Page 87 of The Mafia's Broken Vows

“Come on! What’s he going to do, blindfold me and take me to the altar?”

Dante says nothing and his silence feeds my frustration. “So, what happens now?”

“Now that you’re dead at the hands of Italians, you mean?” Dante’s words are blunt, the reality of the situation hitting me like another gut punch, but I nod wearily.

“Now, we go to war.”

I drop my head into my hands, my fingers tangling in my hair. “Oh God, no. You can prevent this war by simply letting my father know that I’m alive.”

“No. No one can know that just yet.”

“Dante, I don’t want a war. Guns, bombs, innocent people getting killed, their lives destroyed . . . so many people dying just to save one person. It’s not worth the chaos—”

Dante cuts in roughly, his eyes flashing. “Don’t you ever say that again, do you hear me? You don’t dictate how much value I place on you. If I want to go through a thousand lives to keep you safe, it’s my prerogative.”

“Well, it’s my life,” I snap, my chin lifting.

“Sure, and that’s my child you’re carrying.”

Dante’s heated words hover in the air between us before descending straight into my core.

We stare at each other, at an impasse, my eyes brimming with angry, frustrated tears even as I start to throb with arousal. I want to smack his gorgeous face, almost as much as I want him to fuck me again. Desperately.

Which is my cue to run.

“Oh, fuck it. I’m tired. I’m going back to bed. Alone.” I stand abruptly, my legs shaking as I storm off toward the door. “And I don’t want to see you for the rest of the day,” I throw behind me, more to my raging hormones than to him.

“Okay, Addy.” Dante doesn’t even spare me a look. He only leans back on the chaise, his head thrown back, eyes closing as if getting ready to take a nap. Jerk.

I push the door open with more force than necessary and step out, my heart pounding in my chest. And then I freeze. I don’t know where I’m going, and I can’t go back inside because the door has no handle, only a handprint scanner. Somehow, I don’t think it’ll recognize mine.

With a maneuver a stunt artist would be proud of, I slam myself back into the door before the final inch closes and fly back inside the room. I move back to Dante, my eyes narrowing as I take in his relaxed posture.

“Need something, baby?” Dante is still reclining on the chaise, hands knitted behind his head. His big torso is on display, his shirt stretched taut under rippling muscles. His gaze is literally ripping my shirt into shreds right now, and I feel my body respond, my nipples tightening and my core clenching with need.

God, it’s too unfair for him to be this attractive.

“I can’t find my way back,” I admit, hating the way my voice trembles.

“Do you want to go back to the basement, or do you want to stay in my suite?” He tilts his head, studying me intently. “Don’t worry, I don’t live here.”

For some reason, that revelation crushes me, and I have no idea why. “You don’t?”

“No.”

“I’ll stay in your suite then.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and I feel a flush creep up my neck.

Dante uncoils from the chaise with feline grace, closing the gap between us in a few long strides. “Do you want me to take you there?” His voice is low and rough, and I know exactly what he’s asking me.

Unfortunately, there’s only one answer to both questions, which annoys me even more. “What do you think?” I spin on my heels, not waiting to catch the smirk on his face.

But my pace is no match for his, and within seconds, he’s caught up to me in the corridor, his hand slipping through my hair and around the back of my neck in a possessive grip. “The mansion is actually pretty simple to navigate. It’s all in a circle, so you can’t get lost,” he says as we go up a curving staircase, his breath hot against my ear.

He starts pointing out different landmarks, explaining how they connect to the rest of the mansion. “See that painting of my grandfather over there?” He gestures toward a large oil portrait of a stern-looking man with piercing eyes that seem to follow us as we move. “If you take the hallway to the left, it’ll take you to the kitchen. And if you go to the right, you’ll find the library.”

I nod, trying to take it all in and memorize everything, but it’s hard to focus with Dante’s body so close to mine, his scent wrapping around me like a seductive cocoon.

“And my suite is just down that way.” He continues, pointing toward a set of large double doors on the other side of the room. “It’s got everything you need, including my number.”

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