Chapter Eleven
Dante had Hannah settled in the back of his Jaguar and buckled her in. She opened her eyes briefly, then rolled her head back and closed them again, her breathing becoming even in seconds. “Thanks, bro,” he said to Enzo, who had helped retrieve his dropped keys and opened the door for him. “You going to be okay?”
“Yeah,” Enzo replied, then glanced back toward Petite Louve. “I’ll stay for a bit and see if I can help out some more.”
“Sure,” he said, shaking his head, knowing exactly what his brother was thinking after seeing him with Sharice. While most people thought Enzo was a mysogynist, with all the women he chased after, it was the opposite. His brother loved women a little too much, and he couldn’t help himself, especially when they needed him. It had gotten Enzo in trouble more than once, but he didn’t care. Enzo was a good guy and stood up for what was right. “Good luck with that,” he chuckled.
“And good luck to you,” Enzo said with a wink.
Dante rolled his eyes. “For God’s sake, it’s just one night. And Hannah will be there.”
Enzo laughed. “What, you never had to be quiet?” When Dante shot him a dirty look, he raised his hands in defeat. “All right, all right. See you tomorrow at home, bro.”
Fuck. He had completely forgotten about tomorrow. It was a good thing Nonna was going to be doing most of the cooking, which meant he didn’t have to come until just before meal time. But that wasn’t his biggest concern. It was Holly and Hannah and how he was going to keep them safe. He just needed to convince them to come home to Jersey with him, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well with Holly. She was as skittish as a lamb, and revealing his Lycan side only made her more guarded.
He couldn’t help it. It was like he could sense that she was in danger and his wolf wanted out. He was grateful for his animal’s instinct because it was what saved Holly and Hannah. Still, it probably didn’t help his case.
But what did he want? When he realized Holly was in danger, it was like his world stood still and his lungs constricted so hard he couldn’t breathe. Living in a world without her seemed bleak. All this time, he’d kept his distance, thinking it would help, but the more he stayed away, the more he wanted her. He felt terrible, using this excuse to be close to her, but he just wanted her safe.
“Dante?”
He pivoted, nearly bumping into Holly. Grabbing her shoulders, he steadied her. “Sorry,” he said.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just a lot on my mind. Ready to go? Hannah’s settled in the back.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m exhausted. I’ll probably put Hannah straight to bed.”
He opened the door to the front passenger seat and helped her inside, then walked around the car and slipped into the driver’s side.
As he had said, he stopped by his loft, leaving them in the garage with the car running as he quickly ran upstairs to grab a couple of things. After that, the drive to Holly’s was quiet. She was nodding off, barely able to keep her head up, until she finally gave in to sleep. He kept glancing at her, unable to stop himself. She looked beautiful and so peaceful. Who would hurt her? It enraged him that someone would want to hurt Holly, and he vowed to keep her safe.
As soon as they reached her building, he gently, reached over to shake her awake. “Holly,” he whispered. “We’re here.”
***
Holly instructed him to use the bathroom first while she put Hannah to bed. Dante did as he was told and took a few minutes to change into his t-shirt and sweatpants, then washed his faced and brushed his teeth.
“Do you have everything you need? Blankets and pillows?” Holly asked when she exited the bathroom.
“I do, thanks,” Dante said. “Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”
She frowned. “I don’t know if that couch will be comfortable for you. Sonia sometimes sleeps over when it gets too late, but she’s half your size.”
“I’ll make it work,” he said. “Just get some rest. You look tired.”
“I am tired,” she said, her shoulders slumping. “All right. Good night, Dante.”
“Goodnight, Holly.”
He watched her go into her room and then, when he heard the door close, attempted to get settled in. The couch wasn’t nearly big enough for his frame. When he tried lying down, his legs stuck out over the end. He crouched, trying to fit himself in, but it wasn’t the most comfortable position. Of course, it didn’t help that being on this particular couch brought back memories from that night. Of Holly’s sweet scent, her lush body, and those lips. He let out a groan, feeling his cock harden in response. He’d lost count of how many times he’d jerked off to Holly and her luscious little body. It was torture and ecstasy at the same time.
Finally, he got up and dragged the blanket to the floor. It would be more comfortable than trying to fit himself onto the tiny couch.
“Dante?”
He whipped his head around and found Holly standing in the doorway to her bedroom. Hair unbound, face free of makeup, wearing a blue silk robe, she had never looked more beautiful. He cleared his throat. “Everything okay, Holly?”
“I heard you moving out here.”
“Sorry,” he said in a sheepish tone. “I’ll try to be more quiet.”
She shook her head. “No. I mean, it’s not your fault.” She paused, hesitation in her eyes. “You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable. I have a big bed, and you should just sleep there.”
“No way,” he said in a firm voice. “I’m not kicking you out of your own bed.”
She bit her lip. “No, I mean … it’s a queen bed. I’m sure we both could fit.”
His jaw dropped at her suggestion, and, before he could even think of the implication, she let out an undignified squawk and turned red.
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Muccino,” she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We’re just going to sleep in the same bed. That’s all. And you better be out of my room before eight because that’s when Hannah wakes up and I don’t want to confuse her.”
“Of course,” he agreed, but his wolf was jittery at the thought of being near her. Calm down, he told the animal. It’s just sleep.
“C’mon, before I change my mind,” she muttered. He followed her into the bedroom.
