Dante's Angel (3 page)

The Fox Hole
always had music playing, from prep time to closing. Usually, it was a mixture
of hard rock, pop and country, but this was different. Dante paused as he
listened to the straining sounds of a violin being played. His brows furrowed
as he recognized the moving notes of Bach’s “Air on the G-string.”

What the hell
was going on?

Dante followed
the straining notes of the music down the hallway. Although he no longer felt
the threat of danger in the air, his grip on the knife remained steady. He came
to an abrupt halt in the doorway leading to the main bar, then just stood
there, blinking in surprise.

Zoe Lang stood
with a violin braced under her chin as she played, framed in a halo of golden
light spilling from one of the low fixtures hanging over the pool tables in the
back of the bar. She had changed from the work clothes she’d been wearing
earlier into a pair of black cotton pants and a purple tank top. There was a
lightweight jacket hanging over the back of a nearby chair, with the violin
case lying opened on the table next to it.

Even dressed
casually, with her face scrubbed clean of makeup, she was the most beautiful
woman he’d ever seen. She looked younger without the enhancements, but her
fresh appearance only made her more appealing to him. Her long, black hair fell
down her back like a waterfall of silk. Those dark, exotic eyes that he found
so compelling were closed now as she lost herself in the music she created.

Jesus, she
played like an angel.

Without making
a sound, Dante closed the butterfly knife and stuck it into his back pocket. He
stumbled over to a chair close to the hallway entrance that hadn’t been stacked
on the table during cleanup and sat down to listen. Classical music was one of
his secret pleasures, something he listened to when he was feeling restless.
He’d never told anyone. It wasn’t that he gave a fuck what people thought about
it or whether or not it would damage his rep.

It was just
something he kept private.

Something that
was his alone.

But now his
angel was playing a piece he loved, and hearing it from her hands touched
something inside of him, like a soothing balm to his soul. The beautiful song
calmed the restless part of him that was always straining for action, giving
him the gift of…contentment. Of peace that only the beauty of music could
invoke. His eyes wanted to close, so he could simply be swept away in the joy
of listening to her play, but he couldn’t look away from her.

He never
could.

God, she was
beautiful. Zoe’s slim body swayed a little as her arm swept up with the bow,
holding it against the strings of the instrument, then that arm pulled back to
change the notes as she continued to play. A sense of pride mixed with
bafflement as he watched her. She was absolutely magnificent. A true master of
her craft. Her level of skill wasn’t something one achieved by picking up the
violin as a hobby.

No, she was
too good for that.

And that made
her even more of a mystery to him.

The song
ended, but before he could speak, she took a deep breath and began playing
again. Only, this time it was a different. Where the last piece had been soft,
almost airy, he felt the impact of the new song as if a fist were clenching his
heart.

The slow,
weeping notes all but dripped with sadness, the evocative melancholy even more
pronounced by the simplicity of the music. His breath caught as he listened to
the dark, haunting melody. He was transfixed, mesmerized…completely blown away.
Her bow moved across her instrument, creating the extraordinary with the clever
movements of her hands. And in quiet of the room—with the notes echoing through
the empty room—he felt her sorrow.

Felt her
emotions as she played as though they were his own.

Time past as
he listened to her play, lost in the music…lost in her. Listening to her made
him feel more connected to her than he’d ever felt to another living being. It
was like being able to look inside her, to the dark place that she kept the
outside world from seeing. He’d seen glimpses of it before, of the sadness that
she tried to hide, but it was there now, laid bare with every note she played.
Only someone who understood grief and pain could play like that, put that much
emotion into it.

The reality of
it rocked him to his very core.

Silence hung
in the air when she finished playing, and he heard her take a quiet, shuddering
breath as she remained standing in place. He looked down in surprise to see his
hands were shaking. Hell, he’d always been rock solid in the middle of a
firefight, but now his fucking hands were shaking…because of Zoe.

Unable to help
himself, he stood up. He hadn’t made a sound, but she seemed to sense him. Her
grip on the violin changed so she held it against her as if she were trying to
protect it. He saw the fear flash in those dark-brown eyes when they snapped
open before it faded with recognition.
 

