Dante's Fire by Jennifer Probst Read Free Book Online

tried to make light of the moment. “I have plenty of weaknesses. Ever see me devour a cupcake in under three seconds?”
    “Loving dessert could never be a weakness. I think your biggest issue is championing lost causes.”
    Her eyes widened. “What are you talking about?”
    “You like the Mets. That’s scary.”
    She gasped. “Unfair! Their time just hasn’t come.”
    “Don’t think it ever will. How about when we do the company pool for the Triple Crown horse race? You always pick a fifty-to-one shot.”
    “I want to make money.”
    His lip quirked. “You pushed for Inferno to buy the Eastwood property and no one has been able move it for over a year.”
    She tilted her chin up in sheer defiance. “That’s gonna sell. The place is an artistic gold mine, and his mother is in a nursing home. He desperately needed the money, and eventually we’ll make up for the loss of profits.”
    This time, his lips curved into a full-fledged smile. “See, I rest my case. You’re weak, but in only one place: your heart.”
    That part of her anatomy stuttered, paused, and restarted with a vengeance. How did he know so much about her? Sure, they had daily conversations, but never saw each other outside of the office. Yet, he seemed able to look straight past the surface and see her completely bare.
    No. She would not deal with these odd emotions right now. The last thing she needed was more confusion.
    She forced herself to sound casual. "Well, thanks for the support."
    "No support. Just truth." He paused and cleared his throat. "I don't know the details of the mugging, but I do know it takes a long time to heal. I had a similar experience when I was younger."
    She leaned forward with curiosity. "What happened?"
    Darkness stole over his face. His features seemed carved from stone. "Someone I loved was killed. For a long time, I didn't know how to handle it. I lashed out, angry at the world, angry at my weakness. I finally realized in order to be strong; we have to allow ourselves to feel the grief first. The rage. The helplessness. Then we can heal."
    As if they shared the same soul, pain shuddered through her body, imagining him as a boy watching someone get hurt. Someone he couldn't help. "Is that how you got your scar?"
    Dan touched his face. A lifetime of memories flickered in his eyes. "Yes. I had nights I didn’t think I could handle because of the nightmares.”
    The words drove deep. Him too. Maybe she wasn’t so alone after all, but like most bad things, people kept them locked inside and refused to share. Suddenly, he reached over to her. His finger trailed down her bruised cheek with so much tenderness tears stung her eyes. “But I learned something important. Scars aren't a weakness, Selina. They're signs of strength because we survived."
    The truth struck her full force. Her hands gripped her coffee mug as she struggled to process this new energy between them, this intimacy that made her suddenly ache to have his arms wrap around her and hold tight. To feel his hands stroking while his lips took hers.
    She froze, waiting for him to do something, waiting for him to do nothing. Last week she might have made the move. Might have. But now?
    His hand dropped.
    "I better go." His gruff words broke the spell. He dumped the paper cup in the garbage and headed toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow."
    "Yes. See you tomorrow."
    She watched him walk away and wondered if she'd ever be the same person again.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    "No!"
    Her cry shook through him as Dante hushed her sobs and took her in his arms. The first few nights he kept his distance, and only allowed himself to hold her hand. There were stringent rules regarding building back a woman's trust. Selina was especially vulnerable only because of her strength, and her ability to push past barriers she regarded as weakness. He wasn't surprised her dreams were worse than most, since she dealt with many of her fears within her subconscious.
    This time,