With Us (The Amato Series Book 1)

by Layla Frost

  It was on the tip of my tongue to point out to Mrs. Giovanni that Fifi was an elderly and arthritic Maltese who weighed barely five pounds soaking wet. Knowing it would only drag me into a forty-minute lecture about the ‘beast’, I kept my mouth shut.

  Mrs. Giovanni’s eyes darted to Theo and then back to me. “Well, just keep your eyes open.”

  “Okay…” I said to her retreating back. Once Theo and I were in the elevator, I filled him in on Fifi, much to his amusement. “I mean, she’s always been a little out there, but it’s like she’s knitting with one needle lately, you know?”

  “Maybe Fifi really does have a vendetta against her.”

  I nodded as the elevator doors squeaked open. “If there was anyone that loving pup could hate, it makes sense that it’d be her.” I turned to him as we approached my apartment. “Do you want to come in?”

  “Not tonight,” he said, two seconds before lowering his mouth to mine. Moving me until my back was pressed against my front door, his hands went to either side of my doorframe. He kept his body away from mine, though.

  After a couple minutes, I pulled my head back just enough to ask, “Why not?”

  “You’ve gotta go to bed,” he whispered against my mouth.

  “It’s early.”

  “What time do you wake up tomorrow?”

  “Around four.”

  “Go to bed, gattina,” he said, his mouth taking mine once more. With a low groan, he stepped away and dropped his arms.

  Knowing he was right, I unlocked my door. “Night, Theo.”

  His voice held the same reluctance as he returned, “Night, my gattina.”

  I closed and locked the door behind me, flicking on the light. As I got changed and ready for bed, my mind was restless. My whole body was. I spread out in bed and tried to read, but I couldn’t stay focused or still.

  I kept thinking of the dream. Of being alone. Of my mom’s advice.

  Bringing up Theo’s number in my phone, my finger hovered over the button for a moment before I touched it. It rang twice before he connected.

  “Is everything okay?” he asked by way of greeting.

  “Yeah, it’s fine. How far away are you?”

  “Not far. Why?” There was an alert edge to his voice. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I said through a small laugh. “Are you too far to turn around and come back?”

  “I’m never too far to get to you.”

  Although his answer made me smile, I began to doubt my impulsive decision. “Never mind—”

  “I’ll be there in fifteen.”

  It was less than that when my buzzer went off, and I hit the intercom. “Hello?”

  “It’s me,” Theo’s voice said, crackling through the ancient system.

  I pressed the unlock button and waited near the door for the soft knock that came a minute later.

  When I opened the door, Theo’s expression was concerned as his eyes searched my face. “Are you okay?”

  I stepped aside so he could enter. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Looking beyond him, I wished I had a comfortable couch.

  Or any couch.

  Or at least a couple chairs.

  Since my apartment was so small, I hadn’t had room for both a bed and a couch unless I slept on a twin size. One of my few splurges had been a queen mattress when I got the place. It was lumpy, and there was a spring that’d collapsed and left an indented area, but it was big and pretty comfortable.

  Theo didn’t say anything about the lack of seating. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at me expectantly.

  “You were right,” I blurted out.

  “Of course I was,” he said with a nod before smiling. “But what specifically about?”

  “I was looking for an out before.”

  His smile faded, but he didn’t respond.

  I hesitated, not sure how much to say. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to talk to him. For once, I wanted to open up. I just didn’t want it to set the mood for the night.

  “I bounced around foster homes a lot, so I learned not to get attached.”

  Grabbing my wrist, he tugged me close to where he sat. His hands moved to my hips. One at a time, they slid down the back of my thigh and pulled so I had to put my knees on the mattress, straddling him. He stroked up over my ass to between my shoulders, holding me tight to him. “And now?”

  “I’m attached.” I could barely hear my own voice as my fingers slid through his soft hair. I watched as his face changed in understanding, his dimples becoming noticeable in a barely there smile. Just as quickly, it was gone and a wickedly erotic gaze was left in its place.

