Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Marina
Ipromised Sophia. I promised Dante. Breakfast with the family. Normal. Civilised. Just people eating eggs and drinking coffee.
Dante walks beside me. His hand brushes mine but doesn't hold it. He's been doing that lately. Touching me just enough to remind me he's there, but never quite connecting.
"You ready?" he asks.
"No."
"Neither am I."
We reach the dining room doors. Voices drift through.
I take a breath.
Dante pushes the door open.
The room falls quiet for half a second. Just long enough for everyone to register our entrance.
Sophia stands immediately. Her smile is warm but her eyes are checking on me, scanning for signs of panic.
"Marina." She crosses to me and takes my arm. "Come. Let me introduce you properly."
The dining table is massive.
Bruno sits at the head of the table.
Not in a wheelchair.
His eyes meet mine.
"Marina." His voice is deeper than I remember. Rougher. "Welcome back."
"Bruno." I manage to keep my voice steady. "You look... good."
"Physical therapy is a bitch."
A woman beside him laughs softly. Blonde hair, green eyes, a gentle face that seems out of place at this table of sharp edges.
"This is Antonella," Sophia says. "Bruno's wife."
Antonella rises awkwardly, I can see the bump. She's pregnant. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Sophia talks about you constantly."
Her grip is warm.
"Nice to meet you too," I say.
Nico sits further down the table, his dark eyes tracking everything. He nods at me once. Acknowledgment without warmth.
Beside him sits a woman with chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail. She's pretty in a quiet way—the kind of pretty that doesn't demand attention. But there's something in her posture. A tension. A watchfulness.
"Kristen," Sophia says. "Nico's wife. She's the one who helped you save Dante's life over the phone."
Kristen stands and offers her hand. "I'm glad the instructions worked. Phone instruction is not exactly my specialty."
"You were calm," I say. "That helped more than you know."
She smiles, and some of the tension leaves her shoulders. "I've had practice staying calm in bad situations."
There's a story there. I can see it in the shadows under her eyes, in the way Nico's hand immediately finds her lower back when she sits down.
"Pietro and Nora send their apologies," Sophia continues, guiding me toward an empty chair. "They're staying at the other house until the baby comes. Nora's pregnancy has been... complicated. She wanted privacy for the remaining months."
"I hope she's okay," I say.
"She's tough. The baby's just stubborn." Sophia grins. "Like its father."
I sit down. Dante takes the chair beside me.
"Vittoria and Dmitri are coming over later today," Sophia adds, pouring coffee into my cup without asking. She knows I need it.
I wrap my hands around the coffee cup. The warmth seeps into my palms. I take a sip. Strong. Bitter. Perfect.
Around me, conversation resumes.
Lorenzo leans toward Kristen. "How's Lily doing? Nico mentioned she started a new school."
Kristen's face softens at the mention of her daughter. "She loves it. Made three friends in the first week. Her teacher says she's the most social kid in class."
"That's good," Lorenzo says. "Stability helps."
"It does." Kristen glances at Nico. Something passes between them. "She's happy. That's all that matters."
I watch them talk. Normal conversation. Normal family dynamics. If I didn't know what these people were capable of, I might believe this was just a regular breakfast.
But I do know.
And I can't stop thinking about Dante.
He sits beside me, eating mechanically. Fork to plate. Fork to mouth. Chew. Swallow. Repeat.
His body is here. His mind is somewhere else entirely.
It's been like this since that night. Since he met Alejandro and came back with shadows in his eyes and lies on his tongue.
I knew he was lying then. I know it now.
But every time I try to ask, he deflects. Changes the subject. Kisses me until I forget the question.
"Marina?"
I blink. Sophia is watching me.
"Sorry. What?"
"I asked if you wanted more coffee."
"Oh. Yes. Please."
She pours. Her eyes stay on my face a moment too long.
I force a smile. Take another sip.
Across the table, Bruno is watching Dante with the same intensity I feel. Like he knows something is wrong but can't quite name it.
Dante doesn't notice. Or doesn't care.
He's drifting again. Present but absent. Here but gone.
I want to reach for his hand under the table. I want to shake him and demand answers. I want to understand what Alejandro said that broke something inside him.
But I can't.
Not here. Not with everyone watching.
So I drink my coffee and pretend everything is fine.
Just like he taught me.
Dante
The bedroom door opens.
Marina steps inside.
So fucking beautiful.
I've been lying here for twenty minutes. Staring at the ceiling. Counting the seconds until she came back.
She's here. She's real. She's mine.
Before everything falls apart.
"Come here."
My voice comes out giving a command.
Marina's eyes find mine. She hesitates for half a second.
Then she walks toward the bed.
Her steps are slow. She stops at the edge of the mattress, looking down at me.
"Take off your clothes."
