He’d no longer been the skinny, bookish kid and the bullies had known it. After one particular fight, when he’d broken the nose of the ringleader and blackened the eyes of two others, they’d left him alone.
He hadn’t wanted to hit anyone since then. Until now.
How could anyone call Alessandra a slut?
‘Too many to name.’ She answered his question with a shrug.
‘How could they say such things? You were a child.’
‘I was seventeen. Old enough to know better.’
‘Do not tell me you blame yourself?’
lies.’ Her eyes pierced right through him. ‘I should have known not
men
staring at him with the same piercing
‘No!’ he said forcefully.
turned into my jailer, the few friends he’d permitted me to have turned their backs on me because their parents didn’t want me corrupting them and Rocco had the humiliation of reading untrue, lewd comments about his baby sister. I’m sorry, but I will never trust you, Christian. All I can do is try
never humiliate you or disrespect you.’ He rose from his seat, ignoring the throbbing pain across the front of his face, and crouched on his haunches before her. Placing a hand on her neck, he rubbed
one inhalation of her scent and his body responded, his
my wife.’ He spoke the words slowly. ‘If you do not believe anything else, believe that that means something to me. I will take my vows
said the same
and inhaled
of his stare, close enough for
lost her train of thought, suddenly pulled back to that night two months ago, his naked body
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