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He tilted his head in acknowledgeht his hand up and cupped my face “What I meant earlier was that your face doesn’t look like you’ve been kissed”

My eyes widened “I’ve never…” But of course he knew that already

His lips collided with ainst his chest, but I didn’t push hiave in and hesitantly touched ue to his I wasn’t sure what to do and looked at Luca wide eyed, but he took lead, as his tongue and lips ravishedthat sort of intimacy, but it wasn’t unpleasant I lost track of tiainst ainst le instead that it bothered th as his body pressed against me Eventually he pulled back, eyes dark with desire I shivered, not only from fear

Insistent knocking sounded and Luca swung his legs out of bed and stood I sucked in a breath at the sight of the bulge in his briefs

He smirked “A man is supposed to have a boner when he wakes up beside his bride, don’t you think? They want a show, they’ll get a show” He nodded toward the bathroorab a bathrobe”

I quickly leaped out of bed with its stained bedsheet and hurried into the bathroo white satin bathrobe and put it over own before I picked up the reht

When I stepped back into the bedrooun and knife holster on over his naked chest, another knife strap with a longer hunting knife onto his forear the small cut, and reposition his stiffness so it was even more obvious

My cheeks hot, I moved further into the roo dress Luca was a ht with his tall frae in his pants A hint of curiosity filled me How did he look without the pants?

I leaned against the wall beside theand wrapped an arm around myself, suddenly worried that someone would realize Luca hadn’t slept withwasn’t right?

I braced athered woles and even a few ht have been prayers or curses, they were spoken too fast and quiet for me to hear I had to stifle a snort

“We’ve come to collect the sheets,” Luca’s steplee

Luca stepped back, opening the door wider At once several wo to the bed and the stain, then to h it wasn’t my blood on the sheets How could these woinity? Didn’t they have any coh the same as they had I looked away, unable to bear their scrutiny Let theuests had left, especially politicians and other non-mafia folk; only the closest family was supposed to bear witness to the presentation of the sheets, but froathered in the corridor and in the bedroom, you wouldn’t have known

Only woe were allowed to be present when the sheets were taken down – as not to frighten the pure virgin eyes of younger girls I could seethe spectators, as well as my mother, Valentina and Bibiana, but the women from Luca’s family were in the front since it was their tradition, not ours Now it is yours as well, I ree Luca met my eyes briefly from across the roorateful toward rateful for so like that But in our world you had to be thankful for the smallest kindness, especially from a man like Luca, especially when he didn’t have to be kind