I released an exasperated breath, but I could feel that his mood was slightly lifting. “How many women have you slept with? You had your first time when you were thirteen, so you’ve had ten years before we married.” I’d been wondering about it for a while, even if I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer, but I knew it would distract Luca from whatever demons the meeting had called out.

Luca’s expression closed off. “That’s not important. It’s the past.”

“But I’d like to know.”

“It doesn’t matter if there were one hundred or one thousand before you, because now there’s only you, Aria,” Luca said firmly.

I sighed. Perhaps he was right but I couldn’t let it drop that easily. “One thousand?” I prompted, widening my eyes.

He smirked. “Nice try. Let’s just say I took what I could get.”

“And you got a lot,” I finished.

“Not important,” he murmured before he kissed me. I knew it shouldn’t be, but I couldn’t help wondering if a man who was used to being with so many women could ever settle for only one, especially one who’d learned everything she knew about sex from him.

chapter 3

ARIA

The mid-October sun kissed my skin as we disembarked from our private jet parked at the airport of Palermo. While the weather in New York had been gray and rainy, sunshine and warmth greeted us in Sicily.

I tilted my face up, relishing the touch of the sunrays on my skin. In preparation for the warmer climate, I’d put on my orange maxi dress with the ombre effect and the golden belt accentuating my waist, as well as my favorite flat golden sandals.

Luca’s hand tightened around mine and I slanted him a look, finding him scowling menacingly at our pilot who had been ogling me. I tugged at his hand and he focused on me, the scowl slipping away. “You are too beautiful.”

“Right,” I said with a laugh. “Let’s go. I want to see the yacht.” That, and I wanted to get away from the pilot before Luca decided to relieve him of a few limbs.

A driver waited for us beside a white Maserati SUV when we stepped out of the airport. “It’s a soldier of the Sicilian Famiglia. My great-uncle is Capo.”

My eyes widened. “Oh, really? Have you met him before?”

“Twice. He wasn’t at my father’s funeral because he was getting a pacemaker at the time. He’s in his seventies, so at some point his grandson Alessandro will take over.”

“Not his son?”

“Dead. Killed by the Camorra. They rule over Naples and Campania.”

“Oh. What about the Camorra in the States?”

“They keep to themselves in the West. Benedetto Falcone is as crazy as they come.”

We arrived at the car. Our driver, a tall guy around Luca’s age with dark hair and a dark beard, shook Luca’s hand and introduced himself as Alessandro in Italian. Luca seemed surprised, then said in fluent Italian: “I didn’t recognize you. It’s been a while. I didn’t expect my great-uncle to send his own grandson to greet me.”

Alessandro inclined his head. “A sign of respect, Luca, as men of honor.” He turned to me and his eyes traveled the length of me, obviously surprised before he met my gaze and spoke to me in accented English. “It’s an honor to meet the woman with the golden hair who brought truce between the Outfit and the Famiglia.”

I almost snorted.

Luca’s vigilant gaze rested on the other man. “She’s also my wife.”

It annoyed me that they spoke English with me, expecting me to be incapable of speaking Italian. Perhaps I was famous for my beauty, but I had finished school best in class and could have gone to any Ivy League college I wanted if I wasn’t who I was.

I smiled despite my annoyance, and said in flawless Italian, “I didn’t bring truce, Luca did because he is the best Capo New York has ever seen.”

Both men regarded me in astonishment and I raised my eyebrows at Luca. Appreciation flickered in his gaze before he returned his attention to Alessandro. “Does my great-uncle expect a visit today?”

Relief settled in my bones when Alessandro shook his head. “He knows you’ll want to enjoy your honeymoon with your wife. But before you leave for New York, he’d appreciate a meeting.”

“Of course,” Luca said. We got into the car after Alessandro had helped Luca load our luggage into the trunk. Luca and I sat in the back, which Alessandro didn’t seem to mind. I had a feeling Luca wanted to keep an eye on the other man, so I was glad when Alessandro dropped us off at the harbor and drove off. Luca rolled our two suitcases down the long landing toward a black-and-white yacht, and not a small one as I’d expected. Luca helped me climb on the boat, then hoisted our luggage on deck.

“Can you drive that thing?” I asked.

Luca grinned. “Yes. It’s like driving a car.”

I doubted that. He led me down to the lower decks, which were the epitome of luxurious chic with parts of the ceiling being made from glass to allow a view of the sky. The furniture, walls and carpets ranged in color from white to cream with a few darker wood elements. The seating area and the dining table were built for at least eight people. Luca kept moving until we arrived at the master bedroom with its own en-suite. The king-sized bed had a cream-colored canopy, and mirrors over the headboard as well as at the top of the canopy. I walked toward it and regarded the mirrors, half-embarrassed, half-curious.

Luca watched me with his arms crossed, and a hungry expression on his face. “Can’t wait to see your gorgeous body from every angle when I’m inside you.”

My cheeks burned. I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea of being watched like that, and worse, watching myself.

Luca walked up to me and stroked my cheek. “Still innocent.”

I frowned. It wasn’t exactly that. I just wasn’t keen on having my body presented in every unfavorable angle possible. “I’m not sure I need to see so much of myself.”

Luca laughed. “Don’t tell me you are self-conscious, Aria. Fuck. I almost killed the pilot, the ground personnel and Alessandro because of their leering, and you feel self-conscious of that body.” He gestured at me.

“Just because others don’t see my imperfections doesn’t mean I don’t.”

He laughed again. “Perfection all over, Aria, trust me on that. I’ve seen so many women naked, and all of them would have given their left kidney to be half as gorgeous as you.”

“You have to say that as my husband,” I said, but I was starting to relax despite the mirrors. What did it matter if I wasn’t happy with the way I looked, as long as Luca thought of me as beautiful?

He touched my waist and leaned down to my ear. “I don’t have to do anything. It’s the truth. Now come, before I throw you on the bed and show you just how fucking sexy you are to me.”

I would have been perfectly fine with that, but I followed him to the upper deck and then up to the elevated pilot’s cockpit. “Wow,” I said.

Luca smirked. “Wait a sec. I have to release the moorings.” When he returned a few minutes later, he got behind the steering wheel and started the engine. I watched in fascination as he pressed buttons and checked all kinds of displays I had no clue about. Concentration filled Luca’s face as he steered the yacht out of the harbor and onto the open water.