twenty

Dante

When I get to Joe’s Tavern, it’s crowded, and it takes me a minute to spot Tessa on the dance floor. Some asshole is dancing way too close to her, and I head over.

A smile spreads across her face when her eyes land on me.

“Dante”—she throws her arms around me—“you’re here.”

She slightly pulls back, and I can tell the beer goggles have drowned out the disdain she normally reserves for me.

Tessa’s hands move to cup my cheeks, her fingertips scratching my beard. I slip my arms around her waist. For a split second, everything fades. It’s just us. Right here, right now…I’m holding everything I’ve ever wanted in my arms.

“Hey, man, the lady is with me,” the asshole says, breaking the spell and bringing me back to the moment at hand.

The motherfucker has nerve; I’ll give him that.

One hand remains on Tessa as I slide her body behind me, putting myself between her and the asshole. I straighten, pinning him in place with a glare. “What the fuck did you say?”

He looks away. Fucking coward.

“Sorry, man. I didn’t realize. She’s all yours.” He takes a few steps backward and then disappears into the crowd.

I turn around to Tessa. Flushed cheeks, pouty lips, and smelling like she’s downed a bottle of whiskey and then some.

She leans into me. “Mmm, you smell good.”

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” I say, wrapping an arm around her.

“One smore drink,” she slurs, poking a finger into my chest. “Comes meet Cole. He’s my newww friend.”

Shit. Her tab is probably still open.

“Okay.” I hold her steady as we make our way to the bar but not for the reason she thinks.

“Coooole.” Tessa’s scream slurs over the bar.

The bartender comes to the end of the bar where we’re standing.

“You Cole?”

“Yeah, man.” He glances to Tessa, who’s completely hammered.

Motherfucker must be blind if he can’t see it.

“Is her tab still open?”

“Yep.”

“Well, close it.”

When he walks away, I reach into my back pocket, take out my wallet, and withdraw a business card and a hundred-dollar bill.

“Dante. So sleepy,” Tessa says, swaying beside me.

I slip my wallet back into my pocket and tighten my grip on her. “It’s okay. You can go to sleep in a few minutes.”

I hold her closer, and she leans her head on my shoulder.

I eye Cole as he shoves the receipt into a shot glass and sets it on the bar top in front of me.

“Here you go.”

I scribble Tessa’s signature on the receipt and slip her credit card into my pocket.

“Cole”—I hold out the money and my business card—“next time you see her in here, call me. And, for fuck’s sake, cut her off before she’s completely shit-faced.”

He takes the offering from my hand and says, “You got it.”

Asshole.

With effort, I weave us through the people and manage to get us out the door.

Once we’re in the parking lot, I look at Tessa. “You doin’ okay?”

“I’m drunk,” she says with a pout.

It takes some maneuvering, but I get her settled into the passenger seat. Aside from the day of Trevor’s funeral, I’ve never seen her this drunk. Sure, she’s been tipsy, but this is something else altogether.

After we get to my place, I call Bill and let him know Tessa’s safe.

She’s like a rag doll as I set her on the end of my bed. I lay her back, so she won’t fall over, but her feet still touch the floor. I rummage through my drawers, grabbing a T-shirt and a pair of boxers.

“I don’t feel good,” Tessa groans, trying to sit up.

I toss the clothes aside and rush over. “Shit.” I lift her back into my arms and carry her into the bathroom.

I set her down a few steps from the toilet.

She sways. “I’m gonna be—”

The sound of vomit cuts off her words.

I move fast to get her over the bowl. I keep an arm around her waist for support and use my other hand to hold her hair back while she retches. When she’s too weak to help me support her weight, I settle us onto the bathroom floor. She props her elbow on the rim of the porcelain and rests her cheek against it. I sit behind her, her body between my legs, and rub circles on her back.

“I’m sorry,” she says weakly.

“Shh.” I lift her torso and lean her against my shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll clean it up.”

“Not ju-just that. For ev-everything.”

“Tessa, you have nothing to be sorry for.” And she doesn’t.

“One night. I just wanted one night to for-forget.” She hiccups.

The pain in her voice slices straight through my heart.

“I know.” I place my chin on the top of her head.

“W-we were su-supposed to have a b-baby.” Her breath catches, and I know she’s crying. “B-but he had a baby with so-someone else.” She wipes her snot on her sleeve. “He’s d-dead. Time’s up.” She’s quiet for a minute before she speaks again, “I hate h-him.”

“I know, Tess. I know.” I wish I could take away her pain. Borrow a wand from that fucking wizard kid and erase everything.

Her body tenses, and she lurches forward, throwing up again, christening my jeans this time. I fist her hair while she retches so hard, tears stream down her face.

“Oh God,” she moans, propping her head in her hands.

“I’m going to get you cleaned up. I’ll be right back.” Carefully, I move from behind her and stand to my feet.

After I strip out of my clothes and throw on a pair of basketball shorts, I grab the clothes I tossed aside earlier for Tessa and go back into the bathroom to find her in the same position I left her in. I drop the clothes on the countertop and then kneel next to her. The pad of my thumb sweeps the hair from her face.

