I’m still basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking at the base and on top of the Campanile the next morning, but Dante seems to have something else on his mind.

“Have you given Rome any more thoughts?” he asks during breakfast.

He sips his coffee and looks at me with expectation over the rim of his cup.

I smile back at him and pick up my own cup. Again, he has prepared my coffee the way I like it, just perfect. I love that he’s eager to see new things with me, but I’m not sure about going to Rome.

“I don’t know,” I say truthfully. “Seeing anything with you is nothing short of amazing, Dante. But there’s so much right here in Venice—and a lot has happened in only three days.”

Not to mention Luciano. Would the little pigeon like a change of scenery? It’s only been three days.

What was supposed to be just a spring break for Allison and myself ended up as a thrilling adventure ride. Instead of taking Ryan as my man, I’ve married Dante.

Or rather, Dante has made me marry him.

“Of course,” he says sweetly, “it’s been a lot. But Nicole, aren’t you having a great time with me?”

Thinking back to yesterday’s ecstasy at the top of the bell tower, I start blushing and quickly lean in to kiss him. We linger, caressing each other’s lips.

“Yes, I am,” I whisper, “I’d enjoy it anywhere with you.”

I gently stroke Luciano in my lap and feed him croissant crumbs from the breakfast table.

“That baby pigeon adores you,” Dante says full of affection. “Just like I do.”

“Aww, Dante,” I melt.

But then, he softly claps his hands and gets Luciano’s attention. Dante extends his finger, Luciano looks at it and hops right on, just like that.

“Hey,” I protest mildly, but I’m amazed at how the bird takes to him.

Dante is so good at everything. I still can’t believe he worked as an animal rescuer in his life, among other things. But then again, everything about Dante is simply incredible.

“Don’t take him from me,” I coo.

Dante brings Luciano up to his face and starts necking the bird with his nose. But he comes over to my chair, places the pigeon back in my lap and kisses my forehead and hair, standing over me.

“I’d never take anything from you that you’re not willing to give, Nicole. I hope you know that.”

I touch his arm and smile up at him. He’s definitely proven that when he made love to me. I could feel his desire and how he put me at the center of everything to make this first time so special and extraordinary.

He goes over to the window and looks out at the city.

His eyes stare off into the distance, and I sense his restlessness. He’s seen so much more of the world than me, and he’s hungry for adventure.

I know that, and I’m in love with that part of him.

We wouldn’t be here together if he hadn’t been daring.

But what if I’m ever not enough to satisfy that urge in him anymore? Won’t he go off chasing after the next adventure?

He turns around and looks back at me.

“You know Rome is called The Eternal City? The Capital of the World. I’d actually like to see it—with you, of course.”

So he still has the proposed trip on his mind.

“I was thinking, just three days is enough, and then we could come back here to Venice.” He opens his arms to point out our suite, the view of the city from the window.

“I’d be interested in the Colosseum, Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon, and the Fontana di Trevi.”

His excitement is contagious, and the thought of travel with Dante lifts me up. After all, don’t we deserve a little honeymoon, even more so under our extraordinary circumstances?

But I notice how he’s been talking a lot about himself all of a sudden—it’s never been me, me, me before with Dante. Maybe deep down, he’s just as egotistic and self-absorbed as Ryan.

“Nicole, what do you say?”

He’s back at my chair and lowers himself to bring his face close to mine. He looks directly into my eyes, and it takes me back to that first kiss in masks in my suite.

That made me feel I’d do anything for this man.

“I say we do it,” I exclaim.

He kisses my lips, and my insides are fluttering. I can’t wait for Dante to make love to me again.

How can I compare Dante to Ryan? He’s nothing like my former fiancé who abandoned me and stood me up.

No, Dante will always be there for me. Twice already he’s saved me.

“At least there are no canals in Rome for me to fall into,” I joke.

I get all flustered when I remember losing my virginity to him on the private gondola. He was full of lust and care. I’d get more aroused picturing it, but a doubt rises in me.

What if I’m too inexperienced for him?

I push myself out of the chair and settle Luciano back into the nest we’ve built for him. I dance over to Dante and sling my arms around his neck.

“Thank you.”

He tilts his head back in surprise.

“What for?”

“For being there for me. For being you.”

I place my head on his shoulder and am happy to just hold him, but he breaks our embrace.

“Let’s start packing for Rome then. We can leave today.”

“Okay,” I agree reluctantly.

We open various suitcases and bags on the bed. I start going over my wonderful new wardrobe to put together dresses and outfits for Rome.

“How did you know my favorite colors?”

“Isn’t a husband supposed to know these things?” he winks.

“You probably just asked Allison,” I say. I don’t meant to, but it comes out snappy.

He looks slightly hurt but puts on a smile and stands next to me.

“I like the sundress you wore at the winery,” he says and brushes his hand against where he kissed me in-between my legs. Aroused, I look forward to more of his affection, but he turns to my clothes instead.

“You’d also look beautiful in this one,” he points out. “And if we go to the opera, you could wear that.”

“I don’t know,” I defy him. “I actually had something else in mind.”

I’m grateful to Dante for the new wardrobe and everything he’s done. But I’m also painfully reminded of Ryan selecting my clothes for me and limiting my choices.

“Of course,” he backs off. “You’re free to wear what you want. You should enjoy yourself, feel comfortable—and I know you look beautiful in all of these.”

“Thank you.”

I mean that honestly, but again, it comes out sounding wrong.

While we fold clothes, Dante is all over the place, leafing through a guidebook and pulling up web pages on his phone. I enjoy hearing him mention restaurants and cafés, the sights of Rome, and the hidden gems of the city he intends to show me.

But he hasn’t asked me if there’s anything in particular I want to see. It seems he’s already putting together a whole itinerary for our trip on the spot, and I feel overwhelmed.

I need a time-out. I stop him mid-sentence by placing a finger on his chin.

“Be right back.”

I lock myself in the bathroom.

Where’s Alli when I need her? She was so right about Ryan all along.

She kept pointing out his true character, and I didn’t see it.

Could Dante be the very same, and I just fail to notice it?

They were friends for all these years, they must have something in common!

I call Allison, but she doesn’t pick up. She’s busy with her friend, thinking I’m happily married and don’t need her anymore.

And I am happy, I remind myself. Dante is sensual, loving, gentle, patient...

We love the same things, he encourages me to explore my art, and he allows me to be who I really am, unlike Ryan.

But isn’t he also controlling me? He kept pushing the trip to Rome quite strongly.

Why? Rome is where Ryan cheated on me! In the end, was it just about the conquest for Dante, and now he wants to follow in Ryan’s footsteps?

I can’t bear these thoughts and try to wash them away with cold water on my face. When I step out of the bathroom, I find Dante pacing between clothes and suitcases. When he sees me, he goes back to packing.

But as I approach the bed, he drops a stack of shirts and meets me. He takes my face into his hands and looks me directly in the eyes.

“Nicole,” he says, “I know something’s wrong. You must feel that something’s off. I understand a lot has happened in the past three days. Things have moved so fast that it must be upsetting to you. I have to admit, I’m a little overwhelmed myself. But every time I look at you, I’m reassured. We’re in this together.”

He sounds as if he’s speaking from his heart, and Ryan never gave me intense looks like this.

“So, in your own time,” Dante goes on, “whenever you’re ready, please tell me what it is. I’m here to help. Promise me you’ll tell me.”

“I promise,” I say, but I’m confused.

Is he being honest and sincere, or is he controlling me by making me promise?

Right now, I’m not sure what he really feels.