Page 52 of Gilded Princess

I think about my new friends, and even though I said it to tease her, I wonder what they would do if I asked them to rough those boys of hers up. Matteo seems like he’d be on the fence, but I bet Dante would.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Dante would be down for some classic intimidation. He sure has the muscles for it.

"New friends, you say? Where are you, anyway?” she asks around a laugh.

"I'm—" A hand appears in front of my face, tattooed fingers covering my phone entirely. I startle, my shoulders flying toward my ears and my body tensing out of instinct.

“Shh. It’s just me.”

I crane my neck back, and once again, I find myself looking at an upside-down Dante.

“Jesus, you scared me.” His hand holding the phone is the only thing keeping it up. My muscles unclench in an instant, adrenaline fleeing my body.

"No locations." His voice is firm, at odds with the small smile on his lips.

I feel my eyebrows scrunch together as I tilt to the side to see him better. He gives me room to move without removing his hand from my phone. “Are you serious right now?”

“As a heart attack. No locations, Madison. Do we need to go over this again?”

A scoff slips past my lips before I even think about it. “Oh, come off it, Dante. That's my cousin we're talking about! She's the one who saved me. She’s already seen Matteo!”

"I don't care. If you can't stick to my rules, then I’ll take your phone privileges away."

He somehow manages to look intimidating in his position, bent over the couch, less than a foot from my face. He’s close enough that I can see the silvery flecks in his eyes. They remind me of my favorite constellations, and I allow myself a moment to get lost in them.

I refocus my gaze, his plush lips stealing my attention next. They look soft, like he’d be an excellent kisser.

He clears his throat, and I blink several times, mentally chastising myself to get it together. Finally meeting his gaze, I see his amusement. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his lips twist in a smirk, and it takes all my willpower to hold his gaze.

I feel unlike myself. Restless. Searching. Unrestrained.

“See something you like?”

A small gasp escapes me. I’m not sure if I’m more surprised that he called me out on my ogling or that I’m thinking about telling him yes.

Fake it ’til you make it, right?

I tip my chin back and hold his gaze. Channeling Blaire, I tell him, "Give me my phone back, or I'm calling Matteo.”

“Who do you think gave the order, princess?”

Something about the way he growls the word princess makes my insides wobble. A moniker hurled at me with disdain for years shouldn’t sound so good coming from his lips.

I don’t falter, raising an eyebrow in challenge. It’s not much, but I’m not in a position to do much more—literally and figuratively.

He hooks a thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll be right outside that door. Don’t do anything stupid. This is for your safety.”

I bite back the urge to snap at him. I’m not stupid. But I don’t understand what the hell is really going on either. I nod at him, my gaze locked on his.

Whatever he saw on my face must tell him as much. He lets go of my phone, his fingers lingering along mine for a moment before he straightens up. With one last look at me, he turns on his heel and saunters out of the room.

That’s honestly not a word I’d ever use to describe the way someone walks out of a room, but it fits Dante to a T. Walk is too tame of a word for the way he just moved.

A noise from my phone steals my attention, and I turn to see my cousin’s smirking face.

"Sorry, girl. Dante's a bossy asshole.” I yell the last few words, taunting Dante, who I’m positive can hear me.

“Who’s Dante?”

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