Kate’s POV
"What?"
The question left my lips in a breathless rush. My heart hammered a frantic rhythm against my ribs, waiting for him to repeat the claim, to double down on the possessive growl that had just turned my knees to water. I searched his eyes for the heat that had been there seconds ago, the raw intensity that made the word mine feel like a vow.
But it was gone.
Dante pulled back, his grip sliding off my waist with practiced ease. The fire in his green eyes vanished, replaced by a wall of cool, professional indifference that made my skin prickle with confusion.
"Don't look so shocked, Kate," he said, his voice dropping to a low, bored pitch as he smoothed his tuxedo jacket. He tilted his chin toward the upper balcony. "It was a necessity. Look up."
I stiffened, following
