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Quando il diavolo ti accarezza, vuole l’anima. When the devil caresses you, he wants your soul. —Italian Proverb
I caused this. I sent her away and left her a target for my enemies. And, for what? She had only honored my son’s secret. I should have appreciated such loyalty to my own flesh and blood. Instead I cast her out. My love, the mother of my child.
“If you don’t let me go, I will do everything I can to make your life a living hell.” He closed the distance between us and wrapped a large hand around my arm. “No need because I am already there. I have been since the moment I ordered you to leave.”
“This could bring down everything we’ve built. Is she worth it, Rav? Is she worth losing the entire empire over?” “She is worth ten empires—and don’t fucking ask me again.”
“But I have you back in my bed. Every night when I pull you close to fall sleep, and every morning when I wake up and you’re wrapped around me like a second skin.” I leaned closer, my mouth hovering above her ear. “What I am trying to do is to get you to ride my dick again, because I miss it, amore. I miss you.”
“Do you need me to tell you how I feel? Is that what you need to forgive me and believe I am worthy of your trust? Because ti amo, cuore mio.”
But the way I feel about you, Francesca? It is a sickness, a cancer. Something that cannot be destroyed or removed. You are a part of me, from now until they put me in the ground.”
You didn’t care whether I lived or died, as long as I was out of your sight. She was wrong. I cared. I cared a great deal.
“Maybe it’s your turn to beg,” I whispered. “Please,” he said instantly, his free hand falling against the glass barrier as if trying to reach for me. “Ti prego, dolcezza. I am so hungry for you.”
I was a selfish man when it came to Francesca. I wanted her, body and soul. And the only way to get it, apparently, was to give her everything in return.
“I get this,” he’d said, hugging me hard. “You’ve been through a lot. My father, he loves you. Marriage is inevitable, but sometimes the inevitable is a hard pill to swallow.”
Looking at my hand, I slipped the ring onto my finger. I loved the way it looked. Even better was the way it felt—like ownership. Fausto’s ownership. Yes, I was fucked up. But he was, too.
“You alone have the power to destroy me. I am nothing without you, absolutely nothing. And I will never, ever let you go.” Her hands wrapped around my wrists. “Good, because you’ve ruined me, il Diavolo. Absolutely ruined me, so there’s no getting rid of me now. Which means you and I are going to rule the motherfucking world together.”
“I love you, but if you break my heart again, I will carve yours out of your chest and feed it to your pigs.”
“My piccola monella, don’t you know that everything I do is for you? I will cheat and steal and kill for you. I will burn down the entire world to keep you safe.”
