“This is a nonnegotiable.”
“When Father Barone pronounces us man and wife and tells me to kiss my bride, Iwillbe kissing you,” he grinds out.
The way the vein in his temple pulses tells me he’s ready to go to war for this kiss. Is it worth fighting over? I let out a sigh. “Fine.One kiss.That’s all you get.”
“For now,” he mumbles under his breath, but I hear it clear as day.
“What was that?”
“I said, sounds good to me,” he says with a tight smirk on his face.
I roll my eyes. “So, condition number four is accepted? No sex. One kiss. Minimal touching.”
“Unless you beg me. Write that in.”
“I’m not writing that in.”
“Write it in or I’m leaving.”
“Massimo …”
“Liana …”
There’s a silent standoff between the two of us for what feels like several long minutes before I finally concede, taking my pen and writing in his ridiculous demand.
Just remember why you’re doing this, Liana.
“There, your absurd request has been written in.”
“Good girl,” he says, and I hate how it instantly has the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, sending a jolt of electricity straight to my core.
What the hell?
Doing my best to ignore it, I say, “Condition number five—I’m assuming if I ask to continue residing in my apartment, you’re going to throw a fit about it?”
“You’renotstaying in your own apartment. You will move into my penthouse.That’sa nonnegotiable.”
“I figured,” I mumble. “Seems like I’m the one being a lot more reasonable than you. You’re welcome…” Moving on before he has a rebuttal, I say, “Because I have to move in with you, condition number five is that I have my own room.”
“No.” He shakes his head.
“Yes.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Why not?” I demand.
“I don’t think you understand what’s happening, Liana. You and I are going to get married, which means we’ll be husband and wife. You’ve already asked a lot of me. I refuse to go the rest of our lives as roommates. That’s not what we are.”
“We’re not really anything, Massimo, so I’d say roommates is a step up.”
“You will sleep inmybed. That’s it,” he grinds out.
“Not going to happen.”
“Stoparguing with me. You’re making this so much more difficult than it needs to be.”
I smile sweetly at him. “I’m just giving you a little sneak of what married life will be like with me.”
