Page 66 of The Temptation

Well, on my end anyway. My cock is so hard I’m surprised it hasn’t broken through the zipper of my trousers.

Not a single word has passed between us since. Lucia keeps stealing glances from where she’s sitting, and every time our eyes meet, that soft pink blush on her cheeks deepens.

This shy, almost bashful side of her is something I haven’t seen before, but I have to admit, it’s surprisingly endearing.

I reach for the freshly baked loaf of bread sitting in the centre of the table, tear off a piece, and use my knife to scoop out some of the marrow from the centre of the osso buco Lucia made for dinner, spreading it onto the middle of the slice.

The crust is still warm beneath my fingers, and the marrow melts right in. It’s messy, but comforting in that way only homemade food can be. That rich, buttery texture is easily my favourite part of the dish.

This has always been my go-to order whenever I eat at one of theFamiglia’srestaurants, but I’ve come to realise that even the world-renowned Italian chefs there don’t do the dish justice. Lucia’s homemade spin on it blows theirs out of the water.

“So, fucking good,” I say as I shove it into my mouth.

Lucia’s gaze flickers to me, but instead of the usual smile I get when I praise her, I see something that almost looks like suspicion in her big, brown eyes.

“Where’s my present?” she asks. “Or was the kiss supposed to be it?”

I suck in a sharp breath, and immediately regret it. A chunk of bread lodges in my throat, and I start coughing loudly as I desperately bang on my own chest.

Lucia raises an eyebrow, entirely unfazed by the fact that I’m apparently seconds from death. “I’ll take that as a yes,” she says way too calmly for my liking.

I reach for the glass beside me and gulp down some water, swallowing the blockage down the back of my throat. Air rushes back into my lungs as I scramble for something to say.

When I stormed into my bedroom earlier, I was dead set on one thing: marrying her was a bad fucking idea. After I’d calmed down, I convinced myself it was the only way. But after that kiss … now, I don’t know what to think anymore.

This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience. But with feelings creeping in, it could easily turn into one big fucking mess.

I clear my throat, trying to think of the right words to say. “That kiss was?—”

Lucia raises her hand—the one that’s holding her fork—pointing it in my direction. “I’d think very carefully before you finish that sentence.”

I arch an inquisitive eyebrow, unsure of where she’s going with this.

“If you say it was a mistake, I may very well stab you.”

She juts her hand forward, and I have to roll my lips to hide my grin, despite having no doubt she’d follow through on her threat.

I lift one shoulder, doing my best to look unbothered, because tormenting this woman never gets old. I won’t even pretend I don’t enjoy it. There’s an unashamed thrill in pulling her fire to the surface, and I crave it more than I should.

“If you remember correctly, I said if you’re agoodgirl, I might just bring you back a surprise.”

“Well, where is it?” she deadpans.

“I’m still deciding if you behaved or not.”

“Iwasa good girl,” she claims, pouting that plump bottom lip of hers, and I swear my cock goes as hard as granite.

“But were you really?”

She growls, like literally growls at me, and I’m again fighting my smile. “I fed one of your men, De Luca. That hardly counts as misbehaving.”

“You did more than feed him, Rossi,” I retort, my words sharp. “You probably gave him heart disease, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes in a single sitting.”

She blows out a puff of air. “Okay, just to be clear, is spanking on the table if I admit I was naughty?”

I take in a breath so sharp it has me coughing all over again.

She sits there sipping her wine like she didn’t just casually drop a line that short-circuited my entire nervous system.