Page 22 of Gin & Trouble

“Do you need an icepack?” Dante stepped back.

For my lady parts, maybe. “What?”

“You have a goose egg. I thought…” He pointed to his brow, and then mine, before waving his hand as if to erase his words. “Never mind.”

Enemy or not, I felt bad for him. His expression reminded me of a kid who’d lost their best friend. In a way, maybe he had. Maybe we both had.

“I’m sorry I freaked out at the hotel…and the convention.” My mouth had gotten away from my brain. I should have left well enough alone and told him to go away, but I couldn’t. Even if he was annoying, and annoyingly handsome, he hadn’t asked to be born into his family any more than I had mine. We were both victims of circumstance.

A frown tugged at the corners of his lips before he smoothed his expression. “Because you realized you worked for my family?”

“Yes. I could have handled things differently, but I panicked.”

Dante nodded to my computer. “Did you receive the fraternization policy from human resources?”

Oh shoot. I walked right into that one.

“I didn’t read it. I don’t have to. It’s a personal rule of mine. I had asituationwith a former employer and won’t do that again.” I caught myself babbling lies and snapped my mouth shut.

“I can respect learning from past mistakes.” He planted his hands on the arms of my chair and leaned close again.

I eased back as far as possible even though every fiber of my being wanted to lean in. “Good. Then you’ll also respect my wishes and not call or text.”

Still in my personal space, he lowered his voice. “Have I called or sent a text since you told me not to?”

My heart beat so fast, I wondered if he could hear it. “No, but the flowers and this visit.”

“You didn’t tell me not to stop by or send flowers…” Dante moved so close his cheek brushed mine. “Which you seem to have given away.”

A small gasp from the neighboring cubicle told me Iris was eavesdropping, and I doubted she was the only one. The Marchionnis owned the company, the building, and half of the French Quarter. They didn’t drop by to chat with lowly IT staff.

“Please don’t do any of those things. Don’t IM me, or call, or invite me to chat.” His cologne reminded me of fresh-cut lumber and exotic spices and sex. Intoxicating. So much so, I turned my face toward his neck and breathed him in before I realized what I was doing.

He tensed but remained close. Too close. “Did you just sniff me?”

“Maybe.” I’d greatly underestimated him and was in serious trouble. “You smell good, but that doesn’t change anything. I can’t get involved with you.”

Dante’s lips brushed my ear as he whispered, “Julia, we’ve spent the previous six months telling each other our deepest darkest secrets. And don’t even get me started on what happened between us Saturday night. We’re already involved.”

That snapped me out of my Dante-induced fog. I planted my hands on his incredibly solid chest and pushed him back. “Actually, you’re nothing like the guy you pretended to be online.”

“How so?”

“Dannywouldn’t send a gigantic bouquet to impress me, or wear a custom-tailored Tom Ford suit, or be all…” I waved my hands in his direction like a lunatic. “Seductive.”

Dante gave me a sad smile and dipped his chin. “No, but he’d show up to a gaming convention wearing a gold bikini so you didn’t feel vulnerable and exposed alone.”

I turned my head and bit my lip to keep it from quivering.

He crouched and put his gorgeous face in my line of vision. “You have to know it’s still me under this damned suit. The only thing I lied to you about was my name. Everything else, my hopes and dreams and fears, was true.”

I nodded but couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“I’ll back off the flirting, but please don’t cut me out of your life.” He swallowed hard. “You’re the only person on the planet who knows the real me.”

He’s digging his way deeper into my heart one whispered word at a time. How can something that feels so right have the potential to hurt so many people? Myself included?

I ached to touch him, but I didn’t dare. “You’re like the opposite of Superman.”

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