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When I woke, light was streaming in through the window. I sat up and glanced at the clock next to the sewing machine. Nearly eight o’clock. Slash was missing, which was normal since he was an early riser. He’d probably gone to do tai chi or something, even with burned hands and sore ribs. I burrowed back in the sheets intending to sleep some more, when I realized there was a foul smell in the room.

I bolted upright in the bed, wrinkling my nose and looking around. Then I saw it at the foot of the couch—the carcass of a dead rat.

I opened my mouth to scream, but my voice was frozen in my throat. Panicked, I tried to scramble away, but my foot got caught in the sheets. I rolled off the couch, bringing the sheets and the dead rat with me.

Completely unnerved, I shrieked and fought the sheets like I was Lara in the Tomb Raider game. Slash came running into the room dripping wet, holding a towel around his waist.

“Cara!” He stretched out a hand and extracted me from the bedding. I scooted back against the wall. “What’s wrong?”

“Dead. Rat.” I gasped and pointed at the bedding.

“Where?”

“In there.” I pointed to the sheets again.

Slash shook the bedding until the rat fell onto the floor with a splat. I pressed harder into the wall, wishing the room had another six hundred feet of width. “See, I told you.”

“How did a rat get in here?” he asked.

At that moment, Principessa strolled into the room with a haughty look at both of us. I pointed at the cat. “She did it. Yesterday a potato, today a rat. She’sescalating.”

“Principessa? It wasn’t there when I got up an hour ago. She’s never done anything like that before. Why would she do that now?”

I was going to start rethinking this marriage thing if he sided with the cat one more time. “To scare the crap out of me, maybe?”

Slash considered. “Or maybe she was bringing you a present. A peace offering, perhaps?”

“I am not impressed.” I shuddered. “Can you get it out of here?”

Slash reached down and lifted the rat by the tail, taking it out of the room. I exhaled and then hugged my knees, glaring at the cat. “Seriously, a rat? That issonot funny.”

To my surprise, Principessa strode over to me. I held up my hands, ready to protect my face if she came at me clawing and spitting. Instead she brushed against my leg once and then stalked out of the room.

It wasn’t exactly a friendly gesture, but at least she hadn’t attacked me.

I slipped on my cotton sundress, thankful we had clean clothes. I didn’t think I could survive another day of jeans in the southern Italian heat.

I’d pulled my hair into a ponytail and was putting on my sandals when Slash strolled in, dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and light khaki pants. He had shaved, and looked and smelled like a male model for Gucci.Other than the bruise on his jaw and the small red split on the corner of his mouth, he looked perfect.

“That’s not fair.” I put my hands on my hips and regarded him critically. “You got beat up yesterday. You’re supposed to have the decency to look injured or scruffy.”

“Scruffy?” He sounded insulted.

“Yes, you know, like the punches hurt or something.”

“Theydidhurt.”

“Then why do you look like you’re ready to stand on a balcony and blow kisses to thousands of adoring women below you?”

“I only blow kisses to one adoring woman.” He lifted his palm and kissed it, blowing in my direction.

“Very funny.” I tried to smack his arm, but he pulled me into him and started nuzzling my neck.

“Stop that,” I said. “You’re distracting me. Why did you take another shower?”

“I went for a run this morning. I needed some time to clear my head.”

“You went running? With bruised ribs?”