Page 45 of Beneath the Sapphire Sky

By the time she’d flopped into the cab at the station in Sydney, Belle was exhausted.

She chuckled to herself at that. Exhausted from doing nothing at all. She’d sat on her ass almost the entire way there, except the times she’d had to get up and stretch her legs, worried she’d solidify into stone if she sat a moment longer.

She wasn’t used to doing nothing. Her days, and evenings, were often so busy she had to fight to find time to sit. Her weekly evening picnics at the Casellatis’ from spring through to autumn were often the only reprieve she got.

Her phone pinged and the smile and thumbs-up emoji flashed at her.

It flashed again.

I’ve left a key for you in an envelope at the registration desk. It’s under your name.

Thanks.

She stroked her thumb over the tiny icon picture she had of him next to his name in her messages app.

Could Jack be right?

No. Don’t be silly.

But …couldhe?

She’d waged the same war with herself the whole trip down. She’d ended up listening to a creepy thriller audiobook, just to get the idea out of her head.

She hated how much she wanted her brother to be right. She knew Dante cared for her, loved her—as a friend.

Would that extend to romantic love now that they were technically friends with benefits? Or was that wishful thinking on her part, particularly considering his feelings on permanent relationships?

She loved him more than anything as a friend, but she hadn’t let herself dwell on her feelings for him past that. Hadn’t dared for the sake of her own self-preservation.

She growled in frustration and handed over some cash to the taxi driver when they reached the hotel. Key in hand, she tapped it to the door numbered on the little cardboard cover and sighed in relief when it opened.

She smiled wearily as she looked around the room and popped the key onto the air conditioning tab.

Dante had sure picked a gorgeous boutique hotel. Exquisite furnishings and tasteful art and décor looked back at her.

Perfect.

She’d been so worried she’d oversleep and miss the train that she’d barely slept at all the previous night.

The clock on the bedside table glowed one-oh-nine.

Dante wouldn’t be back for hours yet. She set her alarm for four-thirty; that would allow her plenty of time to wake up and make herself presentable before he got in at five.

At the least, she wouldn’t look all sleep rumpled and messy.

Nodding to herself, she stripped to her knickers and dumped her clothes over the back of the fancy chair that sat in front of the desk. She pulled the curtains closed, slipped into the bed, and hit the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

She shivered at the coolness of the crisp, thick sheets on her naked skin. Her nipples pebbled and she cupped her breasts, imagining it was Dante doing it.

She’d know soon enough if he was interested in fooling around while she was here, but in the meantime, she was in serious need of sleep, not touching herself in a hotel bed.

Thinking about Dante and beds had made her as horny as hell. It had been barely a week since they’d had their night together at Mallory-Jayne’s.

She grinned into the dark.

Maybe she’d play just alittle…

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