Lahat ng Kabanata ng Contractually Yours: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Jem's POV I couldn’t bear the closeness between Dante and me on the bed anymore. It suddenly felt suffocating and before I could even think it through properly, I jolted up from the bed and stood there abruptly, my arms hanging loosely by my sides, my body stiff and unsure of what to do next. Dante didn’t speak. He simply glanced at me as I stood beside the bed unable to say a single word, completely caught off guard by my own reaction. For a brief moment, neither of us moved. Then Dante smiled, looking away from me for a second, almost like he was trying to process something, before shaking his head slightly to himself. When he looked back up at me again, his eyes swept over me slowly, and I suddenly became aware of how exposed I was—standing there shirtless, with nothing on except a white pair of boxers that felt almost too loose on my body, barely even fitting around my waist. The weight of that awareness lingered between us, stretching the silence in a way that mad

Author's POV The door slammed shut behind Jem.And then there was silence.Dante stood exactly where he was, unmoving, one hand still slightly raised from where he had released the boy's tiny wrist. The echo of the door faded quickly, swallowed by the stillness of the room, and for a long moment, Dante didn't do anything at all.He just stood there.Then slowly, almost involuntarily, his hand moved to his face.His fingers touched his cheek—the left one—right where Jem's palm had connected to his face. The skin was still warm from the slap. Still stinging faintly in a way that felt almost foreign.Dante blinked.Then something happened that even he didn't expect.A chuckle left his mouth.Quiet at first. Then fuller. He shook his head slowly, the sound of his laughter filling the empty room as his hand stayed pressed lightly against his cheek.He couldn't believe it.He genuinely could not believe that the boy had slapped him across the face with that small pecky hand of his.Dan

Dante's POVI looked at Jem for a moment. He was still standing by the door like a statue.Then I turned away, ignoring him completely.I walked to my dresser and picked up my wristwatch from where I'd left it, sliding it onto my wrist slowly, fastening the clasp without any rush. Then I reached up and fixed my collar, smoothing it flat with two fingers, taking my time.Jem still remained in the doorway.I didn't acknowledge him.Let him stand there. Let him wait all he wants. .If he had something to say to me then he could go ahead and say it when I was ready to hear it, and right now I was not particularly interested in rushing anything on his behalf.After a moment, without turning around, I said quietly,"Come in."There was a brief moment of silence before he finally spoke, his voice laced with panic.“No, I'm—I'm fine. I'm fine here. I'll just stand here."His voice came out small and shaky.I stopped.I looked up at his reflection in the dresser mirror.He was still standing

Dante's POV After a while, I finally leaned away from Jem.Even as I pulled away from him, he didn't move an inch.He stayed pressed against the wall, frozen, chest still heaving, eyes wide and fixed on me like he was waiting for the ground to crack open beneath him.I didn't look at him again.I turned, walked to the bed, picked up my coat, shook it out once, and turned back around. Then I crossed the room back toward Jem, and without warning, I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and started walking—pulling him along with me like it was the most natural thing in the world."What—" Jem stumbled forward, catching himself. "What the hell are you doing?"I didn't answer. I continued to drag him with me outside the room."Dante—" He grabbed at my hand on his collar. "Where are you taking me? What's going on?"I kept walking, pulling him through the doorway and out into the hallway."Hey—hey, stop. Stop!" He was twisting now, trying to dig his heels in. "Please—just tell me what's h

Dante's POV At first, Jem didn't speak.He was completely still.He was probably thinking I'd said it wrong.I continued anyway;"I'll brief you on how the date should go. You stay for just two hours. And you don't let him touch you." I paused. "Actually—he mustn't even look at you too much. You're mine. And no one touches what belongs to me. Are we clear?"I turned to look at him.The expression on his face was something I wanted to study or laugh at.Then he opened his mouth."No," he said. "I can't do that for you. I can't go on a date for you. I also have somewhere to go and—" He stopped.Completely stopped.I turned to face him properly."Somewhere to go? Where could that be?"He closed his mouth. Then he looked away and muttered quietly, “It's nothing—” Something sharpened in my attention immediately.I turned fully in my seat, angling my body toward him. "Look at me, Jem."He didn't."Jem." I suddenly called out loudly.He looked at me. Reluctantly. Barely."I don't care whe