His forehead rested against mine, his breath hot, his presence suffocating, overwhelming, inescapable. Dante’s hand still braced against the wall beside my head, his body a cage I couldn’t slip out of even if I wanted to.

And the truth? I wasn’t sure I wanted to.

Every nerve in me screamed, push him away. But the fire low in my stomach whispered something darker. Something that made my chest ache and my skin prickle with anticipation.

His lips hovered a whisper from mine, so close I could taste the heat of him, the promise of ruin on his tongue.

“Say it,” he murmured, his voice rough velvet. “Say you don’t...