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"And that's why I'm here?"

"Sì."

She tried. She really tried to believe he was not joking, but she just couldn't. This had to be some cruel prank, a way to further torture her—-

"Perhaps this would convince you of what I am saying."

Massimo handed her his phone, and Ynez could only stare blankly at its screen.This had to be—-

"It's not fake."

Then this had to be—-

"Nor is it a scheme in any way. It is official, permanent, and binding in every way."

Shit. Shit. Shit!

The first night she and Massimo had met, a part of Ysabel had been shocked at the way he was able to so effectively read her thoughts and communicate his with hers. It had felt as if they had this primal connection between them, and Ysabel didn't know whether to laugh or cry upon realizing that part about him - that part aboutbothof them - still hadn't changed.

Can this really be true?

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again, just to make sure she wasn't imagining the headlines on Boston's most popular online tabloid.

Signora Potenziana Marchetti is proud and delighted to announce the engagement of her grandson, Massimo Marchetti, to Signorina Ysabel Ossini.

Two

"COULD THIS BE A TYPO?"

Massimo had imagined Ysabel saying a lot of things in response to his grandmother's official announcement of their engagement, but none of it wasthat.

Ysabel tried not to wince at the way Massimo's lip curled in response to her words. "What I mean is...could they have gotten your names switched with Ezio—-"

"No, signorina."

Ysabel almost jumped back at the icy bite in Massimo's voice. Why did he sound so mad? Did he have some kind of brother complex for Ezio—-or was it just her that he found particularly lacking as a prospective bride for his family?

"Every word you have read is perfectly accurate.Iam the one my grandmother has chosen to be your groom, not Ezio."

Ysabel could only stare at Massimo as she tried to wrap her head around what he was saying. If every word was accurate, then...

No. Impossible. It can't be.

Massimo couldn't understand why it had pissed him off to hear Ysabel think of himself as a possible bride for his younger brother.What was wrong with him, dammit?And when he heard her laugh nervously yet again, he even had the strangest compulsion to punish her with a kiss.

What. The. Hell.

Ysabel waited for Massimo to say he was joking. But all he did was look at her like he wanted to drag her to his lap to give her a spanking.

Which she would love...to object to,Ysabel mentally hurried to add, just to keep her conscience clear.

Ysabel tried her best to gather her thoughts even as the thought of Massimo spanking her ass refused to leave her. "I think there's some kind of misunderstanding. Because you can't actually be saying thatI'myour bride—-"

"You are."

Another laugh escaped her, and Massimo's lips tightened at the urge to cover her lips with a punishing kiss.

"But Ynez—-"