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I squeeze him again, feeling him grow fully hard under my palm.

"I'm not starting anything," I tell him, my grip unrelenting as I feel him throb against my hand. "I'm reminding you that while I may need to flirt with Dominguez, to smile and laugh at his jokes, to lean in close enough that he can smell my perfume—" I give another deliberate squeeze, "—this belongs to me now. Just as I belong to you."

Dante's hand shoots up, wrapping around my wrist with bruising intensity, but he doesn't pull me away. Instead, he presses my hand harder against him, guiding my movements through the fabric.

His head tilts back, eyes meeting mine with fierce intensity. "You're fucking dangerous."

"I'm the Ravelli queen," I remind him. "With my own ambitions to fulfill."

I release my grip only to slide around and straddle his lap. His pupils dilate, dark with want as I settle against him.

"You know what I think?" I whisper, rolling my hips against the hard ridge beneath me. "I think you enjoy the idea of me being desired by other men—" I unbutton his shirt, one button at a time, "—as long as they know they can look but never touch."

His groan vibrates through me as I begin to move, taking what belongs to me. Let Dominguez and his yacht wait.

Right now, there's only this.

***

The Mediterranean glitters like scattered diamonds beneath a perfect night sky, stars competing with the illuminated silhouettes of superyachts anchored in formation off the Italian coast.

Music drifts across water, mixing with laughter and the gentle lap of waves against hulls worth more than small countries.

I stand on the upper deck ofThe Vengeance. Dante's 90-meter vessel acquired during his rise to power. The sleek black yacht gleams beneath strategically placed lighting, its name emblazoned in silver lettering that catches moonlight with dark beauty.

"Ready?" Dante appears behind me, his approach silent despite the formal shoes he wears with his perfectly tailored tuxedo.

I turn to face him, watching his eyes darken as he takes in my appearance.

The dress I've chosen for tonight's hunt is the definition ofcalculatedperfection. Emerald silk that hugs my breasts, clings to every slight curve of my body before falling to the floor in a fluid column.

The neckline plunges dangerously low, exposing the deep cleavage that Dante can't stop staring at, while the back remains completely bare to my waist. Diamonds drip from my ears and throat, catching light with every movement.

But the most powerful accessory I wear isn't the jewelry.

Between my breasts, suspended from a delicate platinum chain, rests a small crystal vial filled with dark red liquid. Our mingled blood from the oath ceremony.

The vial nestles against my skin, directly over my heart, drawing attention to what it guards.

Dante's eyes fix on it, possessiveness flaring in his gaze.

"You're wearing it."

I touch the vial lightly with my fingertips.

"I thought it would be... strategic. Dominguez will see it. He'll know I'm claimed in the biggest way, but he'll still want what he can't have." I meet Dante's eyes. "Men always want what belongs to someone else."

Dante's jaw tightens. He steps closer, one large hand sliding around my bare back. "And if he tries to touch what's mine?"

I smile, feeling the weight of the vial between my breasts. "Then he learns that this blood oath goes both ways. I'm no longer just the princess who was traded away."

Dante smiles an almost sadistic smile. "You look so fucking dangerous. So fucking sexy."

"I am dangerous," I correct him, reaching to straighten his bow tie. "Your most lethal weapon tonight."

His hands find my waist, pulling me against him. Then his lips descend to my throat, teeth grazing sensitive skin before biting down with deliberate pressure.

I gasp, fingers clutching his jacket as he sucks hard enough to leave a mark.