Hands lowered,
but her stance didn’t relax as he stalked toward her. His heart stuttered just
as it always did when her gaze locked on his. He could see her cheeks flush
with embarrassment or guilt at getting caught playing in the bar after hours.
He should say something. Should tell her to relax, or order her to tell him why
the hell she never told him she played the violin like a damn professional, but
Dante couldn’t form the words.

He reached her
with a few quick strides, then jerked her into his arms. Months of frustration,
of wanting her to the point of insanity surged through him. Unable to think
beyond the haze of lust, he did the only thing he could. On a low growl, he
slammed his mouth down on hers, taking her lips in a scorching hot kiss.

Fuck…one
taste.

One taste of
her was all it took to make his body burn. In that instant his lips pressed
against hers, he felt his entire world shift. He’d known it would happen once
he finally touched her, and now that he had, their fate was sealed.

Zoe belonged
to him.

Chapter Two

Zoe felt the
world melting around her.

Her body was
on fire as Dante’s lips took hers in a kiss so hot, she wondered how she didn’t
just burst into flames. She’d been fighting the crazy attraction she had for
him for months, trying to avoid the explosive chemistry she knew shimmered
between them.

Now, all her
defenses shattered like brittle glass with one little kiss.

The feel of
Dante’s hard body pressed against hers had a flood of desire shooting straight
through her, making her body quiver with excitement. She could feel the liquid
heat pooling between her thighs, shocking her with how quickly she responded to
him.

He used her
gasp of shock to shove his tongue deep, tasting and temping her until her only reaction
was to give in to him. Zoe’s mind went blank as she answered the urgency of his
kiss with her own. Pleasure pulsed through her, filling her with the need to
give him all of her, and to take all he offered in return.

Holy fucking
shit, the man knew how to kiss.

The taste of
him was like an addiction. Wild. Wicked. She’d known he would be, which was why
she’d tried so hard to keep her distance. Dark and dangerous, Dante Fox was a
man who commanded attention without asking. And now he took her under, deep
into a pleasure she wasn’t sure she’d ever recover from.

Pulling back,
he broke the kiss, allowing her a glimpse into those clear, light-blue eyes of
his. Eyes so pale they almost seemed unreal. But now, his icy gaze was filled
with heat, with a hunger so intense that it made her heart thunder in her
chest.

“Fucking hell.
I want you, Zoe.”

The sound of
his deep, rough voice made her tremble. It always did. Usually, she was able to
hide her reaction to him, but right now she couldn’t stop the shiver that
wracked her body, and she knew he felt it. “Dante, wait—”

His nostrils
flared and his eyes fired at her weak protest. “No.”

When he moved
to kiss her again, she lifted her hands to hold him off, then glanced down at
the violin and bow in her hands. She blinked as if she’d never seen them before.
Damn it, she needed to focus. Forcing her brain to function again, she gasped.
The instrument she held was a Stradivarius violin, probably one of the most
well-known, expensive instruments in the world. Some sanity sparked back and
had her trying to step away from him.

It didn’t
work.

“We have to—”

“Put it down.”

When she
simply looked at him in confusion, he took the violin and bow from her, setting
it on the table next to the case. Wincing, she made a moved toward the table to
put the instrument away properly, but Dante got in her way.

A small squeak
of surprise escaped her as he took hold of her hips and lifted her, carrying
her a few steps to the pool table where he sat her down on the edge. He pushed
her thighs apart so he could stand between them. When he pressed against her, she
could feel the hard column of his erection rubbing against her core, and barely
held back a moan.

Damn him.
How the hell could she resist him if he kept pushing her like this?

The temptation
to give in was overwhelming. An edge of panic mingled with pure feminine
appreciation as he unzipped his hoodie and roughly jerked it off, throwing it
to the floor. Seeing the black t-shirt stretched taut over his hard body, she
found herself reaching out before she could think. Zoe placed a hand on his
chest, feeling muscles flex beneath her palm and the frantic beating of his
heart. She knew it was useless trying to hold him back, but she had to, for
both their sakes. “Dante, we can’t—”

“Hell, yes, we
can,” he countered, his voice harsh with lust. “And we will.”

