by K. Street
He spreads me open, sweeping his tongue through my slit. “So fucking sweet.” With unhurried, deliberate strokes, he starts fucking me with his mouth.
“Ah,” I moan.
I want to touch him. Test him to see if he’ll really tie me up. But I also want to yield to him, to let him take care of me the way he wants to…the way I need him to. I fist the sheets, keeping my hands where he told me. Moving my pelvis, I rock into his mouth, creating friction, adjusting the angle of my hips. It feels so good; I’m so close.
As if Dante can sense how close I am, he backs off, and I groan in frustration.
“All. Fucking. Night. Tessa.” He growls each word.
“Dante, please.”
He’s purposely driving me to the brink of insanity.
Dante’s mouth moves to my breast while he slips one finger inside me and then two. His skillful fingers arc alongside my walls, making a come-here motion.
I watch as he withdraws his fingers and sticks them in his mouth to lick them clean. His face lowers to my hot center, and his tongue delves inside once more. Dante feasts on my pussy like it’s his last meal, and I savor every second of the delicious assault.
twenty-six
Dante
Tessa’s body tenses, and I know she’s close. Her hands tug at the roots of my hair, having lost the battle to keep them above her head. When her orgasm peaks, she tries to scramble away, but I hold her in place with a hand on each thigh, flicking the tip of my tongue over her clit.
“Dante. Oh God.” Her moans fill the room.
With my tongue buried inside her, I watch her come apart. Face flushed and fucking sexy as hell. My cock is thick and so hard, it aches. I want to be inside her so fucking bad, but it’s not happening tonight. She means everything to me. When I’m balls deep inside her for the first time, I’ll be making love to her. And she isn’t ready for that.
I rise, and my gaze lingers on her body. Tessa is beautiful in all her forms, but freshly tongue-fucked and satiated is my new favorite.
“That was amazing,” she says, cheeks flushed.
“Watching you come apart like that…you have no idea what you do to me.”
I could spend hours between Tessa’s legs. Her pussy is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. More than anything, I want her to be mine, but in the meantime, I’ll happily take whatever she’s willing to give me.
“I’ll be right back,” I say, getting off the bed.
In the bathroom, I wash my face and use mouthwash. I hate to erase the taste of her, but I’m not sure how she feels about tasting herself. I retrieve a washcloth from the towel closet and wet it beneath the warm water. When I return to Tessa’s side, I gently wipe between her legs.
“What are you doing?” She gives me a quizzical look.
“Taking care of you.”
When I’m finished, I go back into the bathroom and drop the rag into the hamper. On my way back from the bathroom, I grab Tessa a shirt to sleep in. There’s no way I can sleep next to her while she’s completely naked and not have sex with her.
“Here,” I say, holding the shirt out to her.
“Dante, I thought we were going to…” Tessa’s voice trails off, and her face heats. “It’s okay. I can go.” She climbs off the bed on the opposite side from where I’m standing, and she begins grabbing her clothes.
“Tessa, stop. Where are you going?”
“It’s fine. I get it,” she says and heads to the bathroom.
I toss the shirt on the bed, and I’m in front of her before she makes it a full two steps. “Where are you going?” I cup her face.
She’s got this all wrong.
I crush my mouth to hers and pour everything I feel into the kiss. All the things I can’t tell her because she isn’t ready to hear them.
“Hey, look at me.”
When her eyes finally land on mine, they’re glassy. I know she feels rejected, but nothing could be further from the truth.
“Tonight, you asked me to show you that you’re enough. That’s what I’m doing, Tessa.”
“I know. I just thought we would—”
“Have sex?” I ask, cutting her off.
Her arms are still holding her clothes, so I take them from her and toss them to the floor. Then, I lift her hand and guide her palm over my chest and down my stomach. And lower, so she can feel my extremely hard, erect cock through my shorts.
“Don’t you doubt for a second how much I want you. But I’m not going to fuck you like some random piece of ass. You mean something to me.” Releasing her hand, I wrap my arms around her and hold her against my chest. “Now, get the shirt off the bed, put it on, and get under the covers,” I demand.
Her arms tighten around me. Tessa plants a kiss on my chest, over my heart. She’s completely unaware that it is hers for the taking.
She steps out of my arms, walks to the bed, and slides the shirt over her head. “I’m going to grab a glass of water. Do you want one?”
“I’ll get it. Lie down.” I swat her ass on my way to the kitchen.
When I return with two bottles of water, Tessa is already in bed.
I stand in front of her and hold a water bottle out to her. “Here you go.”
She takes it, twists off the cap, and takes a drink. “Thanks.”
I chug half of mine and set the bottle on the side table. I slide into bed and pull her flush against me, her back to my front. She sinks into my embrace and sighs.
“Dante…can I ask you something?”
“You can ask me anything.”
“Why haven’t you settled down?”
She shifts, like she’s going to roll over, so I tighten my hold. If she looks at me, she’ll see the truth.
“I guess I’ve never found the right woman.” Because the only woman I’ve ever wanted is you.
“You’ve had a lot to choose from.”
