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this morning. Then he forgets about his chores…well, he forgets everything.”
    “He was pretty cute this morning.”
    Jemma nodded and flipped the grilled cheese sandwiches. “He is going to miss the little girl puppy you chose.”
    Damien didn’t say anything to that, knowing that he was going to figure out how to keep Dylan, Jemma and the puppy all together. It was a plan that was slowly forming in his mind while he watched her cook, admiring her adorable derriere the whole time. His niece, Adriana was a sweet girl but she was lonely. She would love to have a cousin to play with. And Jemma seemed like a very good mother. Adriana would blossom under Jemma’s care.
    “How many horses do you have?” he asked as she placed a bowl of red soup in front of him and a perfectly grilled sandwich. He hadn’t had a meal this simple since he was a child, but it brought back fond memories of his parents and the fun they’d had during meal times.
    “I have about a dozen horses right now, but that number goes up and down with the sales and various births.
    “This is good,” he told her after biting into the creamy goodness of the grilled cheese sandwich.
    She smiled slightly, only nibbling at her own sandwich. “So when do you go back to…” she hesitated, stumbling over her question. “Where do you live?” she asked.
    “Italy. My company is headquatered in Milan but I have offices all over the world.”
    She nodded, still nervous. “When do you go back to Italy?” she asked.
    “I had been heading back this afternoon.” He looked at her closely. “But things have dramatically changed.”
    Jemma’s hands formed fists under the table. “Why don’t you go back to Italy and we can talk about how to introduce you to Dylan? He seems older because of his size, but he’s still only five years old.”
    Damien wasn’t having any of that. He wasn’t waiting weeks to introduce himself to his son. He’d missed out on several years, not a moment longer. “And he’s going to meet his father today.” He didn’t ask, he stated that plan. “If you didn’t want me in Dylan’s life, you shouldn’t have told me about him. I would have left here and come back for you, though. So things still would have changed.”
    Jemma shook her head. “Why would you come back for me? I won’t be your mistress.”
    He looked into her eyes intently, ensuring that she understood completely. “We would have been lovers, Jemma. Now you will be my wife.”
    Those words, spoken with absolute conviction, terrified her. “No. I have a life here.”
    “Then I will move my headquarters here.”
    Her breath caught in her throat, astounded that he would do something so dramatic. “You can’t be serious!”
    He drank down all the water in the glass she’d put in front of him, then carefully set it down beside his now-empty soup bowl. “I never joke about business, Jemma.”
    “But moving your whole company here? That’s crazy!”
    He shook his head. “It is probably easier to move my headquarters here than it would be for you to move your horses to Italy.”
    She swallowed painfully. He was right. She’d never move her horses across the world. That would be cruel. “But you don’t have to move so far.”
    His hand sliced the air while he stood up, putting his dishes in the sink. “A father should be near his family. And you and Dylan will become my family.”
    “What about your niece?” Jemma asked carefully. He was moving closer to her, trapping her against the countertop. She looked to her left and right, not sure what she should do. The only thing she was positive about was the light in his eyes and her absolute conviction that having sex with this man was dangerous.
    “We’ll figure something out,” he said and put one arm on the counter on both sides of her, trapping her there.
    “What are you doing?” she asked, her breathing rapid and frantic.
    His dark eyes dropped from her blue ones to her lips. “I’m going to kiss