  Yanking my mouth to his, there was an edge to Theo’s kiss that hadn’t been there before. A different kind of urgency. There was no holding back.

  No control.

  His palm held the back of my head as he roughly took my mouth. His other fingers dug into my hip, pressing me against his hardness.

  I rocked my hips, my tongue dancing with his. Tugging at his shirt, our kiss ended just long enough for me to whip it off as Theo did the same with mine.

  Gripping my ass in one hand, Theo stood but didn’t stop kissing me. His groan matched my soft moan as he moved me up his hardness so I was pressed against his abs. He shifted, his pants rustling as he pushed them down and kicked off his shoes. When he repeated the movement to remove his boxers, his hard cock bounced back up, hitting my ass.

  He turned and lowered me to the bed, following me down. His mouth left mine as he trailed kisses down my neck. Teasing licks and gentle bites, he moved down to my chest. His mouth covered my nipple, sucking it in deep. Holding himself up with one elbow, his other hand went between us.

  When he curled his fingers into the elastic band of my pj shorts, I lifted my bottom off the bed so he could tug them down. Leaving them taut around my thighs, his hand skimmed up my inner thigh. Up and down through my wetness, his touch was light and teasing, but his mouth on my nipple was rougher.

  Hard, deep sucks had me arching my back.

  More forceful bites caused my breath to come out in a hiss.

  With one last strong pull, he released my nipple and switched to the other. This time, his tongue was soft, licking slow and lazy as it twirled. His teeth grazed lightly, never fully biting.

  His touch on my pussy changed, too. Thumb circling my clit, he put pressure on as he quickened his pace. His index finger pushed into me, his groan vibrating against my tit and drowning out my own noise. He added a second finger, sliding it in and out a few times before curling them to stroke.

  My ass went off the bed as Theo hit the right spot, my hand clutching his head to my breast. “More,” I ordered, my voice raspy.

  Keeping the pressure, his thumb switched to rub my clit up and down quickly. My legs began shaking, the gentle pulsing between them growing to something more.

  Just as my breath caught, Theo stopped and removed his hand. Before I could voice my disappointment, though, he pulled my shorts off and moved down my body so his head was between my thighs. His tongue licked up slowly.

  “Love the way you taste, Dahlia,” he muttered before his mouth covered me.

  All the force he’d used on my nipples was transferred to my pussy as he licked, bit, and sucked. He gripped my hips, using his hold to pull me as tight against his mouth as he could. I had the vague thought that I hoped he could still breathe, but I wasn’t about to move away to check. Instead, my feet went flat on the mattress and my hips rocked.

  I was close again, the tension in my belly almost painful. Theo’s mouth latched onto my clit, his teeth biting as his tongue flicked quickly back and forth.

  “Oh hell, more. More. Oh, God, I… Close,” I rambled, my mind racing.

  Theo slowed, his movements turning to light teasing as the orgasm I was chasing disappeared. His large hand spanned my pelvis, his thumb resting on my clit. As his tongue became more focused and intense as he licked me, his thumb rubbed up and down
with more pressure than ever. Within minutes, tremors ran through my legs and my mind was going beautifully blank.

  Thoughts slammed back into me when, to my rage inducing frustration, Theo stopped and sat back on his calves.

  My breathing was heavy as I glared at him, bringing my knees together in a vain attempt to have the pressure back. “What’re you doing?”

  His lips curled up on one side in a smirk, his hooded eyes slowly traveling down my body. “I’ve been thinking about this for months, gattina. Months. Right now, I’m trying my fucking hardest not to rush.” When my knees dropped to the side, my legs falling open, his eyes darkened. “Never mind,” he growled.

  Lowering his body over mine, his back arched, his hard cock pushing against me. He held himself up with his palms near my shoulders and looked down at me, his eyes searching.

  I should’ve been nervous. Or, at the very least, more introspective about it all. I was a virgin; the first time was supposed to be a big deal. Maybe if it’d been with someone else, I would’ve had second thoughts or doubts.

