HELENA'S POV
I remember Dante's gaze when I saw him standing outside the dance studio – it was warm, dark and every emotion in between. I felt a shiver dance across my spine and I hadn't even realized it when I walked towards him. I didn't expect him to cup my face with the roughness of his palms and my heart soared.
I heard a tiny groan from his throat, a quiet noise of satisfaction boomed from him when I pressed my face on his chest. His fingers slid from my cheek to the back of my head and his fingers threading through my hair. I inhaled deeply, feeling every ounce of touch he gave me, and I was on the verge of melting like candy in his hands.
He smelled so good, felt so good – like I everything I needed and craved, comfort, security.
"I – I – don't know what to say" I breathed.
"Shhh" he shushed me with his head resting atop mine "Don't ruin it"
He had done everything I should hate and resent him for but here I was finding comfort in his arms and doing everything my mind screamed against.
This man would eat me alive.
But he was so warm and dark at the same time that the mixture felt so intoxicating, it was hard to even care.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push you" he said softly in my ears.
It went so quiet that I could hear the beats of my heart
Bu-Bum
"I'll think about it" I joked
"It made my blood boil, seeing you with him – whatever his name is" he growled in my ears before I pulled apart to look at him.
"Christain" I said, I was trying to be quirky but he wasn't getting it as a deep frown settled on his face and then I sighed.
"I had just bumped into him – it was nothing and besides your threat is still very much etched on my brain"
He sighed and nodded his dead, a heavy pressure drifting off my shoulders.
"Can I ask for something?" I said.
"Shoot" his eyes never left mine..
"I want her gone – your secretary"
He licked his bottom lip, and for some reason I wanted to pull them in my mouth and suck them
"Done"
My heart ached
His hands stilled around my waist as if waiting for my permission to go further
"Can I ask one more thing" I breathed.
"You're awfully needy today, Helena"
I swallowed "No women – not in the house, okay?"
He stilled for a brief second, and for a hot second, I thought he'd taken it the wrong way.
"Is that what you want?"
I wanted to be enough for him, even though it wouldn't matter because it was all for show.
"Yes" I nodded.
The next moments were silent, the anticipation of his answer wrapped around my lungs and squeezed hard.
His face came up to mine, our gazes met, lips inches apart.
His thumb ran across my lips, down to my chin "Done"
I exhaled, and my lungs released the breath it was holding but a tainted feeling settled on my chest. Thick as tar and black as night
"Anything it'll take for you to trust me" he said quietly, his mouth hovering about mine and I was tempted to press my lips to them but the weight of my rule hovered above my head and I didn't want to prove him right.
"I think we should get going" I said after I could no longer bear the intensity of his gaze, I turned to leave but I had barely stepped away from him when Dante grabbed me by my waist and pulled me into his body and forcing me to look at him and then without warning he crashed his lips into mine.
The world stopped.
Fire ignited in my veins. His lips moved with an intensity that stole the air from my lungs, devouring me whole. I could taste the hunger in him, feel it in the way his mouth claimed mine like I belonged to him and always had. The heat between us was undeniable, consuming, and I couldn't stop myself from responding. My fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, needing more, even though I knew we shouldn't be doing this. But I didn't stop him, I couldn't stop him.
His tongue swept across mine, and a soft moan escaped my throat like a hungry prisoner. Every part of me ached with desire, my body pressed so tightly against his that I never wanted to pull apart but I pulled apart still because the alarm bells were sounding off in my head that I was threading dangerous waters.
"We just – you just broke the rule" I spluttered out
"You never said anything about kissing – just sex" he sounded extremely cocky
"So you want to get out of this on a technicality?"
He shrugged, a kiss playing at my temple and I could smell him – I wanted to eat him.
But just then his phone started to ring and when he pulled his phone out, I could see Paulo's name sprawled out on his phone screen and he swiped immediately, Paulo's voice booming out of the speakers.
"They looted the warehouse, everything is gone"
"Who?" Dante's voice was dark and dangerous.
"The Anotti's, you have to get here"
Then Dante's flicked his eyes to me but he nodded at the phone "I'll be there"
"I guess you have to go" I said with a little bit of reservations and he cupped my face with the largeness of his palms.
"I'll take you home first"
***
I knew I shouldn't wait up, but I couldn't sleep. Images of the kiss kept fluttering in my head incessantly like butterflies, skin tingled and my lips still burned that they felt hard to touch. The taste of him was so delicious, and the feel of his hands sliding up my back and gripping me like he couldn't let go. It was a forbidden kiss but there was beauty in the madness that bound us together.
God. I wanted him.
It was way past ten when I head shuffling from downstairs and I figured that it was him, I jumped from my bed and reached for my silk robe but I thought against it, and went with my skimpy night gown and when I skipped downstairs and found Dante – my jaw dropped and I nearly screamed.
He had blood dripping down the side of his head, with a bruised cheek and a slightly busted and top of that he was drunk, I could smell the liquor all the way from where I stood.
"Principessa" he slurred