Clarissa’s POV
Dante’s hands were warm against my waist, grounding me even as my pulse fluttered wildly. The room around us was dim and his breath brushed my cheek as he pulled me closer. Just when Dante’s lips grazed my jaw, my phone rang.
The sound hacked straight through the moment, startling me so hard I nearly dropped the device from the nightstand. I squeezed my eyes shut, as though that alone could silence reality. Not now. Please, not now.
“Ignore it,” I muttered, curling back toward him.
But Dante’s voice rumbled low near my ear. “Clarissa. Take it.”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“You won’t,” he said firmly. His thumb lifted my chin until I had no choice but to meet his gaze. “But you should answer. Someone’s calling you for a reason.”
He was right, and God,
