Chapter 10 - The Confession
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The air in the quiet cabin grew incredibly thick, charged with an undeniable, terrifying electricity. Emily knelt between Dante's knees, her breath catching in her throat as his dark eyes searched hers, completely stripped of his ruthless mafia persona.
“What do you mean?” Emily whispered, her heart hammering a frantic rhythm against her ribs.
Dante let out a slow, heavy sigh, his thumb gently brushing across her lower lip.
“I knew where you were three months ago, Emily,” he confessed, his voice a low, rough rumble. “My men tracked you to that tiny apartment in Santorini the day you arrived from Ohio. I could have sent a team to extract you immediately. I could have dragged you to a basement and interrogated you about your father’s ledger.”
“Then why didn't you?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“Because I made the mistake of going to look at you myself,” Dante murmured, his gaze dropping to her mouth before slowly returning to her eyes. “I sat in that restaurant for weeks, watching you. I watched you endure rude tourists, exhausting shifts, and brutal heat, all with a quiet, unbroken dignity. I watched you laugh with the bartender. I watched you fight for a life you thought was yours.”
Emily stared at him, the revelation washing over her. He hadn't just stumbled into the restaurant that day. He had been a silent ghost in her life for months.
“You became an obsession,” Dante admitted, the raw, unprotected honesty in his voice making her shiver. “I didn't bring you to my estate just to protect my money from Konstantinos. I brought you there because I couldn't stand the thought of anyone else looking at you. The contract was an excuse to keep you close until I could figure out how to make you stay.”
Tears welled in Emily’s eyes. She had spent her entire life feeling invisible, a background character in her own story. Now, the most dangerous man in the Mediterranean was sitting wounded in front of her, admitting he was entirely captivated by her.
“You are a monster, Dante Moretti,” Emily whispered, though there was no malice in her voice.
“I know,” Dante agreed softly, leaning closer, the heat of his body wrapping around her. “But I am your monster. And I will burn the world down to keep you safe.”
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He didn't wait for permission. He leaned in and crushed his lips against hers.
The kiss was desperate, bruising, and fueled by the adrenaline of near-death. Emily didn't pull away. She tangled her hands in his dark hair, kissing him back fiercely, surrendering to the overwhelming, dangerous gravity of the man who had turned her world upside down.
