49. Daniela

FORTY-NINE

Daniela

F ather and son are on a mission to ruin me as Val leaves the room. Viktor closes his eyes again and lays back down. I wait until the elevator beeps to find out what's happened. He seemed happy earlier but he's wincing and won't open his eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

He doesn't open his eyes as he answers, "I tried to go to my riding lesson, I know my dad said I wasn't allowed, but I wanted to. It felt like I was going throw up and my eye hurts."

The lights from the screen will hurt him more so I don't play anything and turn all the lights off on the central control panel by the bed. It seems to help him, and he takes a deep breath. He opens his eyes once it's fully dark with only the muted light coming from the hallway. The blinds stop any light getting through the window and he manages to scrutinize my features with one eye.

"Do you love my dad? "

I swear to God, Val is low. I remove the frustration from my voice as I ask, "Did he tell you to ask me?"

Viktor doesn't blink and his eyelid droops.

"No, it's just that he doesn't talk to any girls or have them around him. Well, apart from Nessa and Katya, but they're his sisters. I wish I had a sister."

The train of thought of a kid is a wild journey and I ignore the information about his dad. "Don't you want a brother like your dad?"

He shakes his head and slowly says, "No, I'd have to be like Vlad and look after them. If I had a sister that would be cool. Sometimes I think my dad is lonely."

Jesus, he can't stay on one topic and he just gives random pieces of information. He also doesn't know his dad very well because Val has never been lonely in his life, he's social and knows everyone.

"I'm sure he's fine, he always smiles."

Viktor yawns and it lowers his admission. "Only because you're here. Before he used to hug me all the time, it was annoying, but I knew he was sad. And he nearly cried when I started school. When you came he was happier, and he stopped needing as many hugs."

He opens his eye fully and speaks with authority he should not have. "I think my dad loves you so you should tell him that you do too because he'll be happy then. Even if you don't, you should say it."

He's got his own son to guilt trip me into admitting my feelings. I deflect though. "I thought you weren't feeling well?"

Viktor smirks and looks at me like he knows I'm full of shit.

"Yeah, my eye hurts not my mouth."

He's exactly like his dad and I stroke his hair back hoping it lulls him to sleep. "You're going to be a mini Valentin aren't you?"

I understand what Val meant about a fist around his lungs now. It hurts to breathe imagining a moment in time when Viktor is going to be older or outside of the house with no protection.

Despite how much intellect and maturity he has, the world is a horrible place and I want to save him from it. His next words add Val into the bubble I'm going to create.

"No, my dad said I'm not allowed. I said I wanted to be him when I'm older, but he said that I'm better than him. "

Does he actually think of himself that lowly? All the little pieces he's given me as an adult point to yes and I soften my voice at the sadness on Viktor's face.

"Well, I think you're like your dad and it's not a bad thing."

His voice lowers to a whisper infused with hope. "Does that mean you love me like you love my dad?"

"I didn't say I love him, but I love you."

"I know but you didn't say no which means you do but you think I'm too young to know. I love you, you're nice and I wish you were my mom. You know how to draw, and you don't shout, and you make my dad happy. My friend Jax got a new dad, but he hits him."

Tears burn up my throat and I fall silent because conversing with a child is exhausting. I don't know about his friends family, but there's not a single soul in this house who would ever raise a hand to Viktor.

A shadow blocks the light streaming through the open door and Val stands there watching us with the same hope in his eyes.

It can't be that easy. I can't just make a decision to separate myself from what my own blood have done. But he continues to stare at me with that hope. Viktor moves his head, sensing his dad's presence at the door, and he looks at him without squinting so his eye must be feeling better as he asks, "Can I sleep on Nessa's floor today?"

Val nods and steps into the room. "Yeah little man, do you want to watch your movie now?"

He shakes his head and speaks at his usual cadence. "No, I think the lights were hurting."

He gets up as Val dims all the lights and offers to carry him, but he rejects it, saying he's not a baby. This big idiot of a man stares after his son with fear in his eyes and every ounce of love I felt innocently is multiplied until it eclipses everything. My voice comes out small and unsure if this is the right decision, but I don't want anything else to be taken from me.

"I'm going to stay."

Val whips his head towards me, and his smile is slow until it takes over his full face. He doesn't jump on me despite the look in his eyes, he gently sits beside me and lifts my head to his thigh. His fingers comb through my hair and he stops any pressure being applied to my back.

"Good. Now tell me you love me and say it like you mean it. "

"You can't demand that I say it," I fire back.

He's crazy and I look up watching his emotions play out on his face. It's not serious, he's trying to hide his vulnerability behind humor making me give in.

"I love you Val."

He slides down so we're face to face and kisses me with every bit of emotion. It's gentle and filled with reverence as he stops himself from turning me on my back.

"I've waited nearly twenty years to hear you say you're mine, I'm never letting you go."

For the third day in a row, I wake up to cold metal wrapped around my fingers. I force my eyes to stay closed and my body to remain relaxed as I feign sleep. It's usually removed straight away but more cool metal is wrapped around each digit and I'm itching to inspect it but the face between my thighs is distracting me. Val thinks he's clever, but I woke when he first touched my hand, and the fantasy is too good to let my wakefulness be known.

