“Not long, thirty minutes or so.”
“Geeze, no wonder Ares ordered so much.” I don’t bother trying to count the men going in and out of the truck. We might not have enough.
Milo looks down at the bags he took from me. “You mean this is supposed to feed more than Dante?” He grins, telling me he’s only joking. “Come on, let’s go feed him, he’s already hangry.”
Dante prowls out of the open garage before we make it inside. His eyes already focused in my direction. He tilts his chin in the air and his chest expands, the tightly packed muscles roping up his sides standing out. I watch as his shoulders slump a little and he lowers his head; it does nothing to hide his predatory lope as he comes toward us.
“He’s been crabby even since he woke up and found out you guys were already gone,” Milo warns quietly. “I’ll meet you upstairs,” he adds louder, leaving me to fend for myself.
Instead of meeting Dante halfway I stand my ground, waiting for him to come to me. His steps never slow as he pushes into my space, not touching me, but almost.
I reach out and walk my fingers from his waist up to his chest, placing my palm over his heart. “I thought you were hungry. Ollie and Milo have the food.”
“You didn’t wake me,” he says like I’ve broken some unspoken rule.
“I didn’t know I was supposed to,” I counter licking my lips.
Dante leans down, careless of the people around us, and licks the seam of my lips. He groans over my mouth. “You taste like coffee and paradise.”
I wrap my arm around his neck. “You feel like home.”
Dante makes a low rumbling sound from his chest and wraps his arms around me. One under my butt, the other over the small of my back. My legs dangle as he lifts me and spins around to head back into the garage. I chance a look around before folding my other arm around his neck. Most of the moving guys are gone, probably already upstairs eating if I had to guess.
Dante deposits me at the base of the stairs and I steal a kiss as he bends down. “Thanks for the lift.” He’s right on my heels as I hustle up the steps, my body full of restless energy.
Six strangers are in the kitchen as I crest the stairs, Milo is sitting, his legs dangling off the counter, and Ollie is perched next to him. I glance around for Ares, but I can’t see him.
“Here you go.” Ollie lifts up a smaller bag.
Dante follows me over. Peering in the bag, I hand him two breakfast sandwiches over my shoulder and pull out a hash brown, it’s already cold, but it’s still crispy, so I munch it down.
There are some muffled conversations, the moving guys talk about an upcoming football game and their holiday plans. They don’t stick around long after eating, and several mutter their thanks as they get back to work.
“Did Ares eat?” I wipe my hands with a scratchy brown napkin.
Milo shrugs. “I thought he was just going to change. There’s still some left though.”
I glance around at the kitchen, all the cabinets are open in various stages of emptiness, and several boxes litter the floor. It already looks so different. I can see the grease stains behind the stovetop, the heavy wear on the most used cabinets. But it already feels more like our house with every piece that disappear into boxes. “Why did they sell?” I blurt the question out of the blue.
“No one ever said as far as I know.” Ollie hops down from the counter. “Milo, will you help me?”
Milo tilts his head. “You mean, Milo, will you lug shit around for me?”
“Well, you’re just so good at it, and you look so pretty doing it.” A scoff leaves Milo, but he follows after Ollie, his hands braced on his shoulders.
“I’m on stacking duty,” Dante tells me from the floor where he’s sitting, after finishing his third sandwich.
“What’s stacking duty?”
“Keeping an eye on the movers, making sure nothing gets broken. Ollie has to do it after lunch.”
“Do you want me to come with?” I offer.
Dante shrugs and wipes his hand across his mouth. “You don’t have to. I’ve been loading the truck so I’m not just standing around.”
“I guess I’ll go check on Ares, see if he ate.” I run my hands through Dante’s hair, he tilts his head back to rest against my thighs, his eyes closing. Turning his face, he nuzzles his cheek against me, but with him sitting on the floor and me standing, he’s dangerously close to the apex of my thighs.
