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He glanced over at her as they walked, his expression serious. "I'm a warrior."
"Warrior," she said, skeptical of the antiquated term. "What exactly does that mean--military? Special Forces? Vigilante?"
"In a sense, I'm all of those things. But I'm one of the good guys, Tess, I promise you. My brethren and I do whatever is necessary to maintain order and make sure that the weak and innocent are not preyed upon by the strong or corrupt."
She didn't laugh, even though she wasn't at all certain he was serious. The way he described himself called to mind ancient ideals of justice and nobility, as though he subscribed to some kind of knightly code of honor. "Well, I can't say I've ever seen that job description on a r?sum? before. As for me, I'm just your basic private-practice veterinarian."
"What about your boyfriend? What does he do for a living?"
"Ex," she admitted quietly. "Ben and I have been broken up for a while now."
Dante paused to look at her, something dark flashing across his features. "You lied to me?"
"No, I said I was at the reception with Ben. You assumed he was my boyfriend."
"And you let me believe it. Why?"
Tess shrugged, unsure. "Maybe I didn't trust you with the truth."
"But you do now?"
"I don't know. I don't trust very easily."
"Neither do I," he said, watching her more closly than ever now. They resumed walking. "Tell me. How did you become involved with this... Ben?"
"We met a couple of years ago, through my practice. He's been a good friend to me."
Dante grunted but said nothing more. Ahead of them less than a block was the Charles River, one of Tess's favorite places to walk. She led the way across the street and onto one of the paved trails that meandered along the riverfront.
"You don't really believe that," Dante said when they neared the dark, rippling water of the Charles. " You say he's a good friend, but you're not being honest. Not with me, and not with yourself either."
Tess frowned. "How could you possibly know what I think? You don't know anything about me."
"Tell me I'm wrong."
She started to say as much, but his unwavering gaze stripped her bare. He did know. God, how was it possible that she could feel so connected to him? How could he read her so clearly? She'd felt this same awareness--this instant, peculiar bond with him--at the museum.
"Last night, at the exhibit," she said, her voice quiet in the cool darkness, "you kissed me." "Yes."
"Then you all but vanished without a word."
"I had to leave. If I hadn't, I might not have stopped at just kissing you."
"In the middle of a crowded ballroom?" He didn't say anything to deny it. And the slight, inviting curve of his lips sent arrows of fire licking through her veins. Tess shook her head. "I'm not even sure why I let you do that to me."
"Do you wish I hadn't?"
"It doesn't matter if I wished it or not."
She picked up her pace, moving ahead of him on the walking path.
"You're running away again, Tess."
"I am not!" She surprised herself by the frightened tone of her voice. And she was running, her feet trying to carry her as far away from him as possible, even though everything else within her was drawn to him like a magnetic field. She forced herself to stop. To remain still as Dante came up next to her and turned her to face him.
"We're all running away from something, Tess."
She couldn't help scoffing a little. "Even you?"
