She moved in front of him and met his gaze. His heart stopped before it started up a frantic beat as his blood pulsed through his body. His body hummed, his hands shook as he fought the urge to touch her.
No matter how much he knew it was wrong, he couldn’t fight it. He curved his hand over Emelia’s hip and tugged her closer, her shirt gripped in his fist.
She reached up and cupped one side of his face, tears gathered on her beautiful long lashes.
No one would know.
He dipped his head, and, for the first time in over six years, he was about to sample the only woman who would ever hold his heart.
Her scent was under his skin, and the feel of her hands as they rested against his chest made his heart pound faster with desire. He’d only ever felt heart throbbing desire once before, and that had been on her twenty-first birthday when she’d kissed him, and made him see what was right in front of him. Kissing her and craving more with her had sent him running to the church.
But as their mouths hovered a mere inch apart, Dante couldn’t close that distance between them, even though his body burned
to taste her, and feel her against him.
His hand trembled in her shirt with the desire he felt, but what made him cross the line was the sight of more tears on her beautiful face. He couldn’t handle her tears anymore.
Their mouths touched in a whisper of a kiss and, with the brush of their tongues, the growl he’d held in check at the back of his throat burst forth. He dragged Emelia against him and kissed her as though he was drowning. Maybe he was and she was his lifeline.
Shivers of desire raced through him as Emelia whimpered while his tongue explored the recesses of her mouth. No space separated them as he continued to kiss her hungrily, like a man starved.
He couldn’t stop now that he’d started and, as his lips left hers, he nibbled at her earlobe before he seared a path down her neck before reclaiming her swollen lips.
Emelia’s hands held his head in place while she returned his passion. Her mouth searched out his tongue, as her body moved restlessly against his, heightening his arousal.
The thought of having her in his bed while they both writhed in pleasure as he entered the heat of her body brought him back to reality.
He broke from the kiss and, when Emelia tried to hold him to her, he shook his head and backed away.
“That was wrong,” he hissed between clenched teeth.
It was wrong, but nothing had ever felt so right.
As he gazed at her through hooded eyes, he let out a shudder of need and drew in a sharp breath. Emelia stood where he’d left her, unmoving as tears seeped out of her eyes and down her beautiful face. She’d paled since he’d stepped away, and her arms wrapped around her stomach as though to protect herself.
He was a priest, and should feel remorse for what he’d just done with his sister, but he couldn’t get there. What he felt for her was wrong on so many levels, but Emelia was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and his love for her would always be inside him.
But as she stood before him, looking destroyed, he had no idea what to say or do to take her heartache away. He knew that she loved him just as much as he did her, and that he was the only one who would be able to please her, but that would never be possible.
No matter how much it hurt him, he needed to be strong for the both of them because he knew Emelia would always be around him, wanting him, if he let her. Something had to be done to put a stop to it—to put a stop to the tortured feelings between them.
“That can’t happen again, Emelia,” he started, and had to take a moment to breathe and get himself under control because he wanted to shout. He wanted to let his anger at the unfairness of their situation spill out for the world to see, but he couldn’t…and, in the end, he didn’t. He drew in a deep breath, the words coming out on a sigh that showed how exhausted and tortured he was. “You know why this is so wrong. We need to stay away from each other.” He fought to hide his emotions before he opened his mouth again. “You need to find someone else. Someone who will...love you,” his voice cracked.
No one will ever love you as much as I do.
Emelia stumbled into the wall as she tried to back away from him, tears flowing freely down her pale face. “You’ll always be the man I love, Dante,” she whispered. “I get where you’re coming from...but it hurts more being away from you than it does being with you.”
“Dammit, Emelia.” In a blink of an eye, he stood in front of her with her face cupped in the palms of his hands. “Don’t.” He brushed her tears away with his thumbs. “We both need to move on and, as much as it kills me to say that, we don’t have a choice...I’ll always love you.” He kissed her forehead, and lingered while he breathed her in. “I’m leaving. I don’t want to, but it’s what I have to do.”
He breathed deeply and walked away from her as Emelia’s sobs followed him all the way to his bedroom.
He closed and locked the door, and leaned against it with his heart in pieces. And while he was in the seclusion of his room, he finally did something that he hadn’t done since his mother died…he let his tears fall.
He was in purgatory.
Chapter Two
Emelia lay curled up on her large window seat amongst the cushions and blankets while she’d watched everyone else come and go in the yard below. She’d even watched as Dante carried a large bag to his rental and leave before the others were up.