Butterflies tickle my lower stomach and nervous excitement fills me when Dante slowly blinks his eyes open to look up at me. He reaches back and his warm palm wraps around the back of my leg. I scratch my short nails over his scalp, enjoying the way he tilts his, head eager for my touch.
“I’ll grab more boxes,” I hear an unfamiliar voice call, followed by footsteps on the stairs.
I don’t pull away from Dante, a little part of me gets angered by the interruption. I narrow my eyes on the man coming up the stairs, not caring he’s here to do a job, the front of my mouth aches. My lip instinctively lifting in a sneer.
“Hey,” Dante barks, his deep voice loud and hard. My gaze latches onto him, still on the floor in front of me, but his attention is on the guys at the top of the stairs. It’s enough of a distraction for me to gather my senses. “There are boxes in the living room that are ready,” Dante adds in a more normal tone.
The guy spares us a strange look, but heads into the living room. I lean down and place my forehead on his and groan. “It’s not even safe for you to be in a room alone with me.” I try to make it sound like I’m joking, but I’m really not.
Dante turns, placing his hands on the ground beside my feet. He pushes up to stand, his body skimming mine as he does. “We both know my safety wasn’t in question.” I bite the corner of my lip, he’s right. I would never hurt him, but the things I feel, the things I want from him when we’re alone, kinda scare me.
Dante leans down so I can feel the ghost of his lips over mine. Pushing up on my toes I close the distance. He opens the moment my mouth lands on his, accepting me as I slide into his warm mouth. I break the kiss off sooner than either of us would have liked, if his short gasping breaths are any sign.
He straightens, his eyes raking over me, but never once pushes me for an ounce more than I give him. A thrill of excitement has me blowing out a shaky breath. I love having him at my mercy. Looking at him you’d assume Dante is brash, bossy, and demanding. Everything about him screams predator. From his broody looks and quiet demeanor, to the sheer size of him. But nothing could be further from the truth, not when it comes to me.
The mover comes through the kitchen, holding two boxes and pretending to ignore us, but I see him watching us from the corner of his eye.
“I’ll be down after I check on Ares.” My voice is husky, and Dante nods but doesn’t move. I turn away then look over my shoulder to watch him, he hasn’t taken his eyes off me. I rush out of the room before I can turn back around and drag him into one of the empty rooms upstairs.
I pause once I reach stairs. I feel jittery, like I had a couple cups of coffee instead of just the one. The noise of the men outside calling to each other, chatting while they load the truck, reaches my ears.
I close my eyes and seek out Ares. It takes barely any energy to see him sitting on the bed with his laptop across his knees. His shirt is untucked and unbuttoned like he was in the middle of changing when he got distracted.
Pulling back to myself, I start up the stairs and head in his direction. When I read the room, I lean against the doorframe, my eyes tracking over him lazily. The immediate difference in the way my mind and body feels is a little jarring. The hunger to dominate is gone. I’ve never once had the urge to make Ares bend to my will.
There’s something different that drives me when I’m with Ares. The complete and utter feeling of safety and acceptance. I’m free to give him all the control because I know he would never abuse it. After taking care of myself for so long, it’s such a relief to be able to let go.
I let out a breathy sigh, I’m so lucky. It’s not that he can buy a house at the drop of a hat, or how alluring he is, even when he’s not trying. No, it the way he looks at me, like I’m the only person in the room. The way he touches me like he craves the feel of my skin, and that’s just Ares. How I’m lucky enough to get all four, will probably boggle my mind for the rest of my life.
“Hey, did you eat?” He looks up, his eyes blinking like he was totally lost in thought.
“Is there any left?” he asks, telling me he hasn’t.
“I think so, you want me to grab you something?”
“I was planning on coming right back down,” Ares adds, pushing the computer off his legs and onto the bed. “I’ll grab whatever’s left when I go down.”
I take a few more steps into the room, it already smells like them in here. Dante’s warm leather mixes with the slight char of campfire from Ollie, and the tang of iron from Milo, but Ares’s ozone scent is strongest now.
