Dante's eyes trail over my throat and back up to my mouth. “I work in cybersecurity. Corporations hire me to infiltrate their systems and ensure their cybersecurity remains up to date. It's a tedious job, and I spend too many hours staring at a screen.”
His eyes meet mine, and I feel pinned in my seat. “Do you enjoy it? Or is this a stepping stone for something else in the future?” I ask, sipping my drink, my cheeks flushing at the way he’s looking at me.
It’s like, he’sstunnedthat I’m genuinely curious about his life.
“I do enjoy it. I appreciate the thrilland adrenaline rush I get when I successfully hack a system, but lately that excitement has faded. Rather than staring at my screen for several more years, I’m beginning to think I need a new perspective. I believe it’s time.”
I nod. “I can relate. I moved here from the other side of the country. I needed a fresh perspective.”
Dante smiles, leaning forward with a crooked smile that made my heart skip a beat. “Speaking of jobs, I couldn’t help but notice that when I picked you up tonight, there was a poster in the book shop with your face on it. Are you an author?”
I huff, smiling, and look at my drink on the table, avoiding his heart-stopping smile. “I am. I write books for a living. A new career for a new city. I am dedicated to starting over from scratch.” I laugh, though it stings a little. I have started over so many times that I fear it may be a theme for the rest of my life.
“What kind of books do you write?” Dante’s question is innocent, but it made my heart sink to my ass. How does one explain dark romance books to someone who has never experienced them? It’s too late to Google that answer.
“Uh, well, it’s complicated to explain.” I push my hair nervously behind my ear, meeting his gaze.
“Try me.”
There’s that smile of his again, making my heart flip. I clear my throat and swallow hard. “I write…dark romance books. The event I had tonight was to celebrate the release of the special edition of my first book.” I take a swing of my drink and pray he doesn’t ask questions anymore.
“Congratulations. That’s an amazing accomplishment. What are your books about?”
I choke on my Negroni. Of course, he would ask that. This is a nightmare for me. “Uh, well, that’s another complicated question to answer.”
Dante chuckles. “We are both adults, Luna. I think I can handle it.”
I huff, setting my drink on the table. “It’s about a female serial killer who seeks revenge on high-profile pedophiles. Her name is Vera. She grew up in a group home and was sold into sex trafficking at a young age. During those years, she made a list; if she survived, she would hunt them down. Shecaptures the attention of a detective who eventually helps her get to the pedophiles along the way, and that’s where the romance part comes in.” A nervous laugh bubbles up when he doesn’t immediately say anything. “Dark romance explores themes of power imbalances, obsession, taboo subjects, and morally grey characters that toe the line. There’s more to it than that, but that’s the gist.” I chug the rest of my drink, picking it up from the table, and I want to crawl inside myself.
“Hmm, I’ll have to pick up a copy. That sounds like an interesting read.” Dante smiles.
I must look like a deer in headlights the way Dante’s looking at me. There’s absolutely no way a man like him can exist in real life. This has to be a dream. I’ll wake up in bed at any moment—but I’m not. He’s here, right now, sitting in front of me, quickly breaking the barriers I’ve spent so long putting up.
I clear my throat. “I’ll get you a copy of my special edition. Olivia needs to order more, but I’ll make sure you get a copy.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” Dante winks, finishing his water. “Do you want another drink?” He asks, pointing to my empty Negroni.
“Oh no. I’m fine. I’m not much of a drinker.” Dollies cured me of that. I hardly touch the stuff, not after what I witnessed would happen to you if you drank too much.
“Are you hungry? There’s a pub on E 8th street I’d love to take you to.”
I smile. “I could eat. Yeah, that sounds really good right now, actually.”
Dante waves over a server, and I open my purse to take out my phone and text Olivia:
I place my phone back in my purse, zipping it closed, bringing my attentionback to Dante, only to find him watching me.
“Sorry. I texted a friend to let her know where we were going.” I don’t know why I apologized; it’s probably out of habit from years of Greg questioning me about who I was talking to. Always assuming I was cheating on him, only to find out it was he who was doing the cheating.
Dante waves dismissively. “There's no need to apologize. Staying safe is important nowadays. I'm still technically a stranger, I get it. I’m simply admiring the beauty in front of me.”
A blush rises, and I can’t stop myself from smiling. “You sure have a way with words, Dante.”
“Says the Author.” He cocks his brow, giving a teasing expression. It makes me giggle, and soon I have him laughing too. The server approaches us, holding our jackets. Dante stands up, takes them from the server, and helps me slip mine on. He extends his arm for me to take, and I wrap my arm around his as he leads us out of the club.
Luna
The motorcycle's engine slows as it turns to park on a side street in front of a quaint pub. The sign hanging outside reads, “O’Gannigans,” written in gold Old English script against a dark green background. The front of the pub is illuminated by a soft amber glow from the faux oil lamp just below the sign.
