32. Valerie

Chapter thirty-two

Valerie

W ater runs down my body as I step into Ambrose's shower and I nearly melt along with it and travel down the drain. It's warm against my skin, a welcomed contrast to the chill I've been feeling this morning and it's relieving after the little sleep I've had.

My muscles slowly start to relax and I gently rub my shoulder hoping to ease the tension that lies deep beneath the muscle. The hot water stirs up Ambrose's scent, I've always assumed he smelt this good because of his cologne but it's multiple scents layered over each other.

As the water causes my body to unwind, my mind joins in and begins dissecting the events of the previous day.

I feel as though a storm ripped through the entire day and left only destruction and confusion in its wake. The fight with Ambrose was enough to bring me to tears, something I didn't think was possible but in hindsight, knowing how I feel now it all makes sense. His apology was the most genuine I've seen him and from how the rest of the night unfolded, he seems to be committed to aligning his actions to match his words.

The rest of the night was certainly... something. I knew Ambrose would be there, but as soon as he pulled me aside, his presence became all-consuming and not in a bad way. Us together seemed almost natural, it was casual as if we'd been pretending for years. Part of me wonders how much of it was pretend, especially since I know almost none of it was from my side.

Even though the club was meant to be an escape from everything going on, that moment with Horatio shook me up so much that if Ambrose hadn't shown up I'm pretty sure I would have had a panic attack. It was most likely an honest mistake confusing Ambrose for my husband but it was his accusation that truly unsettled me.

As I finish up in the shower, I let it wash away any physical remnants of the day before but the thoughts linger on long after the water shuts off.

I step out, dry myself off and check my phone. I curse at the numerous missed calls from Karyn, Natalia and even a few from the hospital. I swipe through the messages and notice a few payment reminders as well.

"Fuck," I whisper and hurry to get dressed into the clothes Ambrose gave me to wear. I'm drowning in the oversized shorts and t-shirt so much so that I pass on the shorts and wear just the shirt instead. It's practically knee length so it covers everything it needs to and since no one else is home it should be okay.

I scan through the message and sigh, Karyn went to visit my dad since he was finally awake after surgery and they're saying he needs to stay for a few days longer than planned for monitoring. Nat keeps checking if I'm okay, so I fire off a text saying I'm fine.

I start dialling Karyn's number as I enter the kitchen. I almost moan as the smell of food enters my nose and my stomach grumbles, screaming about how hungry it is.

"It smells so good in here," I say softly as I place my phone on the counter and walk around to where Ambrose is facing the stove.

A small smirk plays on his lips. "I'm glad you think so, I'm not a great cook but I can make a decent frittata."

"Oh, I'm sure you're used to having a chef prepare all your meals lately," I chuckle .

"In his dreams, he's still stuck with my cooking even now," Gianna speaks up from the doorway and both Ambrose and I practically jump.

" Cazzo, Mamá, you're not normally one to eavesdrop," Ambrose says and his mother rolls her eyes playfully.

"Good to see you, Val," she smiles and I try to smile back but I'm sure I look more constipated than anything else. My face is so warm I wanna lay it down on the marble countertops but more importantly, I wanna sprint out of here because Gianna is definitely putting two and two together and getting sixteen right now.

"You too, Gianna." She doesn't grace us with her presence for much longer, excusing herself to head out with Luca for the day–something about lunch with Ambrose's Uncle Lorenzo and his wife Amelia.

"I'm sorry about that–I thought she left already." He gazes to the side, eyes surveying my reaction.

"It's okay, I guess, just the woman who gave birth to you thinking we've slept together…no big deal." I shrug before I burst out laughing. He can't help but laugh as well as he continues with breakfast.

"Let her think whatever, she's boning my godfather and thinks none of us have noticed."

I fall silent at his statement, he hasn't ever spoken about intimate details regarding his family much around me. His father passed away less than six months ago, I can only imagine how it must feel to see something like that.

"Don't overanalyse what I said, Val," he turns to face me after placing the frittata in the oven. "I just meant she'd be the last person to judge anyone about their sex habits."

"And you're okay with the idea of her hooking up with your godfather this soon after your father's death?"

He shrugs and looks down at the stove. "It's not my place to judge either, the idea isn't my favourite but we all deserve to be happy. Even if it means she's fucking my father's best friend–god knows my father's done worse."

"What do you mean? "

"Let's just say my father loved my mother the way he loved himself; either in an obsessed manner or not at all."

"I had no idea."

"No one did, the old man was good at hiding his suspicious sex life." He shrugs and shifts the pan.

"Okay, that's enough sex talk for this early in the morning," I shake my head and he chuckles moving closer. He places his hands on either side of me caging me in. It's reminiscent of that one time in his office. Even then I couldn't deny my attraction to him but right now it feels like every nerve in my body is on high alert in his presence.

"Well, sweetheart, you better get used to it, I have three brothers for one, and secondly," he leans down and I can feel his breath against the skin below my ear as he places a soft kiss before whispering, "Morning sex is my favourite."

When he pulls back, I'm sure the look on my face is comical, and by the way, his face scrunches as he laughs, he confirms it. His hands are quickly on my face pulling my forehead towards his mouth for a kiss before pulling me into his chest and wrapping his arms around me.

"Val, relax, I won't do anything unless you're one hundred percent okay with it. Especially that, okay?" he says searching my eyes, clearly worried my reaction was due to surprise or worry.

It's my turn to laugh. "Who said I wasn't okay with that?"

His face morphs into surprise now. "I-I thought because…"

"You caught me off guard. I woke up horny this morning but you were out running so I took care of it myself and went back to sleep." I chuckle and walk around to my phone.

"You what?" he says standing in the centre of the room

"Your frittata smells like it's burning Ambs," I smirk and walk outside to sit on the terrace leaving Ambrose alone with all his dirty thoughts.