“What are you doing?” I lean against the wall, not trusting that I won’t end up in the bed with him if I get too close.
“Checking emails.” He changes the subject, and inquires, “The guys already back to work?”
“Yeah, Ollie has Milo doing the heavy lifting someplace, and Dante went down to keep an eye on the movers and help them load the tuck.”
“You’re very far away.” Ares leans against the wall at the top of the bed, inviting me closer with just a look. I smile but don’t move. “How am I supposed to help if I don’t have anything to change into?” He nods his head in my direction.
I stretch the loose fabric of his t-shirt over my stomach. “You left it on the end of the bed, fair game,” I challenge.
“Oh, is that how it works?” A genuine smile lifts his lips reaching his eyes.
“It is now.” I enjoy our banter. Ares doesn’t strike me as one to really play and joke around like Ollie does. “Besides, if you take your shirt back, I’ll be left with nothing to wear.” The flirting, though new to me, comes easily.
“I can see how that would be a problem, unless…” Ares pushes up off the bed. My intention of keeping my distance vanishes as he stalks closers. “Unless you want to crawl in bed, get nice and comfy. You wouldn’t need the shirt or anything else in here.” His voice drops down low, his breath caressing my skin with heated words.
I swallow, cutting my eyes to him. “We literally have a house full of strangers and you want me in bed, naked? While you guys do all the work?”
Ares’s arms come up over my shoulders and he cages me in, and my hands reach for his waist through his open shirt. His lips graze my ear, and in a guttural whisper he says, “I’d have to tuck you in first. Make sure you stayed nice and warm.” Ares captures the bottom of my earlobe between his teeth.
Heat pools in my lower stomach and I fight the urge to lean into him. “That doesn’t seem fair.”
Ares moves even closer, his elbows on the wall next to my shoulders. “I wouldn’t be complaining,” he mutters. I plant my hands over Ares’s chest, intending to push him away, but I get distracted by the feeling of his warm skin under my palms.
“I told Dante I would come down to help, are you going to stay up here and work?”
Ares places a soft kiss under my ear. “No, I took the rest of the week off.”
“You did?” That succeeds in surprising me enough that I do push him slightly away, so I can see his face.
“Why do you sound so shocked?”
“I don’t know, it just surprises me.”
“Well, if you don’t want me around…” Ares teases.
I roll my eyes, not sure if I should feed into his ego. “You know that’s not true, I’m happy you’ll be home.”
“Good, but it’s not like I would have left, even if you wanted me to.” Ares backs away from me, turning to reaching for a large black duffle bag on the floor. He crouches to sort through the bag, pulling a soft gray t-shirt free.
I cross my arms over my stomach. “You needed my shirt, huh?”
“Did I say needed? It was probably more of a want.” A grin tilts his lips as he stands to shrug out of the button-up shirt, tossing it on the bed. The picture he makes is too damn tempting. His wide chest tapers down to his narrow waist, all tightly packed muscles without being bulky. It’s enough to have me wondering if climbing back in bed and having him tuck me in should be an idea I explore more thoroughly.
Completely unabashed Ares stands there, allowing me to take him in, the gray shirt forgotten in his hand.
“I’ll meet you downstairs,” I say, but it comes out more like a forlorn sign. Ares has the good graces not to laugh at me as I make my hasty retreat from the room.
Chapter 20
“Here, it’s best if you do long, even strokes. Like this.” Milo places his hand over mine as I grip the handle of the paint roller. His pushes up until my arm reaches a far as I can comfortably, then pulls it back down. The noise of the tacky roller running along the wall fills my ears as he continues, his hand still guiding mine until we make a tightly packed W.
“Don’t worry about trying to get too close to the molding, that will need to be cut in,” he explains as he continues using my hand. “We need a little more paint.” Milo guides me through applying more paint onto the roller and evening it out by rolling it over the slanted tray.
I’m pretty sure I have the hang of it, but I don’t stop him from continuing right along with me. Milo’s frame towers over me, his warmth and closeness making the empty room feel so much more comfortable.
