"Mmhmm, sure you are. You need to work on that attitude of yours. Nonetheless, your bid beat out Marcello Industries. So again, congratulations, son."

Dante felt like he swallowed his tongue. "What?"

"You heard me. They'll be calling soon, I imagine, but I had to do it first."

Of course, Antony did.

"Yeah?" Dante asked, still not quite believing it.

"Yes, Dante. Well done."

Dante said goodbye to his father and hung up the phone, astounded. Setting the phone on the counter, his mind ran wild. The most prominent of all his thoughts to stand out was the fact his father didn't sound the least bit pissed or contrite about losing the bid to his son's start-up company. In fact, Antony seemed ... proud.

And shit, his father sure as hell hadn't let Dante win.

"Bello?" Catrina asked, drawing Dante from his thoughts.

"I got it," Dante whispered.

"What?"

Dante's palms slapped down on the granite counter, smacking loudly. "I got the fucking contract, Cat."

Catrina's grin melted into a brilliant smile across the island. "Really?"

"Yes! Holy shit, I didn't think I would. I mean, the contract is solid and everything but I didn't have the rep like Marcello Industries does and-"

"Stop rambling," Catrina ordered, laughing.

Dante realized his excitement over winning the bid must have been terribly infectious, because Catrina seemed just as happy about his success as he was. He didn't have the first clue of what came over him as he watched his wife's face light up with happiness at the sight of his joy, but the undeniable urge to kiss Catrina slammed into Dante like a wrecking ball.

Not even bothering to think about his next move, Dante leaned over the island before he could second guess his choice, cupped Catrina's jaw in his palms, and kissed her smiling lips. Her laughter died into a breathless gasp at the sudden kiss. She tasted like candied sugar and the moment her lips parted, he speared his tongue into the warm softness of her mouth to find more of that flavor.

Dante didn't know what he anticipated from his wife when he broke the invisible barrier between them. After the one time they'd actually had sex on their wedding night, their lines were clearly drawn. The physical side of their non-existent emotional relationship didn't need to be fed. Dante knew exactly why; they worked like this and that could be a bad thing.

He didn't care at that moment, he just kept kissing her. Catrina's fingers curled around his wrists, locking him in place. Her grin grew a little sexier when he began to pull away from the heaven that was her mouth. All the while, her heated gaze never left his.

"Oh!"

That one word from a voice Dante wasn't expecting sent him stumbling back from the island and Catrina. He cringed and cursed loudly. Dante's head whipped to the side, immediately finding his mother standing in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen. Something akin to mortification flooded Dante's gut.

Cecelia shouldn't be in his condo. Well, not alone with Dante's wife, anyway. There had been little to no love between his wife and mother ever since that first introduction and he didn't understand why she was standing there looking at him with a knowing smile and a quiet laugh.

Catrina cleared her throat. "I tried to tell you, but the phone call ..."

Dante blindly waved at his wife, brushing off whatever it was she just said. "I've, uh, got shit to do."

Yeah, that seemed like a good plan. Anything but what he was doing now sounded fucking perfect.

Chapter Eleven.

Cat leaned in the doorway of the spare bedroom Dante used as a home gym. His fists slammed into the punching bag repeatedly with no pause between the hits.

"Dante?"

He either hadn't heard her call of his name, or he was ignoring her. Cat didn't mind if it was the latter. After earlier, she could understand his unwillingness to talk, especially with her. She should have told him straightaway his mother had come over at Cat's invitation, but she didn't think he would mind, really.

Well, Dante probably wouldn't have if he hadn't ...

Jesus, he kissed her. And it was magnificent.

Cat was done pretending as though Dante didn't have some kind of crazy effect on her physically. Not that she could disregard it now if she really wanted to. Desperately, she needed more of that feeling from earlier. She didn't care what it meant to want it, either.

"Dante?" Cat called again, firmer and louder the second time.

Dante turned on his heel, yanking out an earbud from his ear that Cat hadn't noticed. The wire dangled over his shoulder, music still buzzing from the tiny speaker. While he stared at her with those piercing eyes of his, she took in the sight of his form damp with perspiration. Half-naked or clothed, it didn't make a damn difference. Dante was gorgeous, and he was the only man who made Cat want to bend to his desires, something she kept fighting against.

Cat knew those hands of his could find every button to push on her without a lick of trouble. His arms, roped with bands of muscles, could lift, pin, or hold her. She'd had him once ... and it was so, so good. It might have been easier if she hadn't crossed that line in the first place but somehow, Cat doubted it.

"What, Catrina?" Dante asked, his breathing still harsh from his workout.

