“But if those consequences are on me, shouldn’t I be the one to make the decision?”
“But it’s not just you or me, it’s Alicia and it’s Che and it’s our family who will have to deal with the fallout. Don’t you get it? If something goes wrong every Christmas, every birthday, weekends like this will turn into hell for everyone there.”
“The light’s green,” Enzo says loudly from the back. My stomach drops and my face burns from embarrassment.
“Sorry,” I murmur as I accelerate, my eyes glued to the road. Enzo says something softly in Italian. Dante’s response is a little louder, also in Italian. I sigh, still embarrassed, but my annoyance weighs out. “It’s rude to speak Italian when I’m right here.”
I watch Enzo’s hand go through his hair, and he nods. “I apologize.” He grits the words out.
My eyes flick to Dante; his jaw is clenched. And that’s how the rest of the drive goes until we get to Enzo’s.
“Dante, a word. Thank you for driving Bethany. Have a good night.” He slams out of the car. Dante sighs then gets out. Enzo lets out a stream of Italian loud enough for me to hear even though they are over a hundred feet away and the windows are up.
Closing my eyes, I don’t bother trying to follow the conversation. It’s too fast for me. I really need to learn the language asap. Almost five minutes later, Dante opens the door then slams it closed. I put the car in gear and pull an illegal U-turn as the street is dead.
“What did he say?”
“Exactly everything I’ve been saying to you and myself. You’re too young and innocent for me. We’re family now and when I screw this up, I’ll hurt not just you but our family.”
I swallow against the lump in my throat. Dante wants me as badly as I want him, but he’s trying to protect me, protect the family unit that means so much to him. Lydia was wrong: Dante’s resolve is too strong for me to break. Parking, I turn off the car and hand him the keys. I keep my head high as I get in the elevator. I tried, but I’m not strong enough to keep fighting when he’s so damn resolute.
So close, the elevator doors are opening when the tears escape as I run for my door.
“Bethany, damn it.”
“Go away. I give up, okay? I fucking give up. Are you happy? I’ll find some other man to fuck and leave you in peace and you can pretend this whole week never happened.”
Holy shit, did he just growl? I’m pressed against the door and his hard body all over again, and it’s as awesome as I remembered it. “You’re fucking playing with fire, Bethany. If you aren’t careful you’ll get burned too.”
I’m a freak, I had no idea. His anger, his barely leashed violence has my pelvis rocking against him like a cat in heat. I’m desperate to get closer until nothing separates us, until I melt completely into him. Taunting him isn’t a plan—I’m not capable of forming a coherent plan, it’s all instinct. “You told me no. You told me I’ll find someone else. Fine, I’ll find someone else. Another man who has no problem fucking a virgin. Another man who will take me to the deep end and we can drown together.”
Dante is hewn from stone, diamond sharp; touching him could cut me. The words come from his chest, so guttural, his accent so strong I can barely make out the words. “Very soon, I’ll work out every bullshit word you just said by turning your ass so fucking red you can’t sit for days.”
He takes a step back. I collapse without his support. A hand that’s far from gentle catches my arm until I find the strength to stand on my own. The moment I do he lets me go. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I can only watch him walk away before he slams the door to his condo. Wait, what does he mean?
8
Dante
My bladder nudges me awake. I take a deep breath only to wince. Every muscle in my body hurts like a motherfucker. My lungs suck in air fast as I move off the bed. Sonofabitch, inhaling has my core muscles screaming in agony. Moving slowly, I get to the bathroom and relieve my bladder. Done, I lean carefully over the jacuzzi tub and turn on my saved setting. As the water fills I hunt down some over the counter pain meds, knowing the tub will help but I need more.
It’s been a long time since I worked out so hard. No matter how many times I beat off, my cock stayed hard for her. I spent over two hours working out until I could barely stand, yet when I tried to sleep I couldn’t. After an hour of tossing and turning I gave in to my need, but even when my cock was satisfied I couldn’t sleep. It took another hour in the gym until pain sent me back to bed, where I finally collapsed into sleep.
Really? I’m hard all over again at the thought of her? This is some bullshit because I’m seriously pissed at her. The way she taunted me with the idea of her fucking someone else, of her allowing another man inside her when she wanted me. It pushed me right over the edge, I understood for a split second how people went off the rails and spilled blood over a lover. No one else is going to touch her. Bethany is mine.
I can admit it now: something happened the moment I laid eyes on Bethany. All the lethargy, the angst, all the gray of the last year disappeared. I blinked and everything became vibrant, glowing; even the air felt alive and new. I blinked again and it was only the two of us. Nothing else existed or mattered but her and me. Until she threw the coffee in my face. Then I remembered she’s my sister-in-law’s little sister, Che wants us to be one big happy family, and the longest relationship I’ve had lasted six months.
Last night, though, none of that shit mattered anymore. With the smell of Bethany’s pussy soaking wet for me, and her pleading, offering herself to me, all the chains I’ve been keeping locked on my desire broke. If I haven’t managed to scare her away this is happening, we are happening. Only, not yet. As much as it makes my cock ache to wait for her, I need to ease her into the shallow end of the pool first.
***
Dante
I’m not surprised to find Che waiting for me in my office. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing? Bethany is too young and too damn innocent for you.”
At least I make it to my desk without him taking a punch at me. “You aren’t saying anything I didn’t. I argued with her, but she was adamant I’m what she wants. I tried, but I want her too and I’m not going to fight it anymore.”