Page 105 of In Shadows We Dance

“For every inch I reveal, I’ll give you another truth. Another secret Daddy tried to hide.”

He pauses, the dress barely clinging to my shoulders.

“I’ll give you one last chance to walk away. Go home to your cage of lies. Or you stay. But if you do, then you need to understand that everything will change. I’m going to strip away every protection your father ever built around you.”

I lick my lips, take in a deep breath, then nod. “I want to know.”

His eyes darken, his smile pure triumph as he pushes the dress off my shoulders.

"Remember, pretty Ballerina. You chose this."

The blue fabric pools at my feet like surrendered armor, leaving my breasts bared to his hungry gaze.

"Now," he breathes between kisses that leave me dizzy, and presses me harder against the tree. The feel of the hard length of his erection sets off butterflies in my stomach.

His hands skim over the bare skin of my hips, a finger runs along the waistline of my panties and his mouth finds mine again, swallowing my gasp as his fingers dip back beneath the elastic.

"Your mother's name wasn't always Maria Moreno." He strokes a thumb over my nipple. "Her medical records show a different name. Different details." His finger strokes between my legs, and my hips arch forward. "Annetta Rossi—Victor Rossi's wife who disappeared the night his empire crumbled."

His mouth claims mine again as his fingers graze over my clit, and keep going, until they’re back inside me. I can't stop a whimper.

"The operation spanned years. Deep cover." Each revelationis matched with the slow thrust of his fingers, each one pushing deeper. "Your father got too close."

"Please."

"Please what?" His voice is dark velvet. "Please tell you why your father checks the locks? Why he's so afraid?" A third finger adds a delicious pressure, making my knees weak. "Or please don't stop?"

His lips kiss a path along my jaw as he continues talking. "Your father built this perfect facade, didn't he? James Moreno, the careful, protective father." The fingers inside me curl, hitting a spot that sends my heartbeat rocketing. "But Agent Charleston's mission was never supposed to end like this—stealing away with Victor Rossi's wife and heir."

"Tell me." I have to force the words out. They sound weak, needy. His mouth finds that sensitive spot below my ear.

"Yes." He steps closer, circles his fingers around my wrist and presses my hand against his erection. "You’re the lost princess of a fallen empire. Hidden away the night your real father's world burned."

It's hard to connect the dots of what he's saying, when he's touching me the way he is, but eventually I figure it out. The implications make my blood run cold, but his touch burns hotter.

"You're lying?—"

"Am I?" He pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. "Then why do you have no hospital records? No baby photographs? Nothing to prove you existed before your family appeared here?"

His thumb sweeps over my clit, and it's all I can do to stop my eyes rolling back. There are lights dancing behind my lids, someone is sobbing, gasping for air. My legs give way with the intensity of the orgasm, and an arm wraps around my waist, fingers dig into my ass, and I'm hauled against a hard chest.

"Your mother's medical records stop abruptly. Your birth certificate is from a closed hospital. Everything about your early life is fiction."

My breath comes out ragged as I try to focus on his words, try to grasp the truth beneath them. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

"Because I know you, pretty Ballerina. I know how desperately you want to be seen, to understand who you are beneath the lies they've told you.” He pulls his fingers free from my body, and I immediately want them back. His fingers wipe over my lips. "Lick." My tongue comes out, tasting myself.

His smile is dark, possessive. "I'm the only one who truly sees you."

His mouth claims mine again, fingers tangling in my hair to hold my head still.

"You're mine now. And I'm going to show you exactly who you were meant to be."

CHAPTER 54

Price of Truth

WREN

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