27. Lucy
Chapter 27
Lucy
S unday afternoon arrived far too soon for my liking. After a relaxing weekend spent mostly in total silence, coming back to the mansion felt like a foreign country. It had only taken a few hours to get used to roaming around the living room, cooking meals for myself, not to mention a very distinct lack of Dante Rush. And before I knew it, the calendar had flipped to Sunday and it was time to get back to work and get ready for the week ahead.
I returned to the mansion with a bag of clean laundry along with five meals prepped and ready to eat as is, or fresh from the microwave. It was all part of my plan to remain professional and keep my distance. I had meals, a case of water, a few cans of pop, and some snacks. It was just enough food to get me through the week without succumbing to the urge to join Lena and Dante for dinner.
A knock sounded at my door, and I could tell by the softness of the tentative tap that it wasn’t Dante, so I pulled the door open with a smile. “Lena. What’s up?”
She looked left and then right before she leaned in and giggled. “You want to have dinner with us Lucy?”
Yes. “That is a very kind invitation, but I think you should enjoy dinner with your father before the week starts and he gets busy again. Don’t forget to tell him how much you’ll miss him and how much you love how hard he works for you.” I spread my mouth into what I hoped was a believable smile and ruffled her hair. “Did you have a good weekend?”
“I did. Daddy took me to a puppet play and to a very fancy dinner. I got to dress up and it was so much fun!”
“That’s great to hear, Lena. I’m so happy for you.” Spending time with her father was good for her, especially since they were all each other had in the world. I would have given anything to have even a fraction of the attention from both of my parents that Dante managed as a single parent. “Don’t forget to wash your hands before dinner!”
“I won’t,” she replied with a small smile before she ran off down the stairs and back to her father.
I smiled and shook my head before I closed the door and got back to putting my clean clothes away. I had seen Dante for a few moments when I first arrived and we hadn’t exchange any words, not even a simple polite greeting. In fact, we hadn’t said anything to each other in more than a week and it was both gratifying and torturous. It was the only way to move forward without things getting messy, no matter how awkward it was.
No matter how much it hurt.
It won’t hurt forever, I reminded myself before I stepped into a steaming hot shower. The water pounded against my aching muscles and the steam opened my pores, relaxing me until I felt calm and thoughts of Dante no longer interrupted perfectly reasonable thoughts of everything else. Feeling refreshed and mostly ready to face the week, I stepped out of the shower and into the steamy bathroom with a half-smile on my face. I took my time as I applied leave-in conditioner to my hair, moisturizer on my skin and slipped into a pair of comfortable cotton pajamas.
Sometime after ten o’clock another knock sounded on the door, and this time I knew it was Dante. I inhaled a deep breath and let it out for as long as I could, steeling myself for an interaction with my boss. With another breath to strengthen my resolve, I gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly.
“Yes?” I ignored how good Dante looked, even in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt that clung to his sculpted muscles.
“Lucy.” He opened his mouth and closed it, almost as if he was at a loss for words, something I was sure felt foreign to a man like Dante. “I think we should talk.”
I folded my arms in an unconsciously protective gesture. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Is there anything I need to know about Lena?” Talking about what he said wouldn’t solve anything, which meant it was pointless.
“Ah, no,” he grunted with a sheepish grin. “I owe you an apology.”
I shook my head and took a step back as if I could put some distance between me and whatever words he felt he needed to say. “No, you don’t.”
“I do.” He stepped forward until he was inside my room and closed the door behind him. “I’m sorry that I was such an asshole the other day. I have no excuse, not for how I spoke to you or what I said, and, well I’m sorry.”
“Fine,” I stepped back again. “Apology accepted.” The words didn’t make me feel better, but I knew they wouldn’t, so I slapped a smile on my face and nodded, pretending that his apology fixed everything.
“You don’t mean that.” His expression was serious, his body one tightly coiled mass of muscles and tension. “Dammit Lucy, what can I do?”
I sighed wearily. “What does it matter, Dante? You don’t care, you just don’t want things to be awkward.”
“Damn right I don’t!” His words rolled across the room and I wrapped my arms around myself.
With as much calm as I could muster, I nodded. “Things aren’t awkward Dante, they’re exactly as they should be. Professionally distant. We don’t need to be friendly or share meals. We have one shared goal, and that’s Lena’s education and well-being, so that is what we need to focus on. Nothing else.”
“And if I can’t?”
I smiled though it didn’t reach my eyes. “You can, and if you can’t, then remember that I’m looking to trade up to someone richer than you. That should make things easy.”
He rolled his eyes. “So you don’t forgive me?”
I shrugged. “There’s nothing to forgive, Dante.”
“Bullshit.” He shook his head. “You’re angry, so just say that you are.”
I was furious. “I’m not angry. Why would I be?”
“Dammit Lucy, just be honest with me.”
I sighed, doing my best to look bored. “I don’t owe you honesty, Dante. I said I’m fine, so accept it or don’t, I don’t care.”
Dante rushed towards me, closing the distance between us quickly until he was in my face. “I can see that you don’t, but dammit I do care. I’m sorry, okay?”
“And I’ve already accepted your apology. What else do you want Dante?” I pushed at his chest. He was too close, his scent engulfed me and took over my senses. The warmth that radiated from his body heated my skin until I couldn’t think straight.
“What I want Lucy,” he growled and rested one palm on the wall behind me, “I can’t have.” The other hand went to the wall and locked me between his arms. “You.”
A shaky breath escaped, but I couldn’t say anything because Dante held me transfixed in his deep green gaze. I wanted to reject his words, to tell him that he didn’t really want me. I wanted to say that it was because I was close by. Easy. But the moment I opened my mouth his lips were on mine, his tongue slipped between my lips and his hands gripped my waist. The kiss was sexier than the others. It contained a raw hunger that was irresistible.
Had anyone ever wanted me so desperately? Ever needed me like this? I didn’t have to think about it, the answer was no, not ever. Not until Dante had any man needed me this way, or made me feel so needed, and I was powerless to do anything other than dive straight into the kiss and let it swallow me whole.
Dante kissed me like I was his whole world and I let him. No, that’s not right, I didn’t just let him, I leaned into the feeling and let it warm me down to my bones. Before I knew it I was falling to the bed and Dante was on top of me. His hands tore at my clothes while his mouth devoured mine. He moved from my mouth and down my body, kissing every inch of my skin until I felt as if I might die from the sheer pleasure of his lips on my flesh.
I arched into him as his shoulders pushed my thighs apart and he slicked his tongue through where I was hot and pulsing for him. I bit my bottom lip and gripped his hair tightly. “Yes.”
Dante’s tongue was pure magic and fire, hot and devilish as it rolled against my clit over and over like it was battery powered. He growled like I was a dish he couldn’t get enough of, and he dove deeper, licked with greater intensity until pleasure exploded out of me like a volcano erupting after lying dormant for centuries.
The orgasm pushed fire through my veins and I gripped his hair tight, holding him close until every last inch of pleasure was wrung dry. “Mmm,” I purred as my body went slack.
But Dante wasn’t done yet. He placed a long, slow French kiss to my slit before he licked his way up my belly and back to my mouth, slipping inside of me in one long stroke. “Ah, yes. So, so good.” He grunted his pleasure and held on tightly to me as he thrust deep, placing open mouth kisses on my neck and collarbone. “Lucy.”
I kept my eyes close and just let myself feel. I didn’t want to think, not about who was making me feel this good, or why it was such a stunningly bad idea. I just wanted to enjoy the physical intimacy, the sensual satisfaction that pulsed through my body, and that’s what I did. “Yes,” I moaned. “More.”
He hooked his arms under the back of my knees and pounded harder into me, grunting in my ear before he nipped it. “Ah, fuck. Lucy!” His hips moved faster and his thrusts came deeper and with more intensity, the sensation was so good that my toes curled and a shiver stole down my spine.
It was so good, I felt tears gather in the corners of my eyes and squeezed them tighter, willing thoughts to go away so that there was only room for orgasms. “Yes,” I moaned and bucked up to meet him thrust for thrust. “Dante, yes!”
His lips left my skin and he whispered in my ear. “Look at me Lucy.”
Without a question my eyes opened and our gazes collided with a palpable intensity that sent a wave of discomfort through me. I didn’t like this feeling at all, but I loved the way my body felt. “I see you Dante.”
He smiled and his jaw clenched as his orgasm took over. “Lucy,” he grunted and then slammed his mouth against mine. He kissed me long and hard, the friction of his cock pumping inside of me until I couldn’t stand it any longer and my second orgasm crashed down over me. “Ah, fuck!”
His roar of ecstasy did something wild, it prolonged my orgasm and it was wild, almost animalistic as I twitched and pulsed and vibrated while he continued to fuck me. It was heaven and hell combined into one sensation that I never wanted to end. “Oh, yes!”
Dante’s face twisted in erotic agony as he pounded pumped harder, groaning until he came deep inside me. “Ah, Lucy.” His hips slowed but several long seconds passed before he stopped completely, prolonging our pleasure until we were both limp and satisfied. He rolled to the side and I moved slightly, making sure we didn’t touch.
It was an odd stand to take, but I had to keep my distance after what had just happened, the feelings it evoked, I knew I needed emotional distance above all else. “That was…intensely satisfying.”
Dante laughed. “It was a whole damn experience.”
It was. Unfortunately. “You should go.” Okay that was abrupt and kind of rude.
Dante sighed. “Is this some sort of payback?” He turned to face me, his fingertips drew circles on my stomach.
“No. But I’d rather you leave before your regret sets in. Again.” The last thing I needed to hear while I still glowed from two delicious orgasms was how it was a mistake, and how it couldn’t happen again. “Let’s just leave it at what it is.”
His expression turned thunderous. “So, what, there are no second chances with you?”
“A second chance to hurt and humiliate me? No.” I tried to get off the bed, but Dante’s grip pulled me back. “Dante.”
“I said I was sorry. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”
My shoulders fell at the emotion in his question. “Yes, it does actually. I believe that you’re sorry about what you said in front of Alex and Lena. That doesn’t change the issue of regret though, does it?”
“Dammit Lucy, I never said I regretted it.”
“No,” I conceded, “you never said that. Or anything. But you don’t want this, do you Dante?” I figured a guy like him was ashamed that he was attracted to the plump nanny, and I couldn’t blame him. Not that I thought there was anything wrong with me, I liked myself just fine, but I’m sure a handsome wealthy man like him was used to dating executives, insta models, and probably a few heiresses as well.
“It isn’t that simple, Lucy.”
“But it is,” I shot back and wrenched out of his hold to stand. “I’m a big girl Dante and I don’t need you to lie to me.” Damn tears started to fall and I kept my back to him. “Just please, leave.”
There was so much tension in the room, and I felt the weight and heat of his stare on my back. Dante wanted to argue, but what was the point? He wasn’t trying to convince me of anything. Despite the off-the-charts chemistry and the fact that we couldn’t be alone together without getting naked, he didn’t want this. Didn’t want me.
“This conversation isn’t over Lucy.”
It was, he just didn’t know it yet.