Clara
I smiled at the man sitting across the desk from me, Tyler having come so far. He looked completely different from the emaciated young man who’d walked through the rehab’s doors quite a few months ago. Simon had suggested that Tyler be admitted to a hospital instead, but Tyler had pleaded to stay at the clinic. So, we accepted him, which was the best decision we could’ve made, because he now looked both happy and healthy, his sweet smile full of gratitude.
He rose up from his chair. “Thank you, Clara, I really appreciate everything that you’ve done for me.”
I walked around the desk to him. “You’re more than welcome, Tyler.”
He held his arms out, looking like he was going to hug me. I went to step back, since we weren’t allowed to have physical contact with patients, but stopped myself. Tyler’s discharge had already gone through, so he was no longer a patient.
I returned the hug, pulling away a moment later. He brushed his blond hair off his face, the once badly hacked locks now reaching his shoulders, showing just how long he’d been with us. He’d told me that he’d hacked it off when he’d gotten a video call from his abuser, doing it to put the man off him.
“You’ve helped me so much,” he said. “I really didn’t think I would ever make it out of here.”
I smiled at him. “This isn’t about me, it’s about you. You pulled through, remember that.”
He returned my smile. “Only because of you. Anyway, I should go, my taxi will be here soon.”
“You don’t have family picking you up?”
He shook his head. “My sister doesn’t have a licence, while my stepmum would probably be passed out by now.”
My eyebrows rose. “In the morning?”
His face saddened. “She hasn’t gotten over my dad’s death.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, you never mentioned that your father died,” I replied, Tyler not having spoken much about the man. He’d mostly talked about his abuser, using the clinic as a means to expel all of the repugnant things the man had done to him.
Tyler dropped his gaze, appearing uncomfortable with my question. “I don’t like talking about my dad. He was a horrible person, while my stepmum’s not much better.”
“What about your friends?” I asked, feeling sad that he had no one he knew picking him up. “Couldn’t one of them have come? You mentioned you’re still friends with your ex.”
He shook his head. “Corey doesn’t know I’m here, he thinks I’m in Australia. I don’t want him knowing what happened to me.”
“But you got hurt saving him. He should be there for you.”
Tyler shook his head again. “I don’t want him to feel guilty or obliged to stay with me. He’s also finally got the guy he really wanted. I was just a fill-in until Sledge admitted he had feelings for Corey.”
“Sledge as in Sledge Rata?” I asked, only having heard that name once before. Dante had mentioned he’d nicknamed his younger brother Sledge, after the boy had hit his twin sister’s hand with a sledge hammer when they were seven or eight, the nickname having stuck.
Tyler nodded. “His brother’s here. He’s that gorgeous tattooed guy with the incredible hair.” He shook his head. “Looks like Dante got all the looks, because Sledge is a brute, both in looks and personality. I really don’t know how those two can be brothers.”
“Sledge isn’t blood, he’s adopted,” I said, the words out of my mouth before I could stop them.
His eyebrows rose. “You know the Ratas?”
“Only Dante, I’m his counsellor,” I said, quickly covering myself. “He’s told me a bit,” a lot, “about his family.”
“Oh, of course,” he replied, looking like he’d said something stupid, although he hadn’t, my knowledge of the Ratas more than professional.
He continued, “And to tell you the truth, I hadn’t actually seen Dante in person until he turned up here. I only recognised him from his videos. He worked for the same family as I did, but in straight porn. He was their star.” His hand shot to his mouth. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t have told you that.”
I bit back a grimace. “Don’t worry, his file mentioned he’s worked in porn,” I replied, what I’d read having shocked me, although it had saddened me even more.
“That’s why I never introduced myself to him,” Tyler added. “I couldn’t exactly go up and say, ‘Hey, you worked for the same pricks as I did, and oh, by the way, I’m a real big fan of your porn videos’.” He let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I didn’t like people recognising me from my videos, so I wasn’t sure he’d like it either. Plus, his brother hates me, so I kept my distance.”
