He was back.

My heart raced as I tugged off my sunglasses and stared at Luc across the crystal blue pool. After two nights with no word from him, I’d started to wonder if he’d ever return. But here he was, all broad shouldered and chiseled features, and just as dark and dangerous and tempting as he’d ever been.

My stomach tightened as he moved around the pool, his long legs in those khaki slacks eating up the space between us as if it were nothing. My mouth grew dry as my gaze lifted to the white button-down stretched across his strong chest and rolled midway up his muscular forearms. But it was the thick dark stubble on his square jaw and the unsettled look in his gray eyes that held my attention. That and the way he lifted one big hand and rubbed the back of his neck in a way that made me think he was nervous and apprehensive and just the slightest bit stressed.

Stressed was good, wasn’t it? Nervous meant he still felt something for me. I’d been driving myself crazy since the moment I’d awoken in that chair in my room and discovered he was gone. I knew he’d found the list I’d made. I knew not only because he’d left the island, but because I’d asked Sela if she’d been the one to pick up my things and cover me with that blanket, and she’d had no clue what I’d been talking about.

He stopped yards from me and sank to the end of a chaise two seats away, clearly wanting to stay out of my reach. I tried not to read too much into that.

“I hope you’re wearing sunscreen,” he said, not meeting my eyes. “Even in the morning, the rays down here can be harsh.”

I licked my lips as he leaned forward to rest his muscular forearms on his knees. His words weren’t spoken with any kind of bite, but they were definitely guarded, and tired, and his voice held none of the warmth I’d heard when he’d held me close in his bed and whispered sweet words in my ear.

“I love you, Natalie.”

My heart bumped all over again as those words flittered through my memory. Words I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about since I’d awoken to find him gone.

Oh, I was a fool. A fool for leaving his bed that night. A fool for making that stupid list. A fool for being such a royal bitch to him from the moment I’d awoken on this island. I still didn’t agree with some—okay, many—of the things he’d done, but I understood his reasons. And I believed now that he’d done all of it only to keep me safe. I believed it so much, I’d made a second list, a “pro” list. One he hadn’t seen that morning because I’d fallen asleep with it clutched tightly to my chest. One with only one item. One item that had overridden every one of the items on the other list.

I love him.

And I did love him. I’d fallen in love with Luc in Italy. Madly and completely. I don’t know why. I don’t know how. After my screwed up childhood, I’d honestly never believed love was real. But I understood now the love I carried inside for him—the intensity of that love—was the reason I’d felt so betrayed when I’d awoken here.

For years my mother had been telling me that my biggest fault was cutting people out of my life the moment they wronged me in any way. I’d done that with my father—after the incident at the lake, a good year before he’d died of a heart attack. I’d done it with my ex—the instant he’d broken up with me, I’d deleted him from all my social media and blocked him from contacting me, and I hadn’t returned any of his calls, even when he’d left dozens of messages on my voice mail admitting he’d made a mistake. I’d even sort of done it with Elena—not to the same degree, but I had felt betrayed when she’d moved to New York and left me behind in Boise. I’d felt lost and alone, and I’d hated that she’d so easily moved on without me. It was why I’d made excuses for not visiting her even when she’d repeatedly begged me to come see her in New York. And it was why I’d been so desperate to find out what had happened to her. Because I’d felt like shit for turning my back on her when she’d needed me most.

I couldn’t change the past. But I could change the future. What had Sela said to me? Taking a chance was frightening. Well I was frightened now, scared to death that it was too late with Luc. But over the last two days I’d done nothing but think about him and me and us...and I knew Sela was right. If I didn’t take a chance now, I was doomed to repeat the past. I’d be stuck in the same place for the rest of my life. And I didn’t want that. I wanted Luc. I wanted the man who’d brought my heart and mind and body to life in a mere matter of days. I wanted him so much, I was even willing to put everything else aside—including my safety—all for a few more precious days with him.

