Her face turned red at his outrageous words; anger overcame her and at the same time, she felt frustrated that she couldn't come up with a proper and witty retort. Where did he even get the nerve to talk to her like that?
Seconds went by but Karina's head remained empty.
Finally, perhaps tired of waiting for her attempt at fighting back, Dante leaned against the old wooden pillar of the gazebo and sighed.
"Fine. When we are in public, we can treat each other accordingly. But when we are alone like this... I'd like you to feel comfortable around me."
"What do you mean?"
"I like it when you act confident and a little prickly," he said leisurely as he played with the golden cigarette case in his big tanned hands, "It certainly suits you better than acting like a scared little mouse."
