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“What about Matteo?”

“I trust Matteo But Matteo is hot-headed He’d get hi to defend me”

It was strange talking to Luca, to my husband like this, almost like we knew each other “Nobody will doubt ive them what they want to see”

Luca sat up and my eyes were drawn to the tattoo, then took in the muscles of his chest and stoaze

“You should be wearing ohen the harpies arrive I don’t want thehs It’s better when they wonder if I left marks on you,” he said Then he smirked “But we can’t hide your face from them”

He bent over me and his hand ca

“This is the second ti to hit you,” he said in a low voice

My eyes flew open “I thought you said…” I trailed off

“What? That everyone expects you to have bruises on your face after a night with me? I don’t hit women”

I re ainst e code of rules they followed You couldn’t stab a man in the back, but you could cut his throat that way for example I wasn’t sure what made one better than the other Luca see so your as not

“How am I supposed to believe you can convince everyone we’ve consu away from my touch?”

“Believewill make everyone believe the lie evenaway from your touch if you’d taken what’s yours The more I flinch the more they will take you for the monster you want them to think you are”

Luca chuckled “I think you ame of power than I expected”

I shrugged “My father is Consigliere”