The darkness that swallowed them was suffocatingly thick. Without a single emergency light flickering on, the Penthouse Suite felt as though it had sunk to the bottom of the sea.
Sienna could feel Mateo's heart pounding violently beneath his broad chest. Her palm still clutched the front of Mateo's T-shirt, while the man's muscular arm wrapped protectively around her waist, keeping her entire weight from collapsing onto the cold marble floor.
"Are you okay?" Mateo's voice broke through the darkness, sounding incredibly close above Sienna's head. It was no longer cold, but deep and slightly hoarse.
"Y-yeah," Sienna whispered. Her breath came in gasps, warm against Mateo's neck. "I was just startled. That thunder was so loud."
"This building has an emergency generator," Mateo said, trying to keep his voice calm even as he felt the warmth of Sienna's skin, barely covered by a thick towel. "It should come on within a few seconds."
But second after second passed, and the darkness remained silent. The generator didn't hum, and the green indicator light didn't come on. The only sounds were the storm wind howling outside and the rain pattering against the balcony windows.
"Looks like it took a direct hit from lightning," Mateo muttered. He groped around carefully, guiding Sienna through the darkness one slow step at a time. "Come on. Don't stand in the middle of the room. We don't know what's on the floor."
"Mateo, slow down," Sienna whispered, pressing herself closer to him for fear of tripping. "I can't see anything."
"I've got you," Mateo replied curtly. His hold on Sienna's waist tightened, giving her an unexpected sense of security.
Slowly, Mateo guided Sienna toward the bed, the only familiar place in the middle of the enormous, pitch-black room. Sienna's knees bumped against the edge of the soft mattress.
"Sit here," Mateo said.
Sienna obeyed. She sat on the edge of the bed, hugging the striped shirt she hadn't had a chance to put on. Mateo followed, sitting down beside her, close enough for their shoulders to touch.
Silence crept over them again. Without any light, their other senses seemed to grow ten times sharper. Sienna could smell the bergamot scent on Mateo, and Mateo could hear Sienna's breathing slowly begin to steady.
"Why did you run to this hotel last night?" Mateo asked suddenly. His voice sounded very low in the darkness, as though the dark room gave them permission to let go of their respective masks.
Sienna let out a soft, bitter chuckle devoid of humor. "Didn't you say we weren't allowed to ask about each other's backgrounds?"
"That rule applies when the lights are on," Mateo replied flatly. "In the dark, it doesn't feel like the real world."
Sienna let out a long breath. She leaned her back against the stack of pillows at the head of the bed, drawing up her legs and wrapping her arms around her knees.
"He's the man my family chose for me," Sienna said slowly, staring straight into the empty darkness before her. "Julian. He's handsome, rich, and enormously influential in Italy. My parents thought he was the perfect match for me."
"But you don't love him?"
"Love?" Sienna laughed again. "I don't even know him. All he wants from me is my status and my family's business connections. To him, I'm just a beautiful accessory he can show off at gala parties."
Mateo listened without interrupting. There was something in Sienna's tone that made his usually stone-hard heart suddenly throb with pain.
"Then what happened at Lake Como?" Mateo asked softly.
His curiosity soared, making Mateo increasingly "interested" in this woman.