Hush 2: Slow Burn (11 page)

chapter Seventeen

Who are you?

Shannon

I thought for sure I would wake to find Luca in my room. Now that I remember what happened I wonder how much of what I heard was real. I don’t want to ask anyone if Luca was really here. I am almost embarrassed now that I am sober. I should never have called him.

When the doctor came in to see me, he said I was lucky. The alcohol in my system made my body limber enough to move with the flipping truck instead of against it, which allowed for me to sustain fewer injuries. Heck, I am grateful. I couldn’t imagine it being worse. I could have kissed the nurse that pumped some painkillers in my IV.

I look sleepily over at Rita and Marie, who are still with me. After a few hours, Pam, Paige, and Valentina had to go check on their children. Rita said that Marcus had Daniel and Hannah for at least another hour before she has to go. I understand. My sister and the other women have newer babies.

I was surprised the hospital let them all into my room at once to begin with. Then again, my brother-in-law will let no one deny his wife anything so I’m sure he has something to do with this private room and my allotted visitors.

We haven’t talked too much because I have been fading in and out of sleep and my throat is still a bit sore. Most conversation has been to ask me how I am feeling. I have to say as badly as I wanted to speak while in the darkness, once I regained consciousness I was sort of glad no one pushed me to.

Marie smiles back at me. “You know Luca has had fresh flowers brought in every day. He has the ones from the day before replaced with fresh ones each morning,” she gushes like a lovesick teenager. “Ouch.”

Marie glares at Rita, who I am sure just pinched her, since she is now rubbing her leg. I blink my heavy lids as I process Marie’s words. I turn to look around at all the roses in the room. They are breathtaking. I smile a little before it fades.

The flowers are gorgeous, but I would prefer the gorgeous man himself. Memories of the night of the accident assault me. I was finally going to move on. If he cared, he would be here. I feel my resolve building.
Fuck Luca.

I will not go back to the pathetic woman I was before the accident. Look at all the strong women around me. I deserve better. I know I am all in my feelings as Rita reaches for my hand. Her face softens as she smiles at me, but she doesn’t get to say whatever is on her mind as Luca rushes into the room.

Just like I said, gorgeous. I said it once before, Luca has the face of a God, with his blue eyes and those beautiful full lips. Luca has the fullest jet black hair that he keeps not too long, but not too short and always combed out of his face. My fingers have itched to run through it since the first time I laid eyes on him.

His dark, thick brows and lashes highlight his amazing blue eyes and go perfectly with his straight nose. This is the first time I am seeing him with more than a day’s worth of stubble. I love looking at tall men and Luca being six four is not a disappointment at all.

“Shannon, Baby, thank God you’re awake,” Luca says as he rushes to my side.

In a split second, I make a decision. I want to know if this is real. With so many things in my life that I no longer trust at face value, I need to know that not only are his feelings for me real, but that mine for him are too. This can be Luca’s out or his can choose to show me this is what he wants because I am done waiting on him.

I just stare blankly at Luca without responding. His brows wrinkle as he gathers my hand in one of his. I fight off the shutter that rolls through me with the simple contact. It is just like the first time we met when he said hello to me and placed his hand on the small of my back.

I was so nervous then. To think this gorgeous man would be my husband. I had no idea if I could live up to what he expected. I still don’t know the answer to that, but I won’t drool for his attention this time around.

“Shannon, I know I fucked up, Baby. I’m so sorry for everything,” Luca says cupping my face with his free hand.

I flinch back from his hand on my face and look at it. I then look over to Marie and Rita with my brows drawn. I swallow to wet my throat before I speak up.

“I…who is this,” I say softly.

With those words, Luca looks at me long and hard, as if I have grown a second head. I watch his jaw tick as his emotions roll over his face. I almost burst into laughter, but check myself quickly.

“What,” Luca gasps. “Has the doctor been here? What did she say?”

Luca barks his demands at Rita and Marie who are staring at me with their mouths wide open. Rita is the first to snap out of her stunned daze. She looks at Luca.

“The doctor said they wanted to watch over her for a few more days before they would consider releasing her. The doctor asked her a few questions earlier, but now that I think of it, she hasn’t talked much since being awake. We have done most of the talking,” Rita muses out loud as she keeps her eyes on me.

I look between them with confusion on my face. Marie still has her big wide grey eyes locked on me. I frown deeper and look back at Luca. His eyes are searching my face.

“Who are you,” I ask him this time.

I watch as his face turns red with rage. He releases my hand and storms from the room like a bull. I almost laugh again but keep it in and school my face. I turn to Marie and Rita, who look confused and concerned all at once. I feel bad. I should tell them the truth, but Luca storms back in the room holding a doctor by the side of his collar.

“What is wrong with her,” he barks at the doctor.

“Sir, I am not her physician. I don’t have the details of her case,” the doctor says as he gently pulls free and reaches for my chart. He glances over the notes and then looks up at me.

“Well,” Luca growls.

“Like I said I am not her physician, but it is not uncommon for a patient that has sustained such injuries to have full or partial amnesia. It would be best to keep a close eye. Things can begin to come back on their own, with some time.”

