Page 58 of Hearts Of Darkness

I shoot Eve a sideways glance. The selfish bastard part of me feasts on the pale cheeks and the unshed tears in her eyes.My angel is going to miss me.

I tug her to a halt and spin her around. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

She nibbles at her lower lip before bringing her thumbnail up to join the party. “What you said before, in the car…”

“Did I mean it?” I tug her thumb away. “Yes, I meant every goddamn word. There is no place on earth you can hide from me Our souls are bound forever.”

A soft cry escapes her mouth.

Too much.

“I’ve shocked you,” I state bluntly.

“I never figured you as the romantic type.”

Only she could think that… Only she could believe in the good when there’s nothing left but hate and deliverance.

“Stay out of trouble,” I say roughly, raising her hand to my lips and lavishing each knuckle with my affection.

“Why break the habit of a lifetime,” she says with a sigh. “I was a good girl before I met you.”

“So fucking good, and so fucking corruptible.” I flash her a wicked grin. “Before I go, I want you to have something…” I reach into my back pocket and pull out a small flick knife.

She gasps and tries to twist away from me. “Dante, no—”

“Take it,” I grit out, unleashing the blade, turning it one-eighty and thrusting the handle into her palm. “If anyone comes at you, aim and twist.”

She won’t look at the knife, let alone close her delicate fingers around it. She’s desperate to deny any connection with the weapon and me.

I’m tempted to take her in my arms and fuck away all her conflict again; to make her realize that she’s here in my harsh reality now, and that my obsession comes with a price on her head. But instead, I take back the knife, fold the blade away and tuck it down the front of her bra. Her body jerks as soon as the cold metal hits her skin.

“Steady,” I murmur, my fingers tracing a line through the warm canyon between her breasts. So tempting, so inviting… Could I find my salvation in this body?Is it enough?

For a fleeting moment I consider the unthinkable—of turning my back on the business, boarding my aircraft, and disappearing into the horizon with Eve by my side. But it’s a pipe dream. A fairytale of delusion. My bloodlust will never allow a happy ending to happen for us. I live for the kill. It’s my only release. It’s my way of assuaging the demons frommy past.

“I could never use that on a person,” I hear her say.

It’s the talk of the uninitiated. The untainted. It makes me want her even more. This knife is the antithesis of her safe, orderly world.

“You’d be surprised at what you’re capable of when faced with the alternative.” I skim her lips with my thumb. The moisture there is making my dick sing. “Keep it with you at all times. Even at night. Say it, Eve.”

“I’ll keep it with me always.”

I nod. “Good.” My cell starts ringing. It’s Emilio. “I need to take this,” I tell her, pointing at the house. “Go inside. Wait for me there.”

She backs away, scared by the sudden stillness on my face. She thinks she’s angered me by being ungrateful about my gift. I wish I could tell her it isn’t so. That it’s an instinctive reaction whenever my brother reaches out to me.

I let the call ring and ring. I’m too distracted by the sight of her perfect ass is it hurries up the steps and disappears inside.

“Where the fuck have you been!” screams Emilio when I eventually let him in.

He’s wired.

My brother doesn’t do calm and rational. His reaction to shit hitting the fan is to get as fucked-up as possible and make stupid, rash decisions. I’m not in the mood for his bullshit today.

“Give me the lowdown on Gomez. Who found the body?”

“His wife. She witnessed the whole thing. Three men walked into a restaurant and fired their bullets into the back of his head. Told the bitch they were sending a message. Theyforgot to sign the card, though.”

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