Page 25 of Bound in Promise
“He didn’t.” One of Dante’s fingers loosens around my arm, but only one. And I’m not sure if that means he’s beginning to relax or what, but he needs to know. “It never got that far, Dante.”
He finally gives me a curt nod, but he doesn’t take his eyes off my face. “Where did you get the phone?”
My gut churns and I swear I can feel an ulcer forming. I don’t think I’ll ever get that image out of my head. The blank eyes of an innocent man killed for being a good person.
Tears blur my vision and my eyes sting. I never should have put that man at risk. I didn’t even think about the sort of danger I might be putting him in when I hopped into his car and begged for help.
He probably has a wife, maybe even children, and now that family will never know he died a hero. The police will probably call it a robbery gone wrong, or maybe a case of mistaken identity. I’ll have to live with the secret of the truth for the rest of my life.
Dante’s palm lifts to my jaw and his thumb wipes a tear away. “Princess…please don’t cry. I can’t bear to see you upset over this.”
His words set off the waterworks, and I can’t help but feel betrayed by my body. I’ve felt disconnected from myself since he arrived, lacking control over my emotions and reactions.
I can’t manage to stop thinking about the man Liam killed long enough to remind myself of the reality of who stands in front of me now.
A killer.
A man with no limits.
A Moretti—a family completely lacking any morals.
And even knowing all those facts, I’m starting to develop very strong and deep feelings for my temporary husband. It’s wrong. It’s not what we agreed to.
But when he swoops in to rescue me, when he fills me and claims me like he’ll never get enough of me…what exactly is a girl like me supposed to do? No one has ever risked themselves for me the way he has.
Dante pulls me against his chest and wraps his arms tightly around my frame. I want to tell him everything, but I don’t want him to blow it off or try to make me forget about it.
The man at that gas station chose to help me, and I wouldn’t be standing here with Dante if it wasn’t for him and his phone. I would’ve been raped tonight and Liam would likely have killed me within days of my money hitting my account. Maybe hours.
“I’m sorry,” Dante mutters above my head. “I’ve failed you twice now with my nephew.”
I squeeze Dante’s waist and shake my head. “Please don’t say that. I never once blamed you. I just hoped you’d find me in time.”
“Are you sure he didn’t force himself on you?” I lean back in his arms and stare up at him. His brown eyes are filled with uncertainty. I want nothing more than to reassure him and drown his doubts. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I have to know. What did he do to you? Those bruises tell a story and I’m going crazy imagining what it could be. I need to know the truth.”
“He tried…but I got a hold of his gun. He didn’t think I’d do it, but he moved and I…I shot him. It just—the reality of what I did, that I pulled the trigger… I froze and he got the upper hand. He beat me, but that’s all.”
I feel a shuttered exhale leave his body, even as his fingers flex into me, and he nods.
“He had me check my bank account almost constantly, but he wouldn’t tell me what he planned to do with me, not really. I think I was becoming too much of a liability, so he probably planned to drop me in the nearest ditch after the money came through.”
“That’s where I’m thinking about putting him,” Dante admits. “I’ve had more than enough of that fuckin’ kid. He touched my wife.”
I love it when he says that word. It’s always said with such passion, but I’m an idiot to revel in this feeling of being his when there are more important things to deal with.
“He’s scared, Dante.”
He shakes his head in flat denial. His eyes fill with unfiltered rage as he returns my gaze. “Don’t. I told you not to protect him.”
“I’m not. I just?—”
“And don’t tell me you understand, either.” He drops his hold on my waist and tips my chin higher so that I can’t miss any of his words. “He kidnapped my fucking wife. He hit you. Fuck knows how he would’ve murdered you. He was going to let some guy rape you for three grand. I married you. You’re mine, princess. Game over, end of discussion.”
“I don’t think Liam really believed that guy would—” Dante’s mouth crashes into mine then, and his hands fall to my hips, crushing me against him.
My husband’s tongue is demanding, devouring me as he urges me backward. I give in to the pressure, submitting to him completely as he licks and nips at me.
Dante needs this as much as I do, and I’d never deny him a thing in this world.
