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“Yes,” I said softly, voice strangely small. I felt very young and far too vulnerable. I hugged my arms around my chest, drawing my ruined dress more tightly around myself.
Luca lifted his hand to my hair, and I barely suppressed the urge to flinch away from his touch. Instead, I sat stiffly as he stroked his long fingers through the brunette locks in a slow, soothing rhythm. He’d petted me like this last night, when he’d taken my virginity so ruthlessly.
My insides squirmed. The tender touch tempted me with comfort, but I could still feel the taint of Alberto’s groping hands on my skin.
“He’ll never breathe the same air as you again,” Luca vowed.
My breath caught. “Are you going to kill him?”
I didn’t know if I wanted to see my cousin murdered. I never wanted him to touch me again, but was I savage enough to wish him dead?
Luca saved me from the internal conflict. “No,” he bit out, but his hand remained gentle in my hair. “I can’t kill him. He’s family now that we’re married. But I’ll make sure he never comes anywhere near you.”
Relief rolled through me in a riptide, strong enough to make my eyes sting. I blinked rapidly to dispel the tears before they could fall.
“It’s okay,” Luca promised softly. “I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
Yes, I was safe from Alberto. But who would protect me from my husband?
I shivered and pressed closer to his body heat before I could stop myself. He frowned down at me.
“You’re cold. I’ll draw a bath for you.”
“Okay,” I whispered, suddenly exhausted. Yes, I wanted to wash the filth from my skin. And I didn’t want Luca to keeptouching me. It was making me want to cry, and I couldn’t risk that. Not in front of him.
He shifted our positions, nestling me in the big chair while he went to pull the duvet off the bed. He tucked it around me and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead.
“I’m not going to let anything bad happen to you,” he pledged, rich brown eyes earnest on mine. “I’ll take care of you, Nora.”
I nodded mutely, unsure what to say. That I was grateful to him for saving me? That I hated him for forcing me into this marriage?
I just wanted to sink into sleep and then wake up from this nightmare.
Mercifully, he left me alone and went to fill the tub. Within a few minutes, soft floral scents wafted through the bedroom. He was drawing a bubble bath for me. The tenderness of the act was bizarre and completely incongruous with the man who’d humiliated me with dark pleasure when all I wanted was to hate him with every fiber of my being.
I shuddered and sank deeper into the duvet, but it didn’t chase the chill from my bones. Luca was only in the next room, but I’d never felt more alone.
Chapter 8
Nora
Luca’s strong arms were around me again, carrying me as though I was incapable of walking the short distance from the bedroom to the bathroom. I considered arguing with him about the arrangement, but exhaustion sapped my mind, and my tongue felt too heavy to snap at him. He’d removed me from the cocoon of the duvet, and the persistent chill had frosted over my skin.
I eyed the bath with longing, breathing in the floral scented steam rising from the hot water. Luca carefully set me down on my feet, his hands on my waist to steady me. He peered down into my eyes, assessing. Whatever he saw there, it made him frown.
His fingers trailed over the goosebumps that pebbled on my arms. “Let’s get you warmed up.”
He reached behind me, finding the zipper at the back of my dress. All my muscles locked up tight. “What are you doing?”
He shushed me gently. “I just want to help you. Let me.”
The command wrapped around my ravaged soul, and I was too tired to defy him. All the fight drained out of me, and I started to go numb. My husband was stripping me. He would get me naked and touch me in ways that made me blush.
I would endure this. I had to.
“Look at me.”
Another command. My eyes snapped to his.
