Page 126 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

“Look,” she says, pulling a dress from the hangers.

She holds it up to herself, turning slightly, so she can see it in the mirror.

“Wow,” I say, and I mean it.

“Right? It’s going to look insane,” she says.

She comes back to me. My hand rests on the island, and she sets hers over it, her fingers brushing mine before she steps in closer.

“Thank you,” she says, her voice softer now.

She presses into me, looking up. My hand turns, covering hers fully.

“You deserve it,” I say. Every single thing.

She rises on her toes, and I lean down, meeting her halfway to brush a kiss to her lips.

“I’m going to change, and then we can head down to dinner, okay?”

“Okay.”

We stop in front of the dining room, and Katie groans.

“Not this room again.”

I ignore her.

Frank opens the door the second we approach. “Good evening, Mr. Amato.”

“Frank.”

“Hi, Frank,” Katie says, stepping in ahead of me. “I’m Katie.”

Frank’s expression softens as he looks at her. “Nice to meet you, Miss Miller.”

“You can call me Katie.”

“No,” I say, already moving past them, my hand finding her wrist and guiding her toward the table. “He can’t.”

“Rude,” she says, dropping into the chair I pull out for her.

“The house staff does not use first names,” I tell her, taking my seat. “Not mine. Not yours. The only exception is Beatrice. I am the head of this household. You are my girlfriend. They will address us properly.”

“That’s so lame.”

I exhale slowly, pulling my napkin into my lap.

“Why would you even want to eat in here?” she goes on, glancing around. “It’s just the two of us.”

The door opens behind her, and Luca and Marco step inside.

She turns. “Are they joining us?”

“No.”

“Why are they in here?”

“They’re my security, Katie.”