Chapter 55: What happens When Someone Touches What’s Mine
Gianna’s POV
Fury radiated off Dante like heat from a forge, his hand clamping down on Niccolo’s should tearing him away from me. The sheer force of it stole the air from my lungs, leaving bot!
“You’re done here.” Dante growled.
ically
Niccolo’s eyes shifted between us, fear and confusion written across his face, his mouth opening on a stammer. “1
But Dante wasn’t listening. He brushed past him without another glance, his focus locked entirely on me. Before I could speak, his hands, his arms, were on me. One strong arm hooked around my waist, dragging me hard against his chest.
My breasts flattened against the hard plane of his chest…. his scent, spice, smoke, something purely male, flooded
my senses.
His other hand came lower, splaying wide over my hip, dragging me tighter until I was molded to him. A tremor shot down my spine, my fingers instinctively reaching for the back of his neck.
And then, he moved.
The music shifted, and so did we. Dante led without a word, his body guiding mine into a dance that wasn’t a dance at all. It was a storm, angry and demanding…. every step felt like an accusation. Nothing like the soft, innocent rhythm I’d shared with Niccolò.
This was raw. Possessive. Each glide of his thigh against mine sent sparks through me…. each press of his palm at the small of my back made it hard to breathe.
“Dante…” I whispered, hoping my voice might calm him, but his gaze didn’t soften. It was like staring straight into the heart of darkness…. and craving it anyway.
“I didn’t mean to…”
“You didn’t mean to what?” he bit out. “Embarrass me by dancing with your little boy?”
My throat closed. “No,” I stammered, shaking my head. “None of this was to embarrass you. It’s just… the song. It brought back memories Niccolò and I shared with my…” my voice cut off, unsure if now was the time to bring up my father. “I didn’t think one dance would hurt.”
His grip tightened, fingers pressing almost bruisingly into my waist. His mouth dippe hot against my skin. “One dance, with your childish lover from the past?” The word lov mocking.
words spilling
t like a taunt….
I shivered, trapped in the cage of his arms, knowing this wasn’t about music anymore. It was about power. About him reminding me what it felt like to be owned by his touch
“He was not my lover,” I snapped back, my voice trembling but defiant.
His mouth curved, not a smile…. something darker. “You can’t help it, can you? Defy me at every chance you get.
He spun me suddenly, the world tilting, before hauling me back, my spine slamming into the wall of his chest. His hips pressed against mine, firm and powerful. I could feel the tension in him…. the heat radiating from his body.
My head was thrown back when I felt his lips on my neck, warm and rough, a threat and a caress at once. His teeth grazed my skin as he spoke. “You had one instruction. Sit. Wait. Imagine my shock when I look for you and find you pressed up against Augusto’s spoiled son.”
“L… I’m sorry,” I breathed, my voice breaking as his hand pressed harder at the small of my back, grinding me closer….. deeper into his hold. “Everything just… happened so fast. I didn’t think.”
d against
“Didn’t think?” His grip tightened again, punishing and possessive, forcing me closer unti him. His thigh slid between mine. “Or didn’t care?”
“That’s not it,” I whispered, heat rising in my throat, my fingers curling in his hair. “I’m was overwhelming, and maybe if you hadn’t left me for so long, none of this would’ve happe.
He scoffed in disbelief. “Ah. So now it’s my fault.”
l of this
“No,” I breathed, panicked, catching his shoulders to steady myself as his hands slid lower, gripping the backs of my thighs. In one motion he lifted, forcing my legs around his waist. My dress rode up, the world spun, and the solid heat of his body pressed flush between my legs.
The contact sent a rush of heat up my spine, making me gasp.
“That’s not what I meant…” I panted, the words spilling out between ragged breaths.
“You’re trying to say nothing.” His hips rolled in a slow, deliberate circle, pressing harder until I felt every inch of his power against me.
The friction sent a shockwave through my body, my back arching involuntarily, a soft, broken sound escaping me before I could catch it. “But what you really want is to test me tonight, don’t you? Of all nights, Gianna…. the night I make my return…. when every pair of eyes in this hall is on us, you choose… to clown me.…..”
