by A. m Madden
Sure she did.
With a tilt of my hand, the three fingers of whiskey I’d ordered shot down my throat. I noticed Cassie’s body begin to sway. Under normal circumstances, I would have asked her to dance, but this night was anything but normal.
Chapter 2
Cassie
It took everything in my power to keep my eyes from devouring Dante. But I’d rather eat chocolate-covered insects than let him know he affected me. For some unfathomable reason, my mind and body were at war with one another. And if I had to be honest, it could be because this cocky, arrogant man sent an unfamiliar zing zipping through me.
Jesus, he was my best friend’s brother. Which meant there shouldn’t have been anything zipping or zinging anywhere… and that should’ve been weird all around—yet, it wasn’t. Yes, they both had the same tall, dark, and handsome thing going on, the same faint accent, but their dispositions couldn’t have been more different. Where Luca was modest, Dante was cocky. Where Luca was reserved, Dante appeared uninhibited. For whatever reason, that last difference had my lady parts screaming.
I thought back to when I’d met Luca, and between his striking good looks and sweet personality, I might have developed a tiny crush. But the more we got to know each other, the more that crush turned into genuine affection, like a sister had for her brother. Definitely no zing.
A man like Dante Benedetto screamed of danger. Usually, I preferred safe, sweet, quiet men, much like my coworker Thomas. We’d gone on a few casual dates, and he had hinted at wanting more. Something held me back, and it only now occurred to me what that something was. With Thomas, there was no zing.
After receiving Vanessa’s invitation, I’d had a fleeting thought to invite Thomas, and now I wondered how different my evening would have been if I had. For one thing, I wouldn’t have been driving. For another, if I’d had a date, Mr. Benedetto might not have even given me the time of day.
Why my eyes kept seeking him out was beyond me, and why did my heart flip when I caught his gaze fixed on me? More important, why in the world did this ass need to be Luca’s gorgeous brother?
To calm my pounding pulse, I took a moment to look around. Unsurprisingly, Kyle had outdone himself and transformed the clinical space into the perfect place for a party. Purple and white balloons and streamers adorned the lab, along with a “Happy Birthday” sign draped along the far wall. All the tables were decorated with candles and flowers. Waiters and waitresses milled about passing out hors d’oeuvres, causing my stomach to unleash a low rumble. I helped myself to a few, needing food to counterbalance the alcohol.
Even with the party’s distractions, I still couldn’t get past the events of the evening. Beneath the weight of Dante’s stare, I continued to ignore him, keeping my eyes fixed on the couples dancing to the ballad played by the band. I turned toward the bar for a refill on my wine when a warm breath caressed my ear and a deep voice stopped me. “Are you sure you should be drinking with the way you drive?”
Practically knocking noses when I whipped my head toward him, I glared with contempt oozing from every cell in my body. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m already taking a cab home tonight because my car is damaged. I barely drive it, but of course the one night I take it out, you come along…”
“Damaged?” He cut me off before his full lips rolled over his teeth, forcing my gaze down to his mouth. “You mean the tiny little crack in your bumper?”
“Oh my God!” There would be a murder committed tonight, no doubt, if I spent one more minute with this… person. “You know what…” He halted my words when he slid his jacket off to reveal a formfitting T-shirt that skimmed over him like paint. Holy crap. Every muscular nuance was proudly displayed beneath the smooth light-blue cotton, including the outline of a bar piercing his left nipple.
“You were saying?” His eyes held mine as he casually laid his jacket on the back of a nearby chair. His T-shirt and jeans left nothing to the imagination. Long legs, trim waist, and an impressive bulge caused the back of my neck to overheat. Of its own volition, my hand lifted my empty glass to my lips. When words still hadn’t found their way out of my mouth, he folded his arms, making my hot-flash predicament even worse.
“I was saying…” I paused to swallow air. “Please go away.” My own words sounded distorted due to the lack of moisture on my tongue.