I swallowed hard, wanting to tell him all that, but unsure if I should. He kept glancing away, the look in his stormy eyes one that made me think he no longer wanted me, and that I was nothing but a huge waste of his time.

Panic surged inside me. A panic I didn’t know how to abate.

“I...I am,” I managed. “But I like it out here. I like this house. It’s...beautiful.”

He huffed as if he didn’t believe me, and that panic inside surged higher, tightening the air in my lungs. “Luc, I—”

“I’m leaving, Natalie.”

“What? What do you mean? You just got back.”

“I have to return to Italy. Right away.”

Just that word—Italy—drained the blood from my face and sent my pulse skipping, not with nerves this time, but with fear. “W-why?”

“Dante’s in trouble.”

Oh shit. “What kind of trouble?”

He hesitated, and for a heartbeat, I was sure he wasn’t going to tell me, then he rubbed his forehead with two fingers and said, “Maricella is missing. A trusted source contacted me two days ago to let me know. That’s why I left. I had to get far enough from this island so I could make some calls without alerting anyone to our position here. Dante...” Luc’s shoulders tensed as he shifted his hand to his nape and rubbed at the spot again. “I guess he lost it and went after my father. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I need to find out. I don’t expect you to understand the way things work in my House, but this is serious. Dante’s not the heir to the Salvatici House. He’s not even the spare. He’s just—”

“Your brother.”

He dropped his hand, and his gaze finally met mine. And when our eyes held, I didn’t see apprehension in his uniquely sexy irises anymore, I saw fear. A fear that rocked me to my core. “Yeah.”

My mouth grew dry. I didn’t know what to say. Wasn’t sure what to think. All I knew was that Italy was not a safe place for him, not after the things he’d done to protect me from his House.

In the silence, Luc exhaled and looked down at his hands. “I need to find out what’s going on and how bad it is. I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. A week. Two at the most. I only came back to tell you I’m leaving and to pack a few things. You’ll be fine here with Sela and Haych. Just listen to what they say and try not to cause too much trouble for them.”

He pushed to his feet and turned for the house, and in a rush, I realized he was done with me.

Disbelief surged to the forefront of my mind, shoving aside my own fear. I lurched to my feet. “That’s it?”

Slipping one hand into the pocket of his slacks, he slowed halfway around the pool and said, “Actually, it’s not. I know you’re not happy about being here. I know once I’m gone, you’ll probably figure a way off this island, but I’m asking you not to do that. You’re safe here where no one can find you. Their focus will be on me in Italy, not on finding you. So use the time to relax.” He couldn’t seem to meet my gaze again—or maybe he just didn’t want to—but I realized he wasn’t ordering me to stay as he’d done before. He was asking me to listen to reason. “Soak up the sun or use the time to make as many lists as you want. I don’t care what you do, just don’t put your life in danger all because you hate me.”

He turned into the house without another word, and as I stared at the place where he’d just stood, my heart felt like someone took a jackhammer to it and cracked it open wide.

I’d hurt him. More than I’d thought I could. Not just because I’d left his bed the other night, but because I’d left to list out every one of his sins where I was concerned. Sins I couldn’t blame him for after everything he’d admitted from his past. Sins he’d only committed to keep me safe.

Chest tight, I sank to the end of the chaise and blinked back the hot rush of tears suddenly pooling in my eyes. How was I supposed to make him understand that if he was leaving? How could I fix things between us when he clearly didn’t even want to speak to me? How was I going to make sure his evil family didn’t hurt him when he was halfway around the world where I couldn’t help him?

My mind skipped back to the way he’d been in Italy when we’d visited his family—tense, agitated, a ticking time bomb. And to the way I’d been able to calm him with a look, with a gentle brush of my skin against his, with one simple kiss that had grounded him and made him focus on me.

I was his balance. The realization slammed into me. He’d told me in Tuscany that he needed me. Seeing him today, seeing how stressed he already was at just the thought of returning to Italy, I knew he still needed me. He needed me more than ever, especially if things were as dire as they sounded. He just didn’t want to admit it because he didn’t think I needed him the same way.