She laughs, and I pinch her ass. This time, when she rolls over to face me, I don’t stop her.
“When was the last time you were with someone?”
My hand rests over her hip, and our gazes lock. “It’s been a while. Not since after…” Trevor died. But I don’t say that. I don’t have to.
“A week after I got here, I went to a clinic and got tested. Everything came back clean.” Her eyes shift, and suddenly, she’s a million miles away. “But I was so scared and humiliated, and that’s the moment I knew how much I truly hated him.”
“I’m sorry, Tessa.” Sorry for so many things.
“Thanks, but it’s not your fault. I thought we were so in love, but if I’m being honest, our relationship was strained. Trevor was distant, and he had been for a while. I just didn’t want to see it.” She brings her hands up to hide her face. “I’m sorry. This has to be the last thing you want to talk about.”
I pull her hands away and interlace our fingers. “I told you, I’ll give you whatever you need. If you need to talk, then I’ll listen.”
“Sometimes, I think about his son.” Her voice wavers a bit when she says the word son. “I wonder if he looks like Trevor.”
“Tess,” I say softly, wanting to comfort her but having no idea where to start.
“Then, I think about her, and I get pissed all over again. And it’s so stupid because I hate Trevor, so why do I care?”
A lone tear falls from her eye, and I lift our joined hands to wipe it away with my knuckle. “Because you did love him even if that’s no longer the case.”
“I know.” She pulls her hand away to wipe her face. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for, so stop apologizing.”
She gives me a weak smile.
“You’re exhausted. We’ll talk tomorrow,” I assure her, planting a chaste kiss to her lips.
“Dante?”
“Mmhmm?”
“Thank you…for tonight.”
“Anytime, sweetheart.”
“Good night, Dante.” She yawns again.
“Night, Tess.”
>
I lie awake, listening to Tessa breathe, memorizing every curve and dip of her body. The way her hair smells and how she feels in my arms.
I have fucked plenty of women, but I’ve never made love to any of them. If tonight is all I get…this is the memory I want to hold on to.
twenty-seven
Tessa
I wake up in the same bed I shared with Dante last night, but he isn’t beside me. I’m a bit relieved because I have no idea where my head is.
Last night wasn’t what I’d expected. The way Dante made me splinter apart and the skilled way he used his tongue on me…it was mind-blowing. He’s so different than Trevor.
Even before Trevor and I started trying to have a baby, he became distant. After we began trying to conceive, we would have sex with a goal in mind. He needed to come inside me, and whether it was good for me didn’t factor into the equation. The first three years of our marriage had been amazing, but in the last year, he changed so much.
Dante possessed my body. He drove me to the edge and then pulled back, only to finally send me crashing into waves of bliss. He was selfless, and it’d been too long since a man made me feel the way he did.
The smell of coffee wafts through the air, drawing my attention. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I feel a draft, and I’m reminded that I went to bed sans panties. Spotting my discarded thong, I slip it on en route to brush my teeth, opting for Dante’s toothbrush this time instead of my finger.
“Good morning,” I say as I enter the kitchen.
Dante walks toward me with a cup of coffee in hand. “How’d you sleep?”
I wrap my hands around the warm mug. “Well. What about you?”
He still looks tired, and suddenly, I’m filled with nervousness and everything feels awkward.
“Good.”
He’s full of shit.
“Dan—” I say simultaneously when he says, “Tes—”
We end up laughing. The awkwardness dissipates as quickly as it appeared.
“You first,” I tell him and take a seat at the table.
He stands across the kitchen with his back leaning against the counter. “I was thinking we should drive back to Chicago together.”
I open my mouth to interject, but he stops me with an extended finger.
“I’ve got everything taken care of. You just need to agree.”
I look at him, dumbfounded. Then, I look past him to the digital display on the microwave. It’s half past nine.
“What time did you get up?”
“About an hour ago.” He takes a drink of his coffee before continuing, “We can drive whatever car you want, and I’ll hire someone to transport the other one home.”
“Just like that?” I ask, biting back a laugh.
His inner caveman is showing.
When I made the trip, I was drowning in grief and running on adrenaline and rage. Now, it feels like someone has cracked a window to let the light in.
“I called Katie. Her brother, Josh, doesn’t start his new job for a few weeks, and he’s looking to make extra cash.”
At the mention of Katie’s name, guilt seeps its way in. I haven’t talked to her since the funeral. We used to get together for drinks and a girls’ night once a month before my life fell apart.
“Fine,” I agree.
“Wait. What?” Dante’s face morphs in disbelief.
“Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to the drive back.” It’s true, but I decide to mess with him. “As far as a driving buddy, I guess there are worse ones.”
I stifle a giggle, but Dante raises an eyebrow at me, and I sense trouble.
He stalks closer, sets his cup on the table, and then removes mine from my hands. “Is that right? Well, I’ll give you to the count of three.”
“Why? For what?”
“One. You might want to run.”
“Dan—”
“Two.”
Shit.
I get up and sprint back to his bedroom, realizing too late that I’m cornered.
“Three.”
