Chapter 61
A small, pea–sized metal buttel covered in blood lay discarded on the ground. Just a few feet away, a blood–streaked knife lay abandoned, the scene resembling something out of a senal killer movie, but it wasn’t.
Dante’s arm was wrapped tightly around his wife, holding her against him, while Elara rested her head on his shoulder. Their chests rose and fell rapidly, their breaths uneven, ragged, as if they had just finished something intensely sinful,
“Are you alright?” she asked, raising her head to look at his face..
Dante’s eyes were closed, his head tilted back against the wooden wall, exhaustion evident in every line of his body.
“Hmm,” he hummed, voice low, raspy. Then, his lips curled faintly as he cracked one eye open. “You did amazing. I’m proud of you
His fingers found her hand, lifting it gently to his lips kissing her hand. Elara stared at him for some seconds, feeling butterflies in her stomach.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke. The silence stretched, thick with something unspoken.
Then, breaking the moment, she reached for the rolled–up shin. Without a word, she raised her hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Until his hand brushed against her chest.
Right over her nipple.
A sharp hiss left her lips, her body jerking instinctively. Dante’s eyes snapped open immediately. His eyes flickered from her flushed face to where her hand had flown, covering herself.
Is it hurting too much, love?” he asked, knowing his strength. He knew he had bitten her hard.
Elara shook her head quickly.
fine. It’s nothing,” she murmured, forcing herself to focus as she wiped the sweat from his face.
Dante, however, wasn’t convinced. His eyes darkened, lips pressing into a firm line “Let me see
Elara’s breath hitched. “W–what” Before she could react, she felt the cold brush of air against her skin, his fingers were already at her dress zipper. ready to pull it down.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. Oh, hell no. With a gasp, she shoved him away, being as careful around his wound as possible.
“Have you lost your damn mind?” she hissed, eyes flashing. Dante blinked.
“I should’ve left your bleeding ass in that river!” she snapped, standing up and taking several steps away from him, arms crossed over her chest
Dante let out a low, dramatic sigh. “Dios mio, I was just joking!”
Elara shot him a deadly glare. “Joking? You were about to strip me in open, you perverted bastard!”
He smirked. “And? You’re my wife, aren’t you??
Wife or not, you’re not unzipping anything!” she shouted, turning her back on him with a sharp hut.
Dante’s smirk faded as he watched her stubbornly sit as far away from him as possible. He ran a hand through his damp hair, wincing slightly
He exhaled heavily.
Trying a softer approach, he lowered his voice. “Come back here, cariño,”
Silence
“Elara,” he tried again, this time with coaxing warmth. But she only huffed louder and presses her hands to her ears
Trante shook his head, amusement flickering in his graze
Stubborn little thing
But he saw the way her body trembles, her wet dress doing nothing to protect her from the cold. She curled into herself, arms wrapped around her body, tossing and turning in an attempt to get comfortable
Dante clenched lus jaw
Chapter 1
This damn woman
With a groan, he braced himself against the wall, pushing to his feet. His body protested, pain shooting through his shoulder, but he ignored it.
Elara felt his
She
presence near her before she saw him.
sat up quickly, eyes wide.
Before she could finish, Dante sank down beside her, wrapping an arm
g an arm around her waist and pulling her again
against him.
“What are you—”
Her breath caught as her head landed against his bare chest, right over his thundering heanbeat.
Warmth.
His body heat seeped into her, chasing away the cokl instantly. Dante tightened his hold, his lips grazing the top of her head.
“Sleep, baby,” he murmured against her hair. Slowly, Elara’s body melted into his.
The last thing she heard before closing her eyes, letting his warmth swallow her whole, was “Next time when you open your eyes, we will be at our home”
Romano Mansion
Elara’s POV
True to his words, when I opened my eyes, I was no longer in that old cabin in the middle of the forest. The unfamiliar room around me was dimly lit the soft glow of a bedside lamp casting long shadows across the walls,
1 frowned. Where am I? And where is my injured husband? Reaching out, my fingers brushed over the mattress beside me it was still warm, Dante had been here.
