He put the glass down on the coffee table and scooted closer to her. “You can tell me. What happened to her parents?”
She glanced at him and hesitated for a moment before she began to speak. “Sean and Brenda—my brother and his wife—they were murdered. Some men came into their house and …” She paused, pain crossing her face. “Sean was a policeman and they suspect it was for revenge or a gang initiation of some sort.”
“And Hannah?”
“They think Brenda sacrificed herself. Woke Hannah up so she could run and then distracted the suspects so she could have enough time to escape. They found Hannah a few blocks away, huddled under some bushes. She hasn’t spoken since.”
Dante curled his fists at his side. “Did they hurt her? Is that why she can’t talk?”
“See, that’s it,” she said. “I’ve been to dozens of doctors and speech therapists in the Tri-State area. Physically, there’s nothing wrong with her. Her vocal chords are perfectly fine. She just won’t speak.”
“But what about going to a behavioral therapist?”
“Don’t you think I’ve tried everything?” She sat up straighter and slapped her palms on her knees. “I’ve tried therapy. Talking to her. Threatening her. Bribing her. But she just won’t talk, and I don’t know why. I just want her to get better, and I don’t want to fail. I’ve never failed at anything, but I’m afraid … I can’t fail her, can’t you see? She’s all I have left of Sean!”
Her eyes were shiny with unspilled tears, and she bent her head down to avoid his gaze. It tore his heart out to see her like this. Slowly, he reached out to her, wrapping his hands around her wrists to pull her up to him. Tears glistened on her pale, heart-shaped faced. “You haven’t failed her. She’s healthy and seems somewhat happy, considering what she’s been through. And that’s because of you. You made sure she had a home, stopped her from being put into foster care. God knows what could have happened to her there. You probably had to give up a lot to be here with her. I’m sure your brother and sister-in-law, wherever they are, are happy that you’re here for Hannah.”
“I …”
Pain pricked at him, seeing her like this. Unable to stop himself, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. He waited for her to protest or push him away, but instead she let out a low moan that sent desire spiraling straight through him as her lips yielded to his.
As he continued to kiss her, he let go of her wrists. She slid her palms up his chest and around his neck. He moved his hands to her waist to pull her closer. He pushed his tongue against the seam of her mouth, willing her to open to him. When she did, he darted his tongue inside, taking a tentative taste. God, she was delicious, and her lavender and vanilla scent was driving him wild, like a drug that shot straight to his brain, firing off the right synapses. No, it wasn’t just her scent. It was all of her.
Feeling bold, he pulled her onto his lap, making her thighs straddle him. She let out a gasp when his erection brushed against her core, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted her so bad. Wanted to know how her skin would feel against his and what it would be like to be inside her. His hands pushed her sweater up from her waist tentatively, exposing a strip of skin on her lower back. When his fingers touched her there, she arched her back and pressed her core to him, making him groan in pleasure.
“Dante,” she whispered, throwing her head back as he pushed his hips up, rubbing his erection against her. The sound of his name on her lips made something primal rise in him, and he wanted nothing more than to hear it over and over again. He skimmed his mouth over the column of her neck, exploring the velvety soft skin as his hands boldly slid under her sweater. Her skin was warm, and his hands found the swell of her breasts. Easing the lacy cups of her bra aside, his fingers played over her nipples, brushing them to hardness.
Suddenly, her back stiffened and she froze. She scrambled off him, getting to her feet. “I can’t … I’m sorry.”
He groaned at the loss of her warm body. “Holly … I’m …” What? He wasn’t sorry for kissing her, that was for sure.
Holly stood over him, looking so achingly beautiful with her hair mussed, lips swollen, and cheeks pink. “We can’t do this. I hardly know you.”
“Then get to know me,” he said, standing up. He reached out for her, but she shrank away, wrapping her arms around her middle.
“I just …” She glanced over to Hannah’s bedroom door. “I have to focus on her. She’s my priority and this,” she waved between them, “this would complicate things.”
“It doesn’t have to,” he insisted, but she put her hand up to stop him from getting closer.
