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The words had hisfidanzataopening and closing her mouth, and it became immediately obvious that Ysabel had a one-track mind when it came to apologies.

"It is too easy to read your thoughts,signorina."

His cockiness was just too much that Ysabel couldn't help it. Her hand was already up in the air, but before she could even flip him off—-

His reflexes got the better of her once again, and Ysabel could only gasp in shock as Massimo grabbed her wrist, and her finger went straight into his mouth.

Oh!

Wetness pooled between her thighs as Massimo started sucking her finger like it was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

She tried pulling her finger away, but her struggles only had his dark eyes gleaming down at her.

"S-Stop..."

And to her shock, he actually did stop.

Huh?

Ysabel was still trying to figure out whether she was more relieved or disappointed when Massimo bent his dark head, and his silky voice slid into her ear like an invisibly seductive caress.

"Never, ciliegina mia."

Ysabel froze, unable to believe what she had just heard. "W-What did you just say?"

Massimo's jaw hardened when he realized what he had let slip.Shit.

"What did you call me?"

"Ciliegina mia..."

He had called her that, too...five years ago. Did that mean anything—-or were those words something he simply used for every woman he dated?

Massimo could not understand why his chest tightened upon seeing the flash of pain in her eyes. Why was she looking at him as if the words he had uttered could destroy her? Had her sister perhaps told her...about the past?

"It was only that one time."

Ysabel's stunned gaze flew up to Massimo when he suddenly spoke in a rough undertone.

"Just one time that I used those same words for Ynez—-"

Ysabel forced herself to smile despite the pain and jealousy clawing at her heart. "I understand."

"Then why do you still look at me like I have stabbed you?"

Because you did.

Ysabel didn't say the words out loud, of course, but the way Massimo's jaw clenched seemed to suggest that he knew what was on her mind.

A part of Massimo rebelled against the idea of having to explain himself, but he just could not get the look of hurt on Ysabel's face out of her mind. He knew, of course, that all of this could be an act, but when he saw her lip start to tremble—-

"I want you to know that this has never happened to me before." His pride could go to hell, as long as it meant that hisfidanzatawould stop hurting. "And I know this might not make any difference, but I only used those words to describe your sister on the first night we met. After that, I no longer used those words because for some reason...they no longer seemedsuitable."

It took a moment for Ysabel to realize what he was saying, and another moment for her to understand what those words implied.

Oh, amore mio!

Ysabel had to bite her lip hard to keep herself from crying the words out, and after so many years of struggling to deny the truth of her feelings—-