Page 67 of Diavolo

This motherfucker!

Alessandro reached for Elyse's hand and brought it to his cheek. He then turned his face to press a light kiss upon her palm. "I swear, I will give you a far better proposal in a few days. Complete with all the fanfare and the big, shiny diamond you deserve. But, in this moment, I need to know that you are mine. That you can be trusted with what I am about to confess."

As they lay, entwined, on the bed, a prolonged, dream-like moment unfurled between them. Time ceased to flow. Elyse lost herself. Thethudding of her heart silenced everything else. He was staring at her so intensely. She felt as though his gaze might cut into her soul. The sincerity reflected in brown and blue-gray eyes tugged relentlessly on her heartstrings.

Alessandro's question demanded an answer. His proposal burned like a blaze. Too bright to be ignored and too glaring to be avoided. Its radiance provided a glimpse into their future as man and wife. Yet, there would be nothing luminous about her marriage to him. Mafia wives existed in the shadows as nothing more than accessories and pawns. Life would no longer be hers to live.

Will you marry me, cuore mio?

If she walked down the aisle with Alessandro, this gilded cage would become her reality. Elyse contemplated his proposal as though she wielded choice in the matter. Much like the row of useless locks she’d installed on her old apartment door, it was comforting to pretend that her answer might actually make a fucking difference. Did she want to accept his proposal? The logical part of Elyse's brain recognized that Alessandro wasn't in love with her any more than she was in love with him, but they'd certainly become lovers in every other sense of the word.

Perhaps, the better question to ask was—did she possess the strength to reject him?Their attraction to each other felt incendiary as hell. Even if they were to divorce in a year or two,Elyse sensed that it was already too late to forget Alessandro. He was going to leave a lasting scar on her heart. For better or worse, no other man would be able to take his place. Alessandro Vitale was magnetic and unforgettable, and Elyse wanted to behis, his, only hisdespite the reasons she ought to stay away.

At this moment, the culmination of Elyse's insecurities and uncertainties gave way to a sense of wonder and want and—simplicity. The heart couldn't be denied. Not by reason. Nor logic. Desire simply craved what it craved. Elyse cared about the man. She wanted to learn the depths of Alessandro's secrets. Secrets about the cartel and theStidda.And the mysterious cancer patient. She wanted to know more about his strained relationship with his stepsister. Her motives had since expanded. Elyse wanted to protect him as much as she wished to guard herself. Like a hopeless addict, she'd become enamored with the bastard who'd entrapped her.

A heartbeat later, her answer arose before she could recall it, "I will marry you."

A slow, tender smile spread across his face. "Do you mean it?"

She nodded with a small smile of her own. "Yes."

With his entire countenance brimming with joy, Alessandro leaned over to catch Elyse's face between his hands. He held her as though she was made of glass. Alessandro then placed a trail of happy, celebratory kisses all over her forehead and both of her cheeks. He stopped right above her lips, however, hovering barely an inch away with hopeful eyes.

He was waiting for her.

Because she'd denied him so many times before. Elyse wouldn't deny him this time. She tilted forward to close the space between them. Elyse kissed him. At first, the touch of his lips upon hers felt sweet, almost innocent, but he soon deepened their kiss by slipping in a bit of tongue. Alessandro kissed her like a devil in love. Consumingly, deeply, intimately. Hecouldn't seem to get enough of her. Elyse certainly couldn't get enough of him. Their tongues danced together. His teeth tugged lightly upon her lower lip. Their mouths continually locked and lingered in a heady push and pull of pleasure-mingled wickedness.

When they parted at last to catch their breaths, Alessandro's chest was heaving, and Elyse's lips were swollen. They were both flushed in the face.

"If this is what it feels like to kiss you," Alessandro murmured with a semi-dazed and smug expression, "I will not survive our wedding night."

She laughed. "Do these lines always work for you?"

He grinned. "As long as they keep working on you, I intend to use them. You have just agreed to become my wife. You are in no position to criticize my methods of seduction."

A sheepish look fell on her face. "You're shameless."

He kissed her again on the lips. Then again. And again.Shamelessly. "You have made me the happiest man in Paris."

Her heart felt warm and full. "Have I?"

Alessandro beamed at her and emphasized once more for effect, "The happiest."

She teased, "Why are you only happy in Paris? Why not the world?"

A roguish gleam entered his eyes. "You will make me the happiest man in the world when you beg me to fuck you."

Alessandro proceeded to roll himself onto her. He pinned down her wrists on either side of her head as he positioned himself between her legs. His cock probed at her folds. Hardness brushed against softness once more. Elyse struggled to stay focused. She gasped. Alessandro's unexpected proposal had sidetracked their conversation, and their kiss had distracted her from the more important matters at hand. With someeffort, Elyse managed to slip out from under him. Sternly, she reminded Alessandro, "We aren't done talking yet."

Her words seemed to have a sobering effect on him. He closed his eyes. "I do not like it when you are right."

Elyse prompted, "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

A few more seconds passed between them before Alessandro opened his eyes. His devil-may-care attitude from moments ago flickered away. In its place, a deep crease had appeared between his brow, and his mouth was now drawn tight and straight in a pensive line.

His gaze locked onto her. "What I am about to tell you must stay between us for as long as possible."

"My life will soon be tied to yours. I'm fully aware that it's in my best interest to protect your best interest. You can trust me."