Dante's Ultimate Gamble by Day Leclaire Read Free Book Online Page A

took the wine glass from her hand and set it on a nearby table along with his whiskey. Then he caught hold of her and pulled her into his arms.
    “I vote to end things right now,” he told her. And then he kissed her.
    Want blew him apart. Heaven help him, she tasted every bit as delicious as before. Soft and sweet and yet potently female. He liked the way she attacked his mouth, like a succulent piece of fruit that she couldn’t quite get enough of. And then she would sink into him, savoring him the way he’d seen some women savor a piece of rich, dark chocolate.
    Everything about her appealed, from the light, crisp scent of her to the subtle silken curves that had sorecently graced his bed, to the wit and intelligence that gave strength to her face and brilliance to the unusual teal shade of her eyes. He almost lost control again, almost swept her up into his arms and carried her back to his bedroom. Maybe he would have if the echo of his last words to her didn’t still linger in the air. With a final hungry kiss, he put her from him.
    It took her an instant to recover her equilibrium. She stared at him in fuzzy bemusement before snapping back into focus with a soft cry of outrage. “You…!” Anger sparked to life, flaming in her gaze and giving her cheeks a rosy bloom. “Why did you kiss me after what you said?”
    He shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d get the chance again.”
    He didn’t give her an opportunity to reply. Didn’t dare. It didn’t pay to give women like Téa too much room to fully exercise their vocabulary. Not when they wielded each word with the precision of a marksman and could slice and dice a man with the skill of a master chef.
    “I have some associates who can help with our problem. They can take over as your temporary bodyguard.”
    He couldn’t have shocked her more if he’d slapped her. “And us? What about The Inferno?”
    “As I mentioned, I have four cousins who described the sort of instant lust that we experienced and every last one of them ended up married. That’s not going to happen to me. I don’t do commitment. And I sure as hell don’t do marriage.”
    “Neither do I,” she retorted. “I have more important priorities.”
    “Excellent. Then we end this before it has a chance to get out of hand. Agreed?”
    She opened her mouth to reply, when a muffled voice began to call, “Answer me. Answer me. Answer me, me, me! ” Her eyes widened in horror and without a word she darted to the foyer and dove into his closet. She emerged a bit more tousled, but with her briefcase and shoulder bag in hand.
    She took up residence on his couch and pulled out her cell phones, lining them up with military precision on his coffee table. The ring tone on the first phone—a shiny black one covered in neon pink kisses—switched to “Here Comes the Bride.”
    Téa flipped it open. “Hel— Yes, Jules. Yes, I know. I was in a meeting and couldn’t be interrupted.” She actually blushed at the lie, then listened for a moment. “Did you check out Divinity for your wedding gown? It won’t? Why—” She listened silently for several more seconds. “No, no. I understand. It’s just that I arranged for the owner… Okay. If it won’t work, it won’t. I’ll get back to you with an alternative. I’ve got to speak to Vida now. No, she’s not more urgent than you. But there’s nothing else I can do about your wedding gown until tomorrow. I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can do.”
    She pushed a button with smooth precision and started a new conversation. “Davida, what—” Pause. “Listen up. If you fail that course, you’ll be on academic probation. No, I can’t get you off again. You’ll have to go in and speak to your professor. Well, why did you miss the exam? Oh, for— Yes, that was exasperation you heard in my voice. Recovering from a frat party is not an acceptable excuse for… I don’t intend to argue the point. If you can’t work it out with your