Page 181 of Made for Sinners

He didn’t speak. Just wrapped his arms around my waist from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder.

“You disappeared,” he murmured.

“I needed air.”

He kissed the curve of my neck. “You’re always running.”

“And you’re always chasing.”

He chuckled. “You like it.”

“I do.”

We stood there in silence, the vineyard stretching out before us, the stars above, the music behind. His arms around me. His breath in my ear.

We stood there in silence, the vineyard stretching out before us, the stars above, the music behind. His arms around me. His breath in my ear.

I leaned back into him, letting his warmth seep into my skin, grounding me. My fingers toyed with the edge of his cuff, brushing the cool metal of his watch—the one I’d stolen once, the one he never took off now.

“You know,” I murmured, “for a man who just married me twice, you’re awfully quiet.”

Dante’s lips brushed my shoulder, the bare skin exposed by the low back of my dress. “I’m trying not to ruin the moment by dragging you into a closet.”

I laughed, low and breathless. “You say that like it would be a bad thing.”

He turned me in his arms, his hands settling at my waist, his eyes dark and heavy with something that made my stomach flip. “You’re dangerous when you smile like that.”

“I learned from the best.”

His gaze dropped to my mouth, and for a second, I forgot where we were. Forgot that there were a hundred people just behind us, sipping champagne and pretending not to be watching us like we were the main attraction.

“You’re mine,” he said, voice low and rough. “Do you know what that means?”

I tilted my head. “That you’re going to spend the rest of your life trying to keep up with me?”

His mouth curved into a smirk. “It means I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure no one ever forgets it.”

The weight of his words settled over me, not heavy, but solid. Real. Like a vow carved into stone.

I reached up, brushing my fingers along the line of his jaw. “I’m not going anywhere.”

He caught my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “I know.”

For a moment, we just stood there, the world quiet around us. The vines rustled in the breeze, the stars blinked above, and somewhere behind us, the band started playing something slow and soft.

“Dance with me,” I said.

He didn’t answer. Just took my hand and led me back toward the lights.

The reception wasin full swing when we returned, the tables half-empty, the dance floor full. Adrianna was twirling in the arms of her husband, laughing like she didn’t have a care in the world. Rafe stood near the bar, drink in hand, watching the crowd with the kind of detached amusement that came from being the most dangerous man in the room who wasn’t currently dancing with his wife.

Dante pulled me into the center of the floor, his hand finding the small of my back, the other clasping mine.

The music wrapped around us, slow and sultry, the kind of song that made you sway without thinking.

“You’re staring,” I said, looking up at him.

He didn’t look away. “I’m memorizing.”

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