“Please go, Dante.”
Dante stared at her, the pain in his chest blooming and threatening to take over. No, something in him protested. But she was right, and he had to respect that. If she wasn’t ready, he couldn’t force himself into her life. It wasn’t just about her.
Tamping down the feelings that were swirling inside him, he turned around and strode to the door, not bothering to turn around to say goodbye or look at her.
***
“Yo, Dante,” Enzo called as he pushed through the kitchen doors. “Dante!”
“Huh?” Dante looked up from his simmering pot of tomato sauce. “What?”
“Jeeze, what’s gotten into you?” His brother shook his head. “You’ve been like a fucking head case all morning.”
Dante shrugged. “Nothing.” Nothing at all, he thought. But he wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince. It was hard, leaving Holly’s place like that last night. He thought he could forget about her, even stopped by Blood Moon, the local club Lycans frequented, to maybe try and pick up friendlier company. But no. None of the women there caught his eye. Besides, his wolf was raging and even the other Lycans at the club had steered clear of him. He went home alone, his mind filled with memories of lavender and vanilla and soft skin.
“Well, guess who’s here to cheer you up?” Enzo said.
“Uncle Dante! Uncle Dante!”
Two children—a boy and girl—zoomed into the kitchen, laughing as they careened into Dante’s legs.
“Hello, munchkins,” he greeted as he scooped up Adrianna and Lucas into his arms. They both had the same mop of dark hair and mismatched green and blue eyes, just like his and Frankie’s. Sometimes, when he was out alone with them, people thought they were his kids. “How are my favorite twins?”
“How many other twins do you know?” Lucas asked. “Aside from us and Uncle Enzo and Uncle Matt?”
“You’re so smart, you know that?” he said with a grin. “Where’d you come from?”
Adrianna giggled. “We just got out of school, and Nonna Gianna and Shane picked us up.”
“Oh really?” He swung his head around and saw his great-aunt accompanied by the twins’ nanny/bodyguard. The tall, blond man in the dark suit held the door open as Gianna toddled inside, carrying a white box tied with a green ribbon. She gave the younger man a nod of thanks.
“Nonna, nice to see you decided to stay in New York,” he greeted as he walked to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“Yes, well, Frankie convinced me to stay. Said I’d be doing her a favor if I could watch the twins while she takes Julianna to her doctor’s appointment. Even lent me this hunk to drive me around,” she said, nodding to Shane.
“It’s my pleasure, ma’am” he said, flashing her a brilliant smile. “I’ll be in the car; just holler if you need me.” He nodded to Dante and Enzo, then ducked out of the kitchen.
“If only I was thirty years younger,” Gianna said with a shake of her head. “Anyway,” she turned to Dante, a sly grin on her face, “what time did you get home, young man?”
Dante winced. “Nonna …”
“Were you out past your bedtime, Uncle Dante?” Lucas asked.
With a sigh, he placed the two children on the floor. “Why don’t you two go and see what Greg is doing? I think he’s rolling out the pasta and making bowties.”
“Co
ol!” Adrianna said, grabbing her brother’s hand and pulling him to the other side of the kitchen.
“So, where were you last night?” Enzo asked.
“He was with that chef lady,” Gianna supplied before Dante could protest. “Stayed at her place for dinner.”
“That … you mean from across the street?” Enzo exclaimed. “She’s a babe! And you went home with her? Way to go! I thought she was a cold bi—” A growl from Dante made him stop. “Er, tough cookie.”
“It’s not what you think,” Dante said. He relayed the story to them about Hannah, but left out the last part. “And then, after Hannah’s bedtime, I went home. Alone.” Technically true. And very true.
“But are you going to see her again?” Gianna asked, a twinkle in her eye. “I saw the sparks between you two.”
“Ooh, sparks,” Enzo joked. “Are things gonna get hot and heavy then?”
“Stop it,” he said. “She’s not interested.”
“How do you know?” Gianna inquired. “She’s single; so are you.”
“That’s not it. She’s just got … too much stuff going on.”
