Chapter 283:Heat of the AfternoonElena’s POVThe afternoon sun poured through the half-closed shutters like warm honey, turning the bedroom into a golden haze. I lay on the cool sheets in nothing but one of Valerio’s old white shirts, unbuttoned and slipping off one shoulder. The baby had been restless all morning, kicking softly, and my skin felt too tight, too sensitive, every brush of fabric making me ache in ways that had nothing to do with pregnancy and everything to do with the man who owned me body and soul.Valerio had come back from Catania early, dusty and quiet, but the second he saw me stretched out on the bed his eyes went dark. He kicked the door shut behind him, locked it with a soft click, and crossed the room in three long strides.“You look like sin,” he murmured, voice low and rough as he peeled off his shirt. The sight of his chest—hard muscle, old scars, that trail of dark hair leading down—made my thighs press together on instinct.I didn’t answer with words. Ju
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