It seemed so intimate, being in her personal space. Her bedroom was just like he thought it would be. Feminine but not overly so with touches of pink and lilac here and there. It was neat, much neater than any woman’s bedroom he’d seen, except maybe for an easy chair in the corner piled with clothes. The only other furniture was the bed, which was covered in soft white linens, a comforter, and pillows.
“Uhm, so which side do you sleep on?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the bed. That they were going to sleep on together, a small, hopeful voice added.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I'm usually in the middle since I haven’t shared a bed with anyone in a long time.”
He tsked.“Talk about a loss for every man you’ve every met,” he said with a cheeky grin. And my gain.
Holly gave him a wry smile but said nothing, then walked over to the right side of the bed and climbed under the covers, then turned away from him. He followed, moving to the left side, and slipped under the comforter but not the sheet, so there was at least some barrier between them. It certainly wasn’t what he wanted, but she shouldn’t be uncomfortable in her own bed. Holly had been through so much tonight, and he wasn’t going to pile onto her troubles, no matter how much he wanted to just reach over and pull her close.
The bed was much more comfortable than the couch, and he settled in. He lay on his back, placing his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling. His keen hearing picked up Holly’s breathing beside him, and he waited for her to fall asleep. The minutes ticked by and he couldn’t help but notice she was still awake.
“Can’t sleep?”
Holly sat up and then twisted around to look at him. “How did you know?” she asked, her face annoyed.
He chuckled. “I can hear the cogs in your mind turning.” Her shoulders slumped and she fell back on her pillow with a loud huff. Rolling to his side, he faced her and propped his head up with his hand. “Care to talk about it?”
She pursed her lips. “Where do I begin? The part where someone tried to lock me and Hannah in a burning building or the part where you turned into a wolf?”
“We’ll get back to the first one,” he said, his jaw tightening. The thought of someone out to get them was still making his wolf seethe. “That second one I can talk about. What do you want to know?”
She frowned. “Are you sure you can tell me?”
“Frankie has a plan, and she seems to think we can trust you,” he said. “And I trust you.”
Her expression faltered for a moment, then she cleared her throat. “So, were you born that way or was it some kind of accident, like being bitten by a radioactive spider?”
He grinned and shook his head. “No, we’re born this way. Frankie and I were, anyway, because both our parents were Lycans. Ma’s second husband wasn’t, so Enzo, Matt, and our other brother Rafe are one hundred percent human. There are some exceptions, but those are rare cases.”
“And there are many of you?”
“Well, there’s more than just our family. We live in clans all over the world. I don’t have exact numbers, but there’s enough of us.”
“Can you change anytime you want?”
“We don’t shift whenever there’s a full moon, if that’s what you’re asking. We control our shifts.”
Holly rolled onto her side to face him, her blue eyes searching his. “Are you … immortal? Like vampires?” Her eyes went wide. “Are there vampires?”
“No, no vampires.” He shook his head. “My biology is human, though I’m faster, stronger, and I heal very quickly, plus my senses are heightened. If I get cut or burned, it’ll heal fast.” To illustrate his point, he turned the bedside light on, pulled up his shirt, and showed the healing burn on the side of his rib.
“Oh my …” she gasped and reached out to touch it. “That looks like you burned it days ago.”
He flinched, not because it hurt but because the feel of her warm palm on his bare skin made his cock twitch painfully. Whoah, cowboy, he said, willing his erection to go away. He hoped she hadn’t seen it, but the distinct scent of her arousal was too much. It made him think she probably did see it and it sent his body into overdrive.
She wanted him, just like she did that night. But he wasn’t going to try anything, not when she was vulnerable. Though part of him (i.e. his cock) wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her, another part of him didn’t want it to be just comfort sex. He wanted her to want him for real.
He quickly pulled his shirt down. The blush on her cheeks was unmistakable as she withdrew her hand and slunk away from him.
“What’s going to happen now?” Holly asked.
Dante had spoken briefly to Frankie before they left. His sister didn’t want to administer the forgetting potion anymore than he did, so she told him about her plan. “Well, we haven’t had any human find out about us in a while. I mean, we have, but mostly it’s through marriage,” he explained. That made Holly blush harder and, for some reason, that pleased him. “But, as Frankie may have explained to you, we’ll ask the Lycan High Council to make you one of our Alliance families. Don’t worry,” he said when he saw her frown, “you don’t have to give up your first born or anything. It’s just a binding contract that says you’ll help us when we need you and you’ll be under our protection, plus you’ll have to follow some rules.”
“But what if they deny the petition? Or I decide I don’t want to be an Alliance family? Will you give me that potion? Will I forget everything? What if—”
She began to take deep labored breaths, and her face was turning ashen. Not sure what else to do, he crossed the distance between them and then wrapped an arm around her.
“Shhh,” he soothed, rubbing a hand down her back and ignoring the way her soft curves pressed into him. She hadn’t taken off her robe, but that piece of fabric and whatever she had underneath didn’t prevent him from feeling her firm breasts pushing against his chest. “Just breathe. It’s going to be okay.” On impulse, he kissed the top of her head. “I promise.”
Could he really promise her that? Guilt seeped into him. It was because of him she was in this mess. If he hadn’t shifted, she never would have known about Lycans. However, given the chance to save her and Hannah, he would do it over and over again.
Holly let out a deep breath and sank against him. He expected her to pull away, but, to his surprise, her body became heavy and she snuggled against his chest. A satisfied warmth filled him, and he rolled onto his back, shifting her body so her head remained in the crook of his shoulder. When he could feel her breathing turn even, he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, surrounded by the soft sweet scent of lavender and vanilla.