Dante
I was restless, no matter how much I tried to stay calm. It felt like something was missing, something I couldn't afford to lose.
Leona.
Why wasn't she missing?
A thought struck me. Mulch! He'd know what happened to her. I grabbed my phone and dialed.
"What's up, boss?" Mulch answered casually.
I didn't let him finish. "Leona. Where is she?"
"Leona? She's probably at Inferno right now."
"Inferno? Like Marco's club?"
"Yeah."
I didn't let him say anything else before I hung up. My jaw tightened, frustration rising under my skin. Why was Marco always in the middle of everything I wanted?
I called Nico immediately.
"Check Inferno," I ordered. "That's where you'll find Leona."
"Alright boss, on it," Nico said, then hesitated. "But there's a problem, boss."
I sighed. "What now, Nico?"
"It's Sofia."
My grip on the phone tightened. "What about her?"
"She knows you're in L.A."
"What? Who the hell told her?"
"No idea."
I ended the call.
And then—knock, knock. I didn't need to check, I already knew.
Sofia.
The door creaked open, and there she was, red dress, dark curls cascading over her shoulders, eyes holding that same mixture of fire and heartbreak I'd seen too many times before.
"You're really bad at hiding," she said, stepping inside as if she owned the place.
I leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "I wasn't hiding."
She laughed, low and knowing. "Sure, you weren't."
I stayed silent, watching her. It had been months since I last saw her. Maybe a year. Long enough for her to move on. But looking at her now, I knew she hadn't.
She walked toward me, her heels clicking against the floor.
"You didn't call."
"I didn't need to."
She raised an eyebrow, smirking. "No? Not even once?"
I exhaled, pushing past her toward the liquor cabinet.
"What do you want, Sofia?"
She leaned against the counter, watching me pour myself a drink.
"I missed you."
I took a slow sip, meeting her gaze over the rim of my glass.
"Don't."
Her lips curled. "Don't what? Be honest"
"Don't act like we're something we're not."
Her eyes darkened. "And what were we, Dante?"
I let out a dry chuckle, setting my glass down.
"A mistake."
She flinched, just for a second, but recovered quickly.
"You never used to say that when we were tangled in sheets, when you whispered my name like some blues."
I clenched my jaw, ignoring the heat creeping up my spine.
"That was a long time ago."
She stepped closer, close enough for me to catch her perfume. The same scent that used to drive me insane.
"But it doesn't feel like it, does it?" she murmured.
I stared at her, forcing myself to remember why I left, why I walked away from the chaos she always carried with her.
"Sofia—"
She cut me off by placing a hand on my chest, fingers tracing over the fabric of my shirt.
I caught her wrist. "Don't."
She smirked. "Don't what?"
"You know what."
She leaned in, her breath brushing my jaw.
"You can't resist me, Dante."
I exhaled sharply, forcing myself to step back.
"I already have." I lied.
She tilted her head. "Then why haven't you told me to leave?"
I didn't have an answer for that. Silence stretched between us, heavy and charged.
Her eyes searched mine. "I loved you, Dante."
I looked away. "You loved the idea of me."
She sighed. "Maybe. But it doesn't change the fact that I still want you."
I shook my head, running a hand through my hair.
"Sofia, this…."
Before I could finish, she closed the distance between us, pressing her lips to mine. It was supposed to be a simple kiss, something I could brush off. But the second I felt her against me, something inside snapped.
I grabbed her waist, pushing her against the counter, deepening the kiss. She moaned against my mouth, fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer.
I hated this. Hated how easy it was to fall back into her. Hated how my body betrayed me even when my mind screamed stop. But I didn't stop.
Not when she pulled me toward the bed. Not when her dress pooled around her feet. Not when I traced old memories against her skin.
And definitely not when she whispered, l knew you couldn't let me go.
Because for that one moment, she was right.