Page 54 of Oblivion

“I’ve got you, Penny. It’s Dante. I’ve got you.”

Dante.

Visions of one man sprang to mind, but there was no way this could be him.

When my fight finally waned, I looked up at the man holding me secure. Expecting to see a hostile gaze glaring down at me, all oxygen dissipated from my lungs when two distinct amber eyes locked with mine. The ones belonging to the soldier who’d graced my dreams most nights. The soldier who’d owned my body in Vegas.

Dante.

As realization triggered, a sob broke free. I buried into his chest and my fingers clawed at his shirt, knowing that he was my safe place and my ordeal was finally over. I trembled uncontrollably in his arms as shock descended.

“I’ve got you,” he chanted, over and over, in a low, soothing voice. The deep rumble reverberated under my ear. “Tate, I’mma take her downstairs. We’ll meet you at the car. Keys, man.”

“Fuck. Here. I’ll check out the room.”

“He’s gone,” I croaked. “Just before I escaped.”

A beat of silence came before Tate took off in the direction of the room, and Dante gently urged me forward.

“Walk, baby. You’re safe now.”

Reluctantly easing my grip on his clothing, I stuck close as we entered the elevator. Dante stood guard at the door until it completely closed, then inhaled and exhaled deeply as if bracing himself.

His shoulders visibly relaxed, and when he turned, his expression took my breath away. Ghosts of what we were in Sin City passed behind his amber irises. They burned bright, boring into mine in the most unsettling way. His brows quirked up at the center, and the firm press of his mouth had me swallowing around the lump in my throat.

He appeared torn between reaching for me and keeping his distance.

“Christ, Penny,” he breathed out, looking me over with pain etched into the lines on his face.

The wafer-thin control I had over my tears shattered the moment I caught a fleeting glimpse of myself in the elevator mirror. I was every part the broken mess I felt like inside. From the dress I still wore from Saturday night, to my bare feet, right down to the savagely cropped hair hanging around my face.

I pressed my hands to my mouth and caught the devastating sob. Dante’s scent encased me, and within the same beat, he pulled me to his chest without saying a word.

“My hair,” I cried. Focusing on the loss saved me from facing the terrifying reality of the abduction.

“I know.” Gentle fingers wove through the severed length.

The tenderness of Dante’s touch pulled another sob from my chest. One that was chased by a deep sigh as I relaxed against him.

“It’ll grow back,” he murmured, running his thumbs through the tears under my eyes. “You’re just as beautiful.”

I looked up into his gaze. Surprisingly, the spark we had in Vegas was still there, flickering to life, pulling us together against the odds.

Dante’s lips met mine. Nothing more than a soft pass, full of compassion and affection. He inhaled as if breathing me in—breathing in the memories of what we once were.

My hands found his waist as his lips softly captured mine. Filling my space with his broad shoulders and muscular body, his legs set wide either side of mine.

“I’m so glad I found you, Penny.”

“Same. I was so scared no one would.”

“We’ve been looking for days.”

His confession brought on a fresh set of questions. “How did you know I was missing? I thought you were in the Army?”

“Used to be. I work for Cole Security now. Our team was contracted by your father to locate and extract you.”

The truth threw ice water over the warmth in my chest. I was nothing but a job; ending up in Dante’s arms was nothing more than a well-timed coincidence.

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