5

Dante had barely managed to stagger through the front door, the sharp scent of alcohol on his breath. His normally composed demeanor was gone, replaced by a haze of drunken abandon. The faint sound of his footsteps echoed as he moved down the hallway, and Kaela, in the middle of sorting through her thoughts, could hear him approaching from the stairs. She hadn’t expected him back so soon. In fact, she thought he had left for his business trip early that morning.

But there he was.

Dante, with his dark eyes smoldering beneath the weight of too many drinks, stared at her with an intensity that left her breathless. His presence was magnetic, every step he took toward her felt as though the room itself was closing in around her.

“Dante?” Her voice came out softer than she intended, a mix of surprise and hesitation.

He didn’t answer immediately. His gaze flicked over her, and his breath came out in uneven huffs, the faint remnants of whiskey clinging to him. He took another step, his movements slow but deliberate.

“I thought you went on a business trip…” Kaela’s voice faltered as he stepped closer, her heartbeat quickening.

“Plans changed,” he rasped, his voice thick, laden with alcohol and something darker, something urgent. He reached for her, fingers brushing her arm. The sensation was electric, her body responding against her will, her skin heating at his touch.

His fingers trailed down her arm to her wrist, gripping it with just enough force to send a ripple of

tension through her. Kaela tried to pull back, her heart racing with a mixture of confusion and apprehension. Dante’s eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t quite decipher. He was a man accustomed to control, but tonight, it seemed he had lost it. His thumb brushed over the pulse at her wrist, making her skin tingle.

“Stay still,” he muttered, his voice low and hoarse. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Kaela’s breath caught. She had never seen him like this before. The cool, composed Dante was gone, replaced by something raw, something fierce that set every nerve in her body on edge. He was close now, too close, his chest almost touching hers. His scent, a mix of leather, tobacco, and whiskey, enveloped her, and despite her best efforts to keep her distance, her body betrayed her. The heat between them intensified, the distance between them shrinking with every passing second.

“Dante… what are you doing?” Kaela’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper.

He didn’t answer. Instead, he moved faster than she could react, his hand sliding to the back of her neck, pulling her to him. The kiss was fierce, demanding, and she could do nothing but respond, her lips parting beneath his as if her body had a mind of its own. His lips were urgent, claiming, as if he had been waiting for this moment far longer than she realized.

Kaela’s heart raced in her chest, her body reacting against her will, her mind struggling to catch up. The kiss deepened, his hands exploring her back, pulling her even closer. She could feel the strength in his frame, the tension in his muscles, as if he was fighting some battle within himself. She couldn’t deny the attraction, the undeniable pull that had been building between them for days.

But just as quickly as it had begun, Dante pulled away, his breath coming in sharp, uneven gasps. He looked at her with an unreadable expression, his eyes dark and stormy.

“I don’t… want to hurt you,” he said, his voice gravelly, strained.

Kaela’s chest tightened at the vulnerability in his words, at the conflict she saw within him. She didn’t know what to make of him, of this strange, fragile moment between them. It was as though he was fighting himself, as though he was struggling with the desire he felt for her and the man he thought he had to be.

“Then why–” She couldn’t finish the sentence. She didn’t have the words.

Dante closed his eyes for a moment, as though trying to regain control of himself. He let out a sharp breath, his grip on her wrist loosening slightly. “I’m sorry,” he muttered, though it wasn’t clear whether he was apologizing for the kiss or something deeper, something that stretched back much further than this moment.

Kaela’s body still hummed with the aftermath of the kiss, the heat lingering between them. Her heart was racing, her breath shallow. She wanted to speak, to demand answers, but the words stuck in her throat. There was so much she didn’t understand. So much she wanted to unravel. But here, in this room with him, everything felt so overwhelming, so uncertain.

Dante’s hand dropped from her wrist, and he took a step back, his posture stiff. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said, his voice quieter now, filled with something like regret. “You deserve more than this.”

Kaela’s mind spun with a mix of emotions, confusion, desire, anger, and something else she couldn’t quite name. She had always believed Dante to be ruthless, a man who didn’t care about anyone but himself. But now, she wasn’t so sure. The man before her was different. Vulnerable. Torn between the monster he had built himself into and the man he might still want to be.

“But–“ She paused.

“But what? Do you want more? Or do you want my dick inside of you? Should I fuck you here and now?” His husky voice was in a low grasp.

Before she could say anything, Dante turned and walked toward the door, his steps heavy and deliberate. “We’ll talk later,” he said, his voice low and tight. “But not now.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving her standing in the middle of the room, her heart still racing, her mind a whirlwind of emotions.

Kaela pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm the rapid beat of her heart. What had just happened? What was Dante’s game? And what was she supposed to feel?

The room was silent now, but the tension still lingered in the air, thick and palpable. She was left with more questions than answers, and her body still felt the heat of his touch, the echo of his kiss.

Kaela exhaled slowly, her mind in turmoil. She needed to think, to sort through everything that had just happened. But as she stood there, alone in the silence of the room, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something far more complicated.