Page 74 of Vow of Hate

That doesn’t matter, I say to myself. Dante doesn’t matter.

Lorenzo and I dance for a while together. I keep telling myself that I’m enjoying this. That it’s fun.

“Want to get out of here?” he asks.

My heart skips a beat. “And go where?”

“Back to my place?” He cups my face and leans down, giving me a small kiss. I’m so startled by it, I pull back. “Sorry. Too soon?”

I consider the kiss. It was pleasant. Nice. Standing on my tiptoes, I kiss Lorenzo, deeper this time. He eagerly kisses me back.

But the kiss just feels… ok. A little sloppy. Nothing electric. No excitement. Yes, it feels physically good. It’s just that there’s nothing here. No passion.

Because he’s not Dante.

I thought I only wanted a release from anybody but it’s not just anybody I want. It’s Dante through and through.

That thought makes me pull back from Lorenzo with a gasp. I can’t have these feelings for Dante. I just can’t. They’re all wrong.

And yet, they refuse to leave me.

“What’s going on here?” a familiar voice asks.

With a gasp, I whirl around to find Dante standing in the middle of the crowd, watching me and Lorenzo. His eyes are narrowed. There’s that familiar darkness radiating off of him.

“Dante,” I whisper.

His eyes flick to Lorenzo and in one fast motion, punches the guy in the face. Lorenzo drops to the ground. A woman near me screams.

“Why did you do that?” I ask.

Dante grabs my hand. “Come on.” He tugs me along towards a more quiet, private part of the club. “I let you go and only a week later, you’re moving on from me? Good to know where I stand.”

I pull my hand from his but I can’t deny the tingly sensation left behind on my skin. That’s the power Dante has over me. “I wasn’t moving on.”

“I saw you kissing that fucker.”

“Why are you here?”

“Why are you here?”

“I don’t owe you anything, Dante. Not anymore. You let me go, remember?”

He leans in closer to me and I want to step back while at the same time, I want to lean in closer. “I know I let you go. And I meant it. I haven’t come for you.”

“I know,” I whisper. “But why haven’t you come for me?” My question sounds so pathetic and sad, it’s embarrassing.

His eyes widen for a second, showing me that vulnerability he has deep within himself. “I let you go because I knew it was the best thing for you. I’m bad for you, Sienna. I tried to humiliate you because I didn’t want to face what I was feeling. I felt… guilt. Fucking guilt for the first time in my entire life. That’s why I let you go and why I didn’t come back for you.”

His admission rocks me to my core. “You felt guilty for what you did to me?”

“Yes. Don’t tell anyone else,” he adds with a smirk. “I have my reputation at stake.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me this? You let me go and it was confusing. I didn’t understand why.”

“Well, now you know why.”

“But why did you punch Lorenzo? You let me go.”