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Obey.

The erotic fog caused by his kiss cleared at the edge in his tone.

He clasped my fingers and spoke to Vito in Italian, before striding down the aisle with me. The congregation were still going wild.

I forced the uneasy moment to one side, deciding it must have been a figment of my overactive imagination… And my joy.

I wasn’t his prisoner any more. I was his wife. So obedience was going to be a two-way street, whether he liked it or not.

Even so, I felt off-kilter, wary and confused, by the comment as we walked together down the path to Vito’s villa, where an extravagant banquet had been arranged. Dante escorted me, leading the crowd, and held my chair so I could sit at the head of the table.

He cupped my cheek again and gave me another swift, possessive kiss on the lips, before leaving me to speak with Vito and his men.

I smiled, forcing the uncertainty down. But that sense of being adrift I remembered from my childhood, when Mia and I had woken up one morning to find our mum gone remained…

I know Mia had never really missed our mum, but I had. Not because she was a good mum, or even an adequate parent, but because I’d always been more clingy than Mia and more insecure. And I’d totally convinced myself that she loved us really, and that she would return… Eventually.

I watched Dante walk away and let the desire flow through me to cover the shudder of déjà vu. He was so tall and gorgeous, the tattoos on his hands and neck against the dress shirt making him look wild and untamed even in the tailored wedding tuxedo.

You’re not that insecure kid any more, looking for approval from inadequate people.

Dante had married me. Dante still wanted me. And I still trusted him, enough to be sure that I’d made the right decision. Dante had promised me a role in our marriage which I was looking forward to fulfilling. Because I couldn’t wait to be an integral part of Dante’s life.

The wedding feast went by in a blur with me barely able to swallow any of the delicious array of dishes, thanks to the nerves and anticipation making my stomach jump. The endless toasting with the best champagne left me a little tipsy but also managed to help me relax and forget my doubts. Dante was a ruthless alpha guy, I’d known that when I’d agreed to marry him. But that didn’t mean he was going to renege on the promises he’d made me.

Dante and Vito and their consiglieres disappeared after the toasting to finalise their deal. Then Mia appeared—having spent an hour feeding Luca, who was the hungriest baby ever—to spirit me away to the bridal suite.

When she closed the door and it was just the two of us, she searched my face. ‘Is everything OK, Evie, you’ve looked a bit spooked ever since that kiss?’

I grinned, remembering Dante’s mouth on mine at the altar, and the last of my insecurities faded. ‘It was a bit pornographic, wasn’t it!’ I said, chuckling.

Mia laughed. ‘Just a bit.’ She sat on the double bed in the suite and patted the space next to her. ‘Listen, I need to tell you something…’

I sat down, getting giddier as she started to speak.

‘Dante has asked…’ She cleared her throat. ‘Or rather demanded, you leave tonight. He has a helicopter waiting to take you both to Naples and then his private jet will fly you to JFK. According to Vito, Dante’s consigliere and his business manager already have a swanky event planned for tomorrow evening in a building in Midtown—to introduce Dante as the new CEO of Rocco’s property portfolio. They’re expecting you to host the event with him. Apparently, all the visas and travel permits have already been arranged. But I said they needed to speak to you first, to make sure you’re OK with these arrangements. I wanted you to stay here with us, at least for a few days to…’

I pressed a finger to her lips to silence her protests, overjoyed that Dante had mentioned me hosting the event.

‘It’s fine, Mia. I want to go. I know it won’t always be easy, that Dante’s…’ I let out an unsteady breath. ‘Well, a lot. But I’m excited about doing this. About making a life with him in New York.’

She stared at me, but then, to my shock, her lip trembled and tears formed in her eyes.

‘Mia, don’t cry… What’s wrong?’

She sniffed. ‘I’m scared, I guess, that he doesn’t deserve you. And he’s not the man you think he is.’

‘Please don’t be scared,’ I said. ‘I know what I’m doing. And I’ll let him know he needs to start informing me of his plans.’ Because clearly it was going to be a major adjustment for him to figure out that our roles had changed now. ‘Actually, I’m looking forward to making him realise he doesn’t get to boss me around any more,’ I added.

How could I have forgotten how hot things got between us when I stood up to him?

She nodded, then placed a shaking palm on my knee. ‘You’re right, of course you are. You can make your own choices. I’m sorry, it’s just hard, you know. Letting go…’

My love for her returned in a rush to stifle all the frustration of the past three weeks.

‘Well, that’s not surprising, seeing as you’ve basically been my mum for, like, ever. But you’ve got another baby to look after now who needs you more than I do.’

We hugged and sniffed back happy tears. I felt the bedrock of support she had always given me, as she helped me change out of the wedding dress into something more practical and arranged to have the wardrobe of clothes, that we’d purchased together in Milan, packed and transported to the helicopter.