What a complete and utter shit show.
I don’t wait for the aftermath.
For the whispers, the stares, or the way Sarah’s face crumbles like someone just spit in her champagne.
I slip past a row of stunned guests, head down, heart jackhammering.
My heels outpace the string quartet, each step a countdown.
To the corridor.
To the elevator.
To freedom.
To whatever sanity I can claw back.
Or so I think.
My heart’s still pounding from what just happened in that ballroom.
My stomach churns with nerves. The elevator looms ahead, its gold doors shining from the chandelier above us. I press the button repeatedly, as if that might speed things up.
“Come on, come on,” I mutter, jabbing it again.
And then—that feeling again. Heat. Tension. Like I’m being watched.
I turn.
He’s there.
Dante fucking Bellacino.
Like he’s summoned by the panic in my pulse.
Like fate just keeps throwing us together until I finally get the message.
His eyes lock on mine.
They drag down my body in a slow, deliberate rake.
And now that I know who he is, that gaze hits differently.
Heavier. Darker. Hungrier.
Heat slams into me—wicked and unrelenting.
My thighs clench. A slow, aching throb builds between them.
I should be backing away.
He’s my ex’s father, for God’s sake.
But I don’t.
I want him closer.
Which probably makes me clinically insane.
“Are you okay?” His voice—low, rough—belongs in dark bedrooms and sin-soaked dreams.
The doors open.
We step in.
Just me. Him. Four mirrored walls.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I whisper, breathless.
His smile is a blade. Sharp. Dangerous.
“I don’t do anything I don’t want to.”
He steps in beside me, and I’m immediately aware of how much space he takes up. How his presence warps the air.
“Whatever that was back there,” he says, “I apologize. No one should speak to you like that—including the woman my son chose as his bride.”
I press the button for the ground floor. Try not to stare.
“Well, it was a shit show. But no one has ever done anything like that for me before.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?”
My spine’s straight, but my nerves fray at the edges. “I’m just… eager to get out of here.”
He laughs softly, and it rolls over me like velvet dipped in heat.
“Luca said he saw his ex slip into the ceremony at the last minute. Once I saw the way his bride acted toward you, I connected the dots.”
My stomach knots. “He saw me?”
He grins. “Of course he did. Nobody walks into a man like Luca’s wedding unnoticed.”
So much for subtlety. “What exactly did he say?”
A flicker of something—anger, maybe—flares in his eyes.
“Nothing kind.”
“So you knew who I was all along?”
“Not at first,” he says, studying me. “I saw you fall. Something in me moved. I didn’t know who you were. But when Sarah did what she did… it was obvious.”
I swallow hard. “And you still…”
“Still stepped in.”
He shrugs, but it’s anything but casual. “It was the right thing to do.”
My cheeks go hot. “Thanks for that. Really.”
“Don’t thank me.” His voice softens. “Let’s just say—I don’t let disrespect slide. Not when it’s aimed at someone like you.”
“She had no right to say those things. But… to be fair, I did show up to their wedding. I was kind of entering enemy territory, so to speak.’
His eyes roam over me. “A woman like you should never have to allow humiliation.”
Before I can respond—
The elevator lurches.
Lights flicker.
The box jerks to a dead stop.
I gasp, stumble—
And crash straight into his chest.
His hands find my waist—strong, sure. He steadies me.
“Easy,” he murmurs.
My pulse hammers. “We’re stuck.”
He presses the emergency button. Static. No voice.
“Seems so.”
Cold sweat needles down my spine.
I squeeze my eyes shut. Breathe. Just breathe.
Of course.
Trapped.
With the one man I should stay far, far away from.
“Hey.” His voice is a tether. Warm. Grounding. “Look at me.”
I open my eyes. He’s watching me—serious now.
One hand finds my shoulder, massaging gently.
“You’re safe,” he says.
I laugh—a breathless, humorless sound. “I really hate tight spaces.”
“Then let’s focus on something else.”
He steps closer. I don’t stop him.
Because he feels like both danger and protection in a tailored suit.
“Like why you came here in the first place.”
“Long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
And I know—he means it.
“My best friend thought I needed closure. That seeing him marry someone else would help.”
“Did it?”
I snort. “It’s complicated. I don’t want anything to do with him, but it still stings. And then you showed up, and now I don’t even know what the hell this night is anymore.”
“A new beginning,” he says, mouth twitching.
The lights flicker again. The box jolts.
I yelp, grabbing for him.
He catches me—again.
Our eyes lock.
Heat. Pull. Breathless gravity.
His hand rises. Fingers curl under my jaw.
His thumb strokes my cheek.
“This is insane,” I whisper. “I don’t know you.”
“Strange,” he murmurs, “because I feel like I know everything I need to know.”
It should sound cheesy.
It doesn’t.
Then he kisses me.
Tongues tangle. Fingers grasp.
We kiss like the world won’t turn again unless we do.
Then—clang.
The elevator jerks back to life.
We break apart, panting.
“Guess the ride’s not over yet.”
I flush. “What now—”
“Up to you.” He nods to the panel. “My suite’s at the top. I was headed there before… detouring.”
My brain screams no.
But my hand?
Already pressing the button.
The doors slide shut.
I catch the twitch of his mouth. Pure devilish satisfaction.
I lean back, breath unsteady.
He watches me. Calm. Amused.
Then I say it.
“You’re…” My voice cracks. “You’re Luca’s father.”
He nods. “Without question.”
My heart pounds. “That’s… complicated.”
“I don’t disagree.”
The air sparks between us.
My body hums. Leans. Burns.
He steps closer. Not touching—but I feel him everywhere.
He finally speaks.
“If this ends in regret for you, say the word. I’ll call a car. A limo for you and your friend. I’ll make sure you leave untouched, unscathed.”
I suck in a breath.
He’s not just giving me an out.
He’s giving me power.
“But if you’re hesitating because I’m Luca’s father,” he says, gaze dragging down me, slow and reverent, “then be honest. Right here. Right now. Is that going to matter once the doors open?”
I bite my lip.
His eyes darken. A flash of hunger.
And then I smile.
Slow. Wicked. Unapologetic.
“No…” I whisper. “I want this.
I want you.”