“I’m sorry, but should I know you,” I ask.

Luca moves back to my side and lifts his hand as if he is going to touch me again, but he thinks better of it and drops his hand to his side. “Yes you should know me,” he says gently.

It is so out of character and throws me at first. I don’t show it, though. This is not the Luca I have seen around others. I have only seen this side of him while we were alone and still not often.

“Who are you,” I ask again.

“I’m your fiancé,” Luca says, and this time he does take my hand in his.

“Oh,” I say and look him over. I take the time to really appreciate him in the three-piece suit he is wearing. I frown once I have my fill. “I’m sorry, but I don’t even remember having a boyfriend.”

Luca presses his lips. He stares at me for a long time in silence. I notice the doctor takes this opportunity to make a quick exit, but I don’t take my eyes off of Luca.

“You don’t remember me at all,” he finally says.

I shake my head no. “What is your name,” I ask this time.

“Luca, I’m Luca Donati,” he replies hopefully as if his name will ring a bell.

I allow recognition to show on my face. “Oh, you are the one that sent the flowers. White roses are my favorite. Thank you,” I say politely.

“I know, that is why I got them,” Luca says with a tight smile.

I can feel my lids seriously getting heavy. I look between my three visitors before a yawn escapes my lips. I go to tell them that I think I’ll take a nap, but Marie and Rita are up out of their seats and leaning to kiss me on the cheek.

Rita leans into my ear to whisper. “Don’t make him suffer too long. I almost lost Marcus playing games.”

When she pulls away, she winks and follows Marie out. I briefly wonder if Marie is on to me as well. I smile inside and think on Rita’s words.
How can I lose someone I never had?

~B
~

Luca

I want to rip this hospital apart. Not only was I not here when Shannon woke, but she has no idea who I am. Right now I don’t know if that is a good or a bad thing. On one hand, that means she doesn’t remember the shitty way I treated her, but on the other hand she just has no clue that I am her fiancé.

She is so fucking gorgeous, even with fading bruises on her face. I have always loved the light brown hue of her skin but never thought to question her parentage. I guess knowing Valentina is her sister kind of kept my mind from going there.

Now as I look at her smooth skin and the way her hair has started to curl around her hairline I probably would question Angie as her mother if I actually gave a shit about that type of thing. Shannon is Shannon to me.

When those blue eyes landed on me, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her. When I cupped her face and she looked at me like I was a stranger, I thought I had lost her. I thought her reaction was because she remembered how bad I fucked things up.

The last thing on my mind was that she didn’t know me. This day just keeps throwing shit at me. As I watch her sleep, it comes to me what I have to do. If she doesn’t know me, then I can take my time to get her to fall in love with me, the way I have fallen for her. I can do this all right this time.

This is my second chance. This is my chance to prove I deserve her, to make her feel as special as she is. Shannon is mine and whether she remembers me or not, I will not let her go.

chapter Eighteen

Done

Valentina

New York

I have been sitting in Vita’s nursery looking out towards the garden for a few hours now. I wonder if this will be the view I have five years from now or even in six months. I silently wonder if this is my punishment for all I have done.

My life could be changing and not over something that I have actually done. I am not afraid for me, but for my little Vita. Uri wants another baby and since we aren’t trying to prevent it from happening, I could be going into all this with another baby on the way.

I haven’t voiced that concern to Uri. After all, that is just my mind going into overdrive on all that could go wrong with this mess. Uri already has enough on his plate. I mean really, someone is trying to put me in jail.

The thought of doing time has never crossed my mind. I am too good at what I do. What angers me more is that despite Uri not telling me so I know this was one of his kills. Someone is trying to throw my husband under the bus. I know that is why he has been taking this so hard. I won’t let him throw himself on the knife for me.

I can see it in his eyes, he has thought about it. I can promise one thing, whoever is behind all of this will be sorry when I find them. I have contemplated going after all the assholes that are pushing this foolish case. It should have really been thrown out already, but the DA keeps stalling and the judge is playing right along.

I sigh heavily and turn to place Vita in her crib. Maybe a workout will help me clear my mind. I go to the master bedroom and strip from my clothes, stepping into the walk in closet in search of some workout clothes.

Maybe Nico or Michael are around and will spar with me for a bit. I try to remember if Nico’s due back today or the day after. Keeping up with his schedule makes my head spin with all I have going on. All my husband’s siblings have grown on me.

They are all different, yet have the same loving heart. I have to shift my thoughts again as I start to think about the shit hand they were all dealt. Uri finally told me why he kept them a secret from me. All their lives after their father was murdered they thought they had to stay away from each other to remain safe.

When Uri was old enough, he started spending time at the estate in Italy that his grandfather left him. One by one his siblings moved in on the other side of the vineyard. They have never shared their connection with anyone that wasn’t a loyal employee on the grounds of the vineyard, and there were many that worked there that don’t have that knowledge or the clearance to roam the acres of the land.