“Is that what you really want?” He stepped even closer… too close. “For me to go away?” Eyes the color of rich coffee with a touch of cream bore through me. I wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question or not; regardless, I chose not to dignify it with an answer. Undeterred, Dante closed the distance, bringing his bare left elbow to press against mine. He was so close, there wasn’t a doubt he could see the effect he had on me through my dilated pupils and the hair on my arms standing on end. It wouldn’t surprise me if he could hear my heart pounding.
It took five full seconds for him to continue, and by then my heartbeat roaring in my own ears almost made it difficult to hear him. “Because that may pose a problem, since you’re my brother’s best friend. Let’s not forget, we’ll be seeing so much of each other now that I’m a New Yorker.”
Dammit. I forgot this wasn’t a short visit. Luca had mentioned Dante was about to relocate to the city. How in the world was I going to deal with seeing him on a regular basis? Granted, I could avoid him, but that would mean avoiding my friends as well. He was right, we would run in the same circle.
When I chanced another glance at him, his gaze remained trained on me. His deep-brown eyes studied my face as he dragged his thumb across his bottom lip—one of the sexiest moves I’d ever witnessed.
“Is there a problem?” I asked, my raspy voice betraying my attempt to disguise how much that one move turned me on.
Dante shook his head. “No, not at all. You have wonderful bone structure.”
My eyelashes fluttered a few times. “Excuse me?”
He tilted his head, studying me. “I photograph a lot of beautiful women, and even though you’re too short, your face has nice angles.”
“Too short? My face has nice angles?” The nerve of this man. Who the hell says that to someone?
“It’s a compliment.” He stood back and gave me a panty-melting smile. “Take it.”
“Being compared to a short elf is a compliment? Thanks.”
“I never said elf, did I?”
Heat rose from my ankles to my neck, and if I could spit fire, I would have. If I stayed at this party much longer, I was sure any makeup I had left on my angular face would melt off. Rather than shoot the breeze about bone structure with a man who clearly got under my skin, I decided to go to the ladies’ room to make sure I didn’t look like a raccoon who’d just left a sauna. “Please excuse me.”
“Something I said?” The left side of his mouth quirked up at the corner, but then morphed into a full-blown grin as I shook my head and walked away.
Brae and Vanessa noticed my hasty retreat, and before I knew it, the three of us were huddled in the ladies’ room like teenage girls.
“Are you okay?” Catching Brae’s worried expression in the mirror made me feel guilty for bringing this party down. My friends shouldn’t be concerned about me; they should be enjoying themselves.
“A bit rattled, but I’m fine.” I pulled a tissue from my purse and began to blot the tiny beads of sweat I could feel on my neck.
Vanessa slicked her lips with a red gloss before turning to me. “It’s Dante, isn’t it? I will say, the man is stunning.” When Brae and I looked at her with disbelief, she shrugged. “What? You can’t tell me he isn’t gorgeous.”
“Oh, he’s gorgeous all right… and he’s as cocky as they come.”
Brae laughed. “Jude was super cocky too, remember?”
“What do you mean, was?” I shook my head and continued. “But at least he wasn’t an ass, even when you thought he was Mr. Wrong. And then you found out he was your Mr. Right.”
Vanessa agreed with my a
ssessment. “That’s what’s so great about Kyle—what you see is what you get.”
“Yeah, a sex fiend.” Brae laughed at my description, but it was the truth. Kyle, also known as Mr. Flirt, was definitely the perfect match for Vanessa.
“Well, if you got it…” She let her words trail off. “You know, Dante could be loads of fun. He’s nothing like his brother, Mr. Romeo.” I had to smile as Vanessa reminded me of Luca’s nickname. It fit him perfectly. “According to Kyle, Dante’s a kinky fucker.” An immediate blush reddened my cheeks. Hearing this bit of news made it even more necessary to stay away from that dangerous man. When Brae and I stared at her with wide eyes, she amended her statement. “Those were Kyle’s words, not mine. Apparently, the man is experienced.”
“Well, I’m not looking for Mr. Kinky. I’m not looking for Mr. Anybody. Just because all of you are paired off doesn’t mean I need to be,” I lied. Deep down I longed for the love my friends had found, but kink was out of my comfort zone.
