Chapter 51
“No! I’m going home!”
Riena shouted so loudly that even Dante flinched.
For a moment, he just stared—then, to her disbelief, he suddenly burst into laughter.
At first, Riena only blinked in confusion, but when his laughter dragged on, she clenched her fists and glared back, her eyes burning with anger.
When Dante’s laughter finally tapered off into a low chuckle, Riena was fuming, practically trembling as she snapped at him.
“Do you find this amusing, Your Grace? No, it’s not that—I’m just a joke to you, aren’t I?”
Her voice was sharp and cold, edged with fury.
“Of course you’re laughable. You’re you.”
But Dante, of course, wasn’t remotely intimidated. If anything, he seemed entertained. Moving lazily, he reached out a hand and caught a strand of her hair between his fingers.
Her soft brown hair slipped and curled around his fingertips like the down of a small animal. He toyed with it idly, winding and smoothing it, before speaking again in his slow, drawling voice.
“Still… right now, you do look quite beautiful.”
“……”
“And since you already see me as shameless, perhaps I should just carry you straight to the bedchamber.”
His head tilted slightly, as if asking her, Well, shall I?
His gaze roamed down her body in a deliberate, burning sweep. Those golden eyes glowed like molten fire, heavy and unrelenting.
Riena’s lashes fluttered wildly each time she blinked. His words had caught her completely off guard, leaving her mind blank, her thoughts spinning like a whirlpool.
A sharp breath escaped her lips. Only then did she realize she’d been holding it in. She bit down hard on her lower lip.
Then his hand—still playing with her hair—slipped downward and brushed lightly against her mouth.
“Stop tormenting your lips.”
The simple touch made heat flare through her body, starting from her lips and spreading everywhere.
It wasn’t just her imagination. His golden eyes were darker now, devouring her whole.
Danger. Every instinct screamed that this was dangerous.
Riena pulled back, pressing herself against the sofa as if to escape.
“I… I told you. I don’t find this amusing, Your Grace. Don’t do this.”
Her voice, which had been so loud just moments ago, now trembled pitifully.
Dante slowly drew back the fingers that had touched her lips, then leaned lazily against the sofa arm, quirking a brow.
“Mm.”
He answered easily, as if nothing were wrong—yet still leaned closer.
Riena frowned, retreating further as his face drew nearer, closer than ever.
“I—I’ll really get angry now!”
“Good. You can be angry later. Be angry as much as you want.”
With that, his lips crashed down on hers.
It was nothing like his usual unhurried composure. The kiss was abrupt, almost desperate.
Riena gasped, caught off guard, unable to resist as his weight pressed her back against the cushions. Her hands gripped his arms in shock.
Her body went rigid at just the contact of his lips. Noticing her stiffness, Dante gave a small, amused laugh against her mouth.
She widened her eyes and twisted, trying to escape. But his hand, which had only ever held things like ties, papers, and pens, slid to the nape of her neck for the first time, fingers tangling in her silky hair as he held her fast.
He teased her closed lips, nipping gently at the soft, ripe-red fruit he’d long been tempted by.
“…Mmph.”
Riena clutched his arm as if it were a lifeline, her hands trembling. Her feeble resistance only seemed to provoke him.
When she parted her lips at last for air, Dante seized the chance, slipping his tongue inside.
Their breaths, their warmth, even their taste—everything tangled together as he explored her mouth without mercy. Each time their tongues met, a faint sweetness clung to the air, dizzying and intimate.
Her ragged gasps, the wet sounds of their mingled breath, the obscene slickness of saliva—all of it filled the office.
When she finally began to thrash against him in desperation, striking his chest and arms, his body didn’t budge an inch. It was only when he realized she was truly out of breath that he finally, slowly, pulled away.
A thin string of saliva broke between their lips.
Riena’s lips glistened, wet and swollen. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
Her heart pounded so violently it felt as if it might burst. The world blurred, his face above her indistinct. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, gasping for air.
Dante tilted his head, studying her disheveled state with a gaze that lingered far too long. Then, almost absentmindedly, he brushed his damp lips with his thumb.
“…Just as I thought. You’re beautiful, Riena.”
He smiled faintly.
Her breath hitched, her lips trembling as she bit down on them again. With shaking hands, she scrubbed at her mouth as if to erase his touch.
“…You’re insane.”
“Mm.”
“You… you’re mad!”
He chuckled softly, then leaned in once more.
Startled, Riena grabbed his shoulders in alarm, brown eyes flashing with panic.
He brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek, speaking low.
“Glare at me all you like, curse me all you like, Riena…”
“……”
“All it does is delay what’s already coming.”
The tears clinging to her lashes finally slipped free, only for Dante’s lips to catch them.
The simple act, so deceptively gentle, made her shiver as if he’d kissed her again.
“You… wicked… mad duke…” Her voice broke, thick with tears.
“I won’t… I won’t let you…”
“Mm.”
Another lie. She knew it was a lie, but still, she couldn’t stop him.
By now the strange, trembling heat in her chest had already spread through her entire body.
When his lips captured hers again, the kiss was slower this time—deeper, stickier, more intimate. Every sensation made her burn.
Her mind melted. Her body, too. She couldn’t think, couldn’t separate dream from reality.
She clung to his shirt as if drowning, fingers twisting in the fabric, while his warmth pressed closer and closer.
She prayed this was only a dream. Because if it wasn’t… then he was being unbearably cruel.
But the heat of his touch told her it was all too real. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
Dante never looked away. He brushed her tears away with his thumb, the caress so gentle it broke her further.
Even as his lips devoured hers again and again, even as her body melted beneath him—Riena wept.
