As the blood pounded in her veins she had his pants undone, and heard Dante hiss when her fingers trailed over the thickness covered by his briefs. She gulped a few times and let the pants fall to his ankles. “I need to go,” she whispered.
She stared at him and shook her head. What was she supposed to be doing? Everything had left her head with nothing but the handsome man in front of her.
“No, this can’t happen,” she whispered, and shoved him down to the bed, so he was sitting.
She knelt and removed his shoes, socks and pants, and then she couldn’t move when he spread his thighs. She found herself eye level with his groin, and the hard pulsing erection that he couldn’t hide.
She had to get out of there! If Dante hadn’t drank so much, there was no way he’d be like this with her, no matter how much that hurt, it was the truth, and she understood the reason why.
Standing, she met his watchful gaze. “I’m going. You need to sleep off that whiskey, and I really hope you don’t remember tonight, otherwise you’re going to be pissed.” She backed away toward the door; his gaze didn’t waver from her.
“I’m not sure I can walk.”
She froze at his words.
“Can you get me some water, and maybe a cold, wet washcloth to cover my forehead, from the bathroom?”
She could do that.
“Okay...get in bed and I’ll get everything.”
She grabbed a bottle of water, and pulled a couple of painkillers out of her purse before she placed them on the bedside table. Then she headed into the bathroom.
It took her a minute to get the water cold enough, but when she had, she made sure the cloth was soaked before she wrung it out with her hands.
Walking back into the bedroom, Dante was lying on his bed...completely naked. As in no briefs, naked.
Emelia’s blood pounded through her ears as she stared at his beautiful body. His legs were spread and the answer to her question about shaved or not was there for her to see. He wasn’t. His penis was long, past his navel, and so damn hard that she couldn’t look away. His fists clenched the bedding at his sides.
“Emelia,” he groaned, his eyes closed, his head thrown back just as his body bowed off the bed.
“I want to lick you,” she blurted, and wondered where the hell her brain had gone because it so wasn’t engaged right then, “so I know what you taste like.” She licked her lips in anticipation, hoping like hell that he forgot what she’d said when he woke up in the morning.
Her gaze trailed over his hard body, and she watched as Dante panted hard. He growled, his body tensed, and strained, and then in shocked surprise, his penis jerked while his seed gradually spread over his stomach and chest.
Emelia didn’t think she’d ever been more turned on in her life as she witnessed him in the height of his pleasure, but she needed to touch.
So before he stopped releasing, she knelt on the bed, and reached out to trail a finger from the bulging head of his shaft. His flesh trembled as she grazed along the rigidness, which gave her courage to continue, and massage his balls.
He might be drunk and possibly asleep, but he showed with his naked body that he trusted her. Would he remember what he allowed to happen when he woke in the morning?
She had the opportunity to walk away before anything else happened. He’d had far too much to drink, and if he remembered anything of the night, she didn’t want him to have the memory of making love to her when he thought that she was his true sister. It would be difficult enough for him to reconcile what he’d done already without adding her to the list of his sins.
She wanted to be with him in the most basic of ways, and seeing him like she was…hurt. It hurt a lot, but she had to be the adult because she feared Dante no longer cared while the alcohol clouded his judgment.
But she wanted just one touch before she left. Just one. “I’m going to touch you. I want to know how you feel to the touch before I go.”
She waited for him to object and when he didn’t, she moved even closer, and told herself to remember to clean him up before she left.
Her hand wrapped lightly around him and she felt his texture. He was rock hard still, but his skin felt silky in her hand. Her fascination was focused on the slit, where his release had spurted from. So that’s where she concentrated, and rubbed with a finger. Within seconds, he started to release again, covering her fingers.
She’d seen a blowjob online and wondered...before his seed finished releasing, Emelia bent her head and sucked the head of him into her mouth.
The sound that came out of Dante was like a keening noise, maybe an animal in pain, but she couldn’t stop and swallowed his release while she continued to pump with one hand on the base of him. Her lips sealed around the head as she sucked his essence out of his body.
She had no idea how long he’d been releasing but before she could move, Dante had her on her back and under him.
Chapter Nine
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The noise Dante thought came from inside his head, was someone banging on his bedroom door, although he wished it was a different door they banged on.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
“Dante...wake the fuck up, I’m starving.”
He grunted into the pillow wanting Aiden gone.
“I’m gonna get this door opened if you don’t answer.”
Heck!
“I’m alive,” Dante shouted, and gripped his head.
At least the headache he’d woken up with a few hours ago had faded to a dull ache, thanks to the painkillers and water he’d swallowed. Even though he had no recollection of leaving the emergency supplies next to the bed.
“Are you okay in there?” Aiden wouldn’t give up, but he really didn’t expect him to.
“I’ll live.” He flopped over to his back and lay still while he let his stomach settle. “I need a shower first. Go get your breakfast, and I’ll follow you down.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
He said yes, but he was sure he was lying. From the way his stomach rolled, he wasn’t sure he could stand the smell of food—he’d drunk too much whiskey last night. What the heck was wrong with him? He liked a drink of the hard liquor before bed, but yesterday at the wedding he’d gone way overboard.
You know why…
He sighed as Emelia popped into his head. She’d been beautiful in her plum colored dress that fitted her like a second skin. It was held up with thin straps and had dipped low in the front. It had taken all his strength to keep his head above her chest, but he was only human and his gaze had wandered there a few times until he’d taken himself to the bar. And now he’d spend the rest of the day suffering.