I clench to stop my hips from moving as he pushes his tongue into me. His smirk touches my skin, and he picks up my left hand. Another ring is placed on my finger, and he gently sets it back down as he massages my stomach. Moving his hands up my torso, he cups my tits rollin g my nipples and then stroking back down again. Fuck this is hard.

Reaching my thighs, he presses until they're widened and flat against the bed. A cool stream of air blows a path from my entrance to clit, and he presses light pecks against everything he can find. My thighs, my pussy, my clit, going to my stomach and hips he scrapes his teeth against my skin. A moan turns into a whimper as I try to force it back.

He threads another ring on my right hand to sit against the one that's already there and my lashes flutter as intrigue gets the better of me. He presses his lips to my stomach and his low voice comes out around his smile.

"Little longer, sleeping beauty."

Fucking dickhead, he could have pretended to not know I'm faking.

Marking a path down with his tongue, he sucks my clit into his mouth and flicks in a random pattern. His hands keep moving, worshiping, across my body before he alternates between my left and right hand. It can't be rings that he's putting on with how much of my fingers that are covered. There's four on each finger and he pushes his face harder into me, the coarse facial hair tingles against my sensitive skin and I can't mute myself any longer.

As though my moans are fueling him he quickly adds another ring to each hand. My back bows as he fucks me with his tongue and thumbs my clit with his arms crossed over my thighs. I grab his head with both hands and plant my feet on the bed as my eyes snap open seeing each ring finger covered in diamonds. Blue and yellow stare back at me as Val winks and roughly pulls my hips down as he curls his tongue inside me.

I can't bend the fingers with the rings on and my head is the only part of me touching a surface as my thighs clench around his head. Metal clinks against each other and the restriction against my fingers lessen as I ride the wave of pure ecstasy.

Pulling at his hair when he doesn't stop, I whimper pathetically,

"Fuck, Val. Lindo , I can't."

My words or his own dickishness has him speeding up forcing more from my body than I thought it was capable of. Pushing two fingers into me, he sits up on his knees and spits on my clit. The punishing thrusts have tears springing to my eyes and I thrash as he looks at me with awe. "My dirty little wife, so fucking needy you drop diamonds." Shaking my head, I manage to find some sense to argue back.

"Not… your… wife." It's breathless and weak.

He hardens and removes his fingers just before I can climax again. Val looks between my thighs and flicks up to my face with a twisted smile. "Shame. I'm a faithful man and made a promise I'll only ever have my wife's beautiful pussy again."

He can't blackmail me into marrying him by holding my climax hostage.I try to smile sweetly to get what I want. "I didn't make that promise, I won't tell anyone."

He pushes his weight forward and drops over me catching himself on his hand beside my head and holds my chin turning my face from side to side. The serious look is fake as fuck, and he hums, examining my features. "You do look like her." His eyes darken and fill my vision as he moves closer, his tone turning deadly. "But it's my wife or no one. Daniela Carvalho ."

My last name sounds like an accusation, and he ignores his dick that's currently trying to get escape his shorts.He moves off me and sits up against the headboard, his hand going to his dick, and he squeezes. I can feel that squeeze between my thighs, but he doesn't react to my drooling as I lay my head on his thigh. He kisses my forehead and collects the scattered rings as he speaks softly.

"This isn't me asking, I only need to know which one you prefer."

There are at least ten, all of them big and shiny. Other than that, they have nothing in common. Even the stones have a range of cut and color.

His eyes are already on my face as I look up and he cups my jaw stroking my cheek.

"It's a bad sign if you don't know which one I'd like."

It's not, they're all beautiful and I can't decide but it's easier to deflect. He leans down and strokes the ring in the shape of a rose that's the closest to my knuckle.

His voice is so low it barely disturbs the air, and it hypnotizes me. "I picked this one when I was sixteen, you were going through your flower phase." I gain a new appreciation for the jewelry and the man knowing he's carried it for years. He goes through each ring giving me the details of when he purchased them and the meaning, one each year since the first. "You were always going to be mine. I just didn't know when."

The sweet, thoughtful idiot.

Curling my hand around his nape, I kiss him. Not for it to lead to anything but because he's mine and I'm his. Val picks me up, so I'm laid across his thighs and his smile presses into me. His facial hair is longer than usual and tickles my face making me sit back and my answer is easy.

"You can decide whichever one you like best. I've already made my decision on the answer." Excitement flashes across his face before it falls, and he narrows his eyes. "If you say no, I'll throw a fucking fit like everyone accuses me of."

Curling my lips into my mouth to stop from agreeing about his tantrums he doesn't stop staring me out.I settle against him and repeat his words.

"I thought we were inevitable, are you having doubts now?"

He shakes his head and brushes the tip of his nose against mine .

"About how I feel? Never. About you doing shit to torture me? Always."

His phone rings and I slide it across to him knowing he's been on edge waiting for Vlad to come home. He visibly relaxes and rests his forehead against mine as he answers and the guards voice filters through the speaker.

"He's just driven through the gates."

Ending the call, he presses a chaste kiss to my lips and looks younger as he declares, "Dad's home."