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“I see why he is taken by you, such a beauty you are.” His tongue darts out of his mouth and kisses his bottom lip. “If onlyI can have a little taste. To sample what belongs to the great Matteo Davacalli. After all, he sampled mine…”

“Let go of me!” I squirm on his hold. I can feel his hot breath fan my face, and every cell in my body is repulsed by his closeness. “I will scream.”

“No one will hear?—”

Before my scream can ripple through the air, Giacomo’s grip falls away, and I fall backward. But before I hit the ground, an arm wraps itself around my waist and pulls me into a hard body.

I gasp and my eyes blink up to Matteo. His eyes move over my face in a panic, as if he is searching for injuries. When he is satisfied, he steadies me, and then he turns to Giacomo, who laughs from the ground.

“I was wondering why you left your bride unattended. Not a very smart thing to do, all things considered.” He spits blood and ambles to his feet.

I can’t see my husband’s face, but from the tension locked in his shoulders, I can tell that he is murderous. He wants blood.

I should be scared. I should be on edge. But instead, heat pools low in my stomach, slow and dangerous. A spark, a flicker, a wildfire waiting for ignition. Matteo’s body hums with raw power, his breath still ragged from the fight. His grip on my wrist is firm—possessive. A silent declaration. My pulse jumps at the way his fingers flex, like he’s restraining himself. Like he wants to do more. He’s still furious. Still on edge. And somehow, despite everything… I want him to be.

“You touch my wife again and I will end you, Feriama.” The venom in his voice is so potent that I even feel it sear my tongue. “You have no business with her.”

“Oh, Matteo, after all these years, you are still the ray of sunshine you have always been.” He smiles, showing his bloodstained teeth. “Tell me, how well does she ride your cock?”

Matteo snaps at his words. He lunges for Giacomo and grabs him by the collar before dragging him to the ledge. I let out a shocked scream as I witness the Matteo of rumors come to life.

The wind howls through the night, electricity crackling in the air as tension coils tighter with each passing second.

“Careful, Matteo,” Giacomo chokes as the grip on Matteo’s hands tightens. “You don’t want to scare away your new wife, do you?”

Matteo’s head snaps toward me. The rage blazing in his eyes roots me to the spot. He is not human in that moment. I see something far more ferocious and feral. But then he blinks, the humanity returning to his body, and then he looks at me, torn.

“But then again, she needs to see the real you,” Giacomo hisses. “The true you. The uncaged, unhinged version of yourself that you are at your core.”

Matteo whips his head back to Giacomo. He leans down and whispers something in his ear that I don’t catch. He then releases him and takes a few steps back, but his eyes are still trained on Giacomo.

“You got lucky this time, asshole. But make no mistake, come near her again and that’s a bullet to your chest. Maria, come.” He holds out his hand to me, keeping his gaze trained on his enemy. I take it without hesitation. “I’m watching you, Feriama.”

Matteo turns, leading me away. His grip is firm, unyielding. Possessive. A silent warning that I belong to him.

I shouldn’t, but I steal one last glance over my shoulder—straight into Giacomo’s eyes.

His smirk deepens, slow and deliberate, like he knows something I don’t.

“Until next time, beautiful Maria.” He blows me a kiss, and a shiver rolls down my spine. I rip my eyes away from him.

Why does it feel like this is only just the beginning? Like a game has started, and I don’t know the rules…

14

MATTEO

Istorm back into the ballroom with my wife in tow. She hisses at me to let her go, but I hold on to her wrist even tighter. I can feel the eyes on us, but I don’t give a shit. They can think what they want.

This is not the debut I would have wanted but the night did not go according to plan. We need to leave before things get ugly and floors are stained with blood.

“Matteo, please stop.” She tries again to pull me to a halt. “People are looking at us.”

“Let them.” We are on our way out anyway. And besides, these low-level thugs need me more than I will ever need them. They all know this; it’s why they play nice in front of me. “We are leaving.”

“Matteo?” Valerio comes to my side, leaving a woman he was chatting up by the bar. He looks between me and my wife and then trains his gaze on me. “What happened?”

“Giacomo is what happened. He’s here, and so is my son—Daniele. Keep an eye on them both; do not engage, and report back to me what you see. I’m taking Maria home. Tellthe governor I am sorry, and we will have to reschedule our meeting.”