My chest heaved as he suddenly let go. He spun me, faster this time, the room tilting before he yanked me back into him. My back slammed into his chest, his arm a band of iron around my waist.
Dante’s body pressed to mine, moving to the rhythm of the music. He was a brilliant dancer….. every turn, every slow grind of his hips showed it. Any other time, I would’ve been dazzled. Now it just left me breathless. He was in control, leading me, dominating me.
“I could prove to this entire room…” His fingers stroked my neck slowly, a teasing glide that slid lower to the edge of my neckline. The movement made my breasts lift of their own accord, nipples tightening under the thin fabric, tingling with want and shame. “…that you’re mine. Mine alone.”
A tremor swept through me, heat rolling low in my belly. His thumb dragged across the curve of my breast, dipping just enough to graze the hardened peak through the fabric.
I whimpered softly. My heart jumped to my throat. Had anyone heard? My body craved eyes…. God, my eyes, kept darting around the room. Faces lingered in the corners, some others pretending not to see. But they were watching. I knew they were watching.
“You’ve made that abundantly clear, that I’m yours,” I whispered, voice trembling.
was giving, but my
to laugh,
He gave a humorless laugh against my hair. “Apparently not. For Augusto’s little son to think he can put his filthy hands on you and walk away…. untouched. For you to let him.”
The chemistry was unbearable. Every brush of his thigh against mine sent a fresh surge of heat up my body. His hand drifted back upward, over my ribs, grazing the side of my breast before sliding shamelessly back down. My body leaned into him no matter how hard my mind fought it
“Dante…” I whispered, caught between desperate for more and desperate to stop. “Everyone is watching.”
“I don’t fucking care.” His teeth grazed my ear, his breath hot and possessive. “Let them watch. Let them see what happens when someone touches what’s mine. Isn’t this what you want?”
My gaze snapped up and collided with Niccolo’s. He stood at the edge of the crowd, eyes wide, his expression
5 what narpens when Someone Toucher What’s Mine
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filled with both shock, disappointment, and jealousy. Shame washed over me. It was too much…. too raw…. too public.
“Please don’t do this,” I begged, my voice breaking.
“Keep looking at him.” Dante’s lips dragged against my neck, a slow, deliberate swipe th racing down my spine.
nt shiver
My knees threatened to give out, my body betraying me as it leaned closer into his. Heat pooled between my thighs, throbbing, and I hated that he could do this to me….. make me want him even when fury poured from his every word.
“Go ahead,” he murmured darkly. “Let him see exactly what happens when you forget who you belong to.”
His hands moved lower, fingers biting into my hips, caressing then gripping my thighs, his touch rough and possessive. Every stroke intensified the ache already throbbing inside me. Fear and want mixed so tightly I couldn’t tell them apart.
“Dante…” I managed, but he cut me off, tugging me back until my eyes locked with his.
“Maybe I didn’t make it clear enough yesterday,” his voice a velvet growl. “No man touches you. No man even looks at you like that.”
His hands slid further, caressing higher now, fingers slipping under the hem of my dress, dragging against bare skin. My breath came in fast bursts as the reality hit…. he was going to touch me where I throbbed for him most. In front of everyone. And some dark, traitorous part of me wanted him to.
“Maybe…” he growled, fingers inching upward, “…if I make you come right here, in front of every single one of them, they’ll finally understand. He’ll understand. And you…” His laugh was low, cruel. “…you’ll never forget again who owns you.”
My body reacted without my permission, hips tilting, breath breaking into little gasps, a sweet sensation running through me at every intentional inch of his touch. It was terror and desire at once, overwhelming me until I thought I might collapse right there.
Desperate, I tried to twirl out of his grip, using the movement of the dance to slip away. But he caught me instantly, dragging me back against his chest, the hardness of his body a searing brand against mine.
My palms pressed against his chest, trembling as I pushed, forcing the smallest ounce of space between us. “I need…” My voice broke, thin and shaky. “To go to the restroom.‘
For a moment, Dante didn’t move. His jaw flexed as he looked down at me, breath rough
st my ear, his hand
still locked around my waist as if daring me to test him again. His eyes burned with something dark…. possession, anger, desire…. all fighting for dominance.
日
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