Page 86 of Oblivion

“They’ve possessed you.”

Penny’s buoyant laughter filled the car.“Possessed me?You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah. Like, taken your crazy from here to here.” I lifted a hand and stepped it from low to high.

She snatched it from the air and squeezed my fingers. “Not possessed, just… My hair is my identity, Dante. It always has been, and when it was gone, I didn’t feel like me anymore.”

She released my hand and lovingly ran hers through the long length of her new golden locks.

“Thisis me.”

Every boring minute I’d endured in the hair salon was worth it to see happiness visibly radiating off her. And yeah, she put a matching smile on my own goddamn face as I drove us home.

“Welcome back, Lemon Drop.”

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR

Penny

I admired my new hair in the elevator mirror, turning this way and that. It was impossible to stop looking at glossy lengths that made me so incredibly happy.

A low hum behind me diverted my attention to Dante. Without turning, I watched his eyes travel down the back of my body, leaving fervor in their wake. With each drop lower, my breath grew tighter. I could practically see his thoughts, and they left no doubt over what he was thinking as he rolled his tongue across his lower lip.

The heat in his gaze grew as if I’d deliberately fanned the inferno. I stood stock-still, holding my breath as his eyes retraced their path, tracking higher until his amber gaze finally connected with mine through the reflection.

With a single look, my insides turned molten and heavy with desire. The air in the elevator charged. Suffocating. Void of oxygen.

I was helpless to the desire coursing through my body, and mentally begged for the ache between my legs to be eased. By Dante. By his tongue. I knew it could perform miracles. And also by his dick that seemed so willing when the rest of him resisted. Our bodies couldn’t lie to one another. I just wished he would stop being so damn stubborn.

Pleading for mercy within my head, I let my hand drop from my hair and turned to face him.

“I thought rule number two wasno looking at each other like that?”

He shook his head, the movement barely existent as his wolfish eyes continued to bore into mine.

“Still stands,” he stated gruffly.

All I wanted to do was take his face in my hands and kiss him senseless. To coax him to relinquish his control and allow us to give into our craving. He could deny it all he wanted, but I was the one he looked at like I was his next meal. I was the one who fought to catch my breath whenever we found ourselves in a moment like this.

My heart raced recklessly as I took another step into his space. Raising my hands with his chest set in my sights, I stood poised to take what I wanted, only to be jolted back to reality by the elevator doors opening with a cheeryding.

Dante shuddered and ran a hand down his face. “Shit.” He then motioned his hand in tight little circles toward me. “This cannot happen, Penelope.”

“Yeah, yeah. I got the memo, loud and clear.”

I shoved past, annoyed that he kept denying what we both wanted, and pissed at myself for being the reason we were in this predicament to begin with.

A defeated sigh sounded behind me as I jogged up the stairs and headed for my room. I needed a moment to shake off the lingering irritation. That, and I wanted to check out my hair again.

The excitement was short-lived when I remembered there was no mirror in my temporary room. I returned to the mezzanine balcony, and called down to Dante.

“Do you mind if I use the mirror in your room?”

He paused in the kitchen and looked up at me. “Knock yourself out.”

“Thanks.”

I was sure his eyes stayed on me as I entered his room. I felt like an intruder in his innermost space. His scent lingered, and I subtly inhaled as I looked around. Wishful thoughts and butterflies swamped my stomach when my attention lingered on his bed. The whipping sting of rejection quickly followed.

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