LOGINDante'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
Dante's POVThe second the bedroom door shut behind us, Gianna walked straight across the room toward the bathroom."Don't walk away from me."She kept walking."Gianna."She reached for the bathroom door handle."I said stop."My voice thundered. She froze, her hand on the handle, her back still to me."Turn around."For a second, she didn't move. Then slowly she turned. Her eyes met mine, and I could see the defiance burning there."Get back here."Her brows pulled together, but she didn't move."Now."She walked back toward me and stopped a few feet away, her arms crossing over her chest."What?"Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her in that bikini. Water dripping down her skin. That bastard in the pool. His hands on her waist. Her body against his as she smiled back. The image burned in my head, making my blood boil."What the hell was that back there?""What was what?""Don't play with me, Gianna." I stepped closer. "I leave you for one second and you're in another man's arms?"
DANTE'S POVMy heart stopped beating for a second.Fear replaced every bit of desire and anger I had felt earlier. This was not just about tonight. This was her giving up. Walking away from our arrangement.No."What do you mean, done?" I kept my voice level, refusing to let the panic show."I mean
Gianna’s POVJealousy burned through me. My nails dug into my palms.I could not stand the thought. The image of Dante with another woman, touching her, inside her, making her feel what he made me feel…Hell would freeze over before it happened.Dante must have felt me tense because his arm tighten
Gianna's POVI stiffened. "This is what's meant to be. Dante's not that bad.""I won't fight you on this." He paused. "If you say so."The doubt in his voice was clear.The music shifted then, a slow Italian melody drifting through the speakers.Niccolo's expression changed, becoming almost vulnera
GIANNA'S POVDante stayed where he was, perched on the edge of the bed, keeping space between them."Selene, you're drunk. This isn't the time.""No!" She grabbed his hand, holding tight. "I need to know. I've waited so long, Dante. So long."My breath caught."When my sister died..." Selene's voic







