Dante's Fire(19)

With a sickening motion, his other hand ripped at her shirt. Buttons  flew. The delicate fabric ripped and the sound echoed in her ears with  memory. His big hand grabbed at her breast as the world began to spin in  terror.

Suddenly, he screamed.

The knife dropped. Selina didn't hesitate. She whirled and grabbed the  bottle by the neck, then swung it around in a slashing arc.

The bottle hit him hard against the temple and he fell down.

As the screams echoed, Selina turned to run, then caught the burning smell of flesh.

Flames lit the mark on his arm. His shirt caught on fire. As blood  trickled from his head, he shook his arm frantically, but the symbol  heated in perfect scrawls and lines.

Selina watched, transfixed, unable to move as she watched Forrester burn.

The scene unfolded as if in a dream. The door crashed open, and Daniel  ran into her apartment. He turned his head and screamed in the hallway,  "Call 911!" Then rushed over to her, his hands frantically checking her  for blood, his eyes forcing her to meet his and break her spell.

"Selina? Can you hear me? Are you okay?"

She nodded and pointed to Forrester. "He hid in my apartment." Her body shook. "He's burning."

On another level, she wondered why Daniel didn't seem shocked at the  sight of Forrester and his arm in flames. With calm motions, he moved to  the kitchen, filled a glass of water, and dumped it on top of  Forrester. The fire died, but the scent of cooked flesh rose to her  nostrils. The man writhed and moaned with agony.

The next hour played out in slow motion. The police. Questions. Her  neighbors poking their heads nosily through her door. Removing Forrester  in handcuffs. Daniel calmly answering the police and explaining he came  to pick her up for dinner, walked in the door, and found Forrester on  the ground with a knife at his side. The police concluded there must  have been some kind of substance on his arm that caused the alcohol to  burn his arm.         

     



 

Finally, the crowds were gone, and she was left with Daniel alone in her apartment.

He tucked her on the couch and covered her with a blanket. Made her some hot tea. Then sat beside her and held her close.

His arms and body caused a familiar ache and memory to pound. She knew  his scent. The feel of his arms. The muscled chest and strong legs.

And thought of Dante.

Why hadn't he appeared? This time Daniel had saved her, but the betrayal  of her midnight lover cut deep with agony. Hadn't he sensed the danger?

"Selina, look at me."

He tipped her chin up. As she looked deep into his eyes, another image  burst forward, until they twisted together in a mark of fire and rattled  her soul. The final puzzle piece clicked into place.

Her finger came up to trace the jagged scar on his cheek.

Both men had been marked.

Both men had the same seething gaze that shred past the surface and bared her essence.

Both men's touch made her ache with desire.

Dante.

Daniel.

Suddenly, Selina knew. Her heart stopped, then sped up so fast she felt  as if she were choking at the sudden rush of blood. "Who are you?" she  asked.

"I'm the man who loves you."

She stared at his beloved face, reflecting the two men she'd fallen in  love with, and pressed trembling fingers to her mouth. "H-h-how is this  possible?"

Half of her wanted to jump into his arms. The other half was still in  shock from the attack, and the knowledge she'd been lied to. As if he  sensed her conflict, he gently framed her face between his hands and  gazed into her eyes.

"My real name is Dante Stark. Everything I've told you has been the  truth. After my mother was attacked, I came into my true powers and went  to live with my aunt. She helped train me and taught me to control the  call of fire. Shortly afterward, I began being pulled into scenes of  assaults. It was a difficult gift for me to handle, requiring secrecy.  My aunt held a huge trust fund from my parents and when I turned  twenty-one, I inherited it. I invested in a few companies, learned  everything about property and real estate, and then decided to start my  own company. Inferno Enterprises."

Selina gasped. She felt his body tighten in a muscle lock, but he continued.

