MasukDante's POVMy eyes searched hers. When did my innocent bride become this bold and brazen?This wasn't the shy girl I'd married, this was someone who knew exactly how to dismantle me piece by piece.Her fingers pressed against my hardness through my pants. "I'm thinking about you inside me, finally, your hand over my mouth to keep me quiet while everyone's just rooms away. I'm thinking about how desperate you'd be, how rough, how completely you'd lose control."The images tore through my mind, her against the stone wall, red dress bunched at her hips, legs wrapped around me. My hand over her mouth while I buried myself deep. The risk of discovery as her nails scratched down my back. The bite of her teeth against my palm. Her body tightening around me as she fell apart.My hand shot to her jaw, gripping firmly to hold her still, to ground myself. "Gianna," I groaned, the sound raw.She blinked up at me, all wide-eyed innocence that didn't match the sin in her words. "You asked for i
Dante's POVEveryone settled into their seats around the table. The room was small in the best way, candles lit, wine glasses set, the table arranged like someone actually gave a damn. Nothing like the circus going on out there.I let out a deep breath, trying to calm the noise in my mind. A lot was riding on tonight. Everything, really.Roberto gestured toward the servers."I have to brag about my chef. Trained in Paris, worked in Milan."The first course arrived, carpaccio drizzled with truffle oil, then seared scallops. Wine was poured into our glasses.Vera set her fork down after the first bite, pressing her fingers to her lips."This is incredible."She glanced at Estelle."I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to have to steal him for any future events I have."Estelle waved a hand."Absolutely, he's all yours. I'll introduce you both later."Cesare leaned back, swirling his glass."And just like that, the evening becomes a recruitment dinner."His eyes moved to Vera."We haven'
Dante's POV Those three words, I had never said them to anyone except Esme. They had been locked away for so long that I wasn't sure I remembered how to let them out. But Gianna was looking at me like I held her entire world in my hands. And maybe I did. "Be a good girl tonight," I murmured, my thumb still tracing her lip. "And maybe I might throw in a sweetener." Her expression shifted from hopeful to annoyed in an instant. She gave me a fake scowl, her hands pushing against my chest. "You're impossible." "And you love it." "I really don't." But she was smiling, even as she tried to glare at me. "You can't just dangle something like that in front of me and expect me to behave." "Can't I?" I caught her hands, pinning them against my chest, feeling my heart thunder beneath her palms. "I think you'll behave perfectly, because you want to know what I'll say when this night is over." She jabbed me lightly with her finger. "You're cruel." "I'm practical." "You're avoiding..."
Dante's POV But I stopped myself, barely. I pulled back just enough to look at her, my breathing as ragged as hers. "You need to understand something. I would hate to ruin tonight's deal by putting a bullet in someone's hand because they couldn't keep their eyes off my wife." Her eyes widened slightly, but then that playful smile returned. She was enjoying this, enjoying pushing me. "Then maybe you should keep better control of yourself." "It's not me I'm worried about controlling." "So what?" She tilted her head, her fingers playing with my collar. "You want me to tell every man who looks at me that he's risking his life?" "That would be a good start." My thumb stroked along her thigh, and she shivered again. "Say no. Save a life. It's that simple." She laughed, genuinely laughed, and the sound made my chest tighten. "You're too jealous." "Jealousy doesn't even begin to cover what I feel when another man looks at you the way I want to look at you." Her smile turned softer
Dante's POV Gianna sat beside me, the passing lights sliding over her skin. The dress clung to her, black and silver, molded to every curve my hands already knew. The neckline dipped low enough to make my blood pump faster. The slit along her thigh revealed smooth skin that I wanted to trace with my tongue. She was beyond breathtaking. And every man at this party would notice. My fingers drummed against my thigh. The possessiveness clawing at my chest made it hard to breathe. I wanted to turn this car around, take her back to Cesare's estate, and keep her there where no one else could look at her. "You're staring," she said softly, turning those dark eyes on me. "I'm admiring what's mine." A flush crept up her neck, spreading across her cheeks in that way that made me want to discover exactly how far that blush went. She looked away, but I caught the small smile playing at her lips. "Yours," she repeated, her voice teasing. "Is that what I am?" "You know exactly what you ar
Dante's POV"The man you saw before the wedding is gone." My voice didn’t rise. It didn’t need to. "That was a lapse. This is who I am. Learn to live with it.""No." She shook her head, her eyes bright and stubborn. "I won't get used to a cold-hearted, controlling husband who treats me like property. Not when I've seen how tender and passionate you can be. You don’t get to pretend that part of you didn’t exist and act like I imagined it."My hand closed around her wrists, firm enough to stop her, not enough to hurt. I dragged them away from my face before I did something reckless. I hated how her touch made my stone heart melt."You want honesty?" I shot back. "Fine. We can still have a functional marriage. Whether there’s love or not doesn’t change that. You follow the rules, I make space for you. That’s how this works."I trailed off, watching her expression crumble, watching the light dim in her eyes."Just like some old couple in a dying marriage?" Her voice broke on the last word
Gia’s POVThe car turned down a darker road, city lights fading away.My thoughts were already inside the hall, plotting, tasting the chaos I was about to unleash.Then Gia’s voice cut through the haze, soft but insistent. “So..... you’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?”I shook my h
Gia’s POV Still seething with anger after my encounter with Dante, I stormed down the hallway when I heard it, low, muffled moans tangled with groans. At first, I thought I was imagining things, my mind playing tricks on me. But the farther I walked, the clearer the sounds became. My steps slowed
Gia’s POVDante’s voice was rough and dark.The memory of his hand striking me in his office flared hot, sending heat to places I couldn’t stop.Fear and desire mixed inside me, and before I even realized it, I nodded.He leaned in close, forcing my chin up until my eyes locked with his.“I’d hate
Gia's POVIt was later in the day, and I was still restless. When a soft knock came at my door, my heart lurched. For a moment, I thought it was Dante, that was why I had locked it earlier.“Who’s there?” I called, my voice tighter than I intended.There was a pause, then a soft voice I recognized.







