“Damn it, and here I thought you could help me beat the next level,” Chase teased.
Chris joined in with some fake laughter that had me praying for lightning to strike the table so I could either die or leave. Those were my only two options at this point. Death or survival by hiding in my room.
“As I was saying, I was thinking I’d move out and we could go pick out a nice house together, nothing too big—”
“Oh, of course.” Chase nodded like he totally understood everything Chris was saying and agreed, you know because his house wasn’t going to be twice the size of Chris’s parents. They were building a moat. He was about to live in a castle with one other individual, they were going to need one of those airport sidewalks to get from point A to point B.
“Yeah,” Chris shoveled a bite of chicken in his mouth, chewed twice, and then started talking again. A piece of chicken fell out of his mouth onto his plate. It was a small piece. I side-eyed it, then glanced up to see Dante giving me a knowing smirk. Like he knew how completely turned off I was from this guy’s chewing — from the conversation. From everything.
Chris kissed like he chewed — with the sole purpose to get to the next step, digestion, more food, sex. It was a means to an end.
Kissing Dante was a feast in and of itself.
I drank more water.
“And as far as kids…”
Stop talking, Chris, just stop talking.
“I think we should get started right away. I mean neither of us are getting any younger, so why not?”
Sure, why not? Having children was totally the same as picking out a house or a paint color or moving.
I pressed a hand to my chest to keep from choking up the water I’d just drank.
“Hmm, have you asked El about any of this?” Dante finally joined the conversation. “What if she hates kids? Hell, what if she hates houses and wants to live in an RV. You gonna buy her an RV?”
“Um…” Chris looked between us. “Yeah, I guess I would.”
“That’s nice.” Dante tipped back the rest of Chase’s wine. “Isn’t that nice everyone? What a fucking gentleman this guy, buying her whatever her heart desires… because… you love her right?”
Chris’s eyes narrowed. “I think I could, yeah, what’s not to love?”
“Absolutely nothing.” Dante’s eyes met mine, the intensity was back, the soul-searching gripping flicker grew behind the icy blue gaze.
“What about you, Dante?” Chris asked leaning his elbows on the table, like an animal. “Anyone special in your life.”
“Yup.” He said it so quickly I almost got whiplash from the small time it took for me to look from Chris’s elbows to Dante’s smug face. “Or I guess you could say, I had her…” He didn’t once look at me. The table fell silent. “She’s got legs for days, though that’s not the first thing I noticed about her.”
Chris grinned seemingly excited the spotlight was off of him. “Oh yeah, what’s the first thing you noticed?”
Dante was quiet and then he spoke slowly, confidently. “Her pain.”
Chris frowned and looked around the table, his eyes finally landing on me. I was too stunned to speak.
“And the sexy as hell way that she rose above it, continues to rise above it, every day of her life.” He stood. “I loved that girl.”
“What happened to her?” Chris asked his eyes ping ponging between me and Dante.
“Beauty was never supposed to end up with the beast, Chris, she marries the prince. That’s what happened.” He grabbed the wine bottle, scooted his chair back, and walked out.
I was breathing so hard I was afraid I was going to pass out.
I made eye contact with Chase.
His face was indifferent except for the small smile that curved his lips and the quick wink he sent me all before he spoke. “Hey, Chris, have I ever told you the story about the white horse?”
“I uh,” I cleared my throat. “I’m going to use the bathroom.”
I was calm until I reached the hallway.
Calm until I reached my room.
And then I became a hot mess when I walked through the bathroom and found Dante in his. Barefoot with jeans and a T-shirt on, drinking wine straight from the bottle.
“Underage drinking.” I nodded. “Rough day?”
He shrugged. “Rough existence, and I think if I’m old enough to kill in cold blood, I’m allowed alcohol whenever the hell I want it.”
“Good point.”
The minute our eyes met.
A buzzing awareness filled the space between my ears. My head was full of it full of the way just being in the same room with him made me feel.
“Tell me the truth,” I pleaded. “Did you mean it? Any of it?”
“El,” He groaned and placed the bottle on his desk, before turning back around and holding my face roughly between his two hands. “Every. Word.”
Tears welled in my eyes. “Then I guess that’s that.”
His nostrils flared as he dropped his hands from my face and ran them through his dark hair. I expected him to give up. To do the noble thing. To be the guy I didn’t want him to be anymore.
Instead, when he turned back around his eyes were wild, the monster was back — and I was relieved.
“Fuck this.” Our mouths slammed together in a painful kiss as he lifted me into his arms, my legs tangled around his as we stumbled backward hitting his desk, sending the wine bottle flying along with everything else on top of it. And the whole time his mouth never left mine.
This side of him, this wild side, I would never get enough of it, enough of the way he angled his mouth over mine or pulled my hair to get better access just painful enough to be erotic. His fingers dug into my scalp only to leave as he pulled my shirt over my head. A ripple of tension pulled and snapped again when his teeth met my shoulder like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to bite me or kiss me again.
He chose both.
I swayed into his strong arms, trying to gain a footing, or some sort of control, but he only kissed me again, the taste of wine invaded my mouth, it was rich, intoxicating — heady just like Dante.
Words weren’t spoken.
Maybe they just weren’t needed.
Not when the line had already been crossed.
Dante’s expression was full of pain when he finally broke free enough to pace in front of me. “He can’t have you.”
I nodded, tears filled my eyes. “Not when someone else already does.”
Dante stilled. “I won’t stop. I’m seriously lacking in self-control in every area in my life, El. When it comes to you it’s a miracle I have any.” His lips were wet from my kiss, his shirt looked like I’d been twisting it in an effort to keep him closer and somehow there was a scratch down the side of his neck.
I think I made it.
I bit down on my lip then jumped into his arms. He caught me, like he knew I was going to jump.
He kissed me without reservation, this time, pawing at my bra before saying. “Next time.”
Next time?
He pulled my skirt up over my hips. “Damn,” He groaned, pulling my underwear aside as I fumbled to unbutton his pants.
They slid, and hung on his hips.
No boxers.
No briefs.
Heaven.