Page 20 of Angelo

"You need to be on my side.Not eventually. But always."

Without thinking, she fired back, "Is that what you think love is supposed to be?"

Elyse seized up the moment the word flew off of her tongue.

Fuck!

Alessandro took notice of it as well. As the corner of his mouth quirked up, their heated debate seemed to be temporarily forgotten. "Love, you say?"

In a flustered state, she tried to divert his attention by returning to the argument at hand. "How can I stand by your side when you refuse to let me in?"

Her husband wasn't ready to let it go, though. Alessandro scooted closer to her on the bed, taunting, "I am very curious, wife. What do you know about love?"

"Not much," Elyse grumbled.

"What a shame. I know whomyheart belongs to..."

She gulped. "Do you?"

"I wonder, though," he teased with shrewd eyes, "whoyoursbelongs to?"

The bastard was doing this on purpose to provoke her, and his efforts were successful. Elyse snapped, "If you don't know by now, you're fucking blind."

With a low chuckle, Alessandro leaned over to press his forehead against hers. "So, youloveme, then?"

Elyse balked in dismay. This wasn't how she had imagined confessing her love to Alessandro at all. But she couldn't bring herself to deny him any longer. Her heart wouldn't allow it.

"I do," she stated quietly, elegantly.

Brown and blue-gray eyes filled with a most potent sort of emotion, so intense that Elyse felt as though his gaze might burn her alive. He didn't utter another word. He simply reacted, shoving her down to the mattress to kiss hersenseless. His mouth crushed hers, fiercely passionate and all-consuming, and she gave into him fully.

When his hands started trailing down her body, however, Elyse mumbled, "Stop."

Alessandro gazed down at her through hooded eyes. He looked surprised. "What?"

"You're always trying to fuck me."

"Is that so wrong? I am very good at it."

She stammered, "But I-I just told you that I..."

I love you.

Elyse couldn't bring herself to say those three little words. Not until she knew for sure how Alessandro felt about her.

"That you," he goaded her smugly, "what?"

"Isn't there something you want to say," she prompted in a sullen tone, "to me?"

A sly grin spread across his face. "I have already said it to you before. Maybe once or twice. If you missed it, the oversight is your loss."

Elyse's eyebrows nearly flew to the ceiling. What the fuck was he talking about?

Alessandro possessed the gall to laugh at her bewilderment. "Do not look so shocked,cuore mio."

Elyse had no idea when Alessandro had confessed his feelings for her. For all she knew, he was probably messing around with her.

"Are you saying that you love me, too?" she demanded.

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