Page 83 of The Mafia's Broken Vows

Everyone else has taken a place at the table except Dante, who seems more content to perch on the counter across the room, staring at me. Or rather, staring at his shirt on me.

Antonella puts a fresh plate of pastries on the table and then moves to the coffee machine, then begins handing out coffees to the men. Nico’s is black, while Vito accepts a flat white from her.

“So, Boston, did you say? When was this?” Antonella presses.

I get a feeling that everyone at this table already knows enough about me, but I reply. “It was back in our final year at LBU. Dante, you came over to see Kira perform, didn’t you?” I say, trying to shift the spotlight away from me.

Dante unfolds from his perch, then reaches up into a cupboard and takes out a teabag from a small tin. My eyes follow Dante’s movements as he pours in steaming water then adds some honey.

“I saw Addy standing by the wall, trying to be invisible,” Dante says as if to himself. “But it was quite the opposite. She stood out to me like a fucking beacon. So fucking stunning.”

He comes to the table and places a perfectly brewed green tea in front of me before returning to his spot. My face heats up at that simple yet intimate gesture.

I notice a soft look enter Antonella’s face while Sophie simply smiles like a Cheshire cat. Nico’s face remains unreadable, while Vito’s has deepened into a scowl as if the milk in his coffee has just curdled.

“Dante, come on. I was dressed like a boy,” I point out, trying to diffuse the thickening tension.

His gaze, which hasn’t once left mine, heats up even more. “Exactly. Spellbinding. Sexy as fuck.”

Everyone else recedes into the background, and I find myself unable to look away from Dante, not even when Vito clears his throat loudly. And not when Antonella finally hands Dante his drink.

I notice Dante’s coffee is in a much larger mug.

Why did she make his larger? What’s in it? Why is he not having any food? Suddenly it seems like the most important thing right now.

How could I date the man for three months and have no idea how he takes his coffee or that he doesn’t eat breakfast? So what on earth did we talk about?

Mostly, me.

Dante’s sole focus was on me. And I was too busy enjoying the thrill of his attention to want to know more about him. Or perhaps I was too afraid of the danger I sensed was lurking beneath the surface and didn’t want to find out?

Partly out of curiosity and partly wanting to take the spotlight off me again, I suddenly blurt out to Dante, “How do you take it?”

“This?” He raises his mug, and I nod.

Dante takes a large sip of his coffee, then cocks his head and mouths, “Come and see.”

“Now?” I whisper.

His gaze sharpens into a command that has everything within me snapping to obey. My pulse starts to race as I’m caught in Dante’s sensual web. The room completely disappears and as if in a trance, I stand and cross the kitchen to Dante.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Adele

As I reach him, Dante puts his coffee mug away, pushes off the counter, grabs my waist, and lifts me onto the counter. Then he spreads my thighs and steps between them.

All I see are his eyes, stormy pools of desire ringed by a darker rim of gray. “Dante.” I suck my bottom lip between my teeth as undeniable excitement streaks through me. “Everyone can see us.”

He smiles wickedly. “Yes, and we don’t give a fuck.” He wraps one hand around my jaw and another on my thigh, and every last shred of my resistance dissolves.

“So, you wanted to know how I take my coffee?” He starts to nibble softly on my lips.

I nod, unable to resist kissing him back.

“You tell me.” His mouth covers mine and he kisses me fully. His tongue slides between my lips, and the bittersweet taste of mocha explodes in my mouth. It might be the best thing I’ve ever tasted. It’s so intoxicating that I start to suck on his tongue as a throaty moan escapes me. My hands trail up his chest and into his silky hair, pulling tight. I feel his answering groan all the way into my toes.

The kiss goes on and on until my legs wrap around his waist, and I’m silently begging for more, but Dante only nibbles a path along my jaw, then finishes with an open-mouthed kiss on the sensitive skin below my ear.

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