Page 237 of Forced Vows

Now and forever.

Chapter 81: RÓISE

I adjust the throw pillows on the couch for the third time in ten minutes.

Miceli's family is coming for dinner tonight. Aria, Severu, Catalina and even Giulia and her family are in town.

I should fluff the pillows on our bed. Pusheen likes to sleep there sometimes.

A strong arm wraps around my waist as I head in that direction. "Stop, mi dolce fiore. Everything looks great."

Sighing, I sag against him. "I just want it to be perfect."

"There's no such thing, unless we're talking about a certain sexy woman who left the Irish mob to become my wife."

Turning so I can see his gorgeous face, I smile. "There you go being perfect again, and we're not married yet."

"We will be soon."

That gives me so much more satisfaction than I ever believed it could.

"Yes, we will." Looking around the huge great room for anything out of place, I chew on my bottom lip. "But tonight, your family is going to see our newly decorated home for the first time."

"And my paintings."

Right. I shouldn't be nervous. I know it's going to be okay, but tonight, he's telling his family about his art and the studio he shared with his dad.

"You know what my studio here represents to me?" Miceli asks.

"A place where you can be yourself?"

"I am always myself," he declares arrogantly. "It represents your love for me. Your acceptance of all of who I am, not just the parts you are comfortable with."

"I do love all of you, even when I want to kick you in the shin." Miceli is a bossy, alpha male that has to be reined in sometimes, but he's my bossy, alpha male.

His lips tilt at one corner. "I never doubted it and that makes me a very lucky man."

"Remember that the next time we argue."

"Us argue? Never." This time his mouth curves in a fullblown grin.

"By never you mean the three days of war we waged before we settled on a compromise about the guards?" I don't want guards hanging out in the apartment all day, every day.

Miceli insists the full detail on duty be accessible to the penthouse.

"You must be referring to the three days of intense sexual passion we shared while discussing domestic matters."

I give him a look. "That air of innocence does not sit convincingly on your shoulders, Miceli, no matter what your doting mother told you."

But he's right about the passion. Every disagreement between us ends up with us naked in the bedroom, or on the sofa, or on one memorable occasion with me getting feasted on pressed up against the floor-to-ceiling window in Miceli's studio.

It was after that particular encounter, I agreed to the compromise of building a guard house on the west side of the terrace.

It means giving up some of our outdoor living space, but we have a lot of that. And the building will create a private balcony off the primary suite for me and Miceli, which we both like.

He wants to have sex in the hot tub. And I'm not against it.

Besides, we still have the south terrace that runs the entire width of our home for entertaining. The east terrace might be narrower than the one we're using for the guardhouse, but it's wide enough to install a play area for our niece and nephews.

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