Page 138 of Thorns of Silence

Goosebumps trailed down my bare arms at the contact. I tilted my head back and downed the drink in one go, then set it down beside him.

He ran a hand across his jaw, his eyes never wavering. “You’re not going to need to drink to deal with me, are you?”

Stepping into his space, I gripped the end of his tie. “And if I do?” I drew his scent deep into my lungs. My caution seemed to have gone with the wind. It was stupid.Reckless.

His body stilled for a split second, but he must have read something in my eyes. A mixture of vulnerability, worry, and desire. The truth was that Iwantedhim, but I didn’t want to be a replacement. I needed him to want me and only me. I wanted a family that was different from the one we grew up in. Maybe the one I had before Mamma and Papà moved to Italy.

“I guess I’m going to have to help you overcome that addiction,” he said slowly, signing the words at the same time. “You can only have one.” He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me into his chest. He tilted my head up and kissed me until I was dizzy, tasting the whiskey on his tongue. My pulse throbbed between my legs and lust burned through my blood. “I’m going to be your addiction. The same way you’re mine.”

My heart raced in my chest. He already was my addiction. There was no sense in denying it or fighting it. A tight sensation wrapped around me, recognizing the signs.

It was like free-falling.

He skimmed his lips across the pulse point in my neck and the ice around my heart melted faster than chocolate under the scorching sun. Another section of my walls came tumbling down.

It was too soon. He’d wreck me and leave me bleeding. Just like before.

The vise around my heart tightened, tugging in that familiar way, but my desire won out. My mind was made up. I’d make the best of whatever time we had.

Cesar and Skye appeared, breaking the moment. Dante’s heavy gaze tore from me and met our daughter’s.

“Can Cesar and Donatella take me to the beach?” Excitement lurked in her eyes. “He says it’s right in front of the castle.”

My eyes met Cesar’s and I found a solemn promise in them. He’d lay his life down for her because he knew my secret. How, I had no idea, but it banished any concern for her safety.

“I’ll put her to bed afterward,” Donatella offered, signing. “That way you two can have some privacy.”

“Sure,” I agreed, ignoring the way my cheeks heated at the insinuation.

Skye looked at Dante and said with all the seriousness of a five-year-old. “Cesar said he’s your guard. Can he be mine now?”

I choked out a laugh, but what surprised me the most was Dante’s agreement. “He’s yours, princess.”

The nickname had me wincing. Sasha called her a princess too. But it couldn’t be more than a coincidence. Skyewasa princess. She reminded me of Reina in that way.

“Have fun at the beach,” I signed.

Dante watched me as the two figures disappeared. The vehemence in his gaze reminded me of a few days ago when he’d said,There’s nowhere you could go that I wouldn’t find you.

Maybe I should fight him, but I was tired of fighting. Instead, rising to my tiptoes, I pressed my lips to his jawline. His stubble was rough as I kissed a line down his throat, growing dizzy from his taste and smell.

I rested my hand over his hard-on, rubbing the entire length of him. He took my mouth in a wet and rough kiss, my tongue sliding against his.

His grip on the back of my neck tightened and the throbbing intensified in my lower belly as I pressed my body to his. He was nothing but heat, sculpted muscles, and lust.

He groaned against my lips before grabbing my hips and lifting me. My legs wrapped around his waist and my hands buried in his hair. Walking toward the stairs, he kissed me like he was dying of thirst and I was his only source of water.

He trailed his mouth down my neck and I worked on his vest and then his shirt buttons. His hands kneaded my ass as I tugged his white undershirt out of his pants and ran my hands over the hot skin of his stomach beneath it. He hissed through his teeth, and a lungful of air escaped me when he dropped on top of me on the bed.

When I looked up and found the ghosts in his gaze, I froze in place.

God, not this again.

FIFTY-FOUR

DANTE

The lust on Nix’s face from mere seconds ago was replaced with annoyance as she watched me, propping herself up on her elbows. I was majorly messing this up.