Page 64 of The Temptation

She jabs a finger into my chest—once, twice, three times—punctuating each word. “Yes. You. Did.”

I throw my hands up, officially done with this conversation. Why I ever thought marrying this nutjob was a good idea, I’ll never know.

Chapter 13

Romeo

After storming back into the kitchen, I told Dominic to leave, making it abundantly clear he wasn’t welcome back unless explicitly invited by me.

He just shrugged, pushed back his chair and stood, grabbed a cookie off the cooling rack as he passed, shoved the entire thing into his mouth in one go, and gave me a final nod. Then paused, retreated two steps, took two more cookies for the road, and strolled out the front door like he owned the place.

Once he was gone, I grabbed the bags I’d dumped earlier and headed to my room, desperate to calm the fuck down before I said something I couldn’t take back.

My cooldown period took approximately two hours, and by the time I exited my bedroom, it was safe to say I no longer felt like murdering anyone.

The delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen pulls me in that direction without hesitation.

“Something smells good,” I say as I step inside and spot Lucia at the stove, stirring something in a pot.

“Hmm,” she hums, unimpressed, not bothering to look at me.

I move closer, stepping up behind her. “Is some of that for me?” I ask, leaning in to peek inside.

“I told you I’d make your favourite if you came back. I’m a woman of my word.”

Her tone is clipped, so I can tell she’s still upset with my outburst.

My hands instinctively move to grip her shoulders. I don’t like it when she’s mad at me. “I was always coming back, babe.”

“Don’t call me that,” she mutters.

I arch an eyebrow. “I thought you liked it when I called you that?”

“Huh,” she huffs. “When Ilikeyou, I don’t mind. Right now, though …”

I rear back slightly, shocked by her answer. “You don’t like me anymore?”

“Not in this present moment, no.”

I blow out a long breath, trying hard not to lose my cool again. “I’m …”

Her head snaps in my direction and her eyes narrow to slits. “You’re what? Sorry you acted like a completestronzo? You were unbelievably rude to Dominic. The poor guy didn’t even get to take home the leftovers I promised him.”

“You promised him leftovers?” I shout, my patience fraying fast. “The man ate enough to feed an entire village in the short time he was here!”

She lifts one shoulder and tips that sassy little chin of hers. “He’s a growing boy.”

“He’s a fully-fledged fucking man,” I roar.

“He’s still growing,” she growls back. “I swear he even grew a few more inches while he was here.”

“Yeah, his stomach. I’m surprised he didn’t explode from the amount of food you shoved down his gob.”

She drops the spoon with a loud clunk. It bounces onceon the counter before settling with a final, accusing rattle. She spins to face me and shoves both hands against my chest. I don’t move, standing firm because the storm brewing in her eyes locks me in place.

“He ate it all willingly!” she yells, her voice sharp, trembling with fury, and something else that I can’t quite place.

We’re inches apart now. I can feel her warm breath, quick and shallow, brushing against my jaw. Her hands are still pressed to my chest, but she’s not pushing anymore. Not really.