All this Chloe took in as she watched Brooke and Luca hug and kiss as if they hadn’t seen each other in days instead of hours.
At Chloe’s side, she heard Carmen greeting Gio and Mayson.
“You must be Dante,” Brooke said once she broke away from Luca’s embrace.
“Your bride is beautiful,” he said to Luca in Italian.
“Grazie,” Brooke said, smiling.
“You speak Italian.”
“No, but I understood that.”
Instead of a handshake, which wouldn’t have gone over in this group, Dante hugged Brooke as if he knew her, and kissed both of her cheeks. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Brooke said. She turned to her left. “My friend Carmen.”
Dante’s gaze zeroed in on Carmen, he reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “You have stunning friends.”
“Oh, my . . .” If Carmen could pant, she’d be in a puddle of saliva.
“She’s married, Dante,” Chloe found herself saying with an eye roll.
That’s when he turned his honey-colored eyes her way. The sly smile on his face drifted to a thin line and he narrowed his gaze. “The voice I recognize, but the face . . .”
“Give it up, Dante,” Gio warned.
Salena moved in. “What about me? Do I ring a bell?”
He kissed both her cheeks. “My God, Salena. How is it you’re not married yet?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I mean it.”
She moved to the other side of the table and placed her purse in an empty seat.
Disappointment seeped in, as it did when Dante was around. He flirted with everyone but her. Chloe smiled anyway and started to shrug out of her coat.
“Let me.”
Dante’s low voice was at her ear.
She pulled one arm out, then the other . . . and felt his hands on her arms as he moved the coat away.
Then she heard it . . . a little something that said he noticed. It was a cross between a woosh and Jesus . . . or maybe a knock of air out of the lungs.
“Damn, Chloe, could you spare a little material for that dress?” Gio chided.
“If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it.” She looked over her shoulder, smiled at Dante. “Thank you.”
“It’s good to see you,” he said, finally.
“Welcome home.”
He took a deep breath, as if it cost him to do so, before pulling out a chair for her to sit.
Then, as if he couldn’t get away fast enough, he moved around the table and sat between Brooke and Carmen.
Salena caught her eyes and offered a soft, sad nod.
All her effort and Chloe didn’t get so much as a hug.
“Where are you ladies headed after dinner?” The question sounded innocent enough coming from Dante’s lips.
Carmen didn’t fall for it. “Oh no you don’t. Joint general location for a bachelorette party doesn’t mean a full itinerary is going to be handed out with maps and descriptions. We do the girl stuff. You do the boy stuff, and we’ll meet in the middle.”
Dante looked across the table at Luca. “I tried.”
The worry that fell on Luca’s face had most of the table laughing.
“Brooke is pretty resourceful, Luca. I wouldn’t worry,” Mayson assured him.
“Thank you, Mayson,” Brooke said.
Chloe found her brother’s concern endearing, even if he wasn’t going to get any information out of them.
She glanced up to find Dante’s gaze on her, and for a moment, he stared directly into her eyes. Air pulled into her lungs in tiny bits as she lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.
“. . . don’t you think, Dante?”
The sound of his name pulled her out of the moment as his eyes shifted to the person who had just said his name. “I’m sorry?” He hadn’t caught what was said either.
And that made the smile on Chloe’s lips even wider.
“Are we drinking wine?” Gio asked.
A chorus of “Vodka” came from the female voices at the table as the waiter arrived with the menus.
He couldn’t sit next to her or he’d touch her.
He didn’t dare hug her in front of the others or someone would notice how impossible it would be for him to let go.
But damn it to hell, she had to be wearing that impossible dress, and even sitting across the table, as far as he could, Dante couldn’t keep his eyes from falling on Chloe every few minutes. Seconds.
This was bad.
His body was waving him on, suggesting it wasn’t an awful thought in the least, but his head reminded him why he kept his distance all these years.
A very long distance.
She had one drink with dinner, and not enough dinner.
“Saving the real drinking for the club,” she’d said.
Dante knew Chloe could drink. He’d seen her in action a couple of times. But that was at home, where she didn’t have far to go to fall asleep in her own bed and her family was there to take care of her.
This was Vegas.
He was sure there would be plenty of men willing to “take care of her,” especially dressed as she was.
Hot.
Sexy. So damn . . .
He shook his head as if he could scratch off the word sexy that he’d attached to Chloe’s name and face at the same time.
As their dinner wrapped up, his nerves sputtered.
“Well, ladies,” Carmen started. “The driver will be here in twenty minutes. We might want to make our way to the front of the hotel soon.”
“I’m going to freshen up first,” Chloe said, pushing her chair back.
Salena followed suit. “I’ll go with you.”
Dante chimed in. “I could use the little boys’ room.” He didn’t, really . . . he just wanted an opportunity to talk with Chloe.
The three of them made their way around the tables in the restaurant to the location of the restrooms.
“Are you sticking around past the holidays this time, or leaving again right after?” Salena asked him.
Dante glanced at Chloe as he answered. “I’m going to be here for a while.”
“Really? What changed?” Chloe asked.
“That’s a long conversation. Maybe when we’re home.”
They located the hallway to the restrooms, and Dante found his hand reaching out to touch Chloe’s shoulder. “Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked.
She hesitated; surprise crossed her brow.
“I’ll meet you in there,” Salena said as she proceeded without her.
He guided her away from the hall, and they stepped into a quieter corner. “Chloe.” Saying her name made him smile.
“Yes?”
He took a deep breath. “Before you say no, hear me out.”
She closed her lips and stayed silent.
“Let me put you on Friend Finder.”
Her breath came out in a rush, along with a roll of her eyes.
He squeezed his fingers, the ones still holding on to her. “You can put me on, too. No one else has to know. This way, you ladies can go, have a great time—”
“We’re going to do that anyway.”
“Right, but it’s Vegas.” As Dante’s gaze moved down her frame, his breath caught. “And you’re dressed to fucking kill.”