She didn't bother to hide the shiver wracking her spine at the sound of her name in his mouth.

"I wanted to let you know your mother left a while ago."

Dante frowned. "I would have said goodbye."

Cat shrugged. "She said it was fine. You were ... busy."

"Embarrassed, you mean."

"Well, that, too." Cat offered him a smile that wasn't returned. "There's really nothing to be-"

"If you finish that sentence, I'll physically throw your ass out of this room."

Cat laughed. "You could try. Dante, you're twenty-nine-years-old, you're allowed to kiss your wife if you want. I don't think Cecelia minded seeing it. She was more pleasant to me after than she was before, so maybe seeing it helped her."

"That's not my problem," Dante muttered.

"Then what is?"

"I'm not in the mood for this right now."

"Dante, enough."

"Apparently we're going to talk whether I want to or not," he said, turning to her with crossed arms and a defensive stare.

"About earlier-"

"I'm sorry, I crossed a line. It won't happen again."

Cat shook her head, exasperated.

"I liked it," Cat said, tossing her arms wide. "I didn't mind you kissing me. Was it a shock? Yes, but that was okay, too. It's fine, bello."

Dante stared at her like she had grown a second head in the span of seconds. "Liked it."

"Very much. I've never denied my attraction for you, Dante. I only said I didn't want us to act on it."

Clearing his throat, Dante glanced away from Cat. "Why was my mother here, anyway?"

"You're deflecting again."

"No, I'm honestly curious."

"I invited her," Cat admitted.

"God, why? She isn't the nicest person to you, bella mia. I would understand if you wanted to keep your distance."

"Maybe so, but I also haven't made much of an effort to let her be, either."

Dante raised a single brow as he regarded her again. "Between the two of you, she should be the one to make the first move, Cat."

"For you, sure. For me, no. Today was my way of inviting her into our space, not hers. We've been married four months, and you've yet to invite your mother here even once. I understand why. At the same time, I'm aware that probably hurts her, regardless if she admits it or not. So, I invited her over to cook with me."

"If you think it will help, dolcezza."

"I do because she's your mother and she's important to you. The more you push her away for my sake, the more she dislikes me, Dante. I want Cecelia to at least find some common ground with me where we can work from. Cooking seems like a good place to start."

Dante chuckled. "She does like to cook."

"So do I."

"Mmm, I know."

"I wish you hadn't run off like that, though."

"I'm sorry," Dante said quietly. "She just ... shocked me, that's all. My problem wasn't my mother, but she didn't help."

"What was the problem?"

"It was easy. Kissing you, I mean. I didn't even have to think about it and if my mother hadn't interrupted us, I wouldn't have stopped. So you liked it, Cat. That's great, but you made it clear what you wanted from me and it's not a physical relationship."

Cat tapped a beat to the floor with her foot. Before she lost her nerve, she asked, "Have you been faithful to me?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Have you been faithful to me since we married, Dante?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" he asked.

"For me, it has a lot to do with it."

"Why?"

Cat didn't like the tone of his voice or how defensive he seemed. "Can I assume, based on your reaction, that the answer is no, you haven't been?"

"You can assume fucking nothing," Dante snapped right back.

"Because you don't think it's my place to question your fidelity, or because you have been?"

"Not your place-"

"Don't act surprised, Dante. It's all too common in our culture for men to have mistresses on the side filling in for their wives and girlfriends."

Dante looked as if he'd swallowed a wasp. "Not in my home it wasn't."

"Oh?"

"No, my father was always faithful to my mother and so are my brothers in regards to their wives."

"But we're not like them, Dante. We're not in love, building a family, or any of those normal things that come along with marriage. It wouldn't shock me to know you've been with other women since we married."

But it would hurt her and speak volumes about this man. Cat needed to know if he had stepped out on her with someone else.

"That doesn't mean I don't have faith in the sanctity of marriage, Catrina. I do, completely. Despite not wanting to be married, I absolutely believe in the vows I spoke, and when I said them, I meant them. Especially remaining faithful to my wife."

Dante gestured in Cat's direction, adding, "And what about you? I've never questioned you about your fidelity to this marriage or to me. If I ask, will you answer truthfully or shut me out?"

Cat didn't answer. "Have you had the opportunity to fuck someone?"

"Cristo cazzo, Catrina!"

"Well, I asked. I would like an answer."

"Yes, of course. You know what I do for a living. I spend at least four hours a day in venues that sport a lot of beautiful women. Some of them know my name. None of them get my attention, not since we married."

"Have you wanted to, or thought about it?"

Dante canted his head to the side, gaze narrowing. "That's an unfair question, Amore."

"How so?"