Page 46 of Dante

GINA

Iawaken the next morning with the bright yellow sunlight breaking through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my bedroom.

It’s as if the universe is shining a spotlight on last night’s encounter with Dante that played out like a dream.

Or a nightmare, depending on one’s perspective.

Last night, he was my dark hero.

Dangerous, but impossible to resist.

I can still smell the cedar of Dante’s cologne in the bed, though as usual, he’s long gone.

At the gym. At work. Or whatever he does in the moments that occupy his day.

I long to just lie in bed today, revisiting every electric moment of last night’s encounter.

But then my phone pings.

It’s Alice, sending me a meme. Even as I laugh, I wish I could tell her about my new life. That I have actual “bad boys” following me just like in her cherished mafia romance novels.

She’d be thrilled.

But then she’d be worried.

I’m in the kind of danger that has Dante giving me shooting lessons so I can save my own life.

There are so many things I couldn’t tell her about my family when we were growing up together in Irvine.

And now, when I need her the most, I can’t share anything about my life here, either.

My phone calendar flashes a message: tonight is Silvio’s party.

And thanks to Antoine, now I’ll be dressed for success. I’ll look the part.

Another win is that Silvio already likes me. Although, from what Lorenzo said, Silvio’s not as important in the organization as he thinks he is.

And Dante doesn’t seem to think much of him at all.

Still, I know I must continue to make a positive impression on Silvio and on all the other members of the old guard attending the dinner party tonight.

I get up and quickly shower and dress for the day. Though I had assumed Dante would be gone at this late-morning hour, I can hear him chatting with Ciro in the kitchen.

After what happened yesterday, it might be a little awkward to see him in the light of day. What he did to me with that gun... I could have never imagined it in a million years.

But I liked it.

I loved his display of his strength and power.

Should Dante want to revisit that fantasy, I already know I’d agree.

When I enter the breakfast area, I find Ciro inside the open kitchen and my husband sitting on one of the tall chairs at the marble island.

Ciro smiles at me. “Good morning, Mrs. Ricci.”

I greet him, then turn my attention to my husband.

“Good morning, California Girl,” he says with the edge of a smile.