“Early riser,” I lied.
Her eyes narrowed. The longer I stayed the harder it would be for me to leave, and I was all too aware of how thin her pajamas were, all I had to do was drop a towel and we’d have a serious problem that my dick was only too happy to solve.
“Well at least I didn’t wake you.” She licked her lips.
Yeah she did, just not in the way she realized.
She set her phone down.
Tension crackled like a hot burning fire between us, we’d gone past smolder and moved directly into firestorm.
“You scared me tonight,” she whispered. “But you were right. I don’t like it. I don’t like any of it. But I can see why you… why you did it.” She rubbed her arm. “I just — it reminded me too much of him.”
“I know.” I grabbed her bandaged arm and ran my fingers over it. “But I’m not. Trust me, if I had you in my arms I’d beg you to look at me so you’d never have any doubt that I was the man filling you — making you feel that way.”
Her eyes darted to my mouth then lower. I willed my dick not to conveniently shove the towel out of the way. “I know.”
I wanted her so bad I could taste it. Taste her. But the fear, the fear was still there and I hated that it was directed at me, like she wasn’t sure if she could trust me anymore.
“We’re friends, right?” I hated myself so much. So. Damn. Much.
She frowned. “Yes, why?”
“Friends give each other advice and shit?”
“More advice than shit. But yes.” At least she was smiling now.
I nodded to the phone. “Call him. He’s… safe.” I hated that word.
“Yes. He is.” She sounded disappointed. “Hey, maybe he’s even better once you get to know him. You can come to the wedding, I’d like to see you in a tux.”
What was this feeling? The one threatening to squeeze the life out of my chest as I tried to take oxygen into my lungs.
“Yeah.” I finally got one word out after seconds of painful silence where a part of me felt like it was dying. “I bet you do.”
Her smile was sad.
It completely gutted me.
I wanted her to yell at me again.
I wanted her to fight.
I wanted her to tell me that safe could go to Hell. Give me danger. Just give me you.
She didn’t.
And in the silence, I think we both had our answer.
Our paths had crossed, never should they meet again.
I kissed her head and stood.
“Hey Dante?”
I turned.
“If you put on clothes, can you just lay with me for a bit just in case the monsters come back or something.” Tears filled her eyes again, and I knew it had nothing to do with the monsters coming — but the one leaving her room — her life.
“Yeah,” I croaked. “Sure.”
It took me eleven seconds to grab sweat pants and pull them on.
Five to get back into her room.
And an eternity to fall asleep with her in my arms.
Closing my eyes seemed so final.
Like death.
And for the first time in my life — I didn’t crave it or the addicting darkness that came with it.
I just wanted her.
CHAPTER THIRTY
El
DANTE’S CHEST WAS hot to the touch — I didn’t have any right to touch him, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself from trailing my finger down his chest and following the little lines of his abs as his breathing deepened.
Sunlight flickered in my room casting a glow across his massive body.
If this was waking up — I never wanted to sleep again.
Muscles bulged and stretched across his taut stomach, I ran my finger lower, lower — his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist before I could continue my exploration.
“Hunting for treasure?” He said without opening his eyes, his firm grip still on my hand. “Or just curious from last night?”
“Sorry.” I tried to pull away, he didn’t let me. “I just, you have smooth skin.”
He smirked and opened his eyes. “Did you just say I have smooth skin like it’s a plausible excuse for you to touch it?”
“Yeah.” I wanted to die. “I did.”
Dante didn’t hand out smiles often, in fact, he smirked — a lot, but to see him fully smile. I didn’t have words for the effect it had on every single inch of my body or the way it made my heart pound in my chest stupidly like it had reason to believe the smile was for me.
It wasn’t.
He leaned in.
I met him halfway.
Just as a knock sounded on the door.
Of course.
“Coming,” I yelled while Dante made himself comfortable in my bed, the bastard closed his eyes like he was going back to sleep. “Dante! Get up!”
“Staying right here, El.” His smile fell and the challenging look was back the one I liked almost as much as the smile.
“Ugh.” I rolled my eyes. “Fine, your funeral.”
I jerked the door open.
Chase peered around me and shook his head. “Figured since his bed was empty he stole yours.”
“I got scared,” I said defensively. “We fell asleep.” Why was I still talking? “Nothing happened.”
Chase looked ready to laugh his ass of, instead he just nodded and sidestepped me.
“Yeah sure, come on in,” I grumbled.
“Comfortable?” He asked Dante.
Dante put his hands behind his head. “Why is her bed softer?”
“She deserves nice things.”
Dante’s eyes narrowed. “And I don’t?”
“Soft beds make hard men soft,” Chase explained, Dante gave him a confused look and then Chase swore. “Sounded better in my head, I just wanted to give you both fair warning that Chris is on his way over for breakfast. He texted this morning after not being able to get ahold of you last night.” El looked down at the ground. “I figured it would be best to give you warning, so you can make sure you’re ready and not still in bed with the devil.”
“Watch it,” Dante snapped.
“It was a compliment.” Chase stood. “Oh, and Chris wants to drive you to class too before work.”
My stomach clenched.
It was already happening.
The separation.
Panic set in when I met Dante’s gaze.
He drove us to school.
Dante.
He walked me to my first class, not Chris.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and gave Chase a weak nod. “I’ll get ready.”
Chase put his hand on my shoulder and patted it like that was going to make everything better, then shut the door behind him. My legs were wobbly like I was seconds away from collapsing.
Dante finally stood, his muscled form made its way over to me. He stopped inches from my body, and then pulled me in for a tight hug. I fit perfect in his arms just like I knew I would.
My heart steadied its beat.
Like it was finally calm.
Home.
He was a danger my heart didn’t recognize — because sometimes the heart doesn’t give a damn if the person who holds it kills people — it just recognizes its soul mate and beats anyway.
His eyes — those blue eyes would haunt me until I was dead and buried. I locked onto them when he pulled away and stared me down, drank me in like he wanted to memorize every inch of my face.
He cupped my face, his right thumb ran across my lower lip before he moved away.
He stopped in the bathroom doorway and hung his head. “Maybe it’s a curse.”