Lily's POV
Dante sat there, calm, composed, impossibly tall and unnervingly still, while I fumbled for words I didn’t have. My pulse hammered in my ears, and my cheeks were burning hot. I couldn’t even begin to sort out what I was feeling—shock, confusion, lingering embarrassment, and a strange, undeniable pull I still hadn’t fully processed from that night at the club.
“Lily…” Connor’s mother’s voice broke the silence, gentle but firm. She glanced between Dante and me, her brows knitting together in concern. “Do… do you two know each other?”
I blinked, panic rising like a tide. I wanted to disappear right then and there, vanish into the floorboards, or at the very least crawl under the nearest chair. My mind was scrambling, trying to decide if I should tell the truth, lie, or nod and
