His eyebrow shot up. “You’re my fiancée. You have my ring on your finger and I told her in no uncertain terms that we would be married as soon as possible. She understands that, whether or not she agrees or likes it. That makes you family.”

“I’m confused, Stefano. She really didn’t like me. Won’t she try to find a way to stop us from being married? Barry would be her perfect solution.”

The doors opened and they stepped into the apartment. “It doesn’t work that way, Francesca. Not in our family. Family is family. You protect your family. Close ranks around them. My mother is all about family to the extent of everything else. She would never betray you to Barry Anthon or anyone else. It just isn’t done.”

She tried to grasp what that meant. The enormity of it. His mother had been so adamant. Clearly, mother and son had major issues. Still, he was absolutely certain she wouldn’t call Barry or his mother. “I don’t . . .” She trailed off, shaking her head.

Stefano stopped abruptly and tipped her chin up to his. “She would protect you. Physically protect you. Step in front of you if a bullet headed your way. As long as my claim is on you, any one of my family would do so.”

She would have done that for Cella, or for one of Cella’s children. She didn’t want to think that Cella would never have a child for her to protect.

“You have all of us. And Emmanuelle. She’ll have children. They all belong to you now, Francesca. Can’t you feel that when you’re with them?”

“This is all so new to me, Stefano.” She’d been beaten down so far by Barry Anthon and his men that she had lost herself. Her strength. Her belief in anyone. His family was so opposite of everything she’d come to believe it was difficult to comprehend that they could be real. “Sometimes I feel like I’m in the middle of a fairy tale and any minute I’m going to wake up and you’ll be gone.”

He kissed her gently. A brief brush of his mouth over hers. “That’s never going to happen, amore mio.”

She loved the feel of his lips. Soft but firm. Demanding and commanding. Warm and then hot. She could kiss him forever.

“Stop or we’ll be right back in bed.”

She couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Is that a bad thing?”

He shook his head. “Never, but I was a little rough last night. And the night before and all the nights before that. I think your body needs a little time. Besides, I want to spend time with you outside of bed, and you need to eat. You skipped breakfast.” That was an accusation.

She shrugged. “I work at a deli. I can always eat there.”

“I’m changing. Since we’re staying in, I’ll go for comfortable. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you said you can always eat there, not that you do.”

She laughed and wandered into the kitchen. She liked to cook and she could just as easily fix eggs as call down an order to the hotel kitchen. She had two omelets nearly made when he entered the room in a pair of soft blue jeans and a T-shirt that stretched tightly over his chest. She drew in her breath, allowing her gaze to drift possessively.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking in the awesome sight that is mine.” She pushed the omelets onto a plate and carried them to the small, much more intimate table than the one in his dining room. She’d already set it with utensils and napkins.

They ate breakfast together and she found herself enjoying every moment with him. It was easy being with Stefano. Out of the public eye, he was different. He lost his aloof, arrogant demeanor and appeared softer and relaxed. He smiled often and laughed occasionally. He always made her feel as if she was his entire focus. They played chess—he won three games. He worked with her in his training room, teaching her to break out of a choke hold and get away when a very strong man grabbed her wrist. They practiced for an hour, and then he made love to her right there on the floor.

They spent time just talking and then listening to music, dancing together in the living room. His siblings came over and they trained with her watching, shocked at the violence and speed as well as how good they all were. She found their martial arts training to be fascinating and beautiful to watch. She liked that Emmanuelle kept up with her brothers.

They ate together before his family left, and that was fun. Emmanuelle and Ricco helped her make pasta and salad. It was fun and easy, much more so than Francesca ever thought it would be. There was a lot of laughter and teasing, mostly between the siblings, but they weren’t shy about including her.

After his family left, Stefano made love to her twice more, both times very gently, once on the floor by the fireplace and the second time on the couch in the living room. In the end, she found herself draped over him, skirt and blouse back on, but her panties and bra nowhere to be found.