I’d spent five years pretending I didn’t feel this—pretending I didn’t want to know what laid beneath that impeccable suit, what it would feel like to stop resisting.But proximity was its own kind of truth.We’d never lacked chemistry.The moment we met all those years ago, I wanted to fuck his brains out.To be honest, he’d only gotten more handsome with age, which was dangerous.He could have any woman, but he’d had his eyes set on me since the moment we met.
Maybe that was the reason for so much pent up sexual tension… all this time and we hadn’t even kissed.
“You act like you’re trying to escape,” Enrico murmured, his breath a whisper at my temple.
“Maybe I am.”
He smiled, the expression slow and dangerous.“Maybe I should let you.”
The words coiled through me.“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”
“I’m a Di Fiore after all.”
He spun me then, smooth and practiced, bringing me back against his chest in one seamless motion.The scent of him—smoke, cedar, something darker—wrapped around me.For one reckless second, I leaned in.And suddenly thoughts of dark haired kids running around took over.
No.You will not fall for him.You deserve someone without blood on their hands.Someone with no ties to this sort of life.Run.
I hated I liked the way he felt.I hated that a man like him could make me forget where I was, who I was.Everything about this man was intoxicating.
The music slowed, a haunting turn of strings.His hand tightened, his thumb tracing the edge of exposed skin above my spine.Enrico knew exactly what to do with his hands… and someday I might experience that firsthand.
“Enjoying yourself?”he asked, voice low enough that only I could hear.
“More than I should.”
Something flared behind his gaze—satisfaction, maybe, or warning.He leaned closer until his words brushed my ear.“Imagine a life where this—us—is an everyday thing.Where I can worship your body every night.”
And he had a way with words… dangerous.“My father would call that a strategic alliance.”
Enrico’s mouth curved.“Your father is a man who understands value.Our families would both be even stronger once you agree.”
The statement was too smooth, too rehearsed.It wasn’t just flirtation; it was business.And that truth landed like a stone in my stomach.As much as I’d like to know how good he would feel inside me, danger hadn’t been something on my long list of wanted atrributes.
The waltz faded into applause around us.I slipped free, heart hammering.Everyone was waiting to see what would happen.The most powerful families were in attendance, and Enrico had put a claim on me years ago.“Thank you for the dance.”
I had to get away from him before things got more complicated.Our families weren’t enemies, but they didn’t do weekly dinners either.
“Mia—”
But I was already walking away, the taste of his words lingering like smoke.As much as I’d love to have his hands all over me, even if just for a night, he wasn’t husband material.I refused to marry someone just to make my family’s legacy stronger.No matter how much my body yearned for him.
Outside the ballroom doors, the night air bit against my skin, and I immediately gasped.Tonight pushed me closer to Enrico, to blending our families, and even though my father had never pressured me, it was expected.Right?
My father joined me on the steps.“Did you enjoy the wedding?”
I hesitated.“It was beautiful.”
He studied me.Then he offered his arm.“Let’s go home, shall we?”The driver opened the door; we slid into the back seat.
The city unfurled outside the window—gold lights, long shadows, all movement and silence.I pressed my palm against the cool glass; it blurred as we drove.
Father poured a drink from the decanter built into the console, his rings glinting in the low light.“You danced with Enrico, tonight.I thought you wanted nothing to do with him?”
I turned from the window.“Would you rather I’d made a scene?”And what a stupid question that was… no one embarrassed Enrico Di Fiore.
A small smile ghosted across his face.“No.A woman must learn which moments to resist and which to use.”He took a slow sip, studying me over the rim of the glass.“Tell me, did he speak to you about the future?”
The air thinned.“Briefly.”
