Page 30 of Beautiful Desire

“Our dance. Marco said Fabi asked him to dance with Sofia on this one. Apparently, there’s some guy creeping her out, and he wants Marco to keep an eye on her.”

My brows furrow in confusion. What creepy guy? I’m sure she’s more than capable of handling herself, but before I can reply, a male voice begins talking over the speakers.

“Could the bridal party please join the bride and groom on the dance floor?”

He gently pushes his way in front of me before turning and offering out his hand for me to take. Looking down at his hand and back up to those electric blue eyes, I hesitate.

“Come on, Elle. I won’t bite. Not unless you ask me to, that is.”

I slowly place my hand in his and a jolt of electricity runs through my body as he leads us out to the dance floor, where everyone else is waiting for us. I give Fabi a disapproving look as he smiles and winks back at me.

Asshole.

Gia’s jaw drops slightly before forming into a wide smile.

Great.

Heat flushes my cheeks as I drop my head. I look down at the floor beneath us because I can’t look into his eyes. I know if I do, I’ll get lost and I’ll never be able to find my way out.

As we sway to the music, I take a look around, and it dawns on me that this bastard set this up. There’s no creepy guy hitting on Sofia. If there was, Fabi would have no problem throwing him out, wedding day or not.

“If it’s at all possible, you look even more beautiful today than you did the last time we shared a dance.”

A blush rises up my neck and paints my cheeks. Neither of us have spoken about that night in Florida, and I’m not sure I’m ready to.

We move around the dance floor together in silence for a few moments, his scent enveloping me in a serene and surprising comfort, before the man on stage speaks again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the bride and groom invite you all to join them on the dance floor.”

Now that all eyes aren’t on us, I want to use this opportunity to excuse myself, but I can’t do that to Gia.

I’ll wait until this song finishes, and then I’m going to hide in the bathroom for at least an hour.

Being this close to Dom again has not only made it difficult to keep my distance, but it’s brought up feelings I’ve done my best to hide, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop anything should it happen this time.

“So, are you just going to ignore me the entire time today, or could we maybe have some form of a civil conversation?” Dom says, catching me off-guard.

Clearing my throat, I ask him, “What would you like to talk about? The weather?”

He lets out a huffed laugh. “It’s a start, I suppose. It is a beautiful day. I’m happy for them.”

He turns his head in the direction of Gia and Fabi, and I lift mine to watch them.

The happiness is radiating from “the newlyweds” as they stare lovingly into one another’s eyes with smiles so wide, it touches their eyes. A lump forms in my throat at the thought of never having something like that, of never opening my heart to allow something like that to happen, and I quickly drop my focus to look out at the view of Lake Como behind Dom. There’s something so calming about this place.

The song comes to an end, and everyone claps and cheers for the bride and groom. I turn to thank Dom for the dance before rushing off to the bathroom to hide, but before I can even get a word out, he takes my hand and pulls me to the bar.

“You don’t need to do that. I do need to use the bathroom really quick. Plus, I still have some maid of honor duties,” I tell him, hoping he’ll buy it, but knowing deep down it isn’t going to be that easy.

It’s confirmed when he looks me dead in the eye. His eyes have turned to dark pools, proving his intensity. He doesn’t say anything, and for a beat, we stand there in silence, staring at one another while I wait for him to break first.

“Seven months ago, I had the best night of my life with the most amazing woman. I let you get away that time. I’m sure as hell not letting it happen again tonight. So, when this night is over, and I take you to bed – because I willbe taking you to bed – I’ll be sure to remind you that we go toyourroom this time andnotmine. Got it?”

My tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth; it’s that dry. The mix of the intense gaze in his eyes, his scent, our closeness, and the words he’s just said… I don’t know how to respond. My body is on fire and my core now has a pulse. The bartender breaks me from my bewilderment, placing a large glass of rosé beside me. I turn, lifting the glass and taking a drink, hoping it will somehow bring back my ability to speak.

When I focus my attention back on Dom, I feel the same electricity as the first night we met. Memories come flooding back and bring a rush of wetness between my legs with them. From the look in his eyes, I know that no matter what I say or do, I don’t have a choice. I can’t fight against this feeling, and right in this moment, I’m not even sure I want to.

I lift my glass for a toast and hold it out toward him. “To the bride and groom.”

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