“Everything k-keeps sp-spinning.”

“Anything I can do?”

“K-kill me,” she whines.

Tomorrow, she’s going to have one hell of a hangover.

I stand, move to the tub, and turn on the water. When it’s warm enough, I plug the drain and then squirt some of my body wash into the water; it’s the best I can do.

While the tub fills, I turn my attention back to Tessa. Reaching around her, I lift her to her feet and slowly rotate her around to face me. “Good?”

She wavers, and her head falls to my chest. I guess that answers my question. Despite my efforts, she has puke in her hair, and it’s splattered on her shirt.

“Tessa, I’m going to help you undress.” My hands move to the hem of her shirt.

She lifts her head and scrunches her nose. “There’s p-puke in my hair.”

“I know. Hold on to the counter. I need to turn the water off.” I step to the tub and then go back to help Tessa. “Lift your arms,” I instruct, bunching her shirt in my hands.

Slowly, she raises her arms above her head.

I lift it off, revealing her perfect tits covered by a pink lace bra. And, just like that, all the oxygen gets sucked from the room. I swallow hard. My fingers slide over her back to unclasp her bra. The material is soft, and it takes effort to set it aside without sniffing it.

“Do you think you can handle taking your jeans off? I’m going to go grab you some water.” My dick is hard. I need to put some space between us.

“’Kay.”

She takes a step back, nearly falling on her ass, and I reach out to catch her.

Fuck. I need to get her in the tub before she ends up needing stitches.

“Here.” I place her hands on my shoulders and then kneel in front of her. “I’m going to help you.” Unbuttoning her jeans, I slip my hands inside the waistband and slide the denim down her legs. Then, I tap her ankle. “Lift your foot.”

Her grip tightens on my shoulders as she balances herself. She lifts one foot and then the other, allowing me to free her. When I rise, her lace-covered pussy is right in front of me. I want so badly to shred the scrap of fabric and glide my tongue inside for a taste. She smells so fucking sweet.

“Dante, I-I’m cold.” Her voice brings me back to the present.

“Sorry.” I remove her panties and toss them on top of the jeans.

I stand and take in her naked form before me. Stunning. So damn beautiful. My cock is thick and aching. Hopefully, she’s too drunk to notice.

“Let’s get you into the tub.”

Once she’s settled in the warm water, I need to get the hell outta here before I jizz like a teenager.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Mmkay.” She watches her fingers wiggle in the water.

I grab her clothes so I can throw them in the washer. After I start the laundry, I go into the kitchen and reach into the cabinet under the sink for the disinfectant. Then, I get a bottle of water for Tessa and set it on the nightstand. When I return to the bathroom, her head is leaning on the edge of the tub, her eyes closed. I take a minute to clean up the mess before going over to her.

Kneeling, I push the hair from her forehead. My eyes move down her body, taking in every inch of her creamy skin. Her beautiful tits, bare pussy, and toned legs. I want to be balls deep inside her so bad, it’s fucking painful. She’s breathtaking. Slowly, my gaze moves back to her face.

“Tess,” I say, the sound of my voice causing her eyes to open, “sit up, and I’ll help you wash your hair.” The words are strained.

She dunks her head into the water, wetting her hair before sitting up. She wipes the water from her eyes. Then, she reaches for the bottle of shampoo and gives it to me. I squirt some into my palm and gradually begin working it through her hair.

“This is nice.” A small moan escapes her lips and goes straight to my dick.

I clear my throat. “Lay your head back.”

She shifts her ass forward and then dips her head into the water. I help her rinse her hair, unable to stop myself from wondering what it would feel like to tangle my fingers in the wet strands while she sucked me off.

She looks exhausted. Eyes closed and one arm braced on the edge of the tub.

“Ready to get out?”

She opens her eyes and slowly focuses on my face. “Yeah.”

I stand, reaching for her. Tessa’s wet fingers wrap around my wrists, and she pulls herself to her feet. Our eyes meet, and we hold each other’s stare. A million unspoken words flow between us. The temptation becomes almost too much.

“Dante,” she softly says my name, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I wrap a towel around her and help her out of the tub. “Here, you can sleep in these.” I give her the clothes.

She seems steadier on her feet, less drunk, and I need to walk away.

I reach into the medicine cabinet and take out the Tylenol. Opening the bottle, I shake two into my palm. “I’m going to put these next to the water on the nightstand. Get dressed, and get in bed. I’ll come check on you in a few minutes.”

She gives me a look that I can’t quite read, but I want to ease her mind.

“You’re sleeping in here. I’ll take the couch or sleep in one of the guest rooms. I’ll be back.”

In the kitchen, I pour myself a shot of Jack and will my dick to calm down. I shoot the whiskey and pour another before capping the bottle. After the second shot, I go check on Tessa, only to find her burrowed beneath the blankets, passed out, damp hair spread across the pillow. My cock hardens again.

One of these days, I’ll have her in my bed, conscious and stone-cold sober.

I barely sleep at all because I get up to check on her several times throughout the night. The only thing that keeps me from crawling into bed with her is knowing she hasn’t forgiven me yet. The last thing I want to do is give her another reason not to trust me.