Chapter Twelve
The doorbell rang, signaling she’d run out of time.
Dammit.
That’s what she got for watching television.
Alexa had never been one to spend hours on end glued to the TV. She’d always been too busy or too tired. Then one of the servers at the restaurant told her about a new series on Netflix, and she’d signed up for the service just to check it out.
One episode turned into two, and before she knew it, it was four o’clock and she only had an hour to get ready before Dante would be there to pick her up. They were going to Brandon and Daisy’s for dinner.
Although the four of them had hung out before, this was going to be the first time since Alexa and Dante had started having sex.
Brandon had taken the news surprisingly well.
“As long as I don’t have to hear you complaining about one another or, worse, what you do in the bedroom, then I’m fine,” he’d said when they’d told him the night before. Then he’d kind of hugged her and invited them over for dinner.
So very awkward.
The doorbell rang one more time, and Alexa fastened her kimono before running to the living room.
“I’m not ready,” she blurted to Dante as soon as she opened the door.
His eyes raked over her appreciatively. “I can see that. And I think I’m kind of happy about it.”
She laughed and let him walk inside. As he passed, he hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. It was a quick one, but it still sent goose bumps up and down her spine.
It had been more than a month since they’d started sleeping together, and it was still as if he was touching her for the first time.
She walked toward her stairs, but he caught her hand.
“Stop goofing around. We’re going to be late,” she said as he pulled her against him again. His arousal was hard against her thigh.
“Who’s goofing around? You’re the one who opened the door wearing only this kimono. I think someone is trying to seduce me.”
Heat flamed her cheeks. “I’m not trying to seduce you. I just finished doing my hair and makeup and was about to get dressed when you rang the bell.”
“Intentional or not, you started something, and now I intend to finish it. Bend over the couch.”
God, she was already turned on. Suddenly, it didn’t seem a big deal if they were a few minutes late for dinner.
She went to the couch and leaned over the armrest cushion. The position felt awkward, so she pulled two throw pillows over to support her arms. He moved behind her and pulled at the kimono’s sash and tugged until it was loose around her body. Her exposed nipples brushed against the couch, and they hardened in response.
“First, you’re going to pay for making me wait so long to taste you again. And then you’re going to get fucked for wearing that robe today, knowing it was going to drive me crazy. Put your arms behind you.”
Alexa moved her arms behind her and then maneuvered her body so her neck and the side of her head were resting comfortably on the pillows. She shuddered when she felt Dante tie her wrists together with the silken sash.
“Damn, your ass looks so good sticking up in the air like this.”
She yelped like a puppy when she felt a tight, wet pinch on one of her butt cheeks. Oh, God. He just bit her ass. The sting went away when he kissed the spot right after. It felt so good. But not as good as when his tongue laved one long lick along the seam of her exposed pussy.
“Oh, yes.”
“Are you ready for your punishment, you naughty girl?”
“Yes,” she breathed again.
Slap.
The sensation of Dante’s spanking made her thighs quiver. He’d barely touched her, and the orgasm was already building.
“Now your ass is nice and pink. Let’s see if we can get your pussy the same color.”
Dante’s fingers tapped against her outer lips. It wasn’t as hard as the slap on her ass, but it wasn’t soft, either. Her belly tightened, and her breaths came in gasps.
“Do you like that, Alexa? Do you like me making your pussy so wet and swollen?”
“Ah, ah, ah,” she murmured as she bit down on the pillow. Her climax was coming.
“Don’t you dare come yet, you naughty girl,” he rasped. “You don’t come until I’m inside you.”
Her entire body was shaking. She squeezed her vaginal muscles in an attempt to delay the impending orgasm. Behind her, she heard Dante fumbling with his belt buckle and then the tear of the condom wrapper. He always kept them handy when he was with her.
“Hurry,” she gasped. “Please hurry.”
The orgasm hit as soon as he sank into her.
A little while later, she was still shaky on her feet. He’d fucked her thoroughly over the couch and then again in her bed. She’d already called Daisy to let her know they were running about an hour behind.
Alexa finished reapplying her makeup in the bathroom and then walked out to meet Dante in the living room.
“Zip me up, please,” she said and turned around.
He stilled behind her before leaning down to whisper in her ear. “Thank you for earlier. I’m going to be hard all night thinking of what we did on your couch.”
She smiled as he pulled the zipper up. Then he grabbed her arms and turned her back around.
His own smile was big and bright as he looked into her eyes.
“What?” she asked.
“What?” he responded.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
He shrugged. “No reason. I just want to feast my eyes on you in this moment and remember how gorgeous you look after I’ve been inside you. It reminds me that you’re mine.”
She met his lips for a deep kiss. He always tasted so good. It was addictive.
“God, I love kissing you,” he murmured into her mouth. “I could do this every day for the rest of my life.”
