Page 184 of SINS & Riley
Zver’s dimple.
He rubs a hand along the back of his neck. “Yes, Pom. It’s me.”
Realization slams through me. No accent. No pitch-black eyes that cut straight through to my soul.
And… wait a damn minute.
I grab his arm, yanking it closer.
He howls in pain because, right, shot in the shoulder. But I barely register it. Because all I see is a blank canvas of skin where a tattoo should be.
No ink.
No serpent for Dante.
No skull and roses for Zver.
What the hell? Or maybe the better question is who the hell?
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” My voice spikes, high and sharp. “You mean to tell me the man who dragged me through hell, got me pregnant, died, kept me on a leash, kissed me like he wanted to start World War Three with my mouth—was you? You’re Zver? And Dante-fucking-D’Angelo?”
He lifts a finger. “For the record, it takes two people to get someone pregnant.”
He did not just say that.
His hands cradle my face. “You can’t tell me that there wasn’t some part of you that didn’t know.”
Is he right?
How many times did the thought flicker at the edges? All those big, blaring reminders of him. The way he looks at me. How he handles a knife. The way he called me Pom.
God. Deep down, did I know?
His thumb wipes a tear, then dusts my lower lip. “My touch. My kiss.”
I blink hard. “Your mask. Your accent. Your fucking beard!” I shoot to my feet.
He takes my hand, and it’s clear he’s not letting go. “We need to talk about this.”
“Why? So you can gaslight me?” I rip my hand away and drop my gaze to the floor. I don’t even want to look at him. “I don’t even know who you are.”
“Yes, you do. I’m the ghost you’ve been romanticizing for months.”
My heart drops.
“Oh, my God.” A laugh tears out of me, hysterical and ugly. I make my way to the door. “Stay away from me. Stay away from my baby.”
“Our baby.”
“The hell it is.”
“You can’t keep me from our child.” It doesn’t come out like a threat—it comes out like a plea.
But I’m too wound up to care. I’m a viper, striking at anything in reach. “Watch me.”
He reaches for me and snags my arm.
I react.
