My throat tightens and I snatch my hand back, hiding it from him and prying eyes. “Anything is better than being yours or another man’s ‘possession’, and yes, I do love it here.”
His jaw ticks subtly and I might not have noticed if I wasn’t devouring his face with my eyes. He stares at me, long and hard, but he doesn’t speak.
Feeling unusually tiny under the intensity of his gaze, I whisper, bitterness clogging my throat. “Does she know you’re here? Your wife?”
His lips curl into a cruel smirk. “Valentina understands not to meddle in my affairs.”
Blood rushes to my cheeks and I look away, curling my hands in my lap. “Why are you here, Zefiro? What do you want?”
“I got impatient.” His eyes are dark. “You’ve had a year to think. It’s about time you came back to me.”
“I’ll pass on that,
