“And that’s my cue,” Nadya says, jumping to her feet. She raises her glass, backing into the ballroom. “Enjoy the rest of your evening, Highnesses.”
I giggle as Dante takes off down the corridor, pulling me along.
We rush by Sir Holden and Sir Donovan, and I give them a wave. There’s nothing forbidding us from being together anymore, and no one can stop us.
By the time we reach my room, I can barely catch my breath.
“Did you see Indira’s face?” I hold my belly, speaking through my laughter.
He pulls me into his arms, letting out a chuckle. “She’s too young to have a heart attack, but she did clutch her chest and go pale.”
I look up at Dante as the last of my laughter subsides.
He reaches up and cups my cheek, then brushes his thumb across my bottom lip.
“Are you really okay with all of this?” I ask. “Or am I ruining your life?”
“Celeste,” he says softly, shaking his head. “Youaremy life.”
A sharp, aching warmth rushes through me, catching me completely off guard. Dante’s gaze remains locked on mine, the warmth of it an anchor, steady, certain, unwavering, and my throat tightens.
“I would go to the ends of the earth for you,” he says.
The words settle deep in my chest, breaking something loose inside me. My breath shudders slightly. He says it so easily, so surely, as if it were the most obvious truth in the world.
I do not speak. Instead, I let my body lean into his, let my fingers slide up to grab the material of his shirt, pulling his body against mine. His focus drops to my tongue as I run it along my upper lip, and the hard length of his cock pressing up against me through our clothes tells me he wants the same thing I do.
Our lips press together, gentle, careful, but then my body reacts to him on its own. The yearning makes my skin hot, desire pooling between my thighs. His fingers tangle through my hair as a small growl forms in his throat and his lips grow hungry.
As his kisses pull me in, his hands move down from my waist to cup my ass. The feel of it sends goosebumps over my body. His mouth moves to my cheek, my neck, my collarbone, and his hands glide up my sides until his thumbs graze my pebbled nipples though my dress.
“Dante,” I whisper, his name a plea I can’t hold back.
We haven’t been together since that night in Mersos, and the heat from wanting him is building so intensely that I feel as if I were about toexplode.
His palm spreads across my skin, and when he lifts his head, his stormy gaze locks with mine. I let my hands drift lower, dragging the smooth, black linen of his shirt free from his trousers. My fingers brush over the taut muscles of his abdomen, and I feel the shudder that runs through him.
His mouth crashes back to mine, his tongue sliding along mine. The kiss deepens—hot, consuming—and then his lips trail along my jaw, each kiss slower, like he’s savoring every touch. My breath hitches as his lips find the sensitive spot just beneath my ear, but my hands don’t stop, unbuckling his belt and undoing the button of his trousers.
He unties the back of my dress with lightning speed before pushing the material from my shoulders. I shake off the dress, letting it fall to pool at my feet. As soon as it does, he turns me around, devouring my neck while his hands greedily cup my breasts through my chemise.
I bite back a sigh as his fingers glide down my body. With a breathy sigh, I press my ass back into him, until I feel his erection on my lower back. Gods, I need him. He lifts my chemise, and then his fingertips skim over my underwear, circling my swollen nub. I rock my hips forward, grinding into his hand. But it’s not enough. I need more.
He must sense it, because he guides his hand under the material and slips two fingers through the hot folds of my wetness, his thumb caressing my clit.
“So fucking wet,” Dante says, nipping at my earlobe.
I can only moan in response. He teases me with his fingers, gliding up and down my slick center before finally pushing a finger inside. I cry out when he adds another, stroking in and out of me, the sound of it filling the room.
I reach behind me as he fucks me with his fingers, and I slip my hand inside his open trousers and grip his length. He grows even harder in my fist, and when I circle his crown, he sucks in a harsh breath.
“I want to taste you again,” I say breathlessly.
His body seems to go rigid at my words, his fingers pumping faster.
“Cum for me first, little pirate,” he says, his voice a low growl. “Showme what a good girl you are.”
I melt against his chest as his fingers plunge into me, in and out, in and out, curling to hit that spot that makes my head spin. I stroke him at the same time, but the ecstasy of his touch is making me lose focus. Small whimpers escape my lips as waves of pleasure build and build, until finally my release rips through me, making me cry out.
