Page 17 of Dangerous Love

A pinch of shame slapped me as I answered him, my conscience noting that I omitted a few relevant facts. One being that his sister was half-naked in front of me.

CHAPTER9

Sienna

My eyes watered as I took in the reflection in the mirror.

This can’t be me.The woman in front of me looked amazing. Healthy. Confident. The purple dress hugged her in all the right places. She was hot. But more than that, it was the peace in her eyes that threw me. I swallowed a sob and hugged Dana tight. “Thank you.”

She grabbed my face with both hands. “You are beautiful, bambina.” She held the curtain with one hand. “Are you ready?”

I nodded and stepped out of the enclosed space, my feet shuffling as I crossed the couple of metres separating me from the large floor-to-ceiling mirrors of the dressing room. Across from us, Riley lifted his gaze and took a deep breath.

“Holy Mother of Christ.” Slowly, he rose to his feet, extending his hand towards me, as if we were stuck in slow motion. “Baby girl, I have no words to describe how beautiful you are right now.” Our hands touched lightly, like he was seeing me for the first time, and my heartbeat grew louder before his body heat transferred to mine.

Dana grinned as she tightened the back of my dress. “I agree with you, young man. This is a fine young lady you have here.” She pinned something in the fabric, her fingers working their magic at the speed of lightning. “I need to get more pins. I’ll give you two a minute.”

Riley swallowed hard, his eyes wide. The muscles in his jaw clenched, his biceps twitching as he gently brought me closer to him. “Welcome back, beautiful. There’s my girl.” A stray tear escaped, but before I could wipe it, Riley swiped it away with his thumb. “No crying today.”

I chuckled. “I’ll try.”

He put his hands on my shoulders and pivoted us in front of the glass mirror. “Take a good look, Sienna. Tell me what you see.”

My eyes closed, and my chin wobbled. “Not me.”

Strong arms enveloped me, Riley’s citrusy scent soothing the unworthiness shaking through my core. He held me tight until my heartbeat stopped pouncing through my ribs. His hands settled on my hips. “What about now. Can you see her?”

I forced my eyes open, and in front of me, in Riley’s safe embrace, I finally recognised her. The girl who’d survived all the pain and trauma life tossed at her smiled back at me, the fear slowly dissipating. “Yes.”

He held me tighter. “I see her too. We’ve all missed her.”

My body turned until I faced him, our eyes staring into each other’s souls. “I wish I could kiss you,” I whispered.

His lips pressed against my temple. He inhaled my hair and blew a hard breath. “Me too.”

“It doesn’t make any sense, Riley. We’re grown people now.”

Footsteps shuffled into the room, the spell broken as Dana moved behind me and Riley went back to his seat. Deep creases lined his forehead, and he looked like he aged a decade in the last five minutes. Pins found their way around my dress until it was perfectly fitted against my body, and once Dana was satisfied that her work was done, she clapped, a giant smile illuminating her bright-blue eyes.

“Perfect. Grace will be so pleased.” She pointed towards the dressing room, and just like that, the clock struck midnight. And the dress hung over a chair, ready for the wedding in less than three weeks.

* * *

Riley pulled the car into the driveway, shut the ignition off, and unbuckled his seat belt. He turned towards me, one leg bent on his seat. “Thanks for letting me tag along.”

“I’m glad you came. I had fun.” An awkward silence filled the air, my body solidified inside these doors, with Riley as the magnet of my heart.

“What have you been up to all this time?”

I tilted my head at his random question, a part of me touched that he’d care, the other part ashamed of how little I’d managed. I sighed. “Not much, to be honest. I work at Coles. Checkout chick.” Heat warmed my face. “Such an achievement, hey?”

Riley grabbed my hand and squeezed it once. “Why wouldn’t it be? You have a steady job. That’s more than some can say.”

I shrugged. “I guess. I’ve just felt so…”

“Lost?” Riley murmured, the question in his gaze.

I nodded. “Yeah. Like there was nothing for me anywhere. I landed alone in Parma, and I had no idea why.” My throat closed up. Maybe if I asked Riley, he’d tell me what actually went down the day I left. God knew Avery had been tight-lipped, but as one of the few men I trusted stared back at me, I allowed the question that had burnt my lips for the last three years come out. “What happened, Riley? For Avery to send me away alone?”

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