The random statement set off the usual warning bells, and she pulled away to break the kiss.
Dante arched his eyebrow.
“Don’t fall in love with me,” she blurted out.
He looked at her quizzically again. “Why would you say that?”
“Because this is supposed to be…”
When he didn’t chime in with his usual response of “casual,” anxiety squeezed at her chest. And when he looked at the floor instead of her, dread welled up in her gut. “What’s going on with you?”
Seconds passed before he finally met her eyes again. He gave her a quick smile that did nothing to quell her uneasiness.
“Nothing,” he told her. “It’s getting late. We better take off.”
…
Although Dante loved Alexa’s food, Brandon was no amateur when it came to cooking up a delicious dinner. He’d grilled carne asada and vegetables and served them with homemade guacamole and Spanish rice.
Dante had his fair share and then some. He’d never felt so full and content. It had been quite the night.
“Dante, please tell my brother that I am perfectly capable of babysitting their kid. Didn’t I do a good job with Gomez?”
“Uh, didn’t he break his hip on your watch, sis?” Brandon teased.
Alexa hissed. “That’s so not fair. You know that wasn’t my fault. Tell him, Dante.”
He laughed. “She did a great job taking care of Gomez. I’m sure she will be the best babysitting aunt ever.”
“Fine. She can babysit. But there’s going to be a rule about not having boys over when you do it,” he joked.
“Except for Dante, of course,” Daisy chimed in.
Dante smiled and looked over at Alexa to see if the comment had bothered her. It didn’t seem like it, judging by the way she laughed. It was nice that Daisy believed they would still be together when the baby came. He’d wondered if Alexa would have said differently after her warning earlier.
It had come out the blue.
Honestly, he hadn’t even thought about love until she’d mentioned it. And although he didn’t say anything to her, it had bothered him that she still wanted to label what they were doing as casual. Sooner or later, they had to have a real conversation about where they were headed. In the meantime, he’d focus on these moments with her. He tuned back in to the conversation surrounding Brandon’s Miami project.
“So your new manager seems like a godsend,” Alexa told her brother.
He nodded and took a sip of his wine before answering. “He is. He’s already taken over so many things that I’m going to cancel my trip next week. I don’t plan on going back until after the baby is born.”
“Yes, we all love Mauricio here,” Daisy said with a laugh.
“Speaking of Mauricio, he sent over the blueprints for the kitchen. I told him you’d take a look and give us some feedback on the layout.”
“Sure. I can look now if you’ve got them,” Alexa said.
Brandon nodded and told her to follow him to his home office. Dante offered to help Daisy clean up the table.
“I’m so happy you two are together,” she told him as they packed away the leftovers. “Is it serious?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes I think so and sometimes I’m not sure. We’re both not the most trusting people, so it’s been a wary dance, trying to figure out what we’re doing.”
“She’s been hurt before, so that’s why she’s so gun-shy about commitment. But I can tell you mean something to her.”
That surprised him. “You can? How?”
“Because you’re here.”
He nodded and gave her a genuine smile. He was just about to ask her what Brandon had said about the two of them when Alexa walked back into the kitchen. Her brother followed.
He could tell by their stunned faces that something was very wrong.
“What happened?” he asked.
Alexa walked up to him and handed him her phone. “I just got a Google alert about myself. After what happened with Brandon and Daisy earlier this year with the tabloids, I set one up so I’d get a notification whenever something about me was posted online.”
“And?” Daisy asked.
“Press play,” she told Dante.
He looked down at the phone and hit the arrow button. A video clip began playing, and right away he recognized Alexa. She was wearing the black dress from the night she went to jail, and she was standing in a kitchen.
“You’re going to be sorry for betraying me this time,” he heard Alexa say on the clip.
The clip froze on her face. She looked so angry. So vindictive.
“Oh my God,” Alexa cried. “This is bad, isn’t it?”
Daisy rushed to her side and gave her a hug. “It’s not that bad. It just shows what happened in the kitchen. It doesn’t prove that you broke those bottles on purpose.”
“Daisy’s right. It doesn’t change anything,” Dante told her.
“But what if there’s more? What if there’s footage that shows me swinging my purse but doesn’t show Nick grabbing it? What if this is their smoking gun and they’ve just been holding onto it until the perfect time? It can’t be a coincidence that this is posted just a few days before we begin depositions.”
Although she voiced the very concerns that were going through his head, Dante refused to let her know that.
“You can’t let this get to you. I need you to focus on your testimony. This video doesn’t affect our case, so forget about it.”
She shook her head in despair. “I know. I just can’t believe this is really happening.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. He wanted to soothe her and make her believe that it wasn’t as bad as she thought.
“Don’t worry, okay? Everything is going to be fine.”
And he almost believed it.