I hear the thump of his bare feet against the floor, and I dive underneath the blankets. I laugh at myself. Even as an adult, I suck at hide-and-seek.
“This was way too easy.” He laughs and yanks down the covers before straddling me. He slides his hands under my shirt with a wicked grin.
“Don’t even th—”
Dante starts mercilessly tickling me. I squirm and writhe under him. If he doesn’t stop, I’m going to piss myself.
“Uncle,” I cry out. I’m cackling too hard, and I can’t catch my breath.
He pins my arms above my head and hovers over me. “What’re you planning to do, beautiful?”
The air ignites with sexual tension. Dante’s eyes heat with desire, turning into dark pools of molten chocolate.
“This,” I say. I lean up, pressing my lips to his.
“Tess,” he whispers against my mouth.
His palms move to my face. He takes control of the kiss, and I willingly give in to his touch.
We make out with the fervor of a couple of teenagers hiding beneath the bleachers. Dante isn’t clumsy or careless though. Every sweep of his tongue against mine is sensual. Everything around us fades away. I don’t know how long we stay like this, a tangle of limbs and lips. When we finally come up for air, I’m pretty sure I have whisker burn. We lie there together for a few minutes, and I wait for my racing heart to calm.
“You’re intoxicating.” He pecks my lips and then rolls off me.
“Are you hungry? I can whip up some breakfast while you call Katie’s brother to set everything up.”
“You don’t have to cook. I’ll call Josh, and then we can go out to grab something,” he offers.
I sit up and turn to him. “I know, but I’m starving, and it’s not like I’ve never cooked for you. Besides, we should probably use up the food.”
“You make a valid point,” he says, sitting up and pointing to the door. “To the kitchen, wench.”
I playfully smack his arm. Then, I get off the bed and start to walk out of the bedroom. Before I make it to the doorway, I stride back to him and bend down to softly kiss him.
“Thank you, Dante,” I say and leave the room. I really didn’t want things to be weird between us after last night, and I’m so relieved they aren’t.
I walk into the kitchen and go to the fridge. With limited options, I’m thankful Dante doesn’t expect a gourmet meal. Scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit it is.
A little while later, when Dante walks in, I’m putting the last of the food on the table.
“It looks good, Tess,” he says, pulling out his chair.
I grab the fresh coffee I made and join him. “Everything squared away?”
“Josh is on board.” He fills a plate and passes it to me.
“Thanks.” I take the dish and set it in front of me.
“How do you feel about leaving the day after tomorrow?”
“That works.” I pick up my fork and take a bite of my eggs.
“Whose car are we driving back?” he asks.
“I’d like to take mine.”
After breakfast, I change clothes and then kiss Dante good-bye, so I can go break the news to my parents.
twenty-eight
Tessa
I carry the last load of laundry upstairs and dump the basket onto my bed beside the suitcase. I busy myself with folding the clothes when a soft knock sounds on the door. It’s slightly ajar, and I don’t even have to turn around to know it’s Mama.
“Can I come in?”
“Of course,” I answer.
She picks up a shirt from the pile of clothes and starts helping me fold. Mama’s expression is thoughtful, and I can tell she wants to say something. She and my dad are different. He doesn’t say much, but when he does, he just tells it straight up, and he doesn’t mince words. My mother, on the other hand, is a talker, and when she gets quiet, it means she’s stewing over something.
“Yo
u okay, Mama? You bite that tongue any harder, it might bleed.”
Her eyes flit to my face. “I’m worried about you; that’s all. You can stay here, you know.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have a life there. A job that I love and friends.” Though I’ve alienated every one of them, except for Dante. Not that they’ve been beating down my door either, but I get it. Most people had no idea what to say to me when Trevor died, especially because it was so unexpected.
“Are you keeping the condo?” my mother asks.
“I haven’t decided on anything for sure. I’m not even certain I’ll stay in Chicago. I’m just trying to take it one day at a time.” Sometimes, that is too much.
“Well, where would you go?”
I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, Mama.”
“Don’t get all huffy with me, young lady. I’m just asking.” Her eyebrows practically touch her hairline.
“I’m sorry. It’s just…you’re asking me questions I don’t know the answers to.” I unzip the suitcase and lay it open, so I can set the clothes inside. “When I was younger and would stress about something, do you remember what you would say to me?”
She smiles and nods. “You don’t eat a whole pie in one sitting. You have to eat it one slice at a time.”
“Well, that’s what I’m trying to do. What else is on your mind?”
She might as well lay it all out there. I already know where this is going.
“I heard you sneak out the other night. What’s going on between you and Dante?”
There it is. I knew it was coming, and I don’t want to have this conversation with her.
“Mother,” I say, knowing full well she’ll ignore the warning.
“No, ma’am,” she says with a wave of her finger. Then, she points to my luggage. “Zip this thing, and put it on the floor, so we can sit down and talk.”
I do as she said, and we both sit on my bed with our legs crossed, facing each other.
“Now, talk to me. I’m not going to judge you.”
The woman is relentless, and it makes me crazy, but it’s also one of the things I love about her.