Another
protest was cut off as his mouth took hers again. Stars burst behind her eyes.
His taste. God, his taste was glorious. Spicy, and utterly sinful. His hand
wound into her hair, holding her still as he plundered, stroking his tongue
deep over and over again. Unable to help herself, she kissed him back, hands
stroking up and down the hard muscles of his back, her legs wrapping around his
waist as her traitorous body pulled him closer.

Just a minute,
she told herself.

She could let
go for one minute and simply enjoy.

They attacked
one another. Long months of sexual tension exploding out in a battle of dueling
tongues and quick, nipping bites. Fire raced over her skin wherever he touched,
and her own hands desperately gripped at him. A moan tore from her throat as
his large hands cupped her breasts, flicking at her puckered nipples with his
thumbs.

She hadn’t
been prepared for her response to him. Hadn’t know she could lose herself so
completely to the passion he made her feel. It felt so good to finally be in
his arms, but she knew they needed to stop before they did something they would
both regret.

When he let
out a low groan and started pulling at the ties of her pants, she fought for
control. Pushing at his chest again, she pulled her mouth away from his. “Stop.
Dante, please.”

He froze
immediately, body tight with tension. “Why, Zoe?”

She wanted to
flinch at the mixture of anger and pain in that one word. She couldn’t blame
him. A minute ago, she’d been doing her best to all but crawl into him, but she
couldn’t let it go any further. It wasn’t a choice she made lightly, but she
had to protect herself…and him.

With no idea
what to say, she remained silent. It hurt, watching the bitterness that flashed
into his eyes as he pulled back from her so their bodies were no longer
touching. Instantly, she missed the heat of his body. Dante Fox wasn’t a man a
woman said no to easily, and she wished she didn’t have to.

By God, she
wished that more than anything.

His dark hair
was disheveled as he jerked his hands through it. She watched the thick muscles
of his biceps flex as his arms lowered again. His light-blue eyes pierced
through her, accusation and anger clear for her to see.

“I guess I
still have to prove myself to you,” Dante bit out icily. “Fine. One more month.
I can wait one more goddamn month. But once this fucking bet is over, there
will be no more games between us.”

It wasn’t a
threat. It was a promise.

And knowing it
made her shiver with awareness.

Dante let out
a low, vicious curse as he took another step back. Anger surged, bright and
hot. How dare she sit there looking at him with such wounded eyes. She was the
one who’d rejected him…again, and it was impossible to hold back the resentment
he felt every time she did.

His hands
clenched as he fought the urge to jerk her to him again, to pull her back into
the storm of passion that had raged between them. She’d kissed him back, damn
her. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

He could feel
it…could fucking sense it.

It was torture
being in the same room with her without being able to touch her, and now that
he’d finally kissed her, tasted her, it was even worse. His cock was brutally
hard, throbbing with a painful ache that made him want to put his fist through
a wall. Instead, he turned away, trying to pace away his frustration until it
became more bearable.

She had been
wild in his arms. He’d felt the need vibrating through her, waiting to break
free. Her slim, firm body had fit against him perfectly, just as he knew it
would. Her breasts weren’t large, but they were a good size for her small frame
and they’d filled his hands completely. He’d felt her tight nipples stabbing
his palms, and he’d had to fight back the need to rip her top off so he could
suck the little berries into his mouth.

Just thinking
about it made his cock throb in angry demand. Damn it. He could still taste the
sweet, wild honey of her on his lips, and he wanted more. He wanted all of her.

Restraint
didn’t come easy to him, but seeing her sitting there looking so damn fragile
and wary made him fight for control of his raging hormones. Dante knew he could
seduce her. The way she had melted in his arms told him it wouldn’t be hard to
push past her defenses, but there was a hint of fear in her voice when she’d
asked him to step back that he couldn’t ignore.

Something held
her back, and it was more than just her reservations about his reputation.
Instinct forced him to tread softly. It was an itch on the back of his neck
that had saved his life before. Even though this wasn’t a combat situation,
Dante felt like he was fighting for his life all the same…the life he wanted
with Zoe.

Dante didn’t
understand how he knew it, but he respected it. She was too important to him
not to. No matter how hard it was for him, he’d give her the space she asked
for. But there would be no going back now that he’d tasted her.

He was fucking
obsessed, he thought bitterly. What the hell was it about her that brought out
this dark need in him? He’d never felt this way about another woman before.
Hell, he’d avoided getting serious with anyone in the past, making sure that
the women he took to bed knew that all he was offering them was a few hours of
hard fucking with no strings attached.

But with Zoe
it was different. He wanted to take her, to own her completely. It should have
scared the shit out of him, but for some reason, it didn’t. It just seemed to
make some sort of crazy sense in his mind.

Zoe watched
Dante stomp around the room and thought back to the bet they’d made three
months ago. Since she’d started working for him, Dante had never tried to hide
the fact that he wanted her. And she’d wanted him. From the first moment she’d
seen him tending bar, she’d wanted him. It had been her first real attraction
toward a man.

Lust, she’d
thought at first.

But as she’d
gotten to know him, she’d quickly realized it was so much more than that.

It hadn’t
taken long for the gossip to reach her. Dante loved women, and he’d had his
share of them. Hell, he’d had more than his share, but he never kept them for
long. She couldn’t blame the women of Breakers for lusting after him. Dante Fox
was a prime specimen of a man, with a bad boy reputation that added a hint of
the danger to him.

She’d heard
the rumors. Knew that he was supposed to be a wild lover, with an unending
surplus of energy in the bedroom. Just thinking about that made her nervous,
and jealous of those who had firsthand knowledge of his skills at seduction. She
knew this had been the longest period of time he’d ever gone without having a
woman in his bed. It was better to let him think that it was his reputation
that was making her hold back. She’s never thought he would agree not to be
with any women for four months just to have her, but he had.

Just knowing
that made her heart melt. Dante wanted her enough to show her just how much she
meant to him. They had a connection between them that was impossible to deny. He’d
never kissed her before tonight. Never unleashed all the sexual tension that
had been building between them that she’d known was there, waiting to ignite. And
right now—looking at him in all his pissed-off glory—she wondered how much
longer she’d be able to resist him.

Her lips felt
swollen from his kiss, and she pressed her fingers to them as if she could hold
onto the feel of him. He’d given her something amazing…her first taste of real
passion. To anyone else, their kiss would have been a small thing, but for her,
it had been earth shattering. She loved the way his dark hair fell down over
his eyes. It made her want to reach out to push it back off his face, made her
want to cup his cheek and lean in to kiss him again.

Zoe knew he
didn’t understand. How could he know just how much she wanted the comfort and
safety she knew she’d find in his embrace? How could he know just how much she
cared for him, or how much she’d give to be his?

But, she
couldn’t have him. Not as long as she was living a lie.

Dante stopped
pacing and turned back to her as she slipped off the table and moved to put her
violin back into its case. She heard him take a few deep breaths, and forced
herself to keep moving away from him.

“I didn’t know
you played.”

Zoe paused,
then removed the shoulder and chin rest from the instrument before wiping it
down with a soft, clean cloth she kept in the case. The violin was a priceless
collector’s piece, but more than that, it was a personal treasure to her,
almost like a best friend.

And it was one
of the only things she had brought with her from her old life.

“I don’t play
much anymore,” she said softly.

“What was that
last song you were playing? I’ve heard it before, but I can’t place it.”

“It was Samuel
Barber’s “Adagio for Strings,” one of my favorites. It may not be as old as
some of the classics, but it’s still a wonderful piece.”

“It makes an
impact,” he agreed.

When she was
done, she closed the case, securing the locks in place then fiddled with the
strap before turning to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry for coming in after hours
without permission.”