Chapter 4: From here on out

Iris Pov

Iris didn’t know how long she could avoid her husband. For two weeks since they've been married and since the incident in his car, she made it a point of duty to stay away from him.

He affected her in ways she could not control. That day, Iris was home from work earlier than she usually was.

The front door clicked open before Iris could even think to call out. Someone groaned from somewhere in the penthouse. Iris’ heart skipped a beat. She threw her hair over her shoulder and held her bag out as she went into the house.

“Dante?” she whispered.

A figure staggered into the dim light of the living room, shoulder dragging slightly and lips cut, Blood matted his hair, and the normally perfect suit was torn and smeared with dirt.

“I’m fine,” he said, though the rasp in his voice betrayed him.

Iris’s stomach knotted; fear and concern warred inside her. She stepped forward slowly, while her hands trembled. “You’re… hurt.”

“I said I’m fine,” he repeated, but his voice lacked its usual iron. He tried to brush past her, and she reached out instinctively, grabbing his forearm.

“Let me see,” she insisted. “Don’t pretend you’re okay when you’re bleeding.”

His hand twitched at her touch. For the first time, he didn’t respond with the confident smirk or sharp words she’d come to expect. Instead, he winced.

Iris swallowed hard. She knelt beside him, tugging off his jacket carefully, her fingers brushing against the tense muscles of his arms. The faint tremor in his hands made her pause. A rush of… something unfamiliar hit her. Pity? Attraction? Both?

“You’ve been avoiding me. So what changed?” he asked under his breath, almost to himself.

“Nothing,” she shot back. “You’re hurt and you need help, and we live in the same house.”

He smirked faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “So we’re just roommates?”

“Yes!” she snapped, though her voice softened immediately when she dabbed at a gash on his cheek. Her fingers brushed against the stubble near his jaw. “You’re always running into danger. You think the world revolves around you, but it doesn’t.”

His eyes narrowed, and a slow smile curved his lips. “Maybe not, but some things… they revolve around me. And right now, I think you’re one of them.”

Iris blinked, heat creeping up her neck. She cursed under her breath, focusing on the bandages and ointment in her hands, trying not to notice how close he leaned. How his musky scent made her head spin.

“Got to focus,” she said firmly, trying to keep his trembling fingers from brushing her collarbone.

“You’re adorable when you try to boss me,” he murmured, leaning just a fraction closer. His dark eyes held hers, magnetic and dangerous all at once.

Her lips parted slightly before she could stop herself, and suddenly he was there, closer than a gentleman should ever be, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. She inhaled sharply, flustered, and before she could think, he leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to her lips.

She jerked back immediately, and her hands flew to her lips. “Dante! That’s…” She huffed, not sure what to say next.

He made a sound in his throat, an almost predatory sound. “I know,” he said. “And yet… I can’t stop.”

She fidgeted with the bandage, twisting it nervously between her fingers. Her body betrayed her, shivering despite herself. He brushed closer again, not waiting for permission, and she couldn’t pull away completely, couldn’t decide if she wanted to.

“You can’t do this,” she whispered, voice trembling.

“Can’t or won’t?” he countered, eyes glinting with mischief.

Iris flinched when he pinned her gently against the wall, just enough to trap her, not cruelly, but undeniably. Her hands instinctively pressed against his chest, losing herself in the way it felt, but he leaned just a bit closer, nose brushing hers. His lips hovered over hers, teasing her.

 “Do you even realize what you’re doing?” She tried but failed to push him away. Not that she was trying too hard.

“I do,” he said softly, and his hand brushed hers, fingers tracing hers lightly. The contact sent a jolt through her she couldn’t quite name. “And I like it.”

She laughed nervously, a short, breathless sound that turned into a snort. He smiled at that. The room seemed reduced to only the two of them, and she was all too aware of his body.

Her stomach knotted. She tried to pull away, but he was everywhere. He kissed her neck, and then her ear, her lips, like he’d been starved. The strength in his arms, the heat radiating off his body, the way his dark eyes held hers as he trapped her to the wall, and her own betrayal of attraction, screamed back at her.

He tilted his head, lips back to her ear. “I’m not sure if I want to kiss you… or claim you completely.”

Iris visibly shivered; the words, the nearness, it was all too much, yet entirely thrilling. Until a loud knock echoed through the apartment, cutting through the sexual tension like a knife.

Dante shot an annoyed look at the door, and Iris took a step back, shaking with adrenaline and the wetness between her legs.

Dante’s hand stayed near hers, fingers twitching as if wanting to bridge the gap again. The knock repeated, again. And Dante stepped away. “I should go see who that is.”

She nodded, too wound up to speak.