Page 93 of Auctioned Innocence
“I wanted to pull you against me,” he admits quietly. “Right there in the water, in broad daylight where anyone could see. I wanted to kiss you until you couldn’t breathe.”
“So why didn’t you?” I’m barely able to get the words out.
“Because you were seventeen,” Dante bites out, his whole body tense. “Because I’d made promises. Because?—”
“Because you’re scared,” I finish, irritated. “Scared of what this means. Scared of how you feel about me.”
“What I wanted doesn’t matter.” But his voice is rough, his eyes dark. “What I want now doesn’t?—”
“Doesn’t what?” I shift closer. “Doesn’t matter? Because I’m tooyoung? Because of Marco? Because?—”
“Because I can’t—I can’t protect you and want you at the same time!” The words explode out of him. “I made a promise to Marco, and I’ve been…I’ve tried to keep my distance, do the right thing, but?—”
His voice cracks. “Fuck, Sofia, I can’t stop thinking about you. About touching you, about—” He runs a hand through his hair. “Marco would kill me if he knew.”
“Last Christmas in the library,” I press, needing to hear it all. “What would have happened if Marco hadn’t interrupted?”
Dante’s hands clench into fists. “I would have kissed you, backed you against those bookshelves and kissed you until you forgot your own name. Put my hands all over you and to hell with the consequences.”
The raw honesty in his voice makes me shiver. “I wanted you too.”
“I know.” His eyes meet mine, burning. “That’s what made it so damn hard to pull away.”
Before I can press for more, movement in the trees catches my eye.
A flash of something that doesn’t belong.
Dante sees it too.
In one fluid motion, he has me behind him, gun drawn.
Nothing moves.
“Inside,” he says quietly. “Pack your gear. Quickly.”
“The shooting,” I realize. “Sound carries in these mountains.”
Dante’s jaw tightens. “I know. But you needed the training more than we needed perfect silence.”
It was a calculated risk. One that might have just cost us our sanctuary.
But that night, after we’ve swept the perimeter and found nothing, the nightmares return.
I’m back on the platform, lights blazing down on me while men bid on my life.
But this time, when I look for Dante in the crowd, he’s not there.
Madame Rouge’s voice echoes through the room, announcing my sale to the highest bidder.
I try to run, but my feet won’t move.
Try to scream, but no sound comes out.
Then I’m in that hallway again, watching Maisie fight Viktor with everything she has.
Watching her beautiful, brave face as she drives her elbow back, as she tries so hard to break free.
But this time, I can’t move to help her.