Vanessa scoffed, “You’re so full of it. Come on, Cass, why else would you be dating Mr. Yuppie?” Brae giggled again, and once again I glared at my friends.
“We’re not dating. We went out a few times, that’s all. And Thomas is not Mr. Yuppie. That’s how he dresses for work.”
“He wore a shirt and tie to Dispatch last week for happy hour.” Vanessa’s voice raised a few octaves. “Who wears that to a bar?”
“I’m not going to stand here and defend a nice guy when the biggest jackass is beyond that door. Did you know his nipple is pierced?”
Vanessa licked her lips. “Oh, really? Wait, how do you know that? Did you…”
I snapped at Vanessa. “No! What is wrong with you?” She shrugged in response. “I saw it through his T-shirt.”
“Yum. I wonder if he’s pierced anyplace else.” Vanessa said as Brae sucked in a breath. “You know, that can bring a woman to orgasm quicker.”
“How do you know?” Before my friend could respond I snatched a towel to dry my hands and added, “Never mind. I don’t want to know. When are we having cake? I’m getting a headache.”
Brae placed her hand on my shoulder. “Sweetie, are you sure you didn’t bang your head in the accident? Maybe you should go see a doctor.”
“I didn’t bang my head.” Although, based on how this evening had played out I wanted to bang my head against a wall. “Let’s get back out there before Jude busts through the door.”
We filed out of the ladies’ room to witness most of the guests dancing or drinking happily enjoying Kyle’s open bar. In the short time we’d been in there it seemed the party had gotten even livelier.
As predicted, Jude was waiting a mere two feet away for Brae. The man loved her like she was the reason he existed. I’d never witnessed such devotion before. Yes, Kyle loved Vanessa, and Luca loved Sabrina, but Jude had an intense possessiveness toward Brae. It was sexy as well as endearing. What would love like that be like?
I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality, which wasn’t difficult because when I looked up, Dante was laughing with Luca and Sabrina. He had a camera out and was taking pictures of the happy couple. When he pointed the camera at us, I shielded my face. God only knew where those pictures would end up. With my luck, Dante would create a meme of me with a sarcastic tagline and plaster it on social media.
Vanessa struck a pose when Dante aimed the lens at her. Then in true V fashion, she pointed to his chest. “Nice piercing.”
Everyone looked to where Vanessa pointed. Jude grabbed a beer from the bartender before tipping the bottle toward Dante. “I still can’t believe you got that thing on a dare.”
A dare? I wondered what that story was. No, Cassie, I reprimanded myself. Don’t go there; you don’t want to know.
Luca laughed at his brother. “You’re such an idiot.”
Kyle was about to say something, but Vanessa stroked his chest. “You know, that would be super sexy on you, babe.”
“Not a chance. That had to hurt like a son of a bitch.” Kyle kissed Vanessa on her cheek, and added, “But if you want to get yours pierced, be my guest. Speaking of boobs, let’s have cake.”
Everyone looked confused until Vanessa giggled and said, “He likes frosting.”
TMI. We gathered around the white-and-pink confection shaped like a perfume bottle. Once the candles were lit, and the song was sung, I was ready to leave. A flash caught my attention, and when I looked to my right, Dante was pressing the shutter button on his camera, taking pictures of everyone.
He walked to where he’d left his jacket and returned with an envelope in his hand. “This is for you.” He gave it to Vanessa. “I’m sorry I didn’t have time to stop at a store before I came, and airport gift shops aren’t really my thing. I’d be happy to take your portrait, my treat.”
“Thank you so much, I’d love that.” Luca’s eyes cut to mine before Dante strolled toward the bar. With him gone, I decided now was as good a time as any to announce my exit. Walking up to Vanessa, I said, “Hey, I’m going to head home.”
“Why?” was her immediate response. She leaned closer and added, “Once all these other yahoos get lost, the real party will start.”
“You’ll fill me in tomorrow.” Guilt squeezed inside my chest from the look on her face. “I love you. Happy birthday.”
