Category: #BookTours

Tessa was impressed by Dario’s and Fabrizio’s generosity. She now understood why Emelia had sung Dario’s praises since she’d started at the magazine two years ago.

Over delicious and filling appetizers, they helped Emelia calm down and organize what needed to be done in the next couple of hours before she and Fabrizio flew to Boston.

“I hate leaving you in the lurch for so many weeks though, Dario,” Emelia lamented. Then she glanced at Tessa with excitement in her eyes. “I know! Tessa should fill in for me while I’m gone. The idiots she worked for laid her off two days ago. That job was beneath her anyway. It would be perfect.”

Tessa’s head was spinning. In a matter of minutes, she had all of Emelia’s magazine system login credentials, had hugged her goodbye, and was now alone with Dario.

Who had removed his costume cape and was now gloriously shirtless.

She bolted out of her chair, needing to put some distance between them, and leaned against his desk. “Surely you can find someone else to fill in for Emelia. Someone already at the magazine? I appreciate her confidence in me, but I can’t work for you.”

Dario raised a brow from his seat at the conference table. Hunger flared in his hypnotic blue eyes. “Because of your shifter bias, as Emelia put it?”

A flush crept across Tessa’s cheeks as he called her out on her shifter issues. “I… I’ll admit shifters make me uncomfortable. I mean no offense to you and yours personally.”

Dario regarded her compassionately before he stood and walked toward her. He stopped in front of her, leaving some much-needed space between them. Still, she felt his body heat and her pulse ratcheted up.

“I appreciate that. Think of the practicalities, though. You’d be helping your friend when she needs you and finally getting work experience worthy of your Columbia MBA.”

Dario was right of course, but he did strange things to her emotions. Tessa felt out of control around him and that scared the shit out of her. “I could get that work experience anywhere. I don’t need to get it from your magazine. Why are you so insistent?” He stealthily got closer, making her tremble against her will, his unique scent driving her insane with desire.

He twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers, and Tessa’s body lit up with awareness. How did he do that?

“Because you, per sempre mio, are my mate.”

Tessa couldn’t bring herself to resist when Dario captured her lips in a hungry kiss. Their tongues tangled greedily, and her head swam. Their connection was electric. He tasted like heaven and sin, and she was hopelessly hooked.

They were both panting when they broke apart. “No. I can’t be your mate.” She whispered, but in her heart, she believed Dario was probably right.

“I know it doesn’t fit with your shifter bias narrative, but I and my lion knew the moment we saw you; the moment we smelled your delectable scent that you were our destiny. Our primal destiny.” Dario didn’t stop her when she moved away from him and rubbed her arms, nearly in a panic.

“You might be mistaken.”

“I’m absolutely certain and I think you are too. You feel the mating bond just as I do, don’t you?

If that’s what she felt toward him was called, she did. “No, I don’t. I’ll help Emelia out because she needs me, but we can’t ever kiss again. I mean it.”

The deep timbre of Dario’s laugh sent chills down Tessa’s spine.

“Oh, my sweet mate, but we will. Many more times. Because you’ll want to. You can count on it,” Dario declared as a wicked grin spread across his face.

Int’l bestseller and award-winning author Dania Voss writes compelling, sexy romance with personality, heat, and heart. Born in Rome, Italy and raised in Chicagoland, she creates stories with authentic, engaging characters. She loves anything pink and is a huge fan of 80s hair bands.