Walking around the barren house after the movers left an hour ago felt strange. It’s hard to believe how much we all accomplished in such a short time. Now that all the pictures are off the walls, and all the furniture is gone, you can see the stains their existence left behind. Rectangles of brighter paint decorate the walls, cobwebs cling to fixtures, and dust bunnies are lingering in the corners. Now the house almost feels too big.
“Hey, how’s it going?” Ollie’s voice echoes off the walls.
Milo’s hand pauses, but he doesn’t release me. “Good, I guess. Are you sure we won’t need a primer? It doesn’t look like this place has been painted since they built it.” After using all the paint on the roller, he steps back and give me a little space to continue on my own.
“Nah, should be fine, this paint has a primer in it. One coat coverage or some shit.” Ollie walks over to inspect my work, or the color. “Looks like it’s covering okay.”
I dip back into the tray and roll off the excess like Milo showed me, and keep working. I don’t even want to count how many more rooms we need to paint.
“I’m going to grab a brush and a small bucket, I’ll be right back,” Milo announces, leaving Ollie and I alone in the room.
“Having fun, Muenster?”
I glance over my shoulder, so I can see Ollie. “I don’t know if fun would be the way I’d describe it, but I’m not, not having fun. How’s the bathroom coming along?” I suppress a smile. Ollie whined for five minutes that he drew the short straw and had to clean the main floor bathroom.
“Done, thank fuck,” he groans dramatically. I snicker, wondering if Dante is done cleaning the second one. “You think that’s funny, do you?”
I school my features, turning to gather more paint. “Not really, but your reaction was.”
“I really hate cleaning,” he mutters dejectedly.
“Are you going to help us paint?” I push the roller over the wall, enjoying how I can see all the progress I’ve already made. Maybe this won’t take that long after all.
“Might as well. If we can get enough rooms painted, we might be able to get some flooring installed, then furniture. I can’t wait until we can set up the living room.”
Ollie’s excitement is contagious. I can’t help but think of how fun it will be to pick out all our own things. Even better, we’ll have the place to ourselves. I won’t have to feel weird about lying on the couch and watching TV wi
th the guys, or grabbing a drink from the fridge. Not that anyone ever really made me feel weird, it was mostly my own insecurities.
“I grabbed the ladder too.” I look over to the doorway and see Milo angling himself into the room. A short ladder sits on one shoulder, while his other hand has a small paint bucket with a brush handle sticking out of the top.
Ares follows in after him, setting an empty paint tray and a roller on a longer handle on the floor. “It’s nice with it being empty like this, makes the work a lot faster.” He glances around, noting my nearly finished wall.
Milo sets up the ladder in the corner and fills his little bucket with paint from the can, a few drops splatter to the floor. “Maybe we should have pulled the carpet up first?” He looks around.
“It doesn’t matter. This will be dry by tomorrow, then we can rip it out. Who knows, maybe there will be hardwood under here.” Ares walks over to the corner opposite Milo and crouches. He tugs at the green carpet, pulling it back to reveal plywood. He stands and kicks the carpet back into place. “Nope, just subflooring.”
“Where’s Dante?” I ask, wiping my face against the shoulder of my shirt. I don’t know if it’s having so many bodies in here or what, but it feels like the humidity in the room has doubled.
“He was still in the master bathroom when I came up,” Ares answers.
Milo is running his brush along the wall under the ceiling, making sure not to get any paint up there.
“I know you guys are excited to get this place cleaned up a bit, but we should talk about what changes we need to make before we do much more than painting the bedrooms. If we are going to knock out a wall up here, put in a big master bedroom, then we’d need to add a bathroom up here too. There’s no point in doing it twice.”
I continue painting, but keep my eyes on the guys also. I’m curious about what they think needs to be done.
“It seems kind of pointless to make any major renovations if this place is only temporary. I think the kitchen and baths need updating, but the rest seems okay,” Ollie offers, but seems a little unsure of himself.
Infinity Chronicles Book Three Page 20