“Do you fear me?”
She smiles and turns to hang up more laundry. “No, you’re only dangerous to other people. Not to me."
"Never to you."
"Then I'm safe here."
The simplicity of her logic changes my assessment of her. Madison Sullivan isn't just accepting what I am, she's adapting to it.
"Franco will be finished soon," I say. "I'll swing back by to check the work tonight."
"Will you stay the night again?"
Direct. Shameless.
Exactly how I prefer my women.
"If you want."
She turns and flirtatiously winks at me over her shoulder. "Oh, I want."
I leave her there, hanging laundry without a care in the world while wearing my marks on her skin under her clothes.
Madison Sullivan is evolving from liability to asset in unexpected ways. A woman who understands what I am and doesn't flinch.
Yet.
And she’s mine.
And I always keep what I acquire.
Chapter 19: Maddie
I'm sitting in my newly electrified kitchen, sipping actual hot coffee and admiring Franco's excellent work on the wiring, when my phone buzzes with a FaceTime call.
My old college roommate Sarah's face fills the screen. She's clearly somewhere loud and chaotic. Behind her, I can see an airport terminal.
"Madison Sullivan, you sneaky bitch!" she shouts over the background noise. "Why didn't you tell us you were living in a fairy tale?"
My heart skips a beat. "Sarah? Where are you?"
"Rome! Jessica and I decided to take our girls' trip to Europe, and obviously we had to come see your Italian love nest." She turns the phone to show Jessica waving frantically in the background. "Surprise!"
Oh God. Oh no. This is not happening.
"You're in Rome right now?" My voice comes out higher than intended.
"We fly to Catania in three hours, then rent a car to drive up to your village. We looked it up and it's only like two hours from the airport." Sarah's grin is enormous. "I can't believe you didn't invite us to visit sooner!"
"Sarah, wait! This isn’t a good time."
"Don't you dare try to talk us out of this. We've already booked everything. We're staying for five days to see your house and meet this mysterious Italian businessman you've been so cagey about on social media."
Mysterious Italian businessman. If only she knew.
"You guys, this is really sudden. I mean, I wasn't expecting—"
"That's the point! Surprise visits are the best visits." Jessica leans into the frame, looking exactly like she did in college, all blonde highlights and infectious enthusiasm. "We want to see everything. The house, the village, the hot Italian guy you're obviously sleeping with but won't admit to."
