Chapter 6

Six

Bella

I t's been three weeks since I last saw Valerian. Three weeks and two days since his text message. I reach for the phone off my night table hoping I might have missed something while I rested. I pass a thumb over the sleeping screen only to find the notifications empty.

I pull my feet up and wrap my arms around my knees. I've been in this room for so long I've forgotten the feel of the wind on my face and the moonlight in my hair. I've been a night owl all my life and the allure of the pregnant moon outside my room is far too appealing tonight to resist. I stand from the bed and shake off the remnants of sadness that sent me into an hours-long sleep.

I place the phone on the table by the tray of food Mabel left me some hours ago. It took a few days to get my appetite back, but today I managed to finish the wonderful cinnamon bun she left me for lunch. It was delicious, but I'm tired of eating alone and having no one to talk to.

I pull his name up on my phone. Should I message him? He wants nothing to do with me. That part is obvious. He's left me here for Mabel to tend to and that is that.

I make quick work of an evening shower and pull on a gown and a robe over top of that when I finish. Both are lovely and are the color of the roses outside my window. Silk is my favorite to wear. I'm not sure if it was Mabel who picked out my wardrobe of clothing or some stylist he left in charge. Either way, it's nice to have something to wear while I scout out where I'm staying. I should have started the first night I arrived, but fear kept me locked in my room.

And anger.

Sadness.

Depression.

Hope too, to be honest. I hoped he would change his mind and send me on my way back to my father. How foolish of me. Valerian doesn't seem like a man who easily changes his mind about anything and so far I've been right.

I push the memory of his scent from my mind and the longing to feel the heat of his touch on my skin again into a tiny box of memories I need to bury.

He's gone and I'm left behind in his house to find something to do with my life until he comes home.

If he returns, I correct myself.

To me it's not a home, but simply a place where I rest my head. For how long is up to a man I believe I may never see again.

With no one here but me and Mabel in the evenings, I open my door and step out. Darkness greets me. Tonight, like every night since I've been here, I rub at the pain over my heart.

Hesitantly, I step up to Valerian's door but tonight, like every other night, there's no sign of life. No light shooting out from beneath his door. There are no sounds of shoes being dropped or curses being mumbled. Only silence.

I don't think I can keep doing this. Not another three seconds, three minutes and I sure as hell will not sit in my room for another three weeks alone and uncertain of what happens next.

He left me horny and confused. I pace down the hall out of frustration and curiosity about what I should do next. My dormant inner warrior screams for me to find him, drive a knife into his heart and roar, "The beast is dead!"

I stop walking when I get to the head of the long staircase.

As if.

I don't have a killer bone in my body, but some days I wish I took after my father more. My heart wouldn't hurt as much.

I reach for the banister and ease down the stairs into the quiet lower level. Lights throw the large space into a tapestry of grays and whites. I can only make out dimmed shapes of what I think is furniture here and there. A large couch, a lamp with two arms, and another fixture resembling a head. I think.

I step off the landing and move through one empty hallway after another. Mabel should wrap up for the evening soon. I stop to listen, but no sounds come from any part of the house. Maybe she finished early and retired to her quarters. It's eerily quiet, now that I think about it.

I continue my exploration. There's a large ballroom, a sitting room. A library. A room decorated with rose plates and another with nothing in it but a Grand piano.

Large windows beyond the piano let a massive amount of moonlight in. It gleans off the polish and gives an ethereal glow to the beautiful black wood. I step into the room and find myself unable to resist the keys. The strike against the chords fills the room but quickly fades.

"Miss Kincaid."

I turn at the sound of the housekeeper's voice, instantly flushed.

"Mabel. You startled me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be nosy. I saw the piano and couldn't resist."

"You're fine. De la Rosa left instructions that you have access to the entire property. Except?—"

I nod. "—for the atrium at the edge of the property. Yes, I remember."

"Good. I'll be retiring for the evening. If you need anything else, there's a phone in the kitchen that leads directly to my suite."

Though she can't see, I offer a quick smile. "Thank you. Oh, before you go. Can you tell me where to find Valerian, please?"

"Sorry, Miss Kincaid. He's not home. He hasn't been for days now."

My heart sinks. I didn't realize how much I wanted to see him until just now. "Right. That's what I thought. Good night, Mabel."

