twenty-seven

Tessa

I wake up in the same bed I shared with Dante last night, but he isn’t beside me. I’m a bit relieved because I have no idea where my head is.

Last night wasn’t what I’d expected. The way Dante made me splinter apart and the skilled way he used his tongue on me…it was mind-blowing. He’s so different than Trevor.

Even before Trevor and I started trying to have a baby, he became distant. After we began trying to conceive, we would have sex with a goal in mind. He needed to come inside me, and whether it was good for me didn’t factor into the equation. The first three years of our marriage had been amazing, but in the last year, he changed so much.

Dante possessed my body. He drove me to the edge and then pulled back, only to finally send me crashing into waves of bliss. He was selfless, and it’d been too long since a man made me feel the way he did.

The smell of coffee wafts through the air, drawing my attention. As soon as my feet hit the floor, I feel a draft, and I’m reminded that I went to bed sans panties. Spotting my discarded thong, I slip it on en route to brush my teeth, opting for Dante’s toothbrush this time instead of my finger.

“Good morning,” I say as I enter the kitchen.

Dante walks toward me with a cup of coffee in hand. “How’d you sleep?”

I wrap my hands around the warm mug. “Well. What about you?”

He still looks tired, and suddenly, I’m filled with nervousness and everything feels awkward.

“Good.”

He’s full of shit.

“Dan—” I say simultaneously when he says, “Tes—”

We end up laughing. The awkwardness dissipates as quickly as it appeared.

“You first,” I tell him and take a seat at the table.

He stands across the kitchen with his back leaning against the counter. “I was thinking we should drive back to Chicago together.”

I open my mouth to interject, but he stops me with an extended finger.

“I’ve got everything taken care of. You just need to agree.”

I look at him, dumbfounded. Then, I look past him to the digital display on the microwave. It’s half past nine.

“What time did you get up?”

“About an hour ago.” He takes a drink of his coffee before continuing, “We can drive whatever car you want, and I’ll hire someone to transport the other one home.”

“Just like that?” I ask, biting back a laugh.

His inner caveman is showing.

When I made the trip, I was drowning in grief and running on adrenaline and rage. Now, it feels like someone has cracked a window to let the light in.

“I called Katie. Her brother, Josh, doesn’t start his new job for a few weeks, and he’s looking to make extra cash.”

At the mention of Katie’s name, guilt seeps its way in. I haven’t talked to her since the funeral. We used to get together for drinks and a girls’ night once a month before my life fell apart.

“Fine,” I agree.

“Wait. What?” Dante’s face morphs in disbelief.

“Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to the drive back.” It’s true, but I decide to mess with him. “As far as a driving buddy, I guess there are worse ones.”

I stifle a giggle, but Dante raises an eyebrow at me, and I sense trouble.

He stalks closer, sets his cup on the table, and then removes mine from my hands. “Is that right? Well, I’ll give you to the count of three.”

“Why? For what?”

“One. You might want to run.”

“Dan—”

“Two.”

Shit.

I get up and sprint back to his bedroom, realizing too late that I’m cornered.

“Three.”

I hear the thump of his bare feet against the floor, and I dive underneath the blankets. I laugh at myself. Even as an adult, I suck at hide-and-seek.

“This was way too easy.” He laughs and yanks down the covers before straddling me. He slides his hands under my shirt with a wicked grin.

“Don’t even th—”

Dante starts mercilessly tickling me. I squirm and writhe under him. If he doesn’t stop, I’m going to piss myself.

“Uncle,” I cry out. I’m cackling too hard, and I can’t catch my breath.

He pins my arms above my head and hovers over me. “What’re you planning to do, beautiful?”

The air ignites with sexual tension. Dante’s eyes heat with desire, turning into dark pools of molten chocolate.

“This,” I say. I lean up, pressing my lips to his.

“Tess,” he whispers against my mouth.

His palms move to my face. He takes control of the kiss, and I willingly give in to his touch.

We make out with the fervor of a couple of teenagers hiding beneath the bleachers. Dante isn’t clumsy or careless though. Every sweep of his tongue against mine is sensual. Everything around us fades away. I don’t know how long we stay like this, a tangle of limbs and lips. When we finally come up for air, I’m pretty sure I have whisker burn. We lie there together for a few minutes, and I wait for my racing heart to calm.

“You’re intoxicating.” He pecks my lips and then rolls off me.

“Are you hungry? I can whip up some breakfast while you call Katie’s brother to set everything up.”

“You don’t have to cook. I’ll call Josh, and then we can go out to grab something,” he offers.

I sit up and turn to him. “I know, but I’m starving, and it’s not like I’ve never cooked for you. Besides, we should probably use up the food.”

“You make a valid point,” he says, sitting up and pointing to the door. “To the kitchen, wench.”

I playfully smack his arm. Then, I get off the bed and start to walk out of the bedroom. Before I make it to the doorway, I stride back to him and bend down to softly kiss him.

“Thank you, Dante,” I say and leave the room. I really didn’t want things to be weird between us after last night, and I’m so relieved they aren’t.

I walk into the kitchen and go to the fridge. With limited options, I’m thankful Dante doesn’t expect a gourmet meal. Scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit it is.

A little while later, when Dante walks in, I’m putting the last of the food on the table.

“It looks good, Tess,” he says, pulling out his chair.

I grab the fresh coffee I made and join him. “Everything squared away?”

“Josh is on board.” He fills a plate and passes it to me.

“Thanks.” I take the dish and set it in front of me.

“How do you feel about leaving the day after tomorrow?”

“That works.” I pick up my fork and take a bite of my eggs.

“Whose car are we driving back?” he asks.

“I’d like to take mine.”

After breakfast, I change clothes and then kiss Dante good-bye, so I can go break the news to my parents.