The shower called to him, and he knew that he’d feel better once he’d been under the warm water; all he needed was the will to move.
While he laid breathing through his nose, the sudden draft that wafted across him gave him pause. His hands automatically went to his groin and that’s when he realized he’d lost his briefs.
His heart froze as he tried to remember last night, but the last recollection he had was of Eric putting him into the car, after that his mind was a blank.
Why hadn’t he kept his briefs on? He usually slept in pajama pants, but he’d never slept in the nude before.
The confusion was annoying as he quickly sat up and dropped his feet to the floor, his head in his hands while he tried not to puke.
As he peeled his eyes open, he spotted his briefs on the floor along with a washcloth.
He groaned because he really couldn’t remember, and he’d obviously been drunk, so who the heck knew his reasoning the night before.
Once he felt that his stomach was settled as best as it was going to be, he stood and made his way into the bathroom and turned the shower on.
After he’d emptied his bladder, he really looked at himself in the mirror. Something was different, he felt...lighter, maybe. He frowned as a memory teased him, but of what, he couldn’t qu
ite grasp.
Perhaps once he felt more himself, he’d be able to remember, or at least think straight.
As he stepped into the shower, it didn’t take him long to wash and wake up some before he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, like any other guy. He wasn’t any other guy though; he was a priest who wished he’d had the sense to pack a couple of his black shirts and collar. At least in uniform, he’d have a much larger barrier between him and Emelia.
He wondered if she’d be at breakfast, or if she’d be suffering because of alcohol like he was. He frowned and hoped she didn’t suffer. The thought of Emelia suffering didn’t sit well with him.
Leaving the room, he ran a hand down his drawn face, and for the first time in his life, he felt his forty-one years.
“About time,” Aiden commented. “Thought I’d have to send a search party after you.”
“Ha ha, funny,” he drawled, without humor.
“You got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?” Diego frowned, and pulled the chair out beside him.
Without making a big deal out of anything, Dante took the offered seat and tried not to look at Emelia, who he sat next too.
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.
Perhaps in time he’d be able to move on and stop thinking about her, when he should be thinking about his church.
Chapter Ten
Breakfast had been even more difficult than Emelia had thought it would be. She’d managed okay until Dante had shown up and sat beside her, thanks to Diego. Her twin knew that there was something going on between Dante and her, but he had no clue as to what, which was why he tried to get them together.
Diego meant well, but it didn’t help her one bit and put her more on edge than she already was. Until he’d joined them in the hotel dining room, she’d had no idea as to whether or not he remembered last night and what had happened. From his reaction to her, it was clear that he hadn’t. In fact, as far as he knew, Eric had seen him back and both she and Eric had been fine with him believing that.
Sighing heavily, Emelia thought back to when she’d snuck out of his room last night. She’d been embarrassed, but she’d also been in tears because he’d fallen asleep straightaway. She’d known then that he wouldn’t remember. Perhaps that was for the best.
Nothing that had happened in his room would change anything between them. All it did was give Emelia memories of him to keep her warm at night.
She only wished . . .
Bang. Bang.
She jumped at the sound of someone knocking on her door, but she quickly went to answer it and found Eric with a frown on his face.
“What the hell happened between you two last night?” Eric demanded.
Emelia stepped back. “You better come in.”
She hadn’t finished packing but that would have to wait now that Eric wanted answers. She’d have to skim the truth because she wasn’t about to tell anyone.
Her mother always said that she had an open face, meaning the truth was always written there. For once, she hoped that her mom was wrong because she knew that Eric wouldn’t be fooled.
“Emelia! I’m not going anywhere until you’ve answered me.” He paced back and forth in front of her win
dow before he stopped and glared at her. “Downstairs you wanted me to let Dante presume that I was the one to get him back here. Why?”
“It was easier that way.” She shrugged as if that was the simple, and only, answer.
“Nothing is easy when it involves you two,” he mumbled.
“Eric, please, just let it go. It’s over with now. There’s no reason to stress him out about the whole thing when he can’t even remember.”
Eric’s eyes narrowed and Emelia cringed. She’d given too much away.
“Hmm.” He sagged into the one chair in the hotel room, rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands. “I don’t know what the fuck to do, you realize that? All my life, I’ve been good at making split second decisions, but with you two, I find that I can’t even make one.”
Emelia felt close to tears with how her life had gone. Last night, with Dante, had been the most amazing night of her life so far, and she wouldn’t forget it or regret it for as long as she lived. A huge part of her felt sad that Dante couldn’t remember what had happened between them. A smaller part was thankful because she knew that it would hurt Dante to know that he’d betrayed his vows. The fact that he thought her to be his sister would take a backseat once he knew what they’d done.
“Your silence says nothing, but everything at the same time.” Eric held his hand out to her, and when she took hold, he pushed her down to sit on the bed. “You need to go home soon and talk to your mom. As difficult as it’s going to be, the truth has to come out, and the sooner the better.”
“I’m afraid,” Emelia whispered.
Eric reached out and caught a lone tear as it slipped down her face. “I’ll go with you.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug. “I’ll be there for back up.” He smiled. “They’re our family Emelia, and even though it will hurt Diego the most, the rest of us will be hurt and angry to discover that Dad has lied to us all these years. It needs to come out, and then Dante will be able to decide whether or not he wants to stay in the church.”
Love in Purgatory (De La Fuente #2) Page 5