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‘Serafina.’ He spoke my name so gently, I knew he recognised the truth in my words, even if it was only a gullible half-truth.
‘I gave up my dreams to satisfy your revenge, Salvatore Diavolo De Luca. You need to accept the truth… you owe me a dream.’
‘I can’t promise you anything, little bird… only this. I have a path to take, and I willalwaysdo what’s necessary.’
I nodded at him in acceptance. It was enough, because it had to be; it was all we had.
Suddenly, he made the last few steps he needed and took me into his arms and for a few seconds, I was floored by the strength of feeling between us. I knew until this moment I’d been sailing a course on a sea full of doubts and delusions of who I was. All at once, in his unrelenting arms, I knew I’d found my harbour. I stood up on tiptoes and placed my arms around his neck to accept his embrace and for the first time in our relationship, I felt I was almost on a level pegging with him.
Holding me tightly, he spoke into the side of my neck. His warm breath caressed the side of my face. His voice reverberated against the shell of my ear, turning me into putty.
‘You’re a brave woman, Serafina, my wife. Remember this day… when I tried to warn you that I’m more devil than man.’
‘Salvatore means saviour.’ I felt as his facial expression changed and I turned slightly to see a puzzled expression stretch over his face, his eyebrows raised, and as he shook his head, I knew he’d heard me.
‘Diavolo means devil,’ he warned.
‘I understand Italian,’ I countered.
‘Mmmm,’ he conceded. ‘I’m not for you, little bird. I’m not good enough for you. I am incapable of love. My grandmother took care of me after my mama disappeared and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t love her the way she deserved.’ He shook his head gently from side to side. ‘Make no mistake, no matter how much you think I care for you, Iwilltake your life in retribution for my mama if I find your father is guilty of snatching her from my arms.’
‘What if I accept all of that? What if I accept all that you were, all that you are, the saviour and the devil in you?’
‘Then you are a brave and formidable woman and understanding that, I will do my best to be the husband you deserve.’
‘Thank you.’ I whispered the two words as I pushed my fingers into the thick hair at the nape of his neck, needing to take a better hold of him.
‘Don’t thank me, Serafina…not yet. But maybe, after I’ve shown you how to respect your husband, you can.’
‘Respect?’
‘You’ve been talking at me and now it’s my turn… if you ever speak to me, your husband, with the disrespect you’ve just shown me, I’ll bend you over my lap and take my hand to your backside until it’s pink and you can’t sit down for a week.’
‘You would?’ My heart started racing and the muscles down below clenched in response. A flood of wetness found the tops of my thighs.
What on earth?
‘I would.’ His deep voice made the whole of my body react as it yearned for more contact and acting on instinct, I pushed my body closer to his and felt his arms wrap even tighter around me.
‘I might enjoy that,’ I cheekily replied, without thinking about the consequences.
‘Excuse me?’ His eyebrow raised again in question.
I grimaced under his perusal. But when I saw the corners of his mouth lift slightly in amusement, I wasn’t prepared to repeat it, nor take it back. At last, his mouth dipped down towards mine in a chaste kiss, effectively silencing me.
All too soon his lips lifted once again from mine and he changed his hold on me. ‘And don’t get me started on your choice of fucking wedding dress.’
‘I’ll never wear it again.’
A noise unexpectedly startled me, and I felt cooler air flood in between the cheeks of my bottom. Instinctively, as the sound of expensive tulle was ripped away from my body, I turned to look over my shoulder and caught both of our eyes in the mirror that was hung behind Salvatore’s bed. His hands looked huge against my small but curvy frame. Together we watched with our eyes focussed on each other’s as he exposed my naked body. Something in his hand flashed its luminosity and I knew he’d cut through the tight band at the dip of my back with the jewelled knife he’d had made for me as a wedding gift.
‘No, that’s one thing you’re definitely right about… you won’t,’ he growled. ‘Until death do us part, little bird.’ Rich, warm laughter left Salvatore. He may not have intended it to be this way, but here we were, together and ready to face the future.
Whatever the future held.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
SALVATORE
