“I hate the idea of you touching anyone else, or anyone else touching you. I hate that other people can make you laugh in a way I can’t. I hate how I feel around you, like you’re the only person that can make me lose control when I.Don’t. Lose. Control.”
Every word, every step brought him closer until my back pressed against the wall and the heat of his body enveloped mine.
“But I do.” His voice dropped, turning ragged. “With you.”
My blood thundered in my ears, muffling his words until I was underwater and drowning in a sea of emotions.
Shock, hope, fear, elation, uncertainty…they all mingled until they were indistinguishable from each other.
“I don’t knowisn’t good enough,” I whispered.
Once upon a time, it would’ve been. But we’d passed that marker long ago.
Dante’s jaw tightened. This close, I could see the hints of gold in his eyes, like flecks of light in a sea of darkness.
“Heath said he still loves you. Enough to go against your parents, and me, to be with you. But you broke up two years ago and he didn’t do a damn thing about it until he found out you were engaged.” The darkness edged out the light. “You want to know the truth, Vivian? If I loved you as much as he claims to love you, nothing would’ve stopped me from keeping you.”
I didn’t realize until that moment how easy it was for one simple sentence to dissolve the threads holding my world together.
If I loved you as much as he claims to love you, nothing would’ve stopped me from keeping you.
“If,” I breathed, my throat unbearably tight. “Hypothetical.”
The gold disappeared completely, leaving pools of midnight in its wake.
A sardonic smile. “Yes,mia cara.” Warmth brushed my lips. “Hypothetical.”
My heartbeat slowed.
Time suspended for a brief, agonizing moment, just long enough for our breaths to intermingle.
Then a groan shattered the spell, followed by a low curse.
That was the only warning I got before Dante yanked me to him and crashed his mouth down on mine.
CHAPTER24
Vivian
Ishould push him off.
We hadn’t resolved the heart of our issues yet, and kissing—or more—would only complicate things further.
I should push him off.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I threaded my fingers through his hair and succumbed to the skillful assault on my senses.
The firm grip on the back of my neck. The expert pressure of his lips. The way Dante’s body molded to mine, all hard muscle and heat.
His mouth moved over mine, hot and demanding. Pleasure fogged my senses as the rich, bold taste of him invaded my mouth.
Our kiss in Bali had been passionate but impulsive. This? This was hard. Primal.Addicting.
My worries from earlier that day melted into nothing, and I instinctively curved my body into his, seeking more contact, more warmth,more.
I’d kissed my fair share of men over the years, but none had ever kissed me like this.