“Me too, Cass.” After hugging Vanessa, Kyle handed me a party favor as I said my goodbye to the others and made a hasty beeline for the front doors. I had such high hopes for this evening—dancing, enjoying my friends. I could blame the fender bender for the headache pounding in my temples, but that would be a lie.
I owed it all to the kinky newbie named Dante. Never in my wildest imagination did I think a cocky jackass would make my insides clench, but he did. Maybe it was the circumstances, but I had a feeling it was much more than that. Dante was different than any man I’d known, and yet in a matter of minutes, he’d been able to ignite a fire inside me that hadn’t been stoked in years… or ever.
Chapter 3
Dante
Unpacking was the worst part of moving. Thankfully, Luca had taken the day off to help me. I had lived in several places, and with each move, I disliked it more and more. Getting too old for this shit, I decided maybe this time sticking around longer than a year or two wouldn’t be a bad idea. Besides Milan, New York was the perfect place for my business to thrive. The move to Manhattan had been instigated by a major modeling agency contacting me to do multiple prominent shoots. I couldn’t turn them down. Couple that with the other gigs I could easily line up, plus the fact that Luca lived here, and it made it a no-brainer.
Finding an available unit in Luca’s building was another bonus. Thanks to my success as a photographer, buying the two-bedroom apartment was doable. Plus, using the second bedroom as a studio would save me the hassle of renting space elsewhere.
While Luca focused on my kitchen, I worked in the living room. After an hour or so, the clanging of pots and pans ceased. Luca walked out of the kitchen and asked, “Hey, do you want to grab lunch?” My brother’s eyes fixated on the large photograph I had hung. “Wait, isn’t that Charlene?”
Luca was the only one I had confided in, and it hadn’t been by choice. He’d happened to meet her once or twice, and then to his displeasure, he’d been in California when Charlene and I had decided to call it quits. “It is.” I quickly explained that although displaying it was weird, it had nothing to do with the person in the photo.
“It’s a beautiful shot, but isn’t it difficult for you to have it front and center in your home?” He shook his head, still focusing on the woman and not the art.
“It’s not about her.” It wasn’t. Yes, Charlene was a gorgeous woman, but as I concentrated on the portrait, I could see past all the makeup and perfect blond highlights. What first caught my attention were her hazel eyes. They glittered as if she always had the sun shining in them.
She and I had dated for almost two years. She was the closest I’d ever come to
wanting to spend the rest of my life with someone. Our jobs took us to various places around the globe, from Hawaii to South Africa. But when she was offered a contract in France, she moved. In not so many words, she’d insinuated she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Charlene had felt it was the perfect time for us to explore new and different experiences. It took no time at all for her to begin a new relationship with a businessman she met in Paris. I suppose everything happened for a reason. “Like I said, what we had ended, and we’ve both moved on.”
My brother cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, if you say so.”
“I do.” I raked my hand through my hair, no longer wanting to talk about Charlene. “Did you say something about lunch?”
Forty-five minutes later, Luca and I sat in a booth, enjoying the daily special at a nearby diner decorated in a 1950s motif. Elvis crooned softly in the background while the waitstaff scurried around in bubblegum-pink uniforms.
“Ma called last night worried about you.”
The burger I had in my hands stopped its path toward my mouth. “If she texted, like the rest of society, she’d know I was fine.”
“You’re lucky she’s even using a cell phone at all. Can you please call her, so she stops bothering me?” Luca shoved a fry into his mouth, acting as the older, more responsible brother. Somewhere between our preteens and adulthood, we had switched roles. “I’m not your personal assistant.”
“She likes you better anyway. Besides, every call is no less than forty-five minutes long, and most of the time she’s yelling at me for some reason. You having found your Ms. Perfect doesn’t help my case. So thank you for falling in love.” Luca beamed, and I forced my hand to stay still and not slap that dopey lovey-dovey look off his face. “Seriously, you’re making my life very difficult. Not only is she happy her middle child found the love of his life, but she has an instant grandson. Way to go, little brother.”