Все главы Dangerous Melodies: Глава 1 - Глава 10

TORII hurried down the dim sidewalk, my pulse thudding in my ears. Panic surged through me, the city closing in, thick and suffocating. My breath came fast, shallow.I shouldn’t have done that. Why the hell did I think I could walk away from this?The night wasn’t just dark, it was smothering.Earlier that day, meeting Mr. Kincade had been a mistake from the start. His condescending tone grated on me, and the moment he opened his mouth, I felt it: that voice. Commanding, like thunder on a summer night. It cracked the air and made my bones ache.“Look at me when I talk to you,” Kincade growled, his voice low and unyielding.His voice was a command, cold and unyielding, and my pulse quickened. I swallowed hard, fighting the instinct to look away. I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. I held his gaze, daring him to break.I locked eyes with him, daring him to see any weakness.My jaw clenched, eyes locked onto his, daring him to see just how far I’d go. No way I’d show him fear. He did

TORII rushed down the hallway, my breath unsteady. The moment the door clicked shut behind me, the façade I’d held together so carefully cracked. My fists clenched at my sides as the encounter replayed in my head. Every word, every calculated move echoed through me, shaking something loose.“Arrogant prick,” I muttered, but the fire behind it had already died. I’d faced worse men. But Mr. Kincade wasn’t like the others. He unsettled me.It wasn’t just his authority or the way he saw straight through me. It was the way I reacted. The heat of his body. The sharp bite of his cologne. I hated how it made my pulse race.Why the hell do I let him get to me?I shoved the supply closet door shut behind me, breath still ragged. The cramped space pressed in, offering the solitude I needed. I leaned back against the shelves, my fingers trembling as they found the necklace at my throat.I’d survived men who tried to control me, break me. Mr. Kincade was a different kind of dangerous. I couldn’t

TORII paced behind the curtain, heat rising in my chest as the night played on a loop in my head.My hands curled into fists, then slowly released at my sides. Each breath came fast, shallow. Get it together.The bullying at the tech company. The sleazy advances from the marketing director. Now my new boss, an arrogant jerk, seemed determined to make my life hell.Dickhead.Oh God. My cheeks went hot. I pressed my palms to my face like that could somehow undo the embarrassment sinking in. Did that really happen?I hadn’t had a clue what a man’s arousal felt like. Not until tonight. And now my boss knew exactly how clueless I was. My stomach twisted, the memory running through me like a live wire.I wanted to disappear, to erase the last few hours, the last few months. Everything had led to this moment, every little indignity stacking higher and higher until I couldn’t breathe beneath the weight of it.One more thing. Just one. And I was done. I’d walk away without a second thought.J

TORIThe car slowed, rolling up to the massive gates of Dante’s estate. A fortress. Tall walls loomed, guards posted at every corner, armed and alert. My stomach twisted as the gate buzzed and slid open.I knew this kind of place too well. Opulent prisons wrapped in gold and silence. I had grown up in one. Power disguised as elegance. Secrets hiding behind every smile. Men who treated control like currency. Dante wasn’t just a CEO. He was something worse. Something familiar.The gates ahead loomed like the mouth of a beast, swallowing the world beyond. Tall, imposing, unyielding. My chest tightened as I watched the guards, their weapons visible, their faces unreadable. It wasn’t a home. It was a fortress.I could feel the air thick with power, cold, sharp, and suffocating. Not the kind of power that celebrates triumph, but the kind that crushes those who step out of line. The kind that hides secrets behind stone and steel. Secrets I was now a part of.Is he like my father? Have they

DANTEThe scent of wood polish and leather wrapped around me as I sat in my office. The dark paneling and refined decor carried the kind of weight that commanded attention. Authority lived in this room.Across from me, a row of surveillance screens flickered, each one tracking Tori’s restless pacing inside the guest house. My fingers moved absently through Mr. Buttons’ fur, his small body warm against my lap. He had no idea the storm was building inside me.I scratched behind his ears, the softness grounding. My voice dropped, quieter than usual, oddly tender."Why’d your mom give you such a ridiculous name, huh?"A chuckle stirred in my chest."You deserve better."My gaze shifted to the bag on my desk, the one Tori had clutched like it held her life. What the hell was she hiding in there? What could possibly matter that much?"Let’s find out."I set Mr. Buttons on the floor. His eyes stayed on me, wide and trusting, his tail wagging like we were playing some harmless game.I grabbed