Page 43 of Broken Crown

She stared back without blinking.

Her simple comment was a knife blade in my gut, twisting with surgical precision.

And worse…she knew it.

My lips thinned and I took a long, calming inhale, filling my lungs with the scent of her perfume mixed with the courtyard's flowers, while inside I raged.

Goddamn it. It would make my plans so much easier if she were pregnant.

I just didn't know how badly I wanted it for other…more personal…reasons until this moment.

The thought of her swollen with my child sent a possessive heat through my veins that nearly made my knees buckle.

Reining in my emotions, I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, lingering for a heartbeat. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll keep trying."

Her mouth opened on a gasp at my audacious comment.

I didn’t give her a chance to take me to task, placing my hand on her lower back and ushering her forward, the heat of her skin warming my palm through the thin fabric. "Let me introduce you to my sister."

As expected, Arabella greeted her warmly, practically bouncing across the courtyard, her heels clicking against the stone.

Embracing Sabrina and giving her a kiss on each cheek, she exclaimed, "My God, you are gorgeous! Sebastian said as much, but I didn't believe it was humanly possible to be as pretty as he described, and you are... I hate you! Just kidding. We are going to be great friends!"

Arabella pulled her forward, chatting animatedly about all the future shopping trips and bougie lunches she was going to plan with her. Sabrina looked over her shoulder at me the whole way, the expression in her eyes equal parts confusion and a plea for rescue.

Fortunately for both of them, Arcangelo and Rafaello behaved like gentlemen, though I noted how Arcangelo's gaze lingered a moment too long on the curve of her neck.

Just because they were my blood didn't mean I wouldn't get jealous. The urge to mark her as mine in front of them vibrated through me with every beat of my heart.

After the greetings finished, I pulled Sabrina back against my side, having already missed her warmth.

I splayed my fingers possessively across her hip. "Have you ever played bocce?"

She shook her head.

I handed her one of the balls, intentionally letting my fingers brush against hers. "Well, now is the time to learn. You won't be a proper Italian until you do."

Rafaello winked in her direction, a crumb from the arancini ball he bit into catching at the corner of his mouth. "Careful. He doesn't play fair."

Sabrina laughed. "You don't have to tell me that."

Her shoulders stiffened at the comment and she nervously glanced up at me, her teeth catching her lower lip.

I leaned down and kissed her temple, breathing her in. "No one expects the devil to play fair when he seduces an innocent."

With that, I shifted my hand to briefly brush over the curve of her ass, her muscles tense beneath my touch.

She inhaled sharply, the sound audible only to me.

Through the thin chiffon of her gown, her nipples hardened, the peaks visible beneath the delicate fabric.

I wasn't even going to try not to see that as a win.

She followed my gaze, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking her tongue out at me, the pink tip darting out between her lips.

"Careful, little one. I can think of more than a few ways to use that tongue." My voice dropped to a growl meant only for her ears.

She whispered back, "I told you, I have my period."