Page 206 of SINS & Riley
Both his hands fly up in surrender. “I can explain.”
I toss the folder at his feet. “You’ve got one minute.”
Dante straightens. “Pom?—”
“Don’t Pom me. You… you…” I explode. “You need a test?”
Enzo lets out a low whistle. “And you thought she’d be overjoyed.”
Dante’s glare snaps to him, sharp enough to slit throats. “Out.”
Smoke chuckles. “We were just getting to the good part.”
“I said out.”
They shuffle off, still smirking as the door clicks shut behind them.
Dante drags a hand through his hair, a slow smile curving his mouth. “Believe it or not, I did it for you.”
I glare. “I choose not.”
He leans in, voice tight as a wire. “I know you. The thought of our kid in a cage—no matter how pretty—kills you. So I went to the Keenans.”
My chest drops like a weight. “You what?”
“I needed them off your back. This was the only way.”
“You… went to see them?”
“Yes.”
Air rips out of me in a jagged gasp. Pregnant, exhausted, hormones rocketing to Mars, my brain stutters. I jab a finger into his chest, more plea than punch. “How could you? You could’ve been killed. They?—”
His hand closes over mine, warm and tender. For one suspended breath the world narrows to the press of his kiss on my lips.
“They wanted blood. Zver’s blood.”
“But everyone knows, Zver’s dead.”
His palm settles on my belly. “They wanted the blood of his heir. They were convinced you were carrying Zver’s child. That’s why they were after you. So I proved the child—our child—is mine.”
His words settle as his lips tighten to a line. He’s still holding something back.
I smooth a hand over his chest. “You need to talk to me.”
He takes my fingers in his and exhales, the sound small and tight. “To keep you and the baby safe, we entered into an, eh, arrangement.”
“An arrangement?” My stomach knots. I don’t like where this is going, but I force myself to stay put and listen.
He tucks a stray hair behind my ear, the gesture incredibly soft. “Apparently Andre kidnapped Fiona to force Seamus’s cooperation. Seamus would only solidify the alliance if I rescue his daughter.” He shakes his head. “And marry her.”
“Marry her?”
He nods once. “Yes.”
Okay. Screw talking. My blood spikes, and I’m done pretending this is a conversation. I take the wheel. “Tell him no.”
He shuts his eyes, shaking his head. “It’s not that simple.”
