Page 28 of Little Sparrow

“Hey! I was reading that.” I whisper yell, trying not to get the guard’s attention from the outside. I have a feeling Dante isn’t supposed to be alone with me, just like other new men.

“Is this a romance?” he asks with a raised brow. A blush creeps along my skin. I don’t like it when people know my heart is still soft after the last two years of closing myself away.

“Yes.” I force the words out through clenched teeth.

“Why?” He questions again.

I huff and raise my hands to grab it back, but he pulls it further away. “Give it back.”

“I asked why, when you answer, I’ll give it to you.” I clench my jaw and stare into the flames of the fire. I don’t look at him as I answer. “Because it’s the closest I’ll get to love here, okay?”

When I turn back to him, his face has softened. I don’t like it so I reach out with grabby hands for my book again. He must feel bad because he gives it back. I’m still annoyed and snatch it from his hands. Opening to a page again, I’m not even sure it’s the right one.

“Why is it the closest you will have?” He asks again, leaning over me.

I can’t help but let out a small laugh. “They kidnapped me. Any man who shows interest disappears. I’m not stupid.” I slump back in my chair, close the book, and trace the edges to keep my hands busy. I touched him this afternoon. We need to stay away from each other. “You can go away now,” I murmur, but he doesn’t leave. He just stares at me. I can’t concentrate on the words on the cover. They all blur together.

The fireplace crackles next to us. It’s the only noise in the room. My confession left us both speechless. The thumping of my heart echoes in my ears. My body feels hot.

It still responds to Dante. Even more so when he leans against the chair. A darkness swirling inside me reaches out for him, I can feel it unfurling and gravitating, making me want to reach out and touch him. But I need to stay in control.

Why is he even here? He sits on the arm of my chair as though nothing happened. I open to a random page, hinting that I want to be alone with my thoughts, but he doesn’t leave.

“What’s your favourite book?” He asks, breaking the silence.

“You asked me that before.” I tell him, dropping the book beside me, giving up on the words, and I take a deep breath.

“I thought you might have decided by now.” he responds with a shrug. I can’t stop my eye roll.

“It’s impossible to pick a favourite.” I look up at him, his dark eyes search mine. We dont blink.

“Okay. Recommend something to me.” He finally says.

I squint my eyes, wondering if he has an alternative motive. The flames of the fire cause shadows to dance on his face. It leaves hard edges, his sharp jawline and cheekbones are highlighted but I can tell he has a soft expression.

“You want to read a romance?” I ask dryly, needing to know if he is serious.

“Yes, I do. I haven’t read a romance I have enjoyed yet. “He tells me. I hold in my snort, I doubt he has ever read a romance in general.

I decide to think for a moment, wanting to know if he has actually read one, “What do you usually read? There are different genres with romance, I can pick one closest to what you like. Ease you in.” I stand and walk to slide my current book back into its slot, ready to find him one. He follows.

“Just give me one you enjoyed. My mother had a whole collection here, she read them too. Maybe I’ll like it more than you think.” His voice spreads around me, his scent is strong as he stands closer to me from behind, his chest is touching my back. His heartbeat thumps against me through my barely there clothing. Am I affecting him in the same way?

His hand rests on my hip. I need to step away, but there's no space between me and the bookshelf, “There is one this way,” my voice trembles, I’m sure he could tell, but I don’t look back at him. His footsteps follow and stop when mine do. I glide my finger along the spine, looking for a particular one, but freeze when I hear a voice, Marco.

“What are you doing here?” His voice is loud and echoes through the large space.

“Fuck,” Dante mutters under his breath, he takes a step away, leaving me cold. I barely hear him even though he is still next to me. I turn toward Marco, whose eyes narrow at both of us, probably how close we are still standing with each other.

“Just picking a book,” Dante says casually, I nod to confirm, grateful that I don’t have to lie and not wanting to betray us if my voice comes out shaky again.

“Then you don’t mind if I stay.” Marco says, stalking towards us with a grin.

“Not at all,” Dante says, I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself responding. I want to tell him to go away, but I know it’s best if I don’t. To make things seem normal I pull out a random book from the section we are standing in front of. “Here, I think you should try this one.” I place the book on his chest and push a little, we need more space between us.

His eyebrow raises and he looks at the cover, I don’t even know what I gave him, but turn to Marco. “Do you want a book too?” I tried to keep my voice level, but when his eyes narrow in on my face, he speaks to Dante.

“Leave us now.” I swear I stop breathing, even though I could kill Marco easily, he wears his protective ring. He had always been a prick, but I’m getting a bad feeling and instinctively back myself up against the books as he steps into my personal space.

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