“You’re going to set the rules, Ilaria. It’s your comfort that matters the most in this. So you tell me how much we can touch. What have you done and what can we do before we get married?” I spoke to her softly, not wanting to scare her away from this conversation. But I could see her already trying to get out of it.

Her pretty little face flushed and seeing Ilaria all blush and no bite was driving me crazy.

My fiancée could play sweet after all.

“No.”

That one word she liked to use that made me want to roll my eyes at her. She was going to have to talk to me about this because if we don’t set rules other people would try to do that for us.

I needed somethings to be in our control. Knowing our fathers they would already have plans for us. We needed to have our own plans as well.

“Ilaria, we both signed yesterday so we can have a few different choices in this. We can try and make this marriage work by living like a couple and being a couple in both public and private or we can make this difficult for our families.” Her eyes were on me as I spoke and I already knew her answer, “I’d like the easy way but if we go that way we need to talk about expectation of touch.” Her groaning as she threw her head back made me smirk.

It was nice seeing Ilaria as the blushing bride.

My mind wandered to how far the blush of hers would go and it took everything in me to pull my mind from the gutter that it had dove into.

The first impression I had of her had been so wrong. I didn’t need to break her and put her in a place. Ilaria knew her place and sat on her throne with regality.

“You already know. I don’t even have to say anything and you know.” she muttered and she was right about that, “What do you mean by touching?” her eyes were back on me and I was thankful she was willing to discuss this.

“We should hold hands, hugs, kiss and-”

“Kiss? On the lips?”

Her voice had raised a bit as she interrupted me and if she wasn’t so cute I would chastise her for being rude. But the expression she was wearing was too comical to be angry.

I quite enjoyed my bride to be like this.

Powerful and strong Ilaria was hot. But this Ilaria? With her blushes and innocence was quite a sight to behold.

“Yes, Ilaria, that is how people who are getting married kiss. But you’ve kissed before so I’m less concerned about that.” She shifted on the couch, trying to scoot away from me but that wasn’t going to happen, “You’re a virgin until our wedding night but I do think we should explore your body so that way when I finally slide into that sweet pussy of yours-”

“Dante, I’m going to throw up.” Her words came out serious and after last night I could believe her.

Not the reaction I was going for but I could see her, how overwhelmed she was as I dropped all this information on her and how I needed to take a break from it all right now.

She was just overwhelmed.

“Can we start just like a normal couple? You tell me your birth date, birth location, and time so I can make a zodiac compatibility chart and we just take it from there?” I blinked at her attempt at a joke, unsure if it was meant as a joke or not.

I had heard my cousin Fransisco talking about how some girl had asked for the time he was born once so she could figure out if they were meant to be together. My gaze flickered over Ilaria hoping that wasn’t what she believed in.

All I wanted her to believed in was me.

“Just let’s start with light physical touch. Hands and hugs, work our way up too kissing and you know, later.” I offered her a fair deal even if I wanted to take things further.

I didn’t need to spook her by letting her know how badly I craved her already.

She was trying, I could see that and appreciate it. But it was very hard to gauge her comfort level when she had been touching her tits and writhing on my bed minutes ago.

This wasn’t going to be easy. But the best things never were.

“Okay, principessa.” I lifted her hand kissing he inside of her wrist, as I stood up, helping her off the couch, “I should have told you sooner but you look absolutely stunning.” Her eyes shifted up, giving me a look like she didn’t know if I was telling the truth or not.

But I absolutely was.

One of the men who worked for me had a girlfriend who worked at the small boutique on Hanover St. I called in a favor to do some shopping for Ilaria when I picked up her coffee this morning and got her an outfit to wear and some shoes. I had thought it would be a welcome surprise for her.

This was the first time we were showing up together to something and even if it was just our immediate family it was important we could look put together and ready to play the role they wanted us to play.

“I’m not a doll, Dante, you don’t have to dress me up.” Ilaria attempted to step away from me but I reached out, hand covering her hip so she was still there.

Close to me.

I liked having her close.

“I’d much rather undress you but you haven’t given me a time frame when I can do that yet.” I whispered, nuzzling my face in her neck in a flirty tease.

Her eyes widened at my comment as she reached out, picking up her phone and purse in a hurry.

She wanted to get away from me and from the place we had shared the night together. Just wait until she hears my next surprise.

As we wait for the elevator to bring us down I reach out, tentatively because I’m unsure how she will react as I place my hand on her back. She stiffens for a second before relaxing under my touch as we step forward to go down.

“Did you like the penthouse?” I asked her as she tried to keep her hands busy. She shrugs her shoulders like it doesn’t matter either way. Which is good if she doesn’t care, “Good, I’m going to ask your father to have you move in until the wedding. He knows you’re safe with me and I like having my little bride in my bed.”

And she is going to explode in three…two…one.

“Are you fucking out of your mind?” she asked, the bite in her voice as I turn, pressing her into the side of the elevator.

She is so much smaller than me but her attitude could match mine in size. She’s adorable with her angry slanted eyes, glaring at me like I’m the worst thing in the world.

Thank you for giving me another excuse to touch you. I thought to myself as I breathe her in.

My fingers wrap around the rosary around my wrist, the points of the cross digging into my skin as I try to get ahold of myself but it seems my soon to be wife is excellent at knowing how to get right under my skin

Ilaria should know, outside the walls of our place, not to speak to me like that but she seems to have forgotten her place for a second or where we were.

“Only for you, princess.” And we’re saved from a fight as the ding of the elevator announces that we have arrived at the ground floor.

Now we just had to make it through breakfast.

10ILARIA

Ihave thought about stabbing Dante in the eye with my butter knife for the last twenty minutes.