"I realized I couldn't keep a low profile. I'd be required to do social  networking and become well known. It began to conflict with my real gift  - to help women. I realized I needed secrecy, so I decided to put my  friend and business partner, Chase King, in charge of Inferno. I wanted  to be a part of the day-to-day operations in a manner that would allow  me to keep a low profile. I began working in the mailroom, which was a  perfect cover."

"My God, this whole time you were the owner of Inferno?"

He nodded. "When you came to me with the Forrester problem, I was sick.  One call would've gotten you the promotion. But I knew you needed to  solve it and make your decisions on your own."

He knew her. Knew how her heart and her mind worked, and respected her  enough to accept it instead of changing it. Still, her mind spun, and  she pulled slightly away from him, needing some distance. "Did you know  that Forrester had attacked before?"

His face darkened in self-disgust. "No. When I mark the men, I don't  know their names. I only know once they're marked, if they ever try to  touch a woman with any violence, the symbol will burn. If I had known or  you'd shared the knowledge, I would have stepped in sooner. I would've  never let you get near the scumbag. I'm so sorry, Selina. Can you  forgive me?"

Her world tilted on its axis. Joy fought with confusion and a sense of  betrayal. While she fought her growing feelings for both men, struggled  with accepting each of them on their own terms, Dante had known the  truth. Or Daniel. Who was he really?

A chill skated down her spine. He looked at her with so much love and  devotion, yet he allowed her to suffer. He never trusted her with the  truth. And all the time Daniel came into her office, offering friendship  and support, he'd known everything about her. Had the power to promote  her. Had she fought this hard to achieve partnership for nothing? Was he  always going to promote her no matter what choices she made, because he  had strong feelings? Her brain ached and she desperately tried to sift  through her thoughts.

"It's not about forgiveness," she finally said. She hugged her arms  around her chest. "It's about trust. Did I work this hard for nothing?  Were you on the sidelines, ready to jump in and give me what I wanted  because you wanted me?"

His lips tightened. "No. I swear to God on everything I hold dear, each  step in Inferno was your doing. Chase was always in charge of the  day-to-day operations. You proved your worth on your own accord, and no  matter what happened with Forrester, Chase would've given you  partnership. I respect you, Selina. I would never take something so  precious from you."         

     



 

She believed him. He realized her drive to succeed on her own made up  the core of who she was, and he'd never interfere. "And Forrester? If he  hadn't broken in, would you have ever told me the truth?"

Pain darkened his eyes. "Yes. I was going to tell you tonight."

"As Daniel? Or Dante?"

"Both. I am both, Selina. I've loved you as Daniel for over two years,  and Dante the moment you allowed me to help heal you. I'm asking you to  allow both men to love you."

Her lower lip trembled. "I already do," she whispered. "But why did you  wait so long? All this time, I was so confused, torn between both of  you. Your voice. Your scent. Why didn't I put it together?"

"I was careful. And sometimes we miss what's right in front of us for a  reason. You weren't ready to know. Besides the mask, I made sure to wear  my cologne as Dante, but not Daniel. I deepened my voice. There may  have been clues, but I think you needed to believe in both men for a  while."

He was right. She needed Dante's tenderness and touch. She needed  Daniels' friendship and quiet passion. Together, they made her whole.

"I love you. I had to say good-bye to you as Dante because I didn't  think a relationship could ever work. Not in the light. But what you  said to me that night was true. I needed to take a chance. I just don't  know if I'm being a selfish bastard by asking you to be with a man like  me. If you'd even be able to handle it. I can leave. Give you time to  think. I'll do whatever you need."

She stared up at him. Agony carved out his features, but his jaw  clenched with determination. He was offering her a future if she was  brave enough to take it. And in that blinding moment, Selina realized  all roads had always led to him. It may have been a twisting path filled  with thorns, but the outcome was worth it.

She reached up and pulled his head down. When her mouth met his, a groan  escaped his chest, and his lips sipped at hers, gentle and as delicate  as gossamer, treating her with a care and delicacy that rocked her soul.

Then his tongue slipped inside her mouth.

Fire.