The guy walks back to the kitchen, cursing loudly. Alistair takes a step toward me, but I raise my hand. “Don’t move any closer with that thing in your hand.”

“Are you afraid of Mildred, Goldi?”

A shiver runs down my spine, and I hug my middle. “Terrified.”

He chuckles. “Okay. I’ll put her back in her cage. I must not have shut the latch properly yesterday.”

He disappears into another room, returning a moment later. “Shall we?” He points down the stairs.

“Is it wise? I think your lawyer is about to bite your head off.”

“Enzo? Nah. He’s only ruthless in court.”

I follow Alistair downstairs, still feeling unsure of myself. Enzo is in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a mug of freshly brewed coffee in his hand. His eyes narrow when he looks at me, and I want to run back to the bedroom.

“When did this happen?” he asks.

“Does it matter?” Alistair throws his arm over my shoulders and kisses the top of my head.

Enzo’s eyes seem to shine with understanding. He takes another sip of coffee. “You’re getting good at bullshitting me, Alistair.”

“I don’t follow,” he says.

“When I asked you earlier if your decision to settle with Nadine had anything to do with your student, you said no. Now I know that’s not true.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I drop my gaze. I don’t dare to hope Enzo is speaking the truth.

“Well, now you know,” Alistair replies.

“I need coffee,” I blurt, trying to divert the conversation away from me.

Acting as if the house is his, Enzo grabs another cup and fills it up for me. I step away from Alistair’s embrace, feeling exposed as I do so, but I don’t want to give the impression that I’m a scared mouse, even though I’m quivering inside.

“Thanks.” I grab the cup, bringing it immediately to my lips to partially hide my face. The most wonderful flavor hits my tongue. I’ve only tasted such divine coffee in Italy. “This is amazing.”

Enzo shrugs. “It must be the Italian touch. I’m very good at making coffee.”

“You’re Italian?”

He chuckles. “Didn’t the name Enzo clue you in? Second-generation Italian-American.”

I switch to Italian, and Enzo replies. We only exchange a few words before Alistair puts a stop to it.

“Okay, enough with the secret code language.”

I giggle, and Enzo rolls his eyes. Alistair was right, he isn’t that intimidating.

He drinks the last sip of his coffee, then puts the cup back on the counter. “Well, thank you for a very entertaining morning, Alistair. I’ll start the paperwork as soon as I get home. And please, for the love of God, be careful. We don’t want Nadine finding out about you two before she signs the papers.”

Enzo turns to me, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you….”

“The name is Chiara,” I say.

“Nice to meet you, Chiara.”

We shake hands, and then Enzo claps Alistair’s shoulder before heading out.

After the lawyer is gone, Alistair pulls me to him and kisses me tenderly. I melt like butter in his arms. This man has so much power over me; it’s a little scary. The kiss doesn’t last long, and when Alistair pulls back, he says, “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For Enzo. No one needs to be exposed to him early in the morning.”

I smirk. “You should be apologizing about the spider.”

“I’m sorry about that too.”

“I have to apologize as well.”

He furrows his brows. “For what?”

I lower my gaze. “For eavesdropping on your conversation.”

He places his finger under my chin and lifts my face to his. “That was very naughty of you. I think I have to punish you for that.”

I should laugh, but instead I ask, “Did you really mean what you said? Does your decision to settle with your ex-wife have anything to do with me?”

“In part, yes. Does that scare you?”

I’m scared, yes, but not about that. I’m afraid one day Alistair will get tired of me. I don’t share any of my insecurities with him though. Instead, I say, “No. It makes me happy.”

“Good. I want to make you happy, Goldi.”

“I love you, Alistair,” I say despite the deep-rooted fear that I’m not good enough for him.

I kiss him again, not wanting to hear the sound of his silence. He hasn’t said he loves me, even though he’s done many things that show he cares about me.

He tangles his fingers in my hair, keeping me in place while his tongue mingles with mine in a slow, sexy dance. I’m so ready to go back to his room, and the bulge pressing against my belly tells me he is too.

Alistair pulls back and stares into my eyes. “I love you too, Chiara.”

My breath catches while my heart takes off in a mad race. “You do?”

“Yes. You have no idea.”

He crushes his lips against mine, melting my anxiety away.

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