  With Theo, though, it wasn’t about finally having sex. It was about finally having sex with him.

  “There are condoms in the side drawer.” I pointed to the side.

  His eyes widened, glancing over to the nightstand before returning to me.

  “I’m not on the pill yet,” I said. “Hard to squeeze in an appointment with my work schedule. After last time you were over, I wanted to be prepared.”

  “Prepared,” he echoed, still not moving.

  I nodded.

  This time when his mouth took mine, his kiss was brutal. The length of his cock moved through my wetness, and the first bit of unease hit.

  He was big.

  Logically, I knew he’d fit. But feeling his full, thick length pressed against me, I couldn’t help but wonder how.

  I was looking forward to finding out.

  “Condom,” I said again between kisses.

  He reached up and opened the drawer, keeping his lips connected with mine. A loud rattling noise filled the room, startling me.

  Realizing what it was, my cheeks burned.

  Theo pulled my rabbit vibrator out of the drawer, his lips tipped up in amusement even as his cock jerked against me. “We’ll return to this soon,” he rumbled. Putting it back inside the drawer, he grabbed the large box of condoms. “Big plans?”

  I nodded before admitting, “And they were on sale. Plus, employee discount.”

  He opened the box and pulled one out. Holding it in his hand, he gripped my hips again and thrust a few times so his cock moved between my pussy lips. Reluctantly, Theo moved back and tore open the wrapper, quickly rolling it on. He fisted his cock, guiding the tip to me. “Wrap your legs around me.” When I did as he said, he inched in, his hands on my thighs shaking with his restraint. “You okay?” he asked through gritted teeth.

  Stretched wide around his thick cock, I was filled so full it would’ve been painful had I not been soaked and so built up, a gust of wind at the right angle could get me off.

  But thanks to Theo’s relentless torment, any discomfort was far from my mind as he moved in me.

  “Yeah,” I whispered. My hands rubbed across his shoulders, but I felt like I should be doing more. His thrusts were slow and shallow, and I was beginning to worry it wasn’t feeling good for him.

  Maybe I really am supposed to bend, contort, and scream my head off. Am I doing something wrong?

  “Relax, gattina, or it’ll start to hurt.”

  “I need… I mean, is it… Does it feel okay? For you?” I blurted out.

  His lips brushed my cheek as he moved to my ear. “Feels better than okay. I’m trying my fucking hardest not to come right now with how perfect you feel. You need more?”

  Any words I had were lost when he bit down on the spot where my neck met my shoulder. His pace picked up, the force making the discomfort grow into an acute ache. The pain still wasn’t bad, not anywhere near what I’d built it up to be.

  The shallow rocking was gone, replaced by long thrusts. Almost all the way out, Theo would push into me, just to pull out and repeat the process. My body tightened around him.

  “This is gonna be embarrassingly fast, gattina,” he grunted roughly. His hand on my thigh pushed it back, unlatching one of my legs from around him so I was spread wider. He rubbed my clit relentlessly, losing his rhythm as he moved in me.

  My legs began to shake, my thoughts racing as I fought to keep my eyes on Theo. Everything went out of focus, my mind blanking.

  “Thank fuck,” I heard Theo say somewhere in the distance with a loud groan, but I was already gone.

  Coming.

  Exploding.

  So far beyond the pleasantly efficient self-supplied orgasms, I finally understood the connection that came from sex.

  I got it.

  And I loved it.

  I pulsed around Theo as I finished, my body left feeling boneless and spent.

  He collapsed on me, his chest hair rough on my overly sensitive nipples. Both of our bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat as we panted. He made no move to end our connection, but I wrapped my arms and legs around him anyway.

  “Cazzo,” he whispered. “Been thinking about that since the first time I saw you, but I couldn’t have imagined it’d be like that.” His tongue moved from my shoulder up my neck. “Already addicted to you, Dahlia. Now that I’ve had your pussy? I’m never gonna get enough.”

