Love in Purgatory (De La Fuente Family 2)

He poured himself a coffee. “Thanks for last night, Eric.”

“What for?” Eric asked, puzzlement on his face.

“For getting me back to the hotel. It’s been a heck of a while since I’ve drank that much.”

Dante looked around the table and wondered why everyone had gone quiet. He didn’t miss the quick glance that Eric threw toward Emelia before he replied, “Um, you’re welcome.”

What was going on?

He turned to look at Emelia, her gaze suddenly dropped to her breakfast. She refused to meet his gaze, and perhaps he stared too long, because Diego nudged him.

“Ignore her. She’s been moody since she got out of bed this morning,” Diego informed him, and gained a glare from Emelia.

Diego grinned at his twin because he’d won and got her to look up, although she looked like she wanted his blood.

“Emelia,” Dante tried to diffuse her anger, “did you have a good time last night?”

Her eyes widened before they flittered away from his. Her color heightened, and she looked nervous.

Why would an innocent question warrant her embarrassment? She never did anything wrong, so he couldn’t imagine that something happened after he left.

She cleared her throat. “The best night of my life,” she whispered and met his gaze before looking away. She dropped her cutlery back to the plate and stood. “I can’t eat anymore. I’m going to go and make sure I have everything together before we leave.”

With one final glance at him, Emelia disappeared without waiting for a reply. It was almost as though she was running from something, or someone. He frowned and watched until she disappeared from view.

When he looked back at Aiden, Diego, and Sylvia, they continued to eat, but it was his brother Eric, who held his gaze, which was full of questions. He had questions as well, but he had the feeling that Emelia was the only one to give him answers.

“What’s going on with you two?” Diego asked, his mouth full of breakfast. He grinned and washed it down with coffee. “She won’t talk to me, and I know you had an argument back home.”

His head felt too fragile to think, even though he knew he wouldn’t be admitting to the truth. “It was between us, and that’s where it’s going to stay.”

Diego narrowed his eyes, not happy with his response, but he’d just have to deal with it.

Dante briefly met Eric’s gaze while he picked up the cup of coffee that had been placed in front of him. No one said anything else and he enjoyed the silence.

His stomach rolled when the dark brew slipped down his throat, but he knew that it would help bring him round faster and that’s what he needed.

The conversation around the table started again and it flowed while he sat with his eyes closed and let everything around him dim while he thought back to the night before.

He seriously couldn’t remember anything after Eric shoved him inside a car, but Eric and Emelia’s response didn’t gel with him. When he wasn’t feeling so fragile he’d have to ask Eric, but for now he’d let it go. He was so tired with everything and felt that his batteries needed charging.

Just when he felt more settled, Diego announced, “Emelia has a date with a friend of mine.”

At those words, he seriously thought his stomach would rebel when it clenched in revolt. His heart pounded and he snapped his eyes open in shock, and fell on the thoughtful gaze of Eric.

“You’ve seriously set her up?” Aiden asked, beating him to the question.

“I had some friends over for pizza to watch Kasey’s game, and one of them asked her out. She said yes.” Diego shrugged. “He’s a good guy and, in the four years that I’ve known him, he’s not once done the one-night-stand thing. Plus, he knows that if he hurts her he’ll have to deal with me. I also threatened him with the rest of you.” Diego grinned and wolfed down the last of his breakfast.

Dante just wanted to throw up, now more than ever. He avoided looking in Eric’s direction because he could still feel his gaze on him. It was as though he watched and waited for Dante’s reaction.

Over the years, he’d managed to control his reaction at hearing Emelia’s name, especially when connected to another guy. It drove him crazy to imagine her with someone else, but at the same time, he knew that it was unfair of him to wish her alone. They could never be together so why shouldn’t she be allowed to be with another man, regardless of how much it hurt him?

“Dante, you okay?” Aiden questioned. “You’ve gone pale.”

“I...I’m fine...but I think I’m going to head back up to my room and crash for a few more hours. I’ll see you all soon.”

He got the goodbyes over with and headed to the elevator with his heart in his throat. His Emelia had finally decided to move on, and it was something that he was going to have to learn to live with.