But I did.

I needed him in ways I’d never needed anyone else. Not only because I loved him, but because from the first moment I’d met him, he’d ignited something inside me—a spark, an ember, a flame that had made me realize I’d been living half a life before him. And even though I’d been singed by that flame, it still burned deep in my heart. I didn’t want to lose that feeling. I didn’t want to go back to being the numb, empty woman I’d been before. I wanted him. I wanted us. I wanted everything I’d foolishly turned my back on in one moment of fear.

I licked my lips and stared at the dark doorway he’d entered the house through. The things I’d seen in that forest in Italy still haunted me. I couldn’t get them out of my head. Nor could I forget that man who’d attacked me in my house in Idaho or the things Luc had told me about that girl he’d tried to rescue.

Luc was right. I was safest here where no one couldn’t find me, but... But he’d also said I was safe with him. As his wife.

Options, choices swirled in my head. Just the thought of returning to Tuscany frightened me. But his going alone, facing his family and his House without anyone on his side—especially knowing everything he’d been through in the past—terrified me even more.

I was smart enough to know if I told him that right now, though, he’d never believe me. Luc was a complicated man. A proud man. An intensely sensitive man, even if most of the time, he acted like he didn’t give a shit about anyone else. He’d bared his heart to me the other night when he’d told me he loved me, and in his eyes, I’d rejected him. It would take a lot more than one declaration of love to convince him I was serious. I had to make him believe it through action.

Rising on shaky legs, I reached for the towel hanging over the back of my chaise, wrapped it around my hips, then crossed the pool deck and tugged the sliding door open. I didn’t know if it was too late for us. I didn’t know if we could ever get back to where we’d been before. I only knew that this mattered. He mattered, and I couldn’t let him face his House alone.

I found him in his bedroom, standing at the foot of the bed where he’d devoured me only two nights ago, tossing clothes into a duffel bag.

“What?” he said without looking up, not stopping what he was doing.

I deserved that reaction. I deserved that and more. But I was taking the first step at fixing that now. “Where are you staying in Italy?”

“With a friend.”

“Are you safe there?”

He sighed as if he didn’t want to be having this conversation and shoved a shirt into his bag. “There are rules. No House member can step foot on another House member’s property without an invitation.”

“And you trust your father’s men will follow those rules?”

He huffed and pushed a pair of jeans into his bag. “Not that it matters, but yeah. I do trust that they’ll follow the rules. I know you can’t understand this, but the ancient rules are the only things they follow. They’re more sacred than laws. I’ll be perfectly fine on Marco’s estate.”

I didn’t know who Marco was, but that was all I needed to hear. “Then I’m going with you.”

He scowled as if that was the stupidest comment on the planet. “No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

His head came up as I turned for the door, but I didn’t let the shocked look in his eyes stop me. “I’ll be packed and ready to go in ten minutes.”

He rounded the bed and grasped me by the arm before I could reach the hall, whipping me back toward him. “What do you think you’re doing? This isn’t a game.”

“I know it’s not.” A tempest raged in his stormy gray eyes, one that hadn’t been there seconds before, but it didn’t deter me. If anything, it spurred me on. Just as the heat seeping into my flesh where he held me pushed that flame inside even higher. “It’s a matter of life and death. Which is why I’m going with you.”

He dropped his hand as if my skin had burned him, and as he stepped back, I didn’t miss the disbelief in his features. “Why the hell would you want to go with me? You don’t care about Dante. You don’t care about me. And you’re safe here.”

My heart pinched, but I knew if I tried to argue just how much I did care, he’d never believe me. So I ignored those comments and focused on the battle I could win.

“How would you know?” I crossed my arms and tipped my head. “You won’t be here.”

He rested his hands on his hips and exhaled what I knew was a frustrated breath. “Natalie—”

“If you leave without me, Luc, I promise I’ll find a way off this island by myself. And I’ll go to Italy on my own.”

His eyes darkened. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Wouldn’t I?”

