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“We’re here,” he says, the rasp in his voice telling me he’s just as effected as I am.

“And where is here?” I look out the window, but we seem to just be parked outside of someone’s house.

“Our house,” he says.

I whip my head back around to look at him. “Our house?”

“Yes, our house. I’ve owned it for a few years, and spent a year or so renovating it, but other than that, it’s completely empty.”

“But you have a place,” I say lamely, which makes him smile.

“Yes, I do. I have a very nice penthouse apartment, but this is different. This is a home for us. Come, let me show you.” Santino gets out and I keep my eyes trained on his as he rounds the front of the car and opens my door for me. I take his hand and look up at the beautiful brownstone from the sidewalk.

We walk up the steps and I look up and down the block as he fishes his keys from his pocket and opens the door.

An alarm goes off, and he promptly punches a code into the box on the wall beside the door. “A security update was one of the major things I had done. There are cameras covering every inch of the outside, sensors on all the windows, and a panic button hidden in the bedroom in case something happens in the middle of the night that alerts 911.”

“It sounds…” I search for the right word. “Safe?”

“I always want you to feel safe, even when I’m not around. Especially then. It will give me piece of mind, too, knowing you’re safe.”

I look around the empty living room and immediately see visions of what I’d put in here to make it look homey while working with the natural architecture and features to keep its charm. The floors are hardwood, the fireplace is framed by a vintage French-styled mantel showpiece, and the front window is rounded out and perfect for a seat beneath it. The staircase leading to the second floor is gorgeous with its hardwood paneling up the side, and my jaw drops when Santino leads me down the hall to the kitchen.

“Santino,” I whisper. “This kitchen is beautiful. It’s a dream, really. Did you pick everything out yourself?”

“I did.”

I smile at him. “You did a good job, Mr. Antonucci. I’m impressed.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Antonucci. This whole house is yours to do with what you’d like. Fill it with everything you want, change whatever you don’t like. I won’t be offended. Trust me.” He grins. “I want you to be comfortable and feel at home here. My apartment is yours as much as it’s mine, of course, but this will be all ours from the beginning.”

“Santino,” I breathe his name, stunned by the gesture. “This is a pretty big surprise.” He’s letting me make my own home.

“I suppose.”

“You know, giving me free rein on fully decorating and furnishing a house like this will force me to spend a lot of your money, right?” I giggle and cover my mouth, loving the look on his face. He looks equally pleased and nervous. “Don’t worry, husband, I won’t bankrupt you.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried, my wife.” Grabbing my hand, Santino spins me around and pulls me flush against him. “So, you like your surprise?”

“I love it,” I whisper. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he whispers, my eyes on his lips. “I’ve always wanted to own a brownstone, so I bought this one when the price was right, but I had no reason to live in it by myself. Especially when I could live down the hall from my brothers. But now…”

“Now?”

“Now, all I can picture is coming home to you here.”

“That sounds nice,” I say softly. “I can picture a lot of things with you in here.”

“You can?”

“Yes. Maybe because tonight has been so incredible, but I think I–” I cut myself off, seeing his eyes flare with a fierce desire. I almost just told him I was falling in love with him.

“You think you, what?” he prompts, urging me to continue.

“I think I,” I repeat, my voice barely above a whisper, afraid to say it out loud. In fact, I can’t say it out loud at all, but I can show him.

I throw my arms around his neck and bring his lips to mine in a crushing kiss that changes everything between us.

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