Chapter Ten

Dante

I stand by the window, staring out into the city. The lights blur together, and everything below looks so small, so far away. It’s late—maybe 2 or 3 a.m.—but I can’t sleep. My mind’s too wired, too full of thoughts I never used to have. Thoughts of Emily.

Behind me, she’s curled up on the bed, breathing softly in her sleep. I glance back at her, and something tightens in my chest. She’s lying there, wrapped in the sheets, her hair splayed out like a damn halo around her head. She looks peaceful, innocent even. Like she doesn’t belong anywhere near the shit I drag around with me. Her lips are parted slightly, her chest rising and falling steadily, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck I did to deserve someone like her in my life.

Everything’s different now. She’s changed things. Before her, I didn’t give a damn about tomorrow. I didn’t care what happened to me, or to anyone else, as long as I got what I wanted. Now, every decision feels heavier. Every move I make has her in the back of my mind. How to keep her safe. How to keep her from getting hurt because of the mess I’ve created?

I’ve already started cutting ties. Pulling away from the more dangerous parts of the business, the parts that put a target on my back—and by extension, on hers. It’s not easy. I’ve spent years building this empire, and not all of it is clean. But fuck, if it means she can sleep at night without worrying about some asshole trying to use her to get to me, then it’s worth it. I’d burn the whole goddamn thing down for her if I had to.

I drag a hand through my hair, my jaw clenched tight as I think about the weight of it all. I’ve never been the kind of guy to back down or walk away from a fight. But this? This feels different. This feels like walking on a razor’s edge, trying to balance the life I’ve built with the life I want to give her. Safer. Better.

Behind me, I hear her stir, the sheets rustling softly as she shifts. I glance back just in time to see her eyes flutter open, still heavy with sleep. She blinks at me a few times before her gaze sharpens, locking onto where I’m standing by the window.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice rough and sleepy.

I turn back to the window, staring out at the city again. “Just thinking.”

She sits up, pushing the sheets down, and I hear her footsteps pad across the floor as she walks toward me. She stops a few feet away, her presence bringing a warmth. “Thinking about what?”

I let out a low breath, still not turning around. “About how much things have changed. About you.”

I feel her hand on my back, light, tentative. “Is that a bad thing?”

I finally turn to face her. She’s standing there in one of my shirts, the fabric hanging loose on her body. Her eyes search mine, and I can see the worry in them, the fear that maybe I regret any of this.

“No,” I say firmly, my voice rougher than I intended. “Not bad. Just… different.”

She bites her lip, taking a step closer. “Dante, what’s going on? You’ve been acting distant.”

I run a hand over my face, trying to gather my thoughts. How the hell do I explain this to her? That the world I live in isn’t a place for someone like her? I’m trying to change, but it might not be fast enough to keep her safe. That no matter how much I want to, I can’t just snap my fingers and make all the danger disappear.

“I’m trying, Emily,” I say, my voice low. “I’m trying to make things better for us. Less dangerous. But it’s not easy. There’s a lot of shit I need to untangle, and it’s going to take time.”

She steps closer, her fingers brushing against my arm. “I don’t care about any of that, Dante. I just want to be with you.”

Her arms wrap around my waist, her face pressing into my chest, and she looks up at me with those big, determined eyes. “I don’t need easy, Dante. I don’t need you to protect me from everything. I just need you. All of you.”

I’m quiet for a second, just holding her. Her body is soft and warm against mine, and her words pierce right through me. I’ve never been this close to anyone. She doesn’t care about the shit that comes with me, the danger that hangs over my head like a fucking storm cloud. She’s willing to be in it with me, no matter the cost.

“I love you, Emily,” I say, my voice rough and strained. “More than I thought was possible. And I swear to you, I’ll protect you from anything, from anyone. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

She leans back a bit, enough to look up at me. “I love you too, Dante. I have ever since you saved me from that horrible auction house. And I don’t want to be anywhere else. I want this. I want us .”

I stare down at her, my heart pounding. “Then you’ve got me. For life, Emily. I’m not going anywhere.”

In one quick motion, I grab her thighs and lift her off the ground. She gasps, her legs wrapping around my waist instinctively as I pin her against the wall next to the window. My lips crash against hers, raw and hungry, and I kiss her like I’ve been starving for her all along. She moans into my mouth, and I can feel the heat between us rising fast. My hands roam under her shirt, pushing it up, as her fingers thread into my hair, tugging hard.

I break the kiss for a second, breathing heavily as I look into her eyes, dark with lust. “You’re mine, Emily,” I rasp, my hands gripping her ass tightly, pressing her harder against me. “I’m going to love you for the rest of my life, you hear me?”

“Show me,” she breathes out, her voice shaking with need.

Without another word, I slide inside her, my breath catching as I feel her body tense and then relax around me. She clings to me, nails digging into my shoulders, and I move—slow at first, then harder, faster, until we're both lost in each other. The world outside the window fades away, and all that’s left is us. Her gasps, my grunts, the way our bodies fit together perfectly.

I bury my face in her neck, breathing in her scent, feeling her pulse against my lips. I can’t get enough of her. I never will.

“Home,” I groan, burying my face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in. Everything about her—her scent, her warmth—pulls me under, like she’s the only safe place I’ve ever known. “You feel like home, Bella.”

Her arms tighten around me, her body pressing closer, and when I thrust inside her again, she gasps, her breath shaky. “You feel like home for me, too,” she whispers, her voice full of everything I’ve been craving.

My eyes lock onto Emily as her legs fall open, her back arching in a way that makes every muscle in my body tense with need. Fuck, she’s perfect. Her lip is caught between her teeth, trying to hold back the sounds I’m desperate to hear. The hunger inside me flares, and I can’t control it anymore. I brace my hand beside her shoulder, and without hesitation, I start to take her like I’ve been dying to.

I’m inside her, and it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. Each thrust drives me deeper, and harder, and I can see the way her body reacts to every inch of me. She’s falling apart beneath me, her lips parting in a silent cry, her body tight and trembling. I know she’s close. Hell, I’m barely holding on myself.

Her muscles tense, and before she can make a sound, I press my hand over her mouth. I want to hear her, but not yet. Not before I’ve taken everything from her. She convulses beneath me, the pleasure rippling through her, and I push her even harder, driving both of us to the edge.

The way she feels around me, pulling me deeper, it’s fucking perfect. My release hits me hard, and I jerk against her, burying myself inside as I spill every bit of myself into her. We come undone together, our bodies tangled in the intensity of it all, and it’s like I’m drowning in her. I know there’s no going back. I’m hers. For life.