"See you in the morning."

With Mabel gone, loneliness sets in. I head for the stairs ready to call it a night when I catch sight of the rose garden through the windows. There has to be a door around here somewhere.

I move through the mansion, turning on lights as I go. Flowers adorn a few tables scattered along the long corridors. I find the kitchen and sure enough there's a door that leads to what I hope is the garden. I try the handle and step my bare feet into lush grass for the first time in forever. It's cool. The little bristles against the bare soles of my feet are divine.

I turn back to see a house cast in deep gloom. It gives off a coldness that has chills running over my spine. He really isn't home. He's left me here to rot. All the signs are there. If he wanted to see me or speak to me, he would have by now. I'm nothing but a burden to him.

Well, screw that. And him.

It's like stepping into a fairy tale. The smell of roses fills the air. It's summer and the warmth from the day lingers in the air. Rain too. I can see the clouds brighten with lightning from an incoming storm. I have time though.

Roses line the entire mansion. And in front of me is a beautiful rose garden with a trellis woven with tiny white roses. I walk among the well-tended rows. I haven't seen anyone touch the garden since I arrived. Whoever tends the lavish bushes does so with love and care. I trace the curled edge of a deep red rose. Soft as satin against the skin.

It reminds me of him. A hulkish man who possesses a gentle hand.

I can still feel the whisper of his touch on my skin. And the firmness of his lips against mine. I didn't know what the man looked like until a few weeks ago and now his face is all I see when I close my eyes. The memory of the feel of his hard erection between my legs ready to take my virginity steals my breath away even now.

He's screwed my head up in every way and trashed my heart. A stranger. Who lets another person have that much control over their emotions and thoughts? I can't be right in the head to be so damn obsessed with him.

But I am. I squeeze my eyes closed and try to clear my mind but it's his shattered blue eyes I see. I wonder what it would feel like to have him fully take me? I've felt the delicious pressure of having his weight hold me down. But I can't stop thinking about the feel of his arousal stroking over the entrance of my virgin channel. Would it hurt? Better yet, will I crave the pain?

He said I would call him Daddy. He growled it with so much conviction that I have a hard time convincing myself he's wrong. Goosebumps rise along my arms as the thought comes back to me. He's twice my age. Maybe more. Definitely more, I correct.

You know what. I would do it just to hear that primal sound come out of him again.

Shadows pass over the moon, throwing the roses into pitch black. My brain screams danger and signals my limbs for me to freeze. What was once a garden of stardust and moonlight is now a vast blanket of nothing. I pause mid-stride. I've been so wrapped up in my head I lost track of time. The distant storm rolled in faster than I thought possible.

An overwhelming sense of being watched takes over me. Valerian? But he's not home. I turn toward the house, but find everything the same.

A shadow moves through the sudden darkness. I'm in a strange place with people I've barely talked to. Anyone could be out here with me. I'm sure Valerian has enemies.

Heavy foot thuds reach my ears.

"Hello?"

Nothing. Of course, if there's someone there, they will not give away their position. Then again, my head is foggy, and I've been on high alert for days on end. I'm tired, too.

Drops of water patter against the fine petals and I raise my hand to feel cool rainfall. It's gentle at first, but by the time I walk a few paces the summer shower turns into a downpour.

I grab the ends of my gown—what a stupid, fanciful pick!—and dart for the bushes. I can make my way around to the front door. It will be a long walk and potentially leave myself exposed for twice as long as it would take me to reach the atrium.

I turn to gauge the distance and sure enough. I've walked deep into the grounds and I'm closer to that than the kitchen door. I can stay in the atrium, let the storm pass and then if all is clear go back to the house.

Valerian never has to know.

I move in the direction of the glasshouse. In only a few steps my bare feet slip on the wet grass. I right myself and pick up speed. I don't know what has me looking over my shoulder like I'm being hunted. Shadows move through the burst of lightning. Footsteps sound off and I swear they're coming from behind me. My heart thuds heavily, forcing a rush of blood through my veins.

I break out in a run when light bounces off the glass of the atrium. Thunder rolls and I put knees to chest. I was stupid to leave my phone behind. I pick up my pace. And so do the steps behind me.

Darkness overtakes everything, and as stupid as it sounds, I can feel the shadow reaching for me.

