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He was exaggerating, but nonetheless, her face heated. “That’s in the past.”
“I need an answer, Anna.”
She rubbed her sweaty palms together. “Why do you want to have sex with me? You could have any woman you want, and from what I’ve heard, you often do.” She hoped the jealousy she felt didn’t seep into her voice or her face.
“We both know sleeping with other people while we’re in this pretend marriage is risky. We cannot risk the truth getting out.”
He had a point, but it didn’t mean she wanted to have sex withhim. Scratch that. She apparentlydidwant to have sex with him, but she preferred not to.
Everything about Dante screamed sex appeal. Midnight-black hair, angular face with high cheekbones and a solid, square jaw. He could charm the panties off a schoolmarm with his wicked, dimpled smile and the deep timbre of his accented voice.
“We are not having sex.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes!” Annabelle snapped.
“You’ll change your mind,” he said with infuriating confidence.
“You’re wrong.”
“I’m never wrong.”
She shot him her darkest scowl.
Her nerves were already frayed from this conversation. No way could she handle Dante touching and caressing her body. For the sake of self-preservation, she needed to keep distance between them. She had made too many mistakes when she was younger and fell in love too fast.
“All right. We’ll take regularly scheduled sex off the table, hmmm? But you will want to have sex too. You said yourself you’ll need someone to scratch your itch. When the day comes, I will be that someone. Your husband. No one else.” He moved closer and his eyes bored into hers. “While we are married, our bodies belong to each other. I will not touch another woman, and you will not touch another man. You came to me with this proposition, and I will not budge on this stipulation. You might pretend you cannot imagine being in my arms again, but I look forward to having you in mine.” His lustful gaze traveled the length of her body, clearly stripping her bare in his mind.
“I’m surprised you want me,” she whispered.
“You should not be surprised. We always had chemistry, even during the last days of our marriage when we couldn’t stand being in the same room together because of your lies.”
“I didn’t lie to you.”
“No, you simply pretended to care about me and then ran off while I was working. Sneaking out of the apartment with all your possessions as if you were escaping from a monster.” He said the last words through clenched teeth.
“I had to leave that way.”
“Why?”
“Because I—because I didn’t want you to try to convince me to stay. We weren’t happy, and a clean break was best.”
“Youweren’t happy. I thought I was working hard, providing for my wife, preparing a future for us together.” Anger vibrated off him as he snarled the words.
“Is that what this is about? You want to have sex as some kind of revenge for leaving?”
“Revenge is the last thing on my mind. I want that building, and I’m willing to play your little game to get it. We need each other.”
Annabelle swallowed. He was right, they did.
“As for your exes, if you want to maintain your friendships with them, fine, but make sure you don’t embarrass me. There should be no suggestion of rekindling your romance with any of them.”
“I could say the same to you about your legion of women.”
“Legion is an exaggeration, but I promise not to embarrass you.”
Dante tread closer and looked down into her face. “I’m a very patient man, Anna. I can wait until you come to me and beg me to pry your legs apart.”
