I had to pull it together before it went too far. I just needed to give him enough that he was hooked.

Sitting up, I ignored the throbbing between my legs. The sticky feeling making me flush as I tried to act like what I had done didn’t bother me in the least bit.

How Dante was watching me had made me crave his touch with such a desperate want.

Instead, I go to grab my latte. Sealing a look in the mirror as I straighten out my dress, meeting Dante’s eyes in the mirror as he watches me.

“Now everyone can see how you dress your goomar.” My words come out of my mouth before I can even think of stopping them.

Not that I would even try.

I need some sense of distance with him. Especially right now where my head is swimming with emotions for him.

Dante’s eyes flash at my words and I feel him, pressing me against his body, his hand snaking around my waist so that he can hold me in place. He is looking down at me but I am trying not to meet his eyes.

His hand comes up, cupping my chin between his fingers as he tilts it, forcing my eyes up to meet him. The pair of us look at each other for a beat.

There’s a challenge like a drumbeat passing between us. Both of us just waiting to see where it goes.

“You’re my fiancée, principessa.” He has a tone of warning as he holds my face in his hands so I am still stuck against him.

Part of me wants to fight him harder. Morbid curiosity to see what he will do and to know how much control he needs to have. But I keep still for him.

Dante’s eyes narrow as he leans in closer to me to speak, “And I’m smart enough to keep my goomar in another state so you two won’t have to fight on the streets.” My eyes widen at his words and suddenly I was struck by insecurity.

Did he really have someone else?

He wouldn’t be the first made man to have a mistress. And just because he told me to get rid of Justin doesn’t mean that he is going to do the same thing with his own affairs.

Made men only stay loyal to the family. Not their own family.

My stomach ached with the thought of my marriage being a triangle of people. I would just be the one who would be making babies and another woman would get all of my husbands affection.

I guess that’s just how things were done.

Dante lets me go, turning to go get dressed as I stand there wondering what I had just done and feeling every bit the fool I was.

9DANTE

Idon’t know why Ilaria thought it was wise to push me but she had done too much today.

And it’s still morning.

The way she lay on my bed, pushing her dress up like an invitation to taste the sweet pussy between her legs. The way her fingers were touching her breasts through the dress that I had gone out that morning to buy for her, calling in several favors so she would have something nice to wear to breakfast. Touching the aching points of her nipples until they were firm peaks just aching to be sucked and pinched. And the sound that had come from her lips, that moan of just needy pleasure had gone straight to my cock.

But in true Ilaria fashion she snatched the moment and talked about a goomar.

Shocking me out of the dick brain I was sporting and wondering why she would disrespect herself by talking like that.

And instead of being level headed and being a good man, I had played along with her game realizing my mistake only when her blue eyes shattered like glass in front of me. The hurt was so clear and fragile insecurity flooding them.

And what had I done? I had walked away to get dressed.

Trust mattered in a situation like ours and I had just shattered hers in me. Planting this seed of infidelity was setting the stage for a marriage where secrets would fill cracks that should have been filled with loyalty.

It was foolish to do.

Too soon in knowing each other to break something. But Ilaria had played me and I had to retaliate.

I got dressed quickly, a simple pair of black suit pants with a knitted polo that had two stripes in a green that matched Ilaria’s dress. I was rushing as I pulled on white shoes and grabbed all the things I would need to leave the house with. My rosary around my wrist as I shoved my hand in my pocket fingering the silver cross.

I wanted to get back to Ilaria and apologize.

Being very aware of this ache in my chest from the way she had looked at me. I had hurt her on purpose because she had gotten under my skin and that wasn’t okay to do.

When I found her sitting on the couch, her eyes not even lifting to see me as I walked in, I moved to her. Bending and pulling at my slacks before I kneeled in front of her, making her meet my eyes as she once more flashed a look of hurt at me at me.

There was still a bit of fight in her though.

“If you have a goomar I’m going to go back to Justin’s apartment and fuck him.” She sneered it at me, as if she delivered it in such a tone I would believe her.

Instead it just showed me she was really hurt and managed to get my anger to spike again.

Why did she have to make it impossible to want to apologize to her?

My eyes closed for a second as I thought about how I was going to have to kill her ex to stop myself from losing my mind with thoughts of the two of them together.

When I opened my eyes. I took her hand in mine, stroking over her fingers as she looked at me, weary of what I was playing at. I had ruined her trust and I could see in her eyes she wasn’t sure what to do with me.

“I don’t have anyone. I wouldn’t make you breakup with someone if I was seeing someone. And I don’t plan on having anyone.” She didn’t believe that either. But that was less my fault and more of the world we had been raised in. “I’m sorry Ilaria.” Her eyes widened and she looked confused by my words.

Has no one ever apologized for wronging her?

She tried to pull her hand away but I wasn’t done with her.

I knew she was uncomfortable now but I wanted her to know that I was a safe person and she didn’t have to hide from me. I had done so well last night and managed to take several steps back this morning.

“For fuck sakes can you get off your knees. It’s freaking me out. Please.” Her eyes rolled as if she was annoyed with me but I could see the wash of relief on her face.

Ilaria’s foul mouth always made me smirk. Something about her unable to stop herself from using an array of curses when she spoke to me in private was endearing. And she had used please so I had to get up now.

Sitting beside her on the couch, I held her hand stroking her fingers as she looked at me like I had lost my mind.

Very possible.

I was also considering the possibility that I had lost my mind but that didn’t make me stop touching her.