Blood rushes in my ears muffling the thunder and dulling all my senses. I can't hear anything except my heavy breathing and the thud of my heart is like a drum in my chest.

Just a little further. My legs slip out from under me when the ground shifts into a downward slope. I can't catch my footing and there's nothing to grab onto to stop my slide. My gown is ruined, wet hair plasters to my face, and the rain has turned frigid to the point I can't feel my fingertips. I reach for anything I can get a hold of, but trimmed grass is a bitch to grab a fist full of when wet.

I roll in time to see a steep drop-off just beyond the atrium.

"Oh, God!" I flail and pinwheel my arms and legs, but nothing is slowing me down. Who the hell builds shit so close to a drop-off?

Stiff winds cut up the steep cliff. It catches on my gown and brings the material nearly over my head. I fight to push it down, so I don't lose the use of my hands.

This is it. Death by cliff. It's going to happen, and some unlucky bastard is going to find my dead, drowned body splattered all over the rocks below.

A hand clamps onto mine, and I suddenly come to an abrupt stop.

"Let go of me!" Okay, I don't really mean that but also, who the hell has me?

I roll to my belly, all the water, grass and dirt forgotten to see piercing blue eyes reflect a burst of lightning.

"So you can die? Have you lost your mind?"

I recognize the gruff voice, too.

"Valerian!" I fight to my feet. Once I find my balance, I jerk my hand away.

"Bella, damn it! Stop fighting me." Rough hands grab at me again and this time I don't fight them off and try to get away.

My brain catches up and I quickly realize I'm not in danger anymore. I never was. "Valerian?" All the tension in my muscles ease and I can breathe again. "Thank God! I didn't know who was out there. Why the hell didn't you speak up?"

He grabs my face, and I look up to find a look of fear and mortification on his. "Speak up? Woman, I was yelling for you to stop running. Every time you heard me you ran faster."

I lick my lips and he watches hungrily as my tongue darts over the plump flesh.

"Oh. Well, okay. This is embarrassing, but the truth is panic mode kicked in. I guess I couldn't hear you over my racing heart."

He drags my shaking body into his arms and the instant warmth radiating off him is more than welcome. I wrap my arms around his middle and rest my head over his heart. The rhythmic beat is soothing after my mad dash across Mother Nature's own wet slide.

His large hands hold me to him. His chest rumbles as he speaks. "What the hell are you doing out here, anyway? You could have fallen to your death." His hands move to my shoulders, and he pulls me away from him. Strong fingers dig into my flesh. Anger and fear color his words.

Relief turns into irritation. I wipe the rain from my eyes and scowl up at him. "You scared the crap out of me. You'll have to forgive me, but I was looking for safety and your precious atrium was the closest thing with a door. I didn't think twice about heading here."

He bends until his nose touches mine. "Is that so?"

An automatic light kicks on beside us and wow. The view is intense. Sexy as hell, but intense.

I inhale softly. Steal my breath away.

Water soaks him through to the skin. White material clings to every inch of his impressive chest and shoulders. I didn't get to appreciate all the cut lines and hard muscle the last time he had me all alone. Well, there was one hard part I enjoyed a lot but yeah… the rest of the body is on par with what wet dreams are made of.

I'm not the only one appreciating the view, it seems. His eyes follow the contour of my shoulder to hang on the hard peaks of my breasts. Silk is no match for this kind of weather. It's soaked me through and the chill in the air has me flushed with chills from head to toe.

He bends and between one breath and the next I'm in his muscular arms. With nowhere else to put them, I wind my arms around his neck.

Without another word, the beast silently carries me into the glass structure. Warm air wraps around me the second we step through the door. So does the scent of a million different blooms.

I breathe out with surprise and awe.

Lush hanging vines brush through my hair as he steps past them. Reds, blues, greens, and other colors I do not know the name of burst from every inch of the atrium. It's a floral paradise. Lights flicker on as he moves us past the potted flame lilies and red camellias. Gurgling water catches my attention and I swivel my head to see a marble statue of Aphrodite perched on top of a water fountain holding a vase to pour her love among the mortals below.

Light-blue light filters up from the basin, offering the surroundings the allure of magic.

Valerian places my feet on the warm stone floor and tips my chin up. I raise my eyes unsure what I will find.

