Chapter 18
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DANTE
Iwake with my cheek smooshed against a warm, bare chest with the calming thud of a heartbeat in my ear.
Because I’d already given up so much to Rev last night, I didn’t fight his request to stay the night in his apartment at Sinro.
I was foolish to think I’d be able to get him out of my system in one go.
Peeking up at his sleepy face, my pulse leaps. He’s really too much to take in. Too perfect to be real. His hair is mussed, and his long, dark lashes stand out against his light skin.
He cracks one eye and gives a lazy grin as he traces the pad of his thumb along my bottom lip. “Pretty.”
It’s sitting on my tongue to argue that he’s the pretty one, but I push myself off his body instead.
“Don’t get any ideas about this,” I grumble.
In a movement too quick for someone who just woke up, Rev tackles me onto my back and drags me beneath his body. My cock perks up in my panties as his blue eyes glint with mischief. I’d stripped down when we came back to bed, drunk off the way he couldn’t keep his eyes, or his hands, off me.
“Like this?” he whispers too close to my mouth.
We could kiss. Why shouldn’t we kiss?
Panic snaps through me, reminding me of the pain that nearly shattered me months ago. Pain I’ve experienced one too many times.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I use all my strength to switch our positions. Now I’m on top of him, hands planted on his smooth, hard pecs.
He gives my thighs a squeeze. “Not helping shut down the ideas.”
Jaw clenching, I get to my feet and gather up my clothes. Rev props up on an elbow to watch me, which only makes the situation worse. I rush to get dressed and escape his bedroom.
It’s definitely time to leave. No one’s keeping me here. I’d argue that Laz needs me at home, but I haven’t seen much of him lately. In fact, I’m surprised he hasn’t texted or called to bug me about where I’ve been.
“Breakfast?” Rev asks, padding into the open kitchen area with me.
I take in his half-naked form, stunned as he grabs eggs, bacon, and strawberries from his stainless steel fridge and sets them on his counter.
God, I’m hungry. It’s just breakfast, right?
But first, I need to call my brother.
Turning away from Rev, I pull out my phone and wait impatiently for Laz to pick up. Worry takes root as it rings and rings. Why the fuck isn’t he answering? So he can text Rev, but he can’t pick up for me? Does he not care? I mean, I wouldn’t blame him. I’ve been a terrible brother.
What if he’s not okay?
“Manito. Are you safe?” Laz answers in a flustered tone.
“Um, yeah…”
“What is it then? What do you need?”
Brows furrowing, I rub a fist over the growing ache in my chest. “It’s just…quiet on your end.”
There’s a pause on the line, and I hear a door shutting in the background. Laz’s voice lowers. “You’re with your boyfriend?”
“He’s not…yeah, I’m with him.”
“Good. I have to work longer hours, but you call me if you need me, okay?”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I exhale deeply. Laz is probably stressing about money, and I’m off fucking around. “Yeah, okay.”
I take a moment to gather myself before dropping onto a stool in the kitchen. Rev peeks back at me. “Anything I can do, kitten?”
Swallowing takes effort. I shift my attention to the stack of paperback books on the shiny white counter and snatch the top one, eager for a distraction. “The Orc’s Secret Love? You can’t be serious about this.”
He chuckles, returning to whisking eggs in a bowl. “What? Twelve-inch humanoid cocks?”
“That’s not even feasible. Like, where is that going to go?”
Glancing over a shoulder, he waggles his brows. “I could show you.”
“What are you even saying?” I mumble, flipping to a random page.
It doesn’t take long to become invested in the steamy scene playing out. The orc humanoid is currently feeding a massive load of hot cum into the eager man’s mouth.
Against my will, my blood runs a little hotter.
“No one can come that much,” I complain.
“It’s fiction, Dante. Cocks never go soft, the prostate is the magic button for orgasms, and characters don’t have to worry about what they eat before back-door action.”
Speaking of fiction, Rev turns to me with a plate of cooked food and a hand towel slung over his shoulder. I drool a bit.
Returning the book to the pile of other wildly named books, I pick at my scrambled eggs while fighting the urge to ogle Rev in his lounge pants.
He leans back against the counter, his hands sliding into his pockets as he watches me eat with a contemplative expression.
“Staring again,” I mutter, shifting in my seat.
“You ever shoot a gun before