into his eyes; acting like I had regressed to being an awkward teenager.
This wasn’t how a wife was supposed to behave around her husband, but I couldn't force myself to project confidence that didn’t exist. My gaze roamed down his naked chest and paused at the edge of his jeans that hung around his waist. I froze for a moment, and Alessandro cleared his throat, encouraging me to continue. Still scanning the floor, I removed his belt, and my hands trembled when I had to undo the buttons on his pants. A series of disturbing images interchanged before my eyes, and the uneasiness I felt intensified with each passing second. Suddenly, Alessandro's healthy hand closed around mine, and he put a stop to my awkward fumbling with his pants. He held me like that for a few moments, then slowly tilted my chin until I was confronted with his dark, inquiring gaze.
“How long have we been married, cara?” he probed with strange interest.
“Almost five years...” I breathed in a barely audible voice.
“And you're still cowering around me like a frightened virgin?” he asked with a clear sense of wonder, and I gave him an arrested glance as he sighed. “I think it’s safe for me to assume our marriage has been consummated.”
Bitter memories emerged to the surface together with the tears that threatened to escape, but I pushed them back and took in a deep breath. I met Alessandro's expectant stare and nodded, blushing even deeper. His lips twitched into a brief smile, and he gently caressed my cheek. A flashback of an event from long ago appeared before my eyes, and goosebumps erupted on my skin.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Olivia?” he asked softly.
I shook my head.
“Are you sure?” He arched his eyebrows.
“I'm sure,” I stated in a small voice.
Something shifted in his gaze. “Do you want me to ask the nurse to come back?”
Yes. Yes, I want you to call the nurse. “No,” I breathed.
His eyes narrowed on my face. “Do you think you can continue, then?”
A shiver of nervousness passed through my system. No. “Yes.”
Before he noticed my turmoil, I went on to unzip his pants, forcing my hands to remain steady as I lowered the material to his feet. He stepped out of them and remained standing in his boxers. I glanced toward the last piece of clothing I had to help him shed, and his arousal probed through the thin black fabric. I released a shaky breath.
“I'm afraid there is not much I can do about it. I might not remember you, cara, but my body sure does,” Alessandro said in a husky voice. “If you keep staring at it like that, the torture will only get worse, so please have a little mercy on me, huh?”
Statements like these made me believe he was well aware of the past and everything that had happened. I was mortified that my obvious discomfort served him as a source of amusement. My eyes snapped back to his and—blushing with sudden embarrassment—I saw a strange light blazing in those black irises.
“How the hell did I manage to keep you so uncorrupted and innocent?” he muttered, more to himself than to me. “Here. Let me be of some help.” He tugged off his boxers without breaking our gaze, and in a matter of seconds, he stood in front of me stark naked. Slowly, I got back on my feet, careful not to peep at his exposed body that resembled a statue of a breathtakingly beautiful and powerful Greek god.
“I think we should protect the cast,” he said in a conversational tone, completely comfortable with his nakedness in front of a woman he claimed was nothing but a distant memory and a stranger.
“Yes, you're right,” I replied, fetching the plastic foil the nurse had already prepared. He extended his broken arm toward me, and I stepped closer. As I wrapped the foil around his cast, I was cautious not to touch him even in a passing gesture, and I fought to keep up a wall of emotional distance.
“Can I help you with anything else?” I asked when I finished, hoping he would let me be on my way now. But I should have known better.
“An unusual question, cara, but yes”—he smirked in a teasing manner—“you can help me take a shower. That was the whole point of getting me naked, right?”
I swallowed, parting my lips. “Right.”
I had no other choice but to stay and assist him. The whole