Alessandro DeLuca

She bites her lip and lifts an eyebrow. “Care to show me the rest of your castle?”

“I would love to, and then, it’s all about spoiling you.”

“Spoiling me?”

“Yes. It’s all a part of my plan to persuade you to remain at my side, ruling this empire.”

She laughs and shakes her head but offers her arm for me to take.

“You afraid of dogs?”

“I love them,” she replies.

“Good, you’re about to meet Roccioso, Campione, Uccisore, and Ombra.”

Laughing, she says, “You really named your dogs Rocky, Champ, Killer, and Shadow? Sylvester Stallone fan much?”

“Among many things.”

Almost an hour later, after we have toured my fourteen-bed, twenty-four bath, fifty-two-thousand square-foot home and she’s met my animals, I lead her to the terrace overlooking the lake.

“You are trying to impress a girl, aren’t you?”

“I am,” I concede, shoving my hands in my pockets as I turn my back to the railing and face her.

“But why? You don’t know me, Alessandro, so what’s special about me?”

“You intrigue me, Mila. Make me want to know you. You're not easily impressed. You know who you are and own it. How assumptions put you off, and you seem to take nothing for granted. The way your body responds to mine when I touch you…as if I already own it.”

I stare at her as she stares into the distance, the water reflected in her brown eyes. I can tell she’s a million miles away, and I wonder which of those statements prompted her thoughts.

“You present a challenge for me, Mila. Any woman cannot come into my world and rule by my side. Any woman cannot walk into this world, knowing its dangers and never become overwhelmed by them or lose herself in it.”

“But how do you know that I won’t?”

I take a deep breath and weigh my words carefully.

“In my world, you can’t take anything for granted. There are certain precautions we have to take and certain codes we must adhere to. I will never cross up the family and will always owe my allegiance to the family. You understand this. If you didn’t, you would never entertain the thought of being in my presence. Despite the rumors you’ve heard, you still seem drawn to me, and you don’t run away. Yes, you exercise caution, and I respect that, but you haven’t turned me down completely. And the chemistry we share….”

Her eyes flit up to my face, and I see the deep inhale of breath that she takes though she tries to remain calm and in control. My hand caresses her face, and I lower my head, my lips faintly brushing hers.

“I have never wanted another woman like I always want you. And yet, I don’t want to risk scaring you off.”

“It’s a lot,” she says, pushing away a stray lock of hair that’s been whipped free of her ponytail by the sea breeze.

“I know. But I suspect you can handle it. Am I wrong?”

Her eyebrow lifts faintly, and she smirks.

“I can handle anything that you bring my way.”

I wonder how she’d handle herself if I told her what I knew.

I press myself against her so she can feel my erection and how desperately I want her. Cupping the nape of her neck, I lower my head and connect our mouths in a sensual kiss.

Mila releases a soft subtle sigh, opening her mouth to me, as she takes over the kiss and orchestrates how it goes. My hand grabs her ass, bunching the skirt of her dress, and I swipe my thumb over her ass cheek.

Mila shudders, and I can’t tell if it’s because of my touch or the soft, gentle breeze coming off the lake.