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‘Yes, he told me.’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Take the time you need now, to ask him all you wish to know about the marriage he is proposing, then we will leave.’

I nodded, feeling trepidation as well as excitement welling up inside me as my gaze found Dante again. Finally, I thought, my heartbeat taking giddy little leaps as I walked towards him—a conversation about us he wouldn’t be able to avoid.

Dante’s gaze remained fixed on me as I approached him. But something about his expression energised me. Because I could see how much he wanted me to say yes.

‘Hi,’ I said, the nerves returning when his gaze roamed over me, that dark possessive expression as disturbing as it was exhilarating.

‘Vito has told you of my offer?’ he murmured, getting straight to the point.

‘Yes.’

‘And your answer?’ he demanded in that clipped dictatorial tone I had become used to.

‘I have questions…’ I managed around the boulder scraping my throat again.

A part of me knew I wanted to be his wife. I wanted to be his. Even though this would be an arranged marriage, more than anything I wanted the opportunity to make it more.

It was far too soon to talk about love, or anything deeper. But if he respected me enough to propose marriage, surely that was a very good start. But even if I was already favourable to the idea, and hopelessly flattered, I also didn’t want to be a total pushover. Or a clueless romantic.

I’d always been impulsive and optimistic, and letting my heart lead the way hadn’t always been the best strategy. I didn’t want to be a trophy, a convenience, or someone he thought he could order around, the way he had when I was his prisoner. Because as hot as that was in bed, it had quickly got old out of it.

Dante was an unreconstructed alpha male who commanded an army. Getting him to treat me as an equal in this marriage would be a challenge.

But if Mia could tame a beast, I thought, my giddy heartbeat ramming my throat, why couldn’t I?

‘What questions?’ he asked, the impatient tone only making me more sure that I needed to get a few guarantees before making a final decision.

‘If I agreed to marry you, what would that be like?’ I asked. ‘I mean, would it be a real marriage?’

Dante’s brows lowered, confusion flashing over his harsh features, before his pupils dilated. ‘If you are asking whether I want you in my bed, the answer is yes.’

Heat flared in my cheeks, and a few other key parts of my anatomy, his low commanding tone brushing over my skin like a physical caress. It took me a few moments to get my breath back.

‘OK, good to know,’ I murmured. ‘But I was thinking more of logistics.’

‘What logistics?’ he countered.

‘Like what would I do? Would I be able to work? And where would we live?’ I asked.

I’d never had any career ambitions, but I didn’t want to be idle. As much as my time with Dante on Cala Verde had thrilled me, the long hours I’d spent alone in his suite while he was working had been boring and anxiety-inducing at the same time, because I had not been allowed to know anything. I did not want to be kept in the dark. Or spend my days waiting for him to show me attention. Because that would get old fast, too.

A girl could not live on orgasms alone, after all.

He frowned. ‘There would be no need for you to work. I am a rich man.’

‘I’m not talking about money. What I meant was, I don’t want to spend all day alone doing nothing. I’d want to have a role of some sort. Cala Verde is a beautiful island, but there’s no role for me here. Other than spending time in your bed.’

‘You love to spend time in my bed,’ he replied forcefully, making my blush intensify.

‘That’s not the point,’ I murmured, getting more than a little frustrated. ‘If being your wife is just like being your captive then I…’

‘Silenzio… Eva…’ He pressed his finger to my lips, cutting off my protest, but his gaze softened. ‘It will not be the same, as you will be my wife.’

He cupped my cheek then trailed his thumb down my neck, making me shudder. He let out a harsh laugh at my inevitable response.

‘But how will anything be different?’ I pushed his caressing fingers away, determined not to get sidetracked by his touch or the heated promise in his gaze. Something he did far too easily. ‘I need specifics, not platitudes.’

His eyebrows lifted at my defiance, but I saw approval as well as surprise in his eyes. My heart gave another giddy leap, especially when his gaze roamed over me again, but this time with respect as well as heat.