I nodded, wishing I could keep my distance from Dante too. “It’s probably for the best. And let’s get back to you. If you need to talk to anyone, just call. You have my number, and don’t worry about the cost, all aftercare is free.”
“Thank you, Clara.” He leaned forward, giving me a peck on the cheek. “You’re such a sweet person. I wish you all the happiness in the world.”
He turned to go, leaving me standing for a moment in stunned silence. I’d never thought of myself as sweet, and for a genuinely sweet person like Tyler to say that... It hit me in the heart. I wanted happiness more than anything, just knew it would never happen for me.
After a quick moment to compose myself, I followed him to the reception, wanting to see him out. I gave him a wave as he got into his taxi, the sky having darkened outside, storm clouds hovering over everything. I went to return to my office, spotting the object of our conversation exiting the doorway at the far end of the corridor just as the sky opened up, bucketing down.
Wondering why Dante was going out into such bad weather, I walked briskly down the corridor, stopping at the door that overlooked the back of the clinic. The rain was coming down so hard that it was blurring Dante’s form. He disappeared around the fence, heading down the pathway that led to the caretaker’s home, the place off-limits to patients.
I ran back to my office and picked up my phone, dialling the security guard’s number. As it clicked through, I hung up, realising I could get Dante booted out of the rehab program if he was caught breaking and entering the caretaker’s home.
My thoughts went to the time he’d broken into Killer’s house when the man was away, something that had shocked me. But I’d still entered the property with him, wanting to grab as much time as I could with Dante. Still, I might have been more cautious if I’d known Killer back then, and I most definitely wouldn’t have slept with Dante in the psycho’s bed.
Pushing the memory aside, I grabbed my raincoat and pulled it on, leaving my office a second later. I was at the other end of the corridor in no time, slipping out the door and into the rain. I half ran, half walked down the path, being careful not to slip on the wet cobblestones. I turned the corner, my eyes on the caretaker’s property, the high fence hiding his house. I went to pass the swimming pool, stopping as something in my periphery caught my attention. I glanced to my left, what I saw through the wire fencing knocking the wind out of me.
Dante was standing naked at the edge of the pool.
He dived in, breaking the surface smoothly. I watched in stunned silence as he powered through the water, turning at the end of the pool, pushing off for another lap. He continued to power through more laps, flashes of colour from his arms breaking the clarity of the pool. He was truly stunning to watch, what he was doing utterly hypnotic. I knew he loved the water, had seen him surf like a pro, but to see him swim in all his glory... I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
A loud clap of thunder made me jump, as well as stopping Dante in his tracks. He glanced up at the sky, the rain plastering his ink black hair to his head. Even though I wanted to continue staring at him, I went to back away, more afraid of being caught. My foot landed on a branch, the wood cracking beneath my heel. Dante’s eyes snapped to me, pinning me to the spot. Surprise crossed his face, then a slow smile replaced it, so wicked it made me shiver, the cold rain having nothing to do with it.
He glided to the edge of the pool and pushed out of the water. Wearing nothing more than a wicked smile, he sauntered over to me like a predator about to leap on his prey. He stopped on the other side of the fence and pushed his fingers through the wire, obviously not caring he was naked. If anything, he seemed to be enjoying my flustered state, his dark eyes sparkling with mischief.
I stayed where I was, too dumbstruck to move, his body commanding all of my attention. Despite a few scars, he had the most perfect body... No, the scars added, not detracted from his amazing physique, along with his tattoos, the man truly a sight to behold. From his wide shoulders to his muscular arms, his six-pack and those mouth-watering lines that I didn’t know the name of, the ones that ran from his hipbones to his crotch, like an arrow pointing to his...
I swallowed at the sight of his cock hanging between his powerful thighs, Dante beyond impressive. Although it was soft, he was even bigger than what I’d remembered. He’d not only grown in height and muscle, but in girth and length.
My eyes widened as his cock started to grow. My stunned gaze snapped back up to his face, the sensual smile on his lips firing up my cheeks even faster than the rain could beat it down. But not as much as his words...
“Want a taste?” he asked, lowering his hand to his cock.