Chapter 21- Playing with Fire
Lucia “ROMANO BRIDE’S SECRET TRYST WITH ARTIST EXI
The headline blared from every tabloid and digital screen in the city, accompanied by pictures that made my stomach churn. Despite my efforts to control the narrative, the press had found another angle, capturing the heated exchange between Mark and me and turning it into scandalous gossip. Mark’s hand on my arm, his intense expression my proximity to him–it all looked damning. The narrative practically wrote itselfia desperate bride caught between two powerful men, one of whom controlled the city’s politics and the other in art seix.
I stood in Dante’s home office, hands clenched into fists at my sides as I waited for his reaction. He sat behind his massive mahogany desk, the very image of control. His dark eyes scanned the cables in his hand, has expression unreachable. The remion in the room was palpable, like the moments before a thunderstorm, and it made my skin prickle.
He didn’t speak immediately, which was worse than anything he could have said. Itis silence was unnerving a weapon he wielded with precision. My chest tightened with every second that passed
Finally, he set the tablet down, leaned back in his chair, and steepled his fingers. Interesting reading, in’t it?” His voice was calm, too calm, and that dangerous edge in his tome sent a shiver down my spine.
“It’s not what it looks like,” I said, forcing my voice to remain steady.
“No?” He reached for the tablet again and turned it toward me, displaying one of the dumning photos “Then explain to me exactly what this is Because from where Fun sitting, it looks like my fiancée–soon to be the future Mrs. Romano has been playing with fine.”
I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Mark was trying to warn me about you. About the warehouse meetings, the missing witnesses-
His jaw tightened, the only crack in his carefully constructed façade. “And you thought it prudent to entertain such warnings in public? Where any opportunistic journalist could snap a picture and twist it into a narrative that undermines everything we’ve worked for?”
“I wasn’t entertaining him,” I snapped, stepping closer to his desk ‘I was defending you. Or did you miss that part?”
His eyes narrowed, and he rose from his chair with a deliberate slowness that made my pulse quicken. “Defending me?” He circled the desk, his movements predatory. Tell me, Lucia, how exactly did you defend me! By standing close enough for the cameras to capture what looks like a lover’s quarrel? By letting him put his hands on you?“
trying to convince him to drop the painting. I thought I was
1
“I didn’t let him do anything.” I shot hack, my;
“anger flaring. “He’s persistent, and 1
ersistent, and I was trying to com
handling it.”
“Handling it?” His voice dropped in a dangerous wimper as be closed the distance between us “Cara, you’ve done anything but handle it. You’ve given the press ammunition to attack my campaign, my reputation, and our arrangement”
Lerossed my arms over my chest, refusing to back down “And wish would you have done! Sent your men to break his legs! Destroyed his career! Because that’s your allswer to everything, art it? Force and intimidation.”
His eyes flashed with something darker, vimeibang raw, “Don’t push me, Luria”
“Or what?” I challenged, stepping closer until we were nearly chest to chest. “You’ll lose control? Show me the ruthless side you keep hidden behind those tailored suits and charming smiles Go ahead. Dante. Let’s see the real you,”
His hand shot out, gripping my chin and tilting my face up to meet his gaze. “You already know the real me,” he said, his voice a low growl. “I’ve never hidden who I am from you. You, on the other hand. His thumb brushed over my lower lip, his touch both tender and possessive. “You keep pretending you’re above all this. Above me. But your body tells a chifferem story every time I touch you”
My breach hitched, and I hated myself for the way my body responded to him, the way his presence overwhelmed my senses. “Let me go,” I demanded, though my voice lacked conviction.
He didn’t rele me. Instead, he leaned in his lips so close to mine that I could feel the beat of his breach. “Do you really want me to?” he murmured, his voice dripping with challenge.
I opened my mouth to respond, but he captured it with his own, silencing any protest. The kiss was Gerce and consuming, a clash of anger and desire that left no room for thought. His hands moved to my waist, pulling me closer until there was no space between us. My fingers found their way into his hair, tangling in the dark strands as I kissed him back with equal fervor.
When he finally pulled away, his breathing was heavy, his forehead resting against trane. “You drive me insane,” he admitted, his voice rough
“The feeling is mutual,” I shot back, though my voice trembled
His lips curved into a dangerous smirk. “Good, Because I’m not letting you go, Lucia. Not now. Not ever.”
“You don’t own me,” I uid, though even I could hear the uncertainty in my voice.
He chuckled darkly. “No! Then why do you keep coming back to me? Why do you let me touch you like this?” His hands slid down to my hips, his grip firm. “Why do you crave me as much as I crave you?”
“Dance My protest was weak, my resolve crumbling under his touch.
“Say it,” he demanded, his voice low and commanding. “Say you’re mine.”
I shook my head, refusing to give him the satisfaction. But then his Lips found my neck, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin, and I couldn’t hold back sthe soft moun that escaped me.
“Say it,” he repeated, his voice a growl against my skin. “Or I’ll make you say in.
Chapter 21–Maying with Fire
“You’re impossibile,” I managed, my fingers clutching his shoulders for support.
“And you’re mine,” he countered, lifting me off the ground with ease. He carried me to the desk, setting me down as papers scattered to the floor. His lunds were everywhere, leaving a trail of fire in their wake as he claimed me with a possessiveness that was both infuriating and intoxicating,
I should have stopped him. Should have pushed him away and maintained the distance we’d agreed upon. But instead, I surrendered to the moment, to the fire that burned between us, consuming everything in its path.
“Dante.” I gasped as his lips trailed lower, his hands working with practiced ease to strip away the barriers between us.
He looked up at me, his dark eyes blazing with immensity. “Say it, Lucia,” he demanded.
His mouth reclaimed mine in a kiss that felt like a brand, like a claim, like something I wasn’t ready to name, I should have pushed him away. Should have maintained that professional distance we’d agreed on. Instead, I found myself pulling him doser, letting him devour my protests with kisses that set my blood on fire.
“The press…” I managed between kisses thus grew incremingly desperate. Your campaign.
“Fuck the campaign. His hands made quick work of my buttons, exposing more skin to his hungry mouth. “Right now,
aly who you belong to.”