She doesn't argue. Doesn't ask questions.
Her hands move to the zipper at her side.
The dress pools at her feet.
She's wearing a simple white bra. White underwear.
"All of it."
Marina reaches behind her back. The bra falls away.
Her breasts are perfect. Full.
She hooks her thumbs into her underwear and pushes them down her thighs. Steps out of them.
Stands before me completely naked.
I've seen her body before. Touched every inch of it. Tasted her until she screamed my name.
But every time feels like the first time.
My eyes travel lower. The triangle between her thighs. The legs that wrapped around me last night.
"Come here," I say again. "Ride my face."
Her breath catches.
For a moment, she doesn't move.
Then she climbs onto the bed.
I watch her crawl toward me. Watch the way her breasts sway with each movement. Watch the flush spreading across her chest.
She positions herself above me. Knees on either side of my head. Thighs trembling.
I grip her hips and pull her down.
The first taste of her hits my tongue and I groan.
Sweet. Warm. Already wet.
I lick a slow stripe through her clit. She gasps above me. Her hands find the headboard for balance.
I do it again. Slower this time. Savoring.
My hands slide from her hips to her ass. I cup both cheeks, squeezing the soft flesh as I pull her closer to my mouth.
She moans.
I flatten my tongue against her clit and press.
"Dante—"
My name sounds like a prayer on her lips.
I circle her clit with the tip of my tongue. Slow. Teasing. Making her wait for it.
Her hips try to move. Try to grind against my face.
I hold her still. My fingers dig into her ass, keeping her exactly where I want her.
"Please," she whispers.
I reward her with a long, slow lick. Base to tip. Lingering on her clit until her thighs shake.
I pull her down harder. Bury my face between her thighs. Devour her.
Her moans fill the room. Her fingers grip the headboard so hard her knuckles turn white.
I suck her clit into my mouth.
She screams.
Her hips buck against my face. I let her move now. Let her ride my tongue while I squeeze her ass and hold her open for me.
"That's it," I murmur against her flesh. "Take what you need."
She does.
Her movements become frantic. Desperate. She's chasing her release and I'm going to give it to her.
I slide my tongue inside her. Fuck her with it while my nose presses against her clit.
"Oh god—Dante—I'm—"
I pull back just enough to speak. "Come for me, cara. Let me taste it."
Then I seal my mouth over her clit and suck.
She shatters.
Her whole body convulses. Her thighs clamp around my head. Her scream echoes off the walls.
I drink her down. Every drop. Every pulse of her orgasm against my tongue.
She's still shaking when I finally release her. Still gasping for air.
I guide her down. Pull her trembling body against my chest.
Her heart pounds against my ribs. Her breath comes in ragged bursts.
"Dante," she whispers. Just my name. Nothing else.
I press my lips to her hair.
This. This is what I'm fighting for. This is what I'll destroy everything to protect.
Even if it means destroying myself in the process.
Marina
The bed shifts.
I keep my eyes closed. Keep my breathing slow and even.
Dante thinks I'm asleep.
I want to see him when he doesn't know I'm watching.
The mattress dips as he stands. I hear the soft rustle of fabric. The slide of a drawer opening.
Through my lashes, barely cracked, I watch him move through the darkness.
He's getting dressed. Black shirt. Black pants.
My stomach tightens.
It's been three days since we arrived at the compound. Three days of him never leaving my side.
Until now.
The clock on the nightstand glows 3:07 a.m.
Dante pulls on his boots.
He pauses by the dresser. Runs his hand through his hair.
Sighs.
The sound is heavy. Weighted with something I can't name.
I watch him check his phone. Watch his jaw clench at whatever he sees on the screen. Watch him slide the phone into his pocket and stand there for a long moment, staring at nothing.
He's nervous.
Dante, is nervous about whatever he's doing tonight.
My heart beats faster. I force myself to stay still. To keep breathing like I'm deep in sleep.
He turns toward the bed.
I close my eyes completely. Let my face go slack.
His footsteps are silent on the carpet. I wouldn't know he was moving if I couldn't feel the air shift as he approaches.
The mattress dips again. Just slightly. He's leaning over me.
His breath is warm against my hair.
Then his lips press against my forehead. Soft. Gentle. The kind of kiss you give someone you're afraid you'll never see again.
"Ti amo, mia cara."
The words are barely a whisper.
My chest aches.
I want to open my eyes. Want to grab his hand and demand to know where he's going. What he's doing. Why he sounds like he's saying goodbye.
But I can't move.
If I open my eyes now, he'll know I was awake. He'll know I heard whatever he just said. And something tells me he doesn't want me to know.
His lips linger on my skin for another heartbeat.
Then he pulls away.
I hear him cross the room. Hear the door open. Hear it close behind him with a soft click.
Silence.
I open my eyes.
What the hell was that?