"You could have died, my little rose. I told you to stay away from the atrium. It's not entirely safe out here." His head dips and he places a kiss at the corner of my lips. The warmth of his body presses against mine and I'm too starved for his touch to pull away like I should. My arms find their way back to where I had them around his neck.

"I can't lose you," he murmurs softly.

I work the inside of my cheek between my teeth unsure if I should say what I'm thinking.

"Bella?"

Whoa. The husk of his voice works through me. I am not prepared for the effect it has on me. My brain is telling me he is the enemy, but my body is loving the feel of his heat against mine.

I try to step away out of his arms, but he won't let me.

"What's wrong?" he urges.

"It's an odd thing to say when you can't bring yourself to be in the same house as me."

He looms over me all taut muscle and looking like a gorgeous god. It's hard to be mad when he saved me from dying. Yeah, I know. It would have never happened had he not brought me here, but the fact remains I am here, and he kept me from going over that cliff.

"Look—"

"Look—"

We both start to speak at the same time.

Instead of saying excuse me or offering for me to go first, De La Rosa does something I should have expected from past experience.

He palms the back of my head and takes my lips in a hard kiss. It's full of hunger and need to have skin on skin. Kind recognizes kind.

"I can't seem to stay away from you. When I'm not here, your voice, your touch, your kisses are all I can think about."

"I didn't tell you to walk out that first night or tell you to never touch me again."

He scrapes his hands through his hair. Black and silver fall over his forehead, calling my attention to the blue of his gaze.

"Wanting you isn't the problem, Bella."

There is a seriousness to his voice that has my hands falling to his shoulders and then resting over his heart. I don't know I am doing it until his hands come to rest over mine. He draws them up and then places gentle kisses on the insides of my palms.

"You are better off with me not around." And yet his actions say something entirely different. They speak of the same hunger his last kiss reflected. His fingers twine around my wet hair.

"Come with me. You're cold and I can't have you getting sick."

Above us, the water pounds against the dome glass ceiling. I can't see much of it through the hanging vines, but the sound is soothing. Magical, really. I could easily picture being locked in here with Valerian and shutting out the outside world indefinitely.

He bends and hooks his arm behind my knees and lifts me in his arms. He moves us to another part of the atrium. This side doesn't have any plants along the gray and black hand-carved flooring. He steps through a curtain of green leaves to reveal a sitting pool with shimmering blue lights and rising steam.

"Let me make up for the time I was away. I'll be gentle with you."

"These are your flowers? You tend to them?" I should have guessed.

"Yes. They were my most precious possessions. And then you came along. You're the most precious flower to me, now."

My heart screams for him to prove it and my body agrees.

But can I trust him with either?

"You want a second chance?"

His lips are back on mine, and I take that as a yes. I want this. I want him and my body is very much onboard with the sensual promises his touch offers my senses. A rush of heat pools between my thighs as if to prove a point.

Nimble fingers slip beneath the lapels of my robe. Frankly, I don't know how it stayed on when the sash came untied, but I'm glad it did. The feel of his hands working under the soft material is utterly divine.

He pulls the sides open and peels the silk from my body, discarding it in a puddle of red at our feet.

"I was hoping to see this on you in our bedroom sometime." His lips move over mine as he leans in and whispers to me. A beast of a man like him should be rough and growling, but here, shut off from the outside world, he's tender.

He finds the hem of my gown next and silently pulls it over the top of my head. It joins the robe and in that one movement, my dirtiest secret is revealed.

He notices. Big time. And that wolfish grin I've only seen a time or two comes out to play over his lips.

"No panties?"

Heat creeps onto my face. "No bra either," I purr. "If you'd been by my rooms more often, you'd find I prefer to sleep with nothing between the sheets and me."

Slowly. Ever so freaking slowly that it has to be the worst form of torture, he leans in and sinks his teeth around a hard tip. And bites.

Nerve endings no man has ever touched instantly ignite with the intensity of a lightning bolt. Electricity zings straight to my clit forcing me to arch into his hungry mouth.

My entire body trembles not in fear, but in anticipation.

Sweet, delicious soul-consuming anticipation.

My head falls back, and I let him feast on my body. "De La Rosa, what do you plan on doing to me?"