"A warning," I murmur. "To myself."
Her breath catches. "About what?"
"How dangerous you could be."
Isabella looks up at me with those intelligent eyes. Eyes that see too much, that have seen too much of me already.
"Are you afraid of me, Don Dante?” There’s amusement in her voice, but also curiosity. I realize I’m giving her exactly what I wanted to keep… power.
I've never been afraid of anything. Not violence, not death, not the consequences of the life I've chosen. But standing here with Isabella Vitale, I feel something that leans closely toward fear.
"No," I lie.
Her lips curve into a knowing smile. "Liar."
For the first time in my life, I have the urge to run. Well, maybe not run, but to end this arrangement. The confusion, the feelings, they all unsettle me.
“Were you going to kiss me the other day at the wedding venue?”
Her question derails thoughts about running. “Did you want me to?”
She shakes her head at me. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“You didn’t answer mine.”
“I’m not sure.”
“Liar,” I quip as my attention again returns to her lips.
“I’ve never been kissed. How can I want something I’ve never had before?”
I step closer to her, see the pulse in her neck tick up when I do. “Oh, you want it. You can feel it in your blood. It’s warm, isn’t it?”
She stares up at me like she’s mesmerized and gives a small nod.
“Your heart is racing in anticipation, am I right?”
She swallows and nods again.
I bring her hand to my chest, pressing her palm flush over my heart.
She glances down at her hand and then up at me. “Yours is too.”
“It is. I might act on it except… well… you’re not sure you want it.” I’m teasing her and I’m wondering what the fuck is happening to me. I’m a serious man. I don’t banter or tease.
“I think I’d like to try?—”
“You think.”
Her brow furrows. “Perhaps you’re the one who doesn’t want to?—”
I cut her off by capturing her lips with mine. I do my best to keep it gentle, but when her hands slide up my chest and around my neck, restraint becomes impossible.
My arm circles her waist, drawing her against me as I deepen the kiss.
She makes a small sound of surprise when I run my tongue along the seam of her mouth, coaxing her to open for me.
When she does, her taste explodes over my tongue, forcing a feral growl from deep in my chest.
