Page 55 of Weeping Roses
VALENTIN
Polly is nervous. As soon as we woke up, I could sense the fear radiating from her. I never said anything as we changed and are now eating breakfast in the small dining room overlooking the garden.
Simon has excelled himself by serving smoked salmon bagels with hollandaise sauce and a poached egg. Perfect in seasoning and exactly what is needed right now.
Polly’s plate is hardly touched and I say sharply, “Don’t you like your food?”
“I’m sorry.” She tears her gaze from the window and then glances at her plate.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I was, well, thinking.”
“About the meeting with Marsha Steele.”
“Kind of.”
I stare at her with a hard expression.
“What does that mean?”
“Well, um–”
She is nervous, which tells me she has something on her mind, so I fix my imperious gaze on her and say deeply, “Tell me Polly. No secrets, remember.”
“Oh, well.” She sighs and looks down at her plate and then lifts her eyes to mine and says simply, “I should have told you this already.”
I bite back my furious response to that because if she is keeping something important from me, I’m liable to spank her pretty ass red raw.
“Then tell me now.” I try to keep my voice neutral and she sighs, before pushing her untouched plate away.
“Do you remember David Marchant, the man we met when we came here?”
“Of course.” I’m guessing this has something to do with the conversation he engineered outside and I was waiting for her to mention it.
“He told me I was to make an appointment to visit him.”
I say nothing and she blushes as she whispers, “It was under my aunt’s instruction. Apparently, there are safety deposit boxes that I must open away from the house and nobody but me must know of them.”
The anger bubbles inside me like an imminent erupting volcano, but I maintain my composure. “So, why are you telling me this now?”
Her eyes widen and she appears so afraid I keep my temper in check.
“Because whatever is in there may be everything you need and then, well–” She lowers her eyes. “Then you would leave.”
I’m stunned. I never expected that and as I stare at her forlorn figure, I couldn’t be angry if I tried. She kept it to herself to keep me here. For some reason, that touches me in a place I never realized existed and I experience rare emotion. Polly is afraid that I’ll leave her when this mystery is solved. I’ve never given her any reason to doubt that and yet as I stare at her dejected figure, a huge overwhelming burst of possessiveness spreads through my soul.
I’m used to walking away from women. I do it all the time, but since meeting her I have questioned that and already understand exactly how she is feeling now.
Despite the secret, she never kept it for long and probably hasn’t set us unnecessarily back, so I say firmly, “Look at me, malyshka.”
She raises her eyes and I smile softly. “If you think you’ll get rid of me that easily, think again.”
I love the hope that sparks in her eyes and I shake my head. “You owe me a lot of kind and I’m not leaving until you’ve paid me in full.”
“But you said it could take a lifetime.”
Her eyes widen and I watch her breath hitch as the tears fill her eyes and I don’t think she has ever looked as beautiful as she does in this moment.
“I’m going nowhere, Polly. Not all the time you breathe, not when I desire every part of you and need your soft smile to get me through the day. I will not leave until I’ve worked this desire from you out of my system and the biggest problem of all is its only growing, not diminishing. So–” I nod toward the plate.