Page 94 of Shadows of Steel

Yet.

I turn back toward the room, finding Marta’s wide, disbelieving gaze locked on mine. She’s shaking, blood soaking into the fabric of her dress. I tilt my head, a mocking smile teasing the corners of my lips. “I didn’t hit anything important. No arteries, no major damage.” I pause, letting the tension linger before my lips curve just slightly. “Should I be expecting a thank you?”

Marta’s face twists in rage. “You—” She stops herself, seething when Dante steps forward.

“Choose your next words wisely. Because if you test my patience, I won’t hesitate to finish what my wife started, only I’ll be aiming for your head.” His words slice through the air like a guillotine.

Marta flinches.

I place a hand on his arm. “I fight my own battles, husband.” I say.

His jaw tightens, his lips parting, ready to protest, but I don’t let him. I turn back to the room, my gaze cutting through them, my lips curving ever so slightly. “Let this serve as a reminder to you all. If you think you can touch my husband without consequences, think again.”

Marta’s gasp is barely audible over the pounding silence.

I turn on my heel, heading for the exit. Dante falls into step beside me. I can feel the weight of his gaze, searing into my skin. Yet, I refuse to yield. I keep my eyes forward, my posture poised, denying him the satisfaction of my reaction.

Because the stunt he pulled today?

It will cost him.

However, I won’t deny the truth. My body still hums with the remnants of our kiss, my lips tingling from the brutal force of it. I’m furious, but I’m also burning for him.

As we approach the car, the weight of the night settles between us. Mario and Leonardo stand nearby, their sharp gazes flicking between us, smirks tugging at their lips, but they say nothing.

Dante opens the car door, waiting for me to step inside. But before I do, I turn to face him fully, my voice calm, deceptively soft. “You let her get close.”

Dante’s eyes darken. I take a step forward, closing the space between us. “She touched you.” My voice dips, each syllable laced with quiet venom. “She whispered in your ear. And you let her.”

His jaw tightens, but the glint in his eyes is something else entirely, dangerous. Heated. Amused.

A slow, knowing smile tugs at his lips, sinful and taunting. “Shall I remind you, wife, that your actions were a mirror of mine?” His voice is a decadent drawl, soaked in arrogance. “But consider your point acknowledged.”

I arch a brow, not breaking his gaze, not backing down. “Yes, but I imagine your men already have him bound in the back of a car, en route to his execution, while she still draws breath.”

Dante exhales, slow and deep, like he enjoys the game we’re playing. His fingers flex, as if itching to grab me. “He laid a hand on you, his fate is sealed. And if you wish it, wife, simply say the word, and she will cease to exist.” His words are final.

I tilt my head, my own smile wicked. “Well, no one touches my husband either.” I move closer, so close the scent of him wraps around me. His pupils dilate, his gaze flickering between my eyes and my mouth. I catch the soft flesh between my teeth, just enough to make his nostrils flare, enough to make him snap. “Consider this your only warning husband, should there be anext time a woman touches you, you’ll share her fate. And rest assured, I won’t be so generous as to spare anything vital.”

Dante’s breath sharpens. His gaze dips to my mouth again, watching as I wet my lips, knowing exactly what I’m doing to him. His hands twitch at his sides. That barely contained hunger. That raw, possessive energy vibrating off him. “Your jealousy turns me on, leonessa.” His voice is a dark promise whispered against bared skin.

I make a show of dragging my gaze over him, savouring every inch. Over the rigid set of his shoulders, the way his jacket strains against his frame. Then, my eyes drop lower, stopping at the thick outline of his cock, hard and straining against his slacks. I lift a brow, my smirk turning taunting. “Clearly.”

A slow, dangerous silence stretches between us, crackling like a live wire. I don’t wait for a response. I slide into the car, Dante following, his presence a smouldering storm beside me.

For now, he treads on thin ice.

But make no mistake, Dante Salvatore will be exactly where I want him.

On his knees.

Face buried between my thighs.

Tongue worshipping, making amends.

That, I can guarantee.

Chapter 27