“No, you wouldn’t. Because you’re not stupid.”

“No, I’m not stupid. I’m your wife, remember? You said spouses are protected so long as they’re willing participants in the marriage. Were you lying when you said that or telling the truth?”

His jaw tightened beneath that sexy stubble. He didn’t immediately answer, and for a heartbeat, I wasn’t sure if he was going to. Then he muttered, “I told you the truth.”

“Then I’m going. I’m safer with you than without you. You just confirmed that no one can touch either of us on your friend Marco’s estate. Where you go, I go.”

I turned back for the door, but before I did, I saw the fear flash in his eyes. A fear that flared like victory in my veins because it told me he wasn’t willing to risk my safety on the what-if gamble of leaving me here on the island.

“I’ll meet you at the dock,” I said.

He didn’t respond. And as I headed for my room, I told myself the fact he wasn’t arguing was a good thing.

Then I prayed I was making the right decision for both our sakes.

I changed into a knee-length red walking skirt, a loose-fitting white T-shirt, and tennis shoes. After twisting my hair up into a knot, I tossed whatever items I thought I might need into the leather duffel I’d found in my closet, flipped the light off in my room, and headed for the kitchen.

Sela was sitting at the table in the breakfast nook, jotting notes on a pad of paper, when I stepped into the room. Her hair was pulled back into a neat tail, her face void of makeup, and she wore denim cutoffs and a loose coral tank that made her look young and innocent and nothing like the beta kitten I’d first thought her to be.

Guilt stabbed at me for the way I’d treated her too, but I told myself I was past that now and working to make amends.

“Hey,” I said, hoping not to startle her.

The sound of my voice brought her head up, and a slow smile spread across her face. “I take it that bag means you’re going with him.”

“Yeah.” I shifted the leather duffel on my shoulder and fought back the little voice in the back of my head screaming I was playing with fire. I already knew I could potentially be walking into an inferno. I didn’t care. This was the right thing to do. Luc needed me even if he’d never admit it. “He’s not happy about that.”

Sela dropped her pen on the table, rolled her eyes, and rose from her seat. “He’ll get over it. I’m glad you’re going with him. He’ll need you there.” She stopped in front of me, her eyes growing serious. “But you need to be careful.”

“We’re technically married. He said I was protected by that.”

“You are. But there are probably several Knights in that House who wouldn’t think twice about using you to punish him.”

My stomach pitched. I didn’t like what she was saying. “Knights?”

“The ranking members of House Salvatici. Luc’s father is the Grand Duke and the leader of the House. The Knights advise him. The Knights are known as the Council of Thirteen. And you’ll have to be careful of the Grande Cavaliere. He’s the highest-ranking member of the Thirteen, elected amongst them, a spiritual advisor of sorts to the Grand Duke. He’s a dangerous man, Natalie. And he does not like Luc.”

A vision of that depraved ritual I’d witnessed in the woods flashed in my mind, along with the figure draped in a red cape wearing a gold bauta mask. I swallowed hard, suddenly wondering what the hell I was walking back into.

“Stay with Luc or his friend Marco at all times. I’m assuming you’ll be staying at Marco’s estate. I can’t imagine Luc would risk taking you back to his parents’ villa after everything that’s happened. You can trust Marco, and you’re safe behind his walls. There are rules within the House.”

“Yeah, I know. Luc said as much.”

“Each Knight considers his estate sacred ground. The second you step off Marco’s property without Luc, though, you’re fair game.”

My stomach tightened. “You’re making his family sound like a cult instead of just a dynasty.”

“In a lot of ways they are a cult. But they don’t bow to any higher power. Unless you consider greed a higher power.”

Her features softened before I could think of a response to that comment, and she smiled again, only this smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You’ll be okay. You’ve got Luc. And he’s right. The fact you two are married will keep you protected from the worst they can do to you.”

That didn’t exactly ease my fear.

