“When youforcedme to sit on your lap.”
“But you remained seated on my…lap. You could’ve fought me. Your knee was an inch away from my groin, and I know you’re not shy of using it, but you didn’t.”
Nick cooed, his limbs twitching in the most adorable way as we passed by one of the lounges next to the pool.
“See? Even Nicco agrees.”
You little traitor.I squeezed the bar of the stroller handle and turned away from the pool area. I didn’t want to return in there with Domenico. “Fine. Still, that doesn’t mean you like me or I do, like you arrogantly said. It only means you wanna fuck, and that’s the only reason you want tomarryme because of your ancient family traditions.”
“Honor doesn’t come with an expiration date, and I don’t just wanna fuck.” The sincerity in his voice took me by surprise again. “Again, I already told you that last night. I think that’s what scares you.”
I blinked once, stopping for a moment, but then I met his gaze, inching a brow. “Don’t patronize me, Domenico Lanza.”
“Don’t stereotype me, Nicole Baldi.”
I grunted. “So you’re not a dangerous gangster? A brutal murderer?”
“I am, but the people I’ve hurt aren’t saints either. You of all people know that some scumbags need guys like me to wipe out their filthy existence from this earth.”
My throat bobbed with a gulp.
“I’ve never hurt an innocent person, Nicky, and I’ll never hurt you.”
“I’d be an idiot if I believed that. Your definition ofI’ll never hurt youcould be as twisted as Tino’s, as Leo’s, as Enzio’s. For all I know, you could kidnap me, blackmail me, force me to marry you and say you never hurt me. You’d even say it was for my own good.”
He chuckled.
“What are you laughing at? I just want you to know that I’m not my sister. The dark, bad boy asshole that stops at nothing to make a girl his even by force doesn’t appeal to me.”
“Liar.”
“Am I now?”
“Yes. All girls fall for that shit or why else do you love that movie so much?”
“What damn movie?”
“The one with the actor that looks like me.”
“How do you even… Of course, Signora Bellomo.” MaybeIshould give that girl a good old spanking. “Well, the guy is hot. That’s all.”
“Good to know.”
“Know what?”
“That you think I’m hot.”
“The actor is hot. Not you.”
He chuckled again. “Si, I’m way hotter.”
“Ugh! You’re such a conceited, ass—”
His palm landed on my mouth, shushing me, stifling a gasp. “You can’t spend ten minutes without insulting me, can you? And what was that when you lectured the guards about swearing around the baby? You’ve been cussing nonstop in front of him.”
I stopped to a halt, seriously thinking about biting him. If I did, though, I’d lose my temporary freedom, which, regretfully, I owed to him. I did slap his hand off me, though. “Give me a break. He’s three month old, and you really deserve what I throw at you.”
“Apologize,” he commanded, that naturally dominant tone of his intense.