Uri said he rarely spent time there the way he used to, that is until he married me. He had waited so long to tell me about them because at first our relationship was rocky. After we got our shit together there just didn’t seem to be a right time to drop the bomb on me. When he finally decided it was time, things had gotten complicated.

All the deception that seems to have grown up with us just serves to piss me off more. Not the lies Uri and I were forced to live and tell, but the ones that lead us on the paths we have taken. I would never allow anything like that to happen to Vita. No matter where I end up.

I slump against the wall in the closet with my back to it, clutching a pair of gym shorts and a sports bra in my hands. I’m not a crier, at least, I didn’t use to be. However, right now I want nothing more than to curl into a ball and cry my eyes out.

“You are loved, you have a beautiful daughter that adores you, and a husband that would walk through fire for you,” I hear Uri’s voice fill the space. “Why then are you looking like your world is coming apart? Have I not told you I love you today? Did I not kiss you before I left this morning? Your sister is on her way to recovering. You sent me a text saying she has awoken. So why is my wife in the closet looking like she has lost everything?”

Uri lifts a questioning brow at me and it is then that I breakdown. The tears I have been holding onto release and slip down my cheeks. He is right, I have all those things and more, but in the blink of an eye, it could all be gone.

Uri strolls into the closet removing his tie and suit jacket before tossing them onto the folding table in the center of the closet. He unbuttons the first three buttons on his shirt as he stops in front of me. I look up at him through my tears.

Uri cups my face and places his lips to mine gently. “What is it, Love? Tell me what needs fixing,” Uri soothes against my lips.

“I don’t want to miss my baby growing up. I just got her, Uri. I finally have everything I want. Why is this happening now,” I sob.

Uri’s eyes darken and he steps closer to me, pinning me to the wall behind me with his body. His arms move to the wall behind me as he cages me in and towers over me. He bends his head until his nose is right against mine.

“Again, why are you worrying yourself with this,” he says in a low growl. “Have I not shown you that I will always take care of any threat against you.”

“Yes, but this...,” I try but my words are cut off by the look on my husband’s face.

“Tell me what you want me to do, Tina. Because I have been on top of this for a week now and I have repeatedly told you, I will fix it. So since that has not been enough, ask me for whatever it is you need to trust that I, your husband, will do as I say,” Uri says.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“That is not a request. Tell me what you need, Valentina,” Uri says more gently as his eyes soften again.

I reach for his beard running my fingers through it. “I need you. I want you,” I say. “You’ve been making love to me like I will break, or as if it will be the last time. I need you.”

“Done,” he growls, pushing off the wall.

Uri drops to his knees before me and pulls my panties down my legs. Before I can grasp what he is going to do next, he has my right leg over his shoulder and his face buried between my legs. The workout clothes I had in my hands tumble to the floor as I release them from my grasp.

My fingers lock into Uri’s hair and he groans into my soaked core. Uri can feast on some pussy. Sometimes I ache for him to come home so that I can just sit on his face. Like always he is eating my pussy like it is the best cuisine he has ever tasted.

Not an inch is ignored or neglected. I cry out loudly when Uri spreads my legs further apart and lifts the other leg onto his shoulder. My own shoulders are now supporting me against the wall. My head thrashes back and forth as I lose myself in him and his skilled mouth.

Uri grips my ass cheeks pulling me closer to his face as I rock my hips. I’m done for as I start to tremble and shake, gushing all over his face and into his open mouth. When I look down, those amazing blue eyes are on me. I shiver at the intensity I see in them.

Without a word, Uri lifts to his feet shifting me effortlessly so that my legs are now wrapped around his waist. His dress shirt is now open and his pants are around his ankles as he thrusts into me in one smooth plunge.

I gasp and bury my head into his neck. We have had sex thousands of times, but his thick dick takes my breath away every single time. Uri takes me hard and fast against the wall. I whimper into his neck as his dick repeatedly brushes against my sensitive clit.

“Is this what you need, Love,” Uri growls next to my ear.

I lift my face to look into his eyes. I want him to see that this is definitely what I have needed and I don’t ever want him to stop. I tighten my walls around his cock and his nostrils flare.

“Yes, this is what I need,” I moan. “Oh God, Uri, yes, you feel so good.”

Uri’s large hands move to the center of my cheeks, spreading them as he starts to ram into me harder. He lifts me higher to control both his lunges and the searing kiss he plants on my lips. His tongue starts to mimic the movement of his thrusting hips.

“Fuck,” Uri growls into my mouth. “I will never let anything happen to you, never.”

“I love you so much,” I moan.

“Then trust me, I’m your husband. I will always take care of you. No more worries,” Uri groans.

“Done,” I cry out, using Uri’s own reply as we both find our release together right up against the wall.

Uri chuckles and kisses my shoulder. “This has always been one of my favorite ways to take you,” Uri says into my neck once he catches his breath.

“Then we should hit the shower so we can do it against the wall in there,” I giggle feeling much lighter.

Uri pulls out of me and kicks his pants from his ankles as he shrugs his shirt from his shoulders. In the next motion, I am over Uri's shoulder. He slaps my ass and kisses the sting away.

“Done,” he growls as he walks us into the shower.