Page 28 of No Darker Temptation

“Hi,” he says.

Nervous giggles bubble to the surface. I feel ridiculous but am too happy to care. “Hi.”

“You are beautiful.” He expels a breath. “Dahlia⁠—”

“Are you going to kiss me?” I ask. “Because I highly suggest you kiss me before saying anything else.”

I rise to the tips of my toes but he presses the pad of his thumb against my lips, halting my advance. His touch is gentle when he lifts both palms to cradle my cheeks. “Let’s step outside for a minute.”

“Why?”

“So we can talk.” He removes his coat and places it on my shoulders. “Come. It’s not as cold as it looks.”

I follow him out into the gardens where a stone bench sits under a twinkling canopy. It’s clear of snow but he still reaches into his pocket for a handkerchief and wipes down the bench before letting me sit. I recognize a few wedding guests floating around, most of them drunk and laughing, trying to find their way through the maze in the moonlight. They’re far enough away that I don’t worry about being seen or heard.

“There are some things we need to talk about first.”

“Alex—”

“Please, Dahlia,” he turns to face me, expression pleading. “Let me say my piece. After this I promise I’ll never bring it up again. You can choose for yourself what you want and I’ll honor your decision. But I can’t let you choose without telling you everything you need to know.”

Part of me almost argues back.

Almost.

I find myself nodding instead and when he reaches for my hand, I wrap both of mine around his. Already the cold is seeping into my skin.

Alejandro doesn’t answer at first. “You will never have a normal life with me, Dee. You’ll have to give up everything and it doesn’t seem like much now but it will once you realize what you’ve given up. Forget freedom. Forget privacy, independence, safety. You will never be your own person again,” he says. “Every move you make, every phone call, every person you interact with will be monitored whether you like it or not. Everywhere you go you’ll have a shadow on your heels.”

“You don’t have anyone with you right now.”

A smile creeps across his face, a heavy melancholy tugging at the corners. “Look to your left, beyond the gazebo.”

My head whips around just in time to catch someone blending into the shadows.

“Oscar is by the pond.” He gestures and I turn my head. “Beni’s standing near the maze.”

My eyes can’t track all of them fast enough. There has to be at least half a dozen people here, all poised and waiting, their black ensembles allowing them to blend seamlessly into the night.

Alejandro opens up the front of his suit and reaches into the inner pocket of his jacket to produce a small, round black device about the size of a pinky nail.

“There are people listening to us right now. Because if something happens, they need eyes and ears everywhere.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. “Please…turn it off. Just for a moment.”

A flicker of hesitation dances across his face but he obliges and presses the bead between his fingers. The blue light turns off.

“You’re scaring me.” The confession rushes past my lips, a whisper barely heard above the sound of falling snow. “Are you doing it on purpose?”

“Yes. I want you to understand what you’re doing.”

“Well, I don’t care. I’m not a coward and I want to be with you anyway.”

“Dahlia—”

“Is it that you don’t feel the same way? Because if so, tell me,” I urge even as tears gather around the edges of my vision. “I promise you won’t hurt me. I’d rather you tell me the truth⁠—”

He takes my face in my hands, silencing me with a single touch. Fear settles in the pit of my stomach. It’s all around me, heavy and dense, strangling my insides until all the air leaves me and I can’t take it back.