Sela closed her hand over my forearm and squeezed gently. “They need Luc. He’s the key to their future, and they know it. You’re a threat to that future, which is why they’re scared of you. Don’t let them scare you. You have more power than you think. More than they want you to know. Keep Luc centered, and they can’t win. Luc won’t let anything happen to you. Trust me. There’s no way he’d take you back there if he thought he couldn’t protect you.”

I swallowed hard, trying to process her words. The only thing that registered was the fact Luc wasn’t willingly taking me. I was forcing my way into this trip. And with things still so unsettled between us, I had no idea how he’d treat me once we landed in Italy or even if I could get close to enough to keep him centered the way both Sela and I knew he needed.

My gaze skipped over Sela’s features. “He’s really mad at me for not believing in him.”

“He’s not mad, he’s hurt. There’s a big difference. He’ll get over it.”

I wasn’t sure. He’d barely been able to look at me earlier. Before we reached Italy, I had to find a way to bridge the divide between us so if nothing else, we looked like friends instead of enemies. Thankfully, I had a long flight ahead to do just that.

I drew a breath for courage. “Wish me luck.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around me in a warm hug. “You don’t need it. Something tells me you’re a survivor.” She drew back and met my gaze. “Luc, on the other hand... He’s not as tough as he wants people to believe.”

I knew that. My throat grew thick. It was the very reason I couldn’t let him do this alone.

I worked up a smile I didn’t feel as Sela crossed with me toward the back door and pulled it open. “I’ll be waiting here for you both to return.”

My footsteps faltered as I moved out onto the deck. Would I be coming back here? I hadn’t thought much past making it to Italy with Luc. But by going with him, I was basically choosing him over my freedom, a realization that caused my stomach to flop like a fish out of water. As much as I loved the man, I still wasn’t at peace with my forced imprisonment, and I wasn’t sure how that was going to impact me or us down the line.

“One thing at a time,” I muttered as I moved down the steps and headed across the warm sand toward the dock.

Luc was already at the end of the long flat boards that stretched out of the turquoise water, tossing his bag on board the shiny white yacht while talking to the captain. My gaze skipped over both men in the morning sunlight and zeroed in on the boat. It was gorgeous, probably sixty feet long, with a fly bridge and wide front deck. And while it was definitely bigger than the tiny water taxi we’d taken in Venice, the sight of the yacht didn’t do a thing to settle my frazzled nerves. Suddenly, all I could think about was how small the rooms probably were inside and how long I’d be trapped, surrounded by water that could seep in at any moment.

My palms grew damp, my breaths fast and shallow. A familiar hot tingle spread across my nape, telling me I was on the verge of a panic attack I wouldn’t be able to stop in a minute.

“Shit.”

My steps slowed at the end of the dock, and I stared down at my shoes in the sand, focusing on breathing to keep the panic from pulling me under. I could do this. After everything else I’d been through, this was a piece of cake. All I had to do was step up on this stupid dock and keep walking.

Long minutes passed where the only sound was the blood roaring in my ears. I breathed in and out. Tried to pep talk myself into stepping up onto the dock. I lifted my foot from the sand, touched the toe of my shoe to the boards, then jerked it back.

Footsteps sounded close, infiltrating the drumbeat in my ears. I wanted to look up, but I was afraid if I broke my focus, I might buckle. So I kept on breathing, kept on staring at my feet, kept on telling myself this was stupid and that I could do it.

Luc’s fancy leather shoes came into view at the end of the dock. He didn’t speak. Just stood still and watched me, which only made me feel like a bigger idiot. And the heady scent of him—jasmine and cedar and rum—drifted over me, distracting me from my focus.

Shit. Just give me a minute, would you?

He tugged the bag from my shoulder. Before I could ask what he was doing, he tossed it behind him on the dock and called, “I’ll be right back.”

He stepped off the end of the dock, grabbed me by the hand, and pulled me behind him back toward the house.

Stumbling in the sand, my focus completely broken, I sputtered, “Wh-what are you doing?”

“Something I probably shouldn’t.”

I tugged back on his arm, realizing he meant to leave me here. “I told you I’m going, and I meant it.”

