Page 18 of Humility

No, I couldn’t let Angelo crawl under my skin and get into my head. He was dangerous to my heart.

Chapter Nine

DARIO

Fuck, we shouldn’t be doing this. I leaned against the wall and glowered at the floor like it had insulted me. This was all Angelo and his stupid ideas. Jasmine didn’t want anything to do with me, and why should she? I’d never given her any reason to trust me any more than Angelo had, but we were both hopelessly in love with her.

I could at least admit it to myself, but Angelo was still in denial. He thought it was lust that plagued him, but it wasn’t. I saw it in the way he looked at her. It was the same look that I held hidden away in my heart.

So many years, so many stupid comments and jokes that, looking back, were not funny. Each one drove a wedge between us and Jasmine. I’d lost count how many times Angelo insisted on seeking her out on a weekend or summer holiday only to do more of the same crap. The one thing Angelo had gotten right was calling her Tiger. Those bright honey eyes were as intelligent and cunning as any tiger. Shit, I felt sick, I should leave.

“Dario?” I jerked at the sound of my name on Jasmine’s lips.

I stared at her as she slowly walked down the hallway toward me. I allowed myself to soak in how stunning she looked tonight. The shimmering gold gown hugged every curve, and the color accented her eyes and midnight black hair that reminded me of a raven’s wing.

“Are you okay,” she asked, and I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. She eyes filled with concern, and her brow knit together. “Here, let’s get you sitting down.”

Why couldn’t I make my voice work?

She fumbled with the key to her room and opened the door before grabbing my arm and helping me like I was injured. It felt like that. I was a soldier, a nobody, really. Why would a princess from a prominent family ever want me? I was far from insecure, yet she made me question everything about myself. Panic gipped me. What if someone saw me come into her room and called her father?

“Sit here. I’ll get you some water.”

“No, I…I….”

I grabbed for her hand but missed as she dashed across the room and poured a glass from the pitcher on her table. She held up her dress and jogged back, her hand going to my forehead, and I couldn’t take it. Taking the glass from her hand, I set it aside and pulled her onto my lap.

“Oh.” Jasmine’s eyes went wide as she sat like a cat perched on the back of a chair, ready to leap off at any moment.

“I needed to see you,” I finally got out.

“What’s going on, Dario? Is something wrong?”

“I’m an asshole.”

“Oh…um…okay. Have you had too much to drink?”

“I wish. Shit. I don’t know how to say this.” Her eyes searched my face, but at least she’d relaxed and didn’t look like she wanted to run away.

“It’s okay. Take your time.” She laid her hand on my chest, and I was sure she could feel the pounding of my heart under her fingertips.

“I want to apologize for all the shit I stood by and watched happen to you.” I smoothed back the loose waves around her face. “And I hated that I laughed and participated in bullying you.”

A soft smile played along her lips.

“Thank you for saying that,” she said, as her fingers fiddled with the front of my shirt. Her breath hitched as I slid my hand down her leg and leaned closer. She didn’t jump up and run screaming, so I took the opening. I intended on keeping the kiss soft, but the moment our lips touched, I had to have more. I’d been starving for her touch for too long. I’d lost count of how many times I dreamed of improving my position and wondered what it would take to be considered worthy in her father’s eyes.

Every muscle flexed and hardened, wanting to be inside of her. The physical attraction was there the moment I understood what a girl was, but it was everything else about Jasmine that captivated me. She wasn’t like the other princesses. She was kindness and humility personified, yet strong and sure of herself. I loved how she stuck up for others even when outnumbered. I loved how she hummed under her breath when she was thinking hard and the little wrinkles she got at the corner of her eyes when she laughed. I loved how her smile lit up a room, and her sharp tongue never held back what she was thinking.

Her fingers raked into my hair, and I groaned, needing to get control before I threw her down on the bed. Breaking the kiss, I laid my forehead against hers.

“We never deserved you,” I said, my pulse pounding in my ears. “We still don’t, but we want you.”

“Dario, you’re not making much sense. Who is we,” she asked, just as the long sheers covering the entrance to the balcony blew to the side, and Angelo looked like a cat lounging as he leaned against the arched opening.

“Me,” Angelo said, and Jasmine jumped from my lap.

“What is going on? And how did you get up here?”