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“I was waiting.” I straightened and walked to her.
“For what?”
“For you.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No. Because I can’t stand watching you with him any longer.”
She sighed. “Are we on that again? I told you, Luca is just a friend. I don’t have many in your circles.”
“I don’t like it.” I stepped closer, erasing the space between us. “Do you have any idea how insane it’s been driving me? Watching you dance with him, laugh with him, letting him touch you like?—”
“Like what?” she interrupted, her tone rising. “What on earth are you insinuating?”
Anger made my Italian come out. It also made me say things I’d regret. So, I didn’t answer her. Instead, I put my hands on her waist and pulled her to me, my heart pounding like a war drum in my chest.
“Dante,” she warned uneasily, her hands pressing against my chest. “I told you?—"
I kissed her.
It wasn’t gentle or careful—it was urgent, reckless, and raw. Every ounce of frustration, jealousy, and longing I’d bottled up came pouring out. For a heartbeat, she didn’t move. Then, to my surprise, she kissed me back.
It lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough to remind me how perfectly we fit together. Her hands fisted in my shirt, her body molding against mine like it belonged there.
But just as quickly as it began, she broke away, her breathing ragged, her eyes blazing with anger.
“What the hell are you doing?” she hissed, shoving me back.
“Kissing my wife,” I drawled.
“No,” she snapped. “You don’t get to do this, Dante. You don’t get to act like you care now.”
“I do care,mi leoncina.I’ve always cared.”
“Bullshit,” she spat, her fists trembling at her sides. “You ignored me for months. You let her hang all over you—paraded her in front of me like I was nothing. And now, when I ask for a divorce, suddenly, I’m important to you?”
“I know I’ve hurt you.” I cupped her cheek and swiped a thumb over her trembling lips. I wanted to devour them. I wanted to be inside her, claim her. I had been a fool—reckless with her heart, and undeserving of the fortune I’d had in her. Now, I would have to spend a considerable amount of time on my knees to win her back. But there was no doubt in my mind—I would.
She tried to move away, but I wouldn’t let her. I restrained her without hurting her. But then again, she wasn’t fighting hard either. We were matched when it came to sex—and I knew she wanted me as much as I did her. I could use that connection to keep her with me, hold on to her in the only way I knew how—but that wouldn’t last. Not forever.
And I needed forever.
I needed my wife to fall so completely in love with me that she would never dream of walking away again.
“I know I’ve been selfish, stupid, and thoughtless. But I’m trying, Elysa.”
Her laugh was bitter, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You think you can fix this with a kiss?”
“No,” I admitted. “But it’s a start.”
I dropped my lips to her again and softened the kiss, taking her slowly, fitting her against me.
My God, I’d missed her. I’d taken this woman for granted. Taken what she gave me and assumed it would always be there no matter how much I fucked up. But she’d shown her spine of steel. And now I had to show her that I could bend toherwill.
“I’m not letting you go,” I murmured as I nibbled at her lips.
Her shoulders stiffened, and for a moment, I thought she might hit me—there was such fury in her eyes. Instead, she shook her head and stepped back. “What does that mean?”