Nico’s lips thinned when my husband pulled me roughly onto his thigh. “It’s a mistake, Enzo. You’re going to regret it.”

“I’m not. When it’s your turn, you’ll do the same.”

A laugh, thin and cold, fell out of him. “Hell will freeze over before I let a woman rule me.” With a shake of his head, he walked out and kicked the door shut behind him.

His hand fell on my thigh, hot and heavy. “Next time I tell you to wear something decent, do that,” he said, in a tight tone.

I twisted around in his arms. He looked less angry now. “Is that why you were mad?”

“Can’t have you meet my filthy lawyer dressed like that,” he muttered darkly. “He’s good. A shark at his job, but he fucks anything that moves.”

I felt bad now for defying him. He had only been trying to protect me. “I’ll listen. The next time.”

He put his head back and laughed. Like I was incapable of keeping my word.

“I promise.”

He met my gaze. “Yeah? I have a promise of my own.”

There was a somber tone to his voice I didn’t like. “Okay…”

“I’ve signed some papers that allow my brothers to take everything away from me if I cheat on you.”

Wait? What?

He had lost his mind. That was it. He couldn’t be serious. I waited for a laugh. A touch of dark amusement on his lips or twitch of a grin in his eyes. There wasn’t any.

“You can’t be serious.”

His eyes dropped to my hands, and I followed them to find my hands clutching his open collar. Didn’t even know I had leaned over and done that. His big hand, rough and calloused, wrapped around mine. It was ridiculous. All of it.

“I’m serious. No one’s messing with you. Even me. Faithfulness isn’t a word, Principessa. It’s about an affirmation of a decision every day. This is the only way I know to prove it to you. I mean it when I say you’re the only woman in my life. If, God forbid, I step out of line, Nico and Stefano have agreed to take everything away from me.”

His words of lunacy ripped through me. There was a weight on my chest, and it was heavy as an anchor bolting me. “Everything?”

“Everything.” His eyes sparked dangerously. “Even you. I’m not allowing you to be hurt. Even by me.”

I stumbled off him and grabbed onto his desk. “I don’t want it.”

A hot hiss of breath left him. “It’s not your choice.”

“Take it back.”

“It’s already done.”

“No,” I screamed, and my loud, thin voice filled all the walls of his office. “Take it back, or I’m walking out.”

A flash of movement, his chair smashed the wall, and he pinned me against the desk. “How many fucking times do I have to tell you. The only way you’ll leave me is in a fucking box, and even then, I’ll follow you to six feet under.”

My chest heaved. It hurt, and I didn’t know why. “Please…” My voice cracked. “Don’t do this.”

“It’s already done, Principessa. There’s nothing you can do about it.” A rough thumb graced my cheek. There was so much emotion in his eyes. Too much for me to bear.

What had I done? He did this for me. “Take it back, and I’ll show you I trust you. I don’t need your damn wealth.”

“You can show me you trust me, even with this. It’s just money and power. It’s nothing if I don’t have you.”

I squeezed my eyes shut. The inside of my heart felt hollow and yet so damn heavy. I trembled with emotion and sagged against his chest. “Is this what Stefano meant?”