à strange sense of unease coiled in my stomach. He shouldn’t be moving around yet. Not with his wounds still fresh. I threw off the covers and stepped out of bed, my bare feet padding against the cold floor as I pushed open the door.
I heard some voices, the clink of silverware, people talking, and Laughter. I followed the sound until I reached the grand dining hall.
And what I saw stopped me dead in my tracks,
The entire Romano family was seated around a long luxurious dining table, just like a picture–perfect family dinner.
Alessandro Romano sat at the head of the table while casually sipping coffee from his coffee mug. To his left was his wife, Isabella, her soft laughter filling the space Beside her sat Bell Romano, princess of the family, rolling her eyes at something her brother, Nero, had whispered to her,
And then there was Dante.
Seated beside his mother, he was shirtless, his broad chest and shoulders wrapped in crisp white bandages, his tanned skin glowing in the light. His dark hair was slightly damp as if he’d just taken a shower.
I swallowed.
The moment they heard my footsteps, every single head at the table snapped toward me
1 froze For a second, they just stared. My mother–in–law laughed, shaking her head. Alessandro cleared his throat and looked away, pretending to
focus on los codec.
Bell whated under her breath. “Damn, girl” Nero groaned, rolling his eyes.
And Dante? He was glaring daggers at me. This stormy eyes raked over me from head to toe, jaw clenched so tight I swore I heard his teeth grind
My brows furrowed. What the hell is wrong with them Then, I looked down at myself—
And my breath hitched.
Dlr. My God
I was wearing nothing but an oversized white shan. The hem barely skimmed my upper thighs if I so much as bent even a little, I would be
2/3
Chapter 61
completely exposed,
Heat exploded in my face. My entire body went rigid with mortification, I slapped my hands over my bare thighs, failing miserably to cover myself. I immediately turned and bolted back into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me, my heart racing like crazy.
I grabbed a pillow and scrrained into it.
“What the fuck did you do, Elara Romano? How will you ever face them now?”
“What a walk, of shame”, Dante sabl
1 whipped around, my face burning. “Shut up!” I grabbed the nearest pillow and launched it at his stupid, smirking face.
Dante caught it effortlessly, his smirk widening as he tossed it aside. Pushing off the wall, he stalked toward me with predatory se
“You could always go back out there, tesoro,” he drawled, his voice dripping with sinful amusement. “Maybe give them a full show this timest
1 gaped at him. horror washing over me. “You are insufferable!” I groaned, burying my face in my hands. “I wasn’t thinking, okay? I just woke up. and, ugh!”
hante chuckled, clearly enjoying my misery. I felt his fingers trace lazy
ozy circles on my bare thigh, just below the hem of his shirt, the same damn shun that bad gotten me into this mess.
“Hmm. So this is my fault?” he mused, voice laced with mock innocence.
“Yes!” I snapped, glaring up at him. “You put me in this damn shirt!”
His brow arched. “Would you rather I left you naked?”
I gasped, my face practically catching fire. “Dune” He laughed, like really laughed this time, a deep, rich sound that made my stomach flutter despite my absolute mortification. Before I could react, his hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against his hard body.
His lips brushed against the shell of my car, his voice a husky murmur. “You left me sexually frustrated last night” His fingers flexed against my hips, his touch searing through the thin fabric. “Now you want to drive me insane again?”
My breath hitchied.
His hands slid lower, gripping my thighs, his hold firm, possessive. “Tell me, amor, do you enjoy torturing me..” His breath fanned against my skin. “Or are you just this damn clueless?”
A sharp gasp escaped me as his teeth grazed my earlobe, sending a shiver down my spine. I showed him away “Dante, you are impossible!”
His smirk deepened. “And you, wife, are a walking temptation.”
E