“So?” Gianna frowned. “You stubborn young people. Just wait until you get to my age. You’ll see how much time you’ve wasted.”
“Nonna,” he warned.
“Ah, basta. Madre de dio. Do I have to do everything around here?”
“Nonna, what are you planning?” Dante asked.
“Leave this up to me, my boy,” Gianna said, patting the white box next to her. “I made some zeppoles before I picked up the twins. I was planning to go over there and give them to Holly.”
He slapped his hand on his forehead. “Nonna, no!”
“Lucas! Adrianna!” she called to the children. “Guess what, we’re going on a little field trip!” The two children let out cheers of excitement and ran back to the old lady.
“Nonna, please,” Dante groaned. “Don’t make this worse.”
But the old lady ignored him and grabbed the two kids, disappearing into the dining room.
“Nonna!” he called, removing his apron. He had to stop them. Holly didn’t want any intrusions into her life, and he had to respect that, no matter how much he wanted her.
“Chef!” Jorge called, rushing into the kitchen. “We need you in the back.”
“Fuck,” he cursed. He looked at Enzo. “If they’re not back in 20 minutes and I’m not done here, do me a favor and go get her, okay?”
“Sure thing, bro.”
Chapter Eight
Holly watched her staff like a hawk as she walked around the kitchen, inspecting their work. Over by the stove, Pierre was preparing the staff meal. It was early yet, but she didn’t tolerate idleness in her kitchen. There was always something that needed to be done, and she expected her staff to pull their weight.
“Grace,” she said to one of the line cooks. “Make sure you—”
A crash from the corner of the room interrupted her, and she whipped around, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed.
“Sorry, Chef,” Julian said as he scrambled to the floor to pick up the discarded vegetables. Beside him, Hannah stood, wide-eyed. “Uhm, I didn’t see her.”
Holly let out a sigh and massaged her temples. “Hannah, I told you to stay in the office. What are you doing out here?” She walked over to the little girl, trying to control her emotions. Wide blue eyes looked up at her, and she stuck her lower lip out in a defiant gesture. “Oh, you’re mad at me?” she said. “Hannah, listen to me.”
Hannah crossed her arms over her chest and turned away.
“Hannah.”
No reaction.
“Hannah.”
The little girl looked up at her, face defiant, as if daring her to say more.
She let out a sigh. This was not going well.
Holly begged and bribed the baby sitter, Sonia, to take Hannah for the day. Unfortunately, it was just impossible. Sonia was as a teacher’s assistant, so it had worked out that she could pick up Hannah after school and then stay until Holly came home. Holly had no choice but to bring Hannah to the restaurant with her, at least until Sonia could come pick her up, which wasn’t for another hour.
Sharice had been okay with the situation, and said Hannah was welcome to stay. Holly didn’t know what to do with Hannah while she was working, so she put the little girl in her office and gave her a tablet to play with. But she probably got bored and wandered out into the kitchen.
And now they were in a standoff as Holly continued to stare her down. Hannah’s lower lip began to tremble, and her eyes filled with tears. Guilt tugged at her heart. Holly covered her eyes with her palms, took another deep breath, and counted to three.
“C’mon, sweetie,” she said with a sigh and picked up the sniffling girl. She walked to a quiet corner and placed her on top of the counter. “Hannah, I’m not mad at you. I just want to make sure you’re safe, okay? Look at what Pierre’s cooking. It’s bubbling and hot. What if that pot had fallen over on top of you instead of the vegetables? You could have been hurt.”
Hannah let out a big sniff and a hiccup.
“Sonia’s gonna be here soon. Then you can go home and play with your toys and watch Princess Arya. Wouldn’t you like that?”
At the sound of her favorite princess’ name, Hannah’s face lit up. She pointed to her eyes and then out the door, toward the restaurant across the street.
Holly’s shoulders slumped. She knew who Hannah was asking about. But she didn’t know how to answer her. It’s complicated? That was the only thing she could think of right now.
