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"If I really meant to kiss you anywhere I please," Cesare purred, "it would've been another set of lips on your body that I'd be tasting with my tongue."

She blinked at him in confusion. "What do you mean another set—-" Understanding dawned, and heat flamed back into her cheeks."Y-You—-"

"I can do it, you know. Right here, right this very moment—-"

"Signorina?"

A relieved Penelope pulled away from him as soon as she heard one of the nurses at the station calling out to her, but he saw how her mood also quickly turned sour, with the way the nurses were all ogling him shamelessly.

Penelope attempted to block the other women's views by standing right in front of them, and when they moved to this side and that, so did she.

It was like watching little girls compete for their favorite toy, to be fucking honest...but when one of the nurses went as far as unbuttoning her cardigan and give her tits a shake while licking her lip—-

Penelope spun around, her arms thrown up as if planning this time to obstructhisview...

Cesare arched a brow as their gazes collided.Did you really think another woman can tempt me just like that?

The way she bit her lip revealed her uncertainty, but the way she suddenly squared her shoulders also told him something was up.He had a feeling things would get even more interesting from here—-

Penelope suddenly crooked a finger at him.

And he was right.

She crooked a finger at him again, and Cesare did his best to stifle his smile while making his way to her.

Ah, tesoro.

His long-legged stride had him reaching her in moments, and the first thing he did was have her squeak in surprise when he pinched her cheeks.

"Ouch!"

He pinched her cheeks again, and Penelope glowered. "What's that for?" she grouched under her breath. "I just wanted todemonstrateto them that I'm your owner—-"

"Youwere the one who forgot that," he chastised gently, "not me, and that is whatthisis all about."

All she could do was make a face when he was able to steal another pinch from her cheeks.

"It's punishment,tesoro...for doubting your claim on me."

"HMPH."

She scowled up at him as she said this, but she also caught him completely off guard when she stood on her toes a second later—-

What the hell?

It was her turn to steal something from him, with her lips brushing against his in a kiss—-

Fuck.

And then she was hurrying away from him, mumbling something about having to go back to Dr. Rivera's clinic.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Everyone at the nurses' station was staring at him again, but this time all of their gazes were trained at the bulging evidence of his arousal.

Fuck!

He himself was the one to tell Penelope that their upcoming marriage could be nothing more than a business transaction. But as he watched her disappear into the doctor's clinic—-all he could think of was how he couldn't fucking wait to make her hiswife.