The Don and His Russian Bride

XX

The water rippled from where I dipped my toe into the water. The small circles expanded towards the center of the pool before vanishing into the small waves caused by the waterfall at the edge of the pool.

Over my head, the sun blazes bright. A light dampness forms at my hairline despite doing nothing more than standing. The weather is too gorgeous to stay inside all day, yet too hot to engage in many outdoor activities. The day couldn't be more perfect for me to take my first swim in the pool at the mansion.

I stepped away from the oval pool and towards one of the few chaise lounge chairs set beside it. I pushed the cover up from my shoulders and set it onto my towel that laid flat on a chaise lounge chair.

In addition to the heat of the sun came the strange feeling of eyes settling onto my skin. I told myself it could've been in my head. I'd never had a sixth sense before, but instinct told me I was being watched. When I turned to face the mansion, Luciano stood just behind the glass.

He reacted by whipping his head to the side, averting his gaze from me. I lifted my sunglasses to the top of my head, waiting for him to meet my eyes. When he did, I motioned for him to come outside.

Yesterday did not end on the best terms for us, and we had yet to resolve our conflict. While sharing a room could have forced us to face our problems right away, we found our ways to avoid each other. I fell asleep long before Luc came back to the room for bed last night, and by the time morning came, he left to start his work without saying a word to me.

Luc walked around the pool, squinting at the brightness of the sun. He was dressed as impeccable as usual in a white dress shirt and gray slacks. His shoulders remained back in exemplary posture, showing a confidence that rarely faltered. The only sign of unease to speak with me was his hands. He scratched at his chin and grabbed at his sides as if he didn't know where to put them. His indecision didn't last long as he soon pocketed them away in his gray slacks.

"Your bathing suit is really nice," Luc commented when he came to a stop. "It brings out the blue of your eyes."

The swimsuit I wore was a cerulean blue triangle bikini. As with the rest of my wardrobe, I had purchased it during my shopping spree the day after our wedding. I agreed with him on the color. It was the reason I had fallen in love with it, and subsequently couldn't leave it behind at the store.

"My eyes? Is that really all you noticed?" I challenged.

He lifted a hand from his pocket to run it through his hair. Instead of looking at me, he faced the pool as he spoke.

"Why can't you just accept the damn compliment?"

"Because I won't stand here while you pretend."

"Pretend what?"

I took the sunglasses off my head and threw them onto the chaise. "That you care about more than just my body."

"That's not true." He shook his head.

"Oh really? You can't even look at me while we're talking because you know you won't be able to keep your eyes on my face." I reached out with my left hand to push his shoulder. "Look at me, damn it."

Faster than I could blink, Luc moved to stand within inches of me. He towered over me, craning his neck to look down on me.

"Happy now?"

I swallowed, not willing to be intimidated by him. I adjusted my arms, positioning my hands to the back of my swimsuit. My fingers worked at the strings holding my top together. "No. That would be letting you get off easy."

"Don't." His demand came out strangled, as if he were a man dying of thirst and I was a glass of water just out of his reach.

He had yet to realize his orders fell onto deaf ears as I had no intention of listening to him. I lifted my hands to the back of my neck, loosening the final knot of my bikini top. His jaw ticked when my top fell away from my breasts, but his eyes didn't stray from mine.