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“Thank you, my bride,” he purrs, and my insides completely melt and pool in my panties. “Are you ready to go?”

“I am.”

He holds his hand out for me to take and I stare at it for a beat before slowly placing mine in his. He squeezes it and then laces our fingers together.

I grab my purse from the bed, but before we leave, he takes me into the kitchen where a huge bouquet of pink lilies are on display on the counter.

“Santino,” I breathe. “They’re gorgeous. Do they mean something too? Like the white ones?”

I touch their soft petals and Santino wraps his arm around me to tell me, “Pink lilies represent grace, beauty, compassion, femininity, and admiration. You possess the first four, and I feel nothing but admiration towards you,farfalla.”

“Santino,” I whisper. “I love them. The spa day was wonderful too. Thank you.”

Santino plants a soft kiss to the spot below my ear and then takes my hand again. “You’re welcome, my bride. Now come, we have reservations.”

As we’re waiting for the elevator to arrive, Santino’s brothers happen to show up and Albie whistles appreciatively. “Look, Emilio, the newlyweds are all dressed up. Date night?”

Santino’s jaw flexes and I squeeze his hand, getting him to look down at me. I offer him a reassuring smile because I know his brother is just trying to get a rise out of him.

“Santino’s taking me to dinner,” I tell his brothers.

“How nice of him. And may I say, you look ravishing tonight, Mia.”

“No, you may not say that,” Santino growls. “Don’t look at her.”

Emilio and Albie laugh together. “Then maybe you should hide her away if you don’t want anyone to look at your wife.”

“Please don’t give him ideas,” I chime in. I wrap my free hand around Santino’s forearm and he looks down at me again, his eyes softening immediately. “They’re your brothers and they know what to say to set you off. Relax.”

His shoulders drop and his eyes roam over my face. “Maybe Ishouldhide you away,” he says with a smirk, his eyes full of humor.

“You promised me dinner and a surprise, and I’m starving. You should know if I’m left hungry too long, I can’t be held responsible for what I do or say.”

Santino barks out a sexy laugh and swoops down to kiss my cheek, catching me by surprise. “Alright, let’s go.”

His brothers step back. “We’ll take the next one,” Emilio says when the elevator arrives.

“It’s okay, you can ride down with us,” I tell them, but Santino ushers me forward and punches the button for the garage level before Emilio or Albie can even try to join us.

“Thank you, Mia, but we’ll wait. It was nice to see you again,” Emilio says, and I smile at the two of them as the doors slide closed.

“Your brothers are nice. Funny, too.”

“They’re not,” Santino says through gritted teeth.

“They are.” I laugh. “And in case you have some weird thoughts on me wanting them in any way simply because I’m nice to them, then we should nip those in the bud right now.”

“I know you don’t want them.”

“You do? Then why are you so tense around them and defensive?”

“Because they should be more respectful of my wife, that’s why. I don’t like them looking at you the way I do.”

“To be fair, no one looks at me the way you do,” I say without thinking, and Santino flashes me a wolfish grin, like I just gave him all the bait he needed before going in for the kill.

“Damn fucking right no one does.” He backs me up until my back hits the cool metal of the wall and lifts my chin with his finger while pressing his other to the spot against the wall beside my head. “I want to kiss you so damn badly,farfalla.”

It’s all I’ve thought about today, and honestly, I don’t think I could get through dinner without kissing him again.