He moved so quickly, I barely saw him. One second, he was in front of me, pulling me toward the house. The next, he whipped back to face me, lowered his torso to wrap his arms around my legs, then straightened and tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of flour.

The island spun around me as he turned and continued back for the house. And his back rumbled against my chest when he said, “Then stop fucking fighting me and just give in for once.”

My spine stiffened at those words—give in. I struggled against his hold, but he was too strong, his arms locked around the backs of my knees holding me firmly in place as I hung upside down over his shoulder.

“Luc, put me down.” I pressed my hands against his lower back and tried to wriggle free to no avail. “Dammit. I said—”

Sela’s chuckle echoed through the hallway as we moved into the house. “Looks like you two forgot something.”

My face flamed. Curling my hand into a fist, I slammed it against his lower spine. “I said put me do—”

The word whooshed out of my mouth as he dropped me to my feet.

“Wait here,” he said with one hard look before turning away.

We were in his bedroom. My gaze shot to the door I hadn’t realized he’d closed because I’d been too busy beating against his back, then shifted to the bed behind me—the bed we’d had dirty rough sex in only a handful of nights ago.

My instinct told me to run—not walk—out to that boat so he couldn’t lock me in this room and leave me here, but the rustling sound coming from the closet kept me from leaving. I didn’t know what he was doing in there. I only knew that I’d possibly pushed him too far and if I ran now, it would only exacerbate a situation I was trying to take control of.

He moved back into the bedroom and stopped in front of me with a blue-checked silk tie in his hand.

Shit. I totally should have run. My whole body stiffened. “If you even think of tying me up so I can’t go with you—”

“Why would I do that? You’ve already made it more than clear you won’t listen to reason and will just find a way off this island as soon as I’m gone. Seems to me the smartest thing I can do is keep you with me so you don’t cause any more trouble for either one of us.”

My gaze lifted from the tie to his face. His eyes were swirling gray hurricanes, familiar and challenging, reminding me of all the times he’d challenged me in Rome and how much he enjoyed when I stood up to him. But the tension in his jaw and around his eyes belied the look and made me think weeks of stress were taking their toll on him, and that he really was desperate for me to give in and do what he needed—just once.

“Then why are we in this room instead of out on the boat?” I asked cautiously.

“Because you’re not in any mental shape to get on that boat. And I don’t have time to wait for you to convince yourself you can do it.”

My spine stiffened. I could do it, though. He just had to give me a freakin’ minute to psych myself up. “So what? You brought me in here so you could tie me up and drug me to get me on that boat?”

He tipped his head and frowned. “Pretty sure I learned my lesson about drugging you.”

My cheeks flamed because I knew he wouldn’t do that again. “Then what’s the tie for?”

“To cover your eyes. You said you do better when you can’t see the water.”

“Oh.” I had said that in Venice, when I’d been struggling to get in that water taxi from the dock to our hotel. But without my vision, my brain would still imagine all kinds of worst-case watery scenarios. “That’s...true, but—”

“You were also able to get on that boat in Venice because I distracted you.”

My gaze lifted to his. And the moment our eyes met, tingles rushed through my whole body.

I’d barely noticed that boat ride not just because Luc had been shielding my view of the water, but because he’d distracted me with his touch, his sensual words, and his very wicked mouth.

That had been a ten-minute trip through the Grand Canal, though. This would be much longer, on the open ocean. Heat whooshed through every cell in my body. Was he suggesting...?

“We can’t miss this flight,” he said, staring down at me not just with stormy, swirling eyes but with a heat I didn’t miss. “If you don’t want me to distract you, I can find a sedative that won’t make you pass out, just take the edge off long enough t—”

“I want you to distract me.”

“Are you sure?”

Yes, I was sure. It was the only thing I was absolutely sure of. He thought I didn’t want him anymore. He thought I hated him. This was my chance to prove him wrong and hopefully set our relationship back on even ground.

I nodded. “I don’t want a sedative, Luc. I want you.”