  With that, he pushed back, leaving me no choice but to release my hold. He padded into the bathroom, giving me an amazing view of his firm ass and toned back. Once he was out of view, my eyes began to close. I was fighting sleep when he climbed back into bed, setting his cell on the side table before pulling me so I was mostly on him.

  “I know a doctor. I’ll call in a favor, get him to see you next weekend.”

  “Hmm?” I questioned, too tired to form words.

  “I want to feel your pussy with nothing between us. I haven’t been with anyone in years, and I’ve never gone without a condom, but I’ll get tested again so you can know.”

  My eyes shot open as his words woke me up quicker than a triple espresso.

  Years?

  I couldn’t imagine Theo going days without sex, much less years.

  “I trust you,” I said, meaning it fully. I knew he wouldn’t risk my safety.

  He squeezed me tighter. “Sleep, gattina.”

  I tried to fight it again, wanting to further analyze things, but there was no holding my eyes open.

  My eyes may have been closed, but I fell asleep feeling like I had it all.

  Theo

  Dahlia fell asleep quickly, her body relaxing as her soft breaths filled the quiet.

  I’d never had sex like that.

  Never lost control.

  Never came so fucking fast.

  I grabbed my phone from the side table, checking my messages before shooting off a quick email to Doctor Coran. If Dahlia wanted to change her mind, I’d cancel, but I wanted it set. Sliding my cock through her wetness, I’d nearly come just thinking about what it’d be like to see my baby growing in her. My dad bringing up babies earlier in the night hadn’t been the first time the thought had entered my mind.

  But I was a selfish fucker, and I wanted her to myself for a while.

  Especially if that meant feeling her with nothing between us.

  I held her tighter to me, my cock growing harder with each sigh and movement she made. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was waking her up so I could take her again.

  I’m fucking addicted, and out of my damn mind.

  And I was fine with both.

  Chapter Ten

  Chop the Eggplant

  Dahlia

  “Come on. Open, open, open,” I ordered. Clutching the screwdriver, I was tempted to stab the machine as my frustration grew.

  It wasn’t the only thing I was frustrated with.

  Since the night we’d had sex for the fir
st, and second and third, time the week before, Theo and I had barely seen each other. I’d had to work extra at Weggies. On my one night off, Luc had called Theo away with a work emergency.

  Normally I worked Mondays at both Java Brew and Weggies, but the café was closed for a few days for painting and an unfortunate bathroom repair. I was grateful to have missed that during the weekend. I’d been excited to sleep in on a Monday, but Jerry had called to ask me to come in a few hours early in exchange for getting out early. Since that meant I could finally have dinner, and more, with Theo, I’d agreed.

  I was regretting that decision.

  Finally popping open the compartment, I wrestled with the empty label ring.

  “Excuse me? Miss?”

  Glancing over my shoulder to confirm he was talking to me, I set the new labels down on the out of commission produce scale. “Hi, can I help you with something?”

  Dressed in a black chef’s coat, the man held up a couple eggplants. “Do you have any more?”

  I mentally reviewed the produce order we should’ve received earlier in the day. “We should. How many do you need?”

  “A lot.” He checked his watch and swore. Looking up, he forced a smile despite the obvious worry in his expression. “A hundred, more if you have it.”

  “Let me check.”

  Grabbing one of the workers from the warehouse, we quickly loaded a cart with boxes of eggplant. I wheeled it near the doorway leading into the store and left it with the warehouse worker while I got the shopper.

  “Do you have any gloves I could use?” he asked.

  The warehouse worker handed him a pair before grabbing some empty boxes for the man.

  I stood and watched for a few minutes as the man sorted through the eggplant, leaving some while adding others to his box.

  “What am I looking for?” I said, grabbing my own pair of gloves.

  “They have to be medium ones, not too big or small.” He held one up. “Full. A nice shiny, deep purple.”

  Nodding, I joined in, holding the first few up for his approval. Once I knew what was needed, it was a slightly faster process. “What do you need so much for?”

  “I’m the head chef at Baba’s. A few doors from here?”