Dante Muccino was a complication she couldn’t afford right now. She felt like a juggler trying to keep all the balls in the air. Correction, she felt like a juggler balancing on a unicycle trying to keep all the balls in the air—Hannah, the restaurant, finding a new school, not to mention it was their first Christmas without Sean and Brenda. She hadn’t even figured out what to do during the Christmas break, and she had no bandwidth to add one more thing.
Still, she couldn’t erase the memory of Dante’s hands on her. Or his lips. Even now, her traitorous body was reacting, feeling flushed and tingly as she remembered what had happened on her couch. She hadn’t wanted it to end, but then the more logical part of her brain kicked in. And right when it was getting interesting, her body seemed to say.
Someone clearing her throat loudly jolted her from her thoughts, and warmth crept up to her collar. She turned her head. It was Gianna, waiting patiently, a grin on her face, and a sheepish-looking Julian beside her.
“I let her in, Chef,” Julian said. “I didn’t want them to wait out in the cold.”
“Thank you, Julian,” she said, nodding to the young man. “Gianna, how nice to see you again.” Movement from behind the old lady caught her eye.
“I’m glad you think so,” she answered. “And I brought guests; I hope you don’t mind.” She tugged behind herself and pulled two small figures forward. “This Adrianna and Lucas, my great-grandniece and grandnephew.” The two children were probably a year younger than Hannah. They both had dark hair, identical smiles, and—much to her surprise—mismatched green and blue eyes.
“Oh,” she said, unable to hide her surprise. Dante had never told her he had kids. A dread crept into her. Oh God, was he married? Did she kiss a married man?
Gianna chuckled. “They’re Dante’s sister’s kids,” she said with mirth in her voice. The older woman obviously knew what she was thinking.
“Right.” Holly bent down. “Hello, Adrianna, Lucas. I’m Holly.” She held her hand out.
The two kids looked at other, then at her. Lucas answered first. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Holly,” he said, and shook her hand. Adrianna followed suit. My, these children were very polite.
“And you must be Hannah,” Gianna said as she came closer. Hannah had somehow slid down the counter and was now hiding behind Holly. “Lovely to meet you, dear.” Hannah shyly looked up at her and gave her an acknowledging nod, then glanced down at
the twins.
“Lucas, Adrianna, why don’t you say hello to Hannah?” Gianna urged.
“Hello Hannah.” Adrianna was the first to come forward this time. She waved. “I’m Adrianna”
“And I’m Lucas.” He waited for a moment for Hannah to react.“Why aren’t you talking?” Lucas asked, cocking his head at her.
His sister jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. “Lucas! Remember what Nonna told us on the way here,” she stage-whispered to her brother.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” he said, scratching his head. “Hannah, do you want to go play somewhere?”
To Holly’s surprise, Hannah nodded then looked up at her.
“Why don’t you go play in the dining room?” Holly suggested. “Just don’t disturb Aunt Sharice and Vincent while they’re putting up the Christmas decorations, okay?” Sharice had been a little late with the decorations, but she was determined to infuse the restaurant with as much Christmas cheer as possible.
Hannah nodded and then grabbed each twin by the hand and led them to the dining room.
“She’s beautiful,” Gianna noted.
“She is,” Holly agreed with a wistful smile as her eyes followed them as they disappeared through the door.
“And Dante told me about her. About her parents, I mean. I hope you don’t mind.”
“What? Oh, not at all. I mean it’s not a secret.” Surely Dante didn’t tell her anything else.
“I wanted to say I admire you for what you’ve done.”
She shrugged. “It’s nothing.”
“Oh, don’t say that.” Gianna put a hand on her arm. “Believe me, I partly raised my niece and then her five children. It’s no easy feat.”
“Somedays I’m afraid I’m not doing it right.”
Gianna chuckled. “Of course not. No one does. Kids don’t come with manuals, even your own.” Her eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh, I almost forgot why I came here.” She grabbed a box that was sitting on the counter and handed it to Holly. “My ricotta zeppoles. Freshly made about an hour ago. Still warm.”
“Oh, thank you. You didn’t have to, Gianna.” She accepted the box with a grateful nod.
Holly Jolly Lycan Christmas Page 7