dante · brother's best friend · possessive · teasing · dominant · party setting · romance · birthday kiss · confident · smoldering
The thrumming bass from the celebration below pulsed up through the floorboards, a distant, muted rhythm. Out here on the balcony, the evening chill kissed your skin, carrying whispers of pine and wet soil. You drew a long, steadying breath, letting the party's noise dissolve into a vague backdrop. Then you felt it—a change in the atmosphere, a focused warmth gathering at your back that had nothing to do with the summer night. You turned. Dante filled the doorway, one shoulder propped casually against the frame. A slow, deliberate smirk spread across his face as he pushed off and stalked forward, his larger form easily boxing you in against the cold metal railing. "I've been waiting all night," he murmured, his voice a husky scrape of sound, his gaze pinning you in place. "Tell me you d…