Cotton candy.  What in the world had made him think of cotton candy?  It had been years since he’d tasted the sugary fluff, and it brought back memories that were better left alone.   Dante watched the woman in the park below from his boardroom window as she twirled around, laughing as each of the small children surrounding her tried to imitate her graceful moves.  She was the reason he’d thought of it.

It was her hair, he decided.  The color of corn silk, it fell to her waist and shimmered in the warm afternoon sun, reminding him of another time and place when he’d laughed as his golden haired companion coerced him into trying cotton candy.  She’d laughed when he told her he’d never tasted it before and Dante had laughed with her as she tugged on his hand and begged him to buy some from a group of high school girls who were raising money for new band uniforms.   

“I can almost feel the cavities forming in my teeth just from looking at it,” he’d grumbled.

“Don’t be a spoil sport, Dante.  It’s a fundraiser for a school so you just have to buy some.”

“Would it not be better if I donated the money they need instead of plying my body with lethal doses of sugar?”

She’d smiled up at him in that heart stopping way she had and Dante had folded like a house of cards.  He’d purchased what looked like a giant pink Q-tip and walked hand in hand with her until they’d found a bench in the shade and sat down.  She’d torn off a small piece and ordered him to close his eyes and open his mouth.

Dante had never done anything so childish in his life.  Even as a young boy he had no desire to indulge in cake and cookies.  He’d never done a lot of things boys his age did like trashing his own room or blasting his music, and he’d certainly never had any inclination to climb trees or allow his clothes to be ruined by playing in the dirt.  Yet here he was, behaving like a love-sick teenager and doing as she’d asked simply because he couldn’t bear the thought of taking her beautiful smile away.

“Now open your mouth so I can set it on your tongue.  Trust me,” she giggled when Dante opened one skeptical eye.

It had melted almost as soon as she’d popped it in his mouth and he’d actually liked it in spite of how sweet and sticky it was.  She’d been quite pleased with herself for coaxing him into doing something he’d never done before, and as a reward she’d offered him another taste.  To his surprise, she’d plucked off a piece and put it in her own mouth.  Then with a sexy smile she’d leaned forward and given him a slow, sugary kiss.

Dante closed his eyes for a moment.  Her lips were warm and inviting and the taste of cotton candy mingled with the honeyed flavor of her mouth.  It would not have been a lie to say it was the sweetest kiss he’d ever experienced, and to this day he could still remember how he’d drawn her closer and kissed her senseless.

It was only when a group of college students had walked by and laughingly told them to get a room that he’d lifted his head.  He’d never wanted any woman the way he’d wanted her and when she’d gazed up at him with eyes that were soft and dreamy and given him a tremulous smile, his heart had slammed against his chest.

“Yes, Dante,” she’d whispered in answer to his silent question. 

He’d taken her hand and pressed his lips into her petal soft palm, and then to her delicate wrist.  Her pulse, which was already racing, quickened and the most delightful sound had vibrated in the back of her throat.  He’d taken her to the small beach house he used when he needed some time to himself and there he’d made love to her for the first time.  Dante hadn’t been certain she was a virgin, but as he’d lowered himself over her, those big blue eyes had widened in fearful anticipation and he knew that she’d been untouched by any other man. 

He’d been humbled by it but he’d also felt exalted, triumphant even as he’d inched his way inside of her and sheathed himself in her moist heat.  She’d been excruciatingly tight, her inner muscles contracting around him as he sank deeper and deeper until he’d buried himself to the hilt, his entire body shuddering with the exquisite pleasure she brought him.  He’d kissed her then, deeply, thoroughly, and tasted again the sweetness of the cotton candy that still lingered in her mouth and on her tongue.  Dante opened his eyes, disgusted with himself for allowing her memory to still haunt him after all this time.          

Paige Spencer.  The only woman who’d ever gotten him to let his guard down and made him feel things he’d never felt before.  She’d made him laugh and for a brief time, Dante had discovered what true happiness was.  He’d loved her with a fierceness that was frightening and he’d never once considered her as anything but his equal despite the differences in their social status.  Not that she’d had any reason to suspect there was a huge gap between them because Dante had let her believe he was a struggling young businessman fresh out of college.

Maybe that had been his mistake.  Maybe if he’d been honest with Paige and told her that he shared ownership of Vittorio Enterprises with his four brothers and was worth millions before he’d even started college, things would have turned out differently.  But he’d wanted something more from Paige than the countless other women he’d been with; Dante wanted her to love him for who he was and not the wealthy lifestyle he could provide for her.  He’d given her his heart and she’d shredded it to pieces only a few short months later when she’d walked out of his life for good.