Atonement (The Protectors 6)

My anger had been unreasonable and I’d burned with the knowledge that Matty hadn’t been the only reason for my fury. But I’d spent the better part of a week trying not to think about that…or Dante’s ass.

I’d failed on both counts.

I’d seen a lot in my forty-one years and the sight of two guys having sex shouldn’t have bothered me in the least. But seeing Dante’s cock being worked over by a virtual stranger had done something to me that still confused the hell out of me. And it wasn’t like it should have been a surprise. In fact, it wasn’t even the first time I’d caught Dante in that kind of situation.

It had just been the first time I’d actually seen him in action up close…and he’d seen me.

I’d known from the moment I’d met my grandson’s bodyguard that he was a player. I’d seen it in the way he looked at me, as well as every nurse and doctor who’d come into Matty’s room during the time Hawke and Tate had been introducing him to me and Matty. His voice had practically dripped sex when he’d taken my hand in his and spouted some ridiculous come-on line about how I was way too young to be a grandfather or some bullshit like that. I’d actually questioned Hawke about the man being qualified to watch out for my grandson. But on-duty Dante was very different than off-duty Dante. In fact, the transition had been quite remarkable to see that first day as I’d come and gone from Matty’s room. As soon as Dante had taken his post outside Matty’s door, he’d morphed into an intense, focused young man who seemed to be studying everything about each person who walked past him. And not in a sexual way. I’d worked with plenty of profilers in my twenty-year career in law enforcement and their mannerisms were very similar to Dante’s behavior.

He watched.

He listened.

He studied.

He analyzed.

I could tell all that just from the way his eyes followed people and the firm set of his jaw as he concentrated on whatever it was he was seeing, despite the constant motion and noise that came with being on a busy hospital floor.

I’d actually been quite impressed and had been prepared to tell him so until I’d seen him that very first night again after he’d been relieved by another bodyguard. I’d been heading to my car in the hospital parking garage and I’d seen Dante standing on the far side of his, which he’d parked in a darkened corner. His back had been to me, but the light above the sedan had been enough that I’d been able to make out his unique head of curly, dark brown locks. I’d started walking towards him, but had stopped when I’d heard the soft moans and gasps.

Not coming from him though…

Nope, they’d been coming from the woman he’d been fucking.

She’d had her back to Dante and her hands splayed on the wall of the garage next to Dante’s car. She’d been begging and pleading with him to let her come. I’d moved enough to get a better look at her and had recognized her as one of Matty’s nurses. Her top had been shoved up to her armpits, her small breasts pushed up over the cups of her bra and the scrubs she’d been wearing along with her underwear had been shoved to her ankles. Dante, on the other hand, had been fully dressed. His hands had been teasing her nipples as he’d pounded into her from behind and I’d watched only long enough to see one hand snake down to the juncture between the woman’s thighs. Irritation had gone through me and I’d turned my back on the pair to head to my car, ignoring the woman’s muffled cries of relief behind me.

Less than a week later, I’d watched him discreetly going into one of the floor’s supply closets with a young man who I’d known was one of the orderlies. Once again, he’d been off-duty, but I’d seen enough to know everything I needed to. The very next day as I’d been leaving the hospital, he’d grabbed my arm as I’d walked past him and had asked if I was interested in getting a drink later. There’d been no way at that time for Dante to know that I wasn’t interested in men and if he’d been any other guy, I would have politely declined the invitation and found a tactful way to tell him so. But I’d still been irritated by seeing him in not one, but two, clandestine meetings – though I still had no idea why it bothered me THAT much – so I’d rudely told him to go find some other hole to stick his dick into before walking away.