping my arms around him, I leaned close, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

He let out a long, slow breath as he dragged his hands up my sides, his hardness growing underneath me. “I don’t think it matters what kind of situation we’re ever in. I could fuck you anyway.”

Pressing my lips to his neck, I kissed and licked his nape. Reminiscence of his cologne lingered causing me to deeply inhale his scent. Hunger to be controlled and ravished swelled inside me the harder he pressed against me. I nipped him with my teeth, smiling as I knew it drove him wild.

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