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“Don’t let me stop you,” Dante murmured.
“Stop me doing what?” she frowned.
“The dancing. I was enjoying it.”
“How long were you watching me?”
When Dante hugged his chin with one hand, she couldn’t be sure if he was smiling or not. Shadows flickered across his face as he stood, silhouetted against the fire. With flames on either side of him, he seemed more masterful and more demonic than ever before.
“Well?” he prompted. “What are you waiting for?” Making himself comfortable on the mossy bank, he made a lazy gesture, inviting her to continue.
On this one occasion, Rose vowed, and no other, the temptation to kick dust in Dante’s face wasn’t quite as strong as the urge to dance for him.
Beginning was the worst, but once she got into it, she grew in confidence. She could forget her brothers’ mockery on the few occasions when she had dared to take to the dance floor. She could forget everything when she closed her eyes and lost herself in the dance. Her feet seemed to know what to do, and for once, her body was in sync with them. She kept it simple—nothing too elaborate or energetic. She just followed the impulse of her senses to her own inner tune.
“Beautiful,” Dante murmured. “In fact, I can only think of one improvement. Dance naked.”
Her eyes shot open.
“In fact,” he added with a glimmer of amusement, “I command it.”
“Oh, well…in that case,” she started off combatively, but then she thought, why not? Seduction might not be her default setting, but temptress came more naturally to her than submissive.
Dancing for Dante and seeing the effect it had on him was the best feeling in the world. She took her clothes off slowly, lingering over each tiny button down the front of her shirt, before shrugging it from her shoulders. Releasing the fastening on her bra, she allowed it to fall to the ground. Cupping her breasts, she displayed them. Dancing closer, she teased him. Turning her back, she slid her hands over the swell of her buttocks before easing her panties down, exposing her naked bottom. Settling them back in place again, she arched her back and slowly rotated her hips—
“For fuck’s sake, Rose!”
Breath shot out of her as Dante grabbed her close. “Let me go,” she warned, “or I’ll stop dancing.”
“If you don’t stop—”
“What?” she challenged, exulting in the thrust of Dante’s erection against her belly. “What will you do?”
With a growl, he snatched his hands off her.
It wasn’t easy to fight when she had a battle of her own. Why wait? her body crooned. Because I must, Rose silently replied. This was one battle she couldn’t afford to lose. Dante was accustomed to having his smallest whim accommodated. If she joined the crowd, he would always take her for granted.
Heat flared in his eyes when she started to dance. She ached to feel his hands on her, but this was more than a dance, it was a power play, and she had no intention of being consigned to the pile marked been there, done that. She was playing for higher stakes, the highest of all. She was playing for her heart. Her naked body was far from perfect, but Dante didn’t seem to notice that she was too big in the breast and too big in the butt, or that she had a belly. When she stepped out of her panties, he was so taut, he was like a bowstring about to snap. His black stare caressed her body with the same devastating effect as his touch. She could feel her body responding as if to his spoken command. It was the hardest thing to keep moving, to keep dancing, but she had to, she must. If she could only have one special night, she was going to make it count. The chilly air drew her nipples into tight pink peaks. The blazing fire warmed her buttocks as she swayed. Dancing closer, she teased him with her body, wanting Dante to suffer the same ferocious hunger she felt—
She shrieked when he tumbled her to the ground. He’d moved so quickly, she had no chance to escape. Didn’t want to escape, Rose thought, panting with shock as she stared into Dante’s amused eyes. “Lucky for you this moss is soft,” she scolded in a voice shaking with excitement.
“Lucky for you I broke your fall,” he argued, pulling her on top of him.
He felt so good, so hot, so firm and strong. Brushing her messy hair away from her face, he kissed her with a new tenderness. Body language couldn’t lie. She was almost seduced when she saw the shadows in his eyes.
“Dante?” Something had changed, but what? She could sense the alteration in him, as if he had pulled away in spirit.
“I can’t do this.” He lifted her onto the ground at his side, then sprang up.
“Do what?” Rose queried, scrambling to her feet. Her surprise had quickly turned to anger. “You play me, tease me, ask me to dance naked for you, and now you switch off?” Rose was suddenly acutely aware of her nakedness. Grabbing her clothes, she pulled them on as quickly as she could.
“I’m trying to protect you—”
“From what? You? When are you going to stop treating me like a child? Not this time, Dante.” Even the heat of the bonfire couldn’t warm her. It was as if a cold wind had extinguished that along with the heat in her heart. Lifting her chin, she stared into Dante’s eyes. “You’re right. It was a mistake coming here. You’ll have my resignation in the morn
ing—”
“What?”
