Page 9 of Autumn Ritual

I was.

But not in the way she thought.

Sara continued to jabber as she’d done since the moment I walked through the front door. At first, I’d kept silent to hide my identity, figuring that her keen mind would quickly recognize my voice even though we hadn’t spoken in a couple of years. But now, I simply enjoyed the melody of her words. They were intoxicating. I didn’t care about the topic. I would happily listen to her read passages from the dictionary if she was only speaking to me.

Sara took a step toward the buffet tables, but I moved quickly and intercepted her. Those dark brows inched together, making the mask shift on her face. She looked at the food, then back at me.

I held out my hand.

Sara recoiled, staring at my hand as though it would bite.

I didn’t reach for her. I didn’t grab her. But I made it clear that she was coming with me.

With a huff that sounded like resignation, she slid her small paw into mine. My fingers wrapped around her hand. Cazzo! It was so small. The bones were delicate. I could easily crush them.

I tugged her close and wrapped my arm around the small of her back. A soft breath caught in her throat. I drank in the sound as I backed up, leading us onto the dance floor. Carefully, she reached for my left arm, fingers clutching my suit jacket right below the shoulder.

A vicious thrill surged through my veins at her touch. She was anchored to me.

We began to sway to the music.

“If I trip on these skirts, it’s your fault,” she grumbled.

I smirked. Did she remember dancing like this, nearly a decade ago, at a youth Christmas ball? She’d been the one with two left feet. I almost wished she would step all over my shoes, that was how badly I ached for contact with her. Time had given her grace, and she moved without the gangly teen jerks and spasms.

I pulled her closer, stifling a groan as her chest brushed over mine.

Ffuucckk. This was a bad idea.

The jazzy strains of music created a cocoon around our bodies. I was lost in a moment, finally holding my girl. Tonight, she wasn’t dancing with anyone else. Sara was mine.

She just didn’t know it yet.

I gave her a little spin, and as I pulled her back into my hold, Sara tripped. She crashed against me. I clutched her tight, holding her close. I was aware of every inch of her. From the heat staining her cheeks, I knew she felt it too.

The urge to kiss her slammed into me.

The damn mask I’d chosen hid my features, but now I realized it was a mistake. I looked over the crowd, trying to discover a secluded place to drag my angel into the dark. There weren’t any. Not in here. The flicker of a flame caught my eye, and I stepped in the direction of the double doors.

“Hey! Wait,” Sara protested.

I tucked her into my side, moving quickly. The moment the crisp air hit us, Sara shuddered. I slid the jacket off my shoulders, spinning her to stand off to the side of the building. The trees and shrubbery hid us from view. My breath plumed in front of my face as I draped the jacket over my girl.

Sara scowled up at me. “What the hell is this?”

I checked once more that there was no light from the pergola off to the side. Desperate to taste her, I almost didn’t care if she discovered me. But I wanted this kiss. I needed to steal it before she had a chance to decide if kissing an enforcer of the mob was something she didn’t want to do.

Running my knuckles down her cheek, I tipped her chin up. Slowly. Painfully. My heart slammed against my ribs. I couldn’t breathe as I bent to her, lifting my mask a fraction.

“Angelo mio,” I rasped before my lips brushed over hers.

A dangerous buzz flooded my body. Sara tasted of sin and salvation. She was peace and war wrapped in a decadent package. Her mouth was frozen under mine, but after a moment, she exhaled—

And kissed me back.

That was the spark that set the fuse.

There was no power on earth that could take this angel from me.