AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It looks worse than it is,” he says without giving me another glance.
“That will need stitches.”
“Damian will patch me up when he comes home.”
He takes a towel, wraps it around his palm, then reaches for the first aid kit next to the sink. Stepping inside the bathroom, I stand beside him, take the first aid kit from his hand, and start taking out compresses and bandages. Choosing the largestpack of dressings, I tear the packaging and fold the gauze several times.
“Remove the towel,” I say, willing my stomach to stop churning. It’s an understatement to say I’m not very good with blood.
Luca does as I say, and I quickly press the folded gauze to the gash. Keeping it in place with my left hand, I roll the self-sticking bandage around his palm.
“Tighter.”
I nod, back up the roll, and pull a little more on the bandage, trying to control my erratic breathing. He’s so close that if I lean forward just a little my forehead would be pressed against his chest.
“Tighter, Isabella,” Luca says next to my ear.
My fingers start shaking slightly, and I’m sure he notices it but he doesn’t say anything. When I’m done, I secure the bandage, take a deep breath, and lift my eyes to find him watching me. His face is set in hard lines, his jaw tight.Do something, damn it! At least fucking touch me,I want to yell at him. Instead, I just stare as he turns away and leaves the bathroom.
I want to scream. I have to fight with all my will not to run after him and hit him on his chest as hard as I can. Maybe then he would perceive even the slightest amount of the pain that tears me from the inside out every time he turns his back to me. I want to jump into his arms, bury my hands in his hair, and kiss him frantically. Everywhere. But I do neither of those things, only return to my room.
Will he be waiting for me to start my evening show so he can come to watch again? It’s okay to observe, but not to touch? DoI have the fucking plague? Well, fuck him. He can wait all night long.
I leave my room, descend the two flights of stairs, and turn left into the kitchen. It’s almost one in the morning and there’s no one around, so I start opening the cupboards one by one until I find a stash of wine. I take the first bottle I see, pick up the bottle opener and a glass on my way out, and climb the stairs back up to my room.
I fill the wineglass almost to the brim and leave the bottle on the nightstand. On the bed, I sit with my back against the headboard, glass in one hand, and grab my phone from beside the wine bottle. I have a playlist of rock ballads I listen to when I’m feeling down, so I put it on. Drinking alone and humming along to Bon Jovi. Pathetic. Well, nothing new there.
I’m on my third glass when the door between our rooms opens. Looking up from my phone, I find Luca standing in the doorway, staring daggers at me.
“No show tonight,” I say, and close my eyes.
For a few seconds, there’s only silence, and then I hear the muffled sound of bare feet padding across the floor in my direction.
“You are too young to drink alcohol, Isabella.”
I can’t help but laugh. What a hypocrite. I open my eyes. He’s standing by my bed, his arms crossed over his chest and lips pressed into a thin line. His hair is tied up again. What a shame.
“So, you’re saying I should throw this away?” I raise my eyebrows and nod toward the glass in my hand.
“Yes.”
“All right.” I shrug. Smile. And then splash the contents of the glass into his face. “Any other requests, husband?”
Luca closes his eyes for a second, but when he opens them, the look he gives me is so full of rage that it would have probably made me pee myself if I wasn’t drunk. There’s also a vein in the side of his neck, one I’ve always found incredibly sexy, which is currently pulsing. Oh, he is really mad. Suddenly, his hand juts to grab me behind my neck, and he leans forward so our noses are almost touching. The way he’s grinding his teeth makes me fear he’ll shatter them if he doesn’t stop soon.
“You should have told me that this is what it would take to make you touch me.” I tilt my chin up. “If I knew, I would have done this the first night.”
He removes his hand from my neck immediately. “You are a teenager,” he barks. “I don’t plan on touching you in any way.”
“If that’s the case, I’ll have to seek out someone else. Someone whowillfulfill my needs.”
“Try,” he whispers. “You won’t like what will happen.” The way his eyes flare makes me tense, but I don’t pull away.
“I might be a nineteen-year-old, Luca, but I know what I want and what I need. I want more than my own hand making me come at night.” I lean into his face. “If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone who is. And you don’t have the right to deny me that since you obviously won’t do anything about my problem.”
Luca stares at me with bulging eyes, his breathing becoming quicker and his nostrils flaring, then he turns his head to the side. There’s a loud bang as he hits the headboard with his fist.
“Fine,” he says between clenched teeth and turns toward the door to his room. “Have fun.”
