Page 170 of The Temptation

When a loud moan falls from my lips, one of his hands moves up to cover my mouth. “Those sweet noises are for my ears only,principessa,” he whispers darkly.“Every delicious inch of you belongs to me.”

I nod my head, but that’s not enough for him. “Say it,” he demands.

“I’m yours … only yours.”

“Mine,”he repeats, low and certain, like a claim no one would dare challenge. But there’s no need, this man owns my body, heart and soul.

After putting the finishing touches on my makeup and sliding into my heels, I take one last look in the mirror, smooth my hands over my ivory dress and head out to the main room in search of the others.

It’s a little snug around the middle, since I’m still carrying a bit of baby weight, but it looks okay. I’mwearing the dress I got married in, the one Romeo bought me. He has no idea, and I’m wondering if he’ll even notice.

A part of me hopes he will; the other part knows he will.

That man doesn’t miss a thing when it comes to me.

When I enter the main room at the rear of the house, I find his grandmother, with baby Gabe cradled in her arms, sitting by the window, chatting quietly with her husband and grandson.

Romeo is midsentence, saying something to hisNonna, but the words die on his lips the moment he hears my heels clicking on the hardwood floorboards as I enter the large, open space.

His head swings in my direction, his eyes landing on the dress first, then he freezes, just for a beat, like his brain is catching up. His gaze sweeps the entire length of my body, and when that look crosses his face—the one that makes me feel like I’m the only thing in the room worth looking at—I know he recognised it straight away.

Abandoning his conversation and family, he stalks in my direction, every step sure and steady. When he reaches me, his eyes don’t leave mine.

“You’re wearing your wedding dress,” he states softly, like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

I shrug, smiling. “Of course. I love this dress.”

He reaches out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my ear. His eyes sweep over my face, and for a moment, he’s quiet, perhaps lost in the memory of that day.

“I still remember the first time I saw you in that doorway at the safe house,” he murmurs. “You took my breath away.”

I smile up at him. “I’d say it was the best day of my life, but I’ve had lots of them since marrying you.”

His arm slides around my waist, tugging my body tohim, as he buries his face in the crook of my neck. “I fucking love you, Lucia,” he whispers against my skin.

I’ll never tire of hearing him say those words to me, even though I know he does. Not a day passes that he doesn’t show me how much I mean to him.

Romeo hasn’t stopped scowling since the moment Gabe was dressed in his Christening gown. I think our little boy looks adorable; his father … not so much.

It’s actually the same gown Romeo’s father wore the day he was christened, andNonnacried happy tears as soon as she saw her great-grandson wearing it.

She offered it to me a few weeks ago with trembling fingers and said it would mean the world to her, and I knew there was no saying no to that.

“I can’t believe my son is wearing a damn dress,” Romeo grumbles.

“Stop it,” I scold. “He looks adorable.”

“He looks like a tiny Victorian ghost,” he mutters under his breath, cradling our son in his arms as we enter the church.

I snort. “He looks like tradition, so suck it up.”

Romeo doesn’t argue, but he does kiss the top of Gabe’s head before quietly muttering, “Sorry,figlio mio(My son),” like he’s betrayed his little boy’s masculinity beyond repair.

We asked Dante and Arabella to be Gabe’s godparents. Romeo and I are Caterina’s. If anything ever happened to us, they’d be the only two people I’d want to care for my children, and I know my sister feels the same about us.

The entireFamigliaare attending today. Romeo was a little concerned about how his grandparents would feel being surrounded by the mob, but he needn’t worry.

I’m sure they have their suspicions about what he does for a living, but they worship the ground he walks on, and I’m quietly confident there’s nothing he could do to change that.