The Beast of Stornoway

Chapter 66: Van

Van couldn't hide the grin on his face at the excited gasp from Amani as he drove up the winding driveway to his villa nestled at the top of a hill above the town of Marbella. He looked in his rearview mirror and chuckled at her and Nova's faces pressed against the glass. If Amani had a tail it would probably be wagging just like her dog's.

Van never cared for this ostentatious place. It was his family's most exuberant estate. His parents used to host lavish week-long Mionlach parties to show off their wealth and status. He hated it, but Rebecca thrived on it.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Rebecca grinned and looked back at Amani as she slid her hand over his thigh. "This is where Van proposed to me the first time."

Fuck. How could I forget about that?

No wonder Rebecca wanted to come here so badly. Van's eyes slid to the mirror again, worried about Amani's reaction.

Her eyes quickly slid from Rebecca's hand on his thigh to her face and a smile curled on her lips. "Oh, I bet that was beautiful, much better than this time, right?"

Van bit his cheeks to fight the laugh threatening to burst from his mouth.

"This time was just as special," Rebecca sneered. She dug her nails into his thigh before she pulled it away to cross her arms over her chest. "This time was better." She pouted.

"It was so much better, m'Lady. That proposal speech brought tears to me eyes," Gemma gushed behind her and wiped a fake tear from her eye.

Rebecca smiled and smoothed a hand over her hair. "Thank you, Gem. It was perfect, right, Van?"

"Mm, sure," he mumbled and his eyes traveled back to Amani. She was staring out the window with a smug grin on her face.

He looked back at the road and cleared his throat to mask the laugh itching to break free. This trip might not be so bad with his little witch making sarcastic comments like that. At least he could enjoy Rebecca's soured face. That woman had no idea how to handle Amani's stinging comebacks. He was going to enjoy this indeed.

Van stared at the skylight above his bed. It was early morning and the sun was flooding his room with its warmth. A smile tugged at his lips as he thought of how excited Amani was the minute she walked into the villa. The way her eyes lit up at the marble floors, the high ceilings and grand staircase leading up to the multiple rooms and corridors. She flitted from room to room with Nova wagging her tail behind her. It made his heart soar at the elation written all over her face.

That beautiful moment watching her and their puppy excitedly explore his villa was ruined by the reminder that Rebecca and her assistant were there too. He threw his blankets off and slid out of bed. Rebecca begged to share his bed last night and couldn't understand why he refused to sleep in the same room. He agreed to play this game with her, but he didn't agree to sleep with her. It was bad enough she took the guest bedroom next to his. He made sure he locked the adjourning door and slid a chair in front of it to secure it even further.

He slid his feet into his slippers, threw a towel over his shoulder and grabbed a book sitting on top of the dresser. He still had a few hours before the unnamed guests began to arrive. Rebecca and Gemma were still being tight lipped about who would be staying at his villa this week. He warned them if any of these guests disrespected him or his assistant, he wouldn't hesitate to kick them off his property.

Rebecca promised there wouldn't be that many people and there was nothing for him to worry about, but Van wasn't stupid. Rebecca purposely picked this place to show off his wealth and their supposedly happy relationship. He knew she'd have her media groupies here to take pictures of them for her stupid lifestyle blog.

Van took a deep breath as he walked out of the house and down the stone pathway to the back of the villa. If any of her influencers or the damn Mionlach got out of hand, he would show them to the Goddamn door. His footsteps slowed to a stop as he neared the infinity pool overlooking the town.

Van watched his beautiful little witch glide across the water on a blue inflatable lounger. Her favorite book was lying on her chest and her hair spilled around her dipping into the water. His heart thumped at the simple black bikini she was wearing. His eyes trailed slowly over her body and memorized every detail of her intricate phoenix tattoo that swirled over her side.

Bloody hell, she looks like a Goddamn goddess.

He slowly took a seat on one of the shaded lounge chairs to enjoy the view. Nova popped her head up from the side of the pool and ran over to him. He pet her head as she settled down next to him to watch her mum float around the water.

Van smiled and lay back in his chair, holding a book over his chest. He never found much joy here, not when his parents threw their lavish parties or when Rebecca dragged him here for a random getaway. But seeing Amani so content and fully enjoying this place, he wouldn't mind coming here more often to make new memories with her.

Someday, Blarcum.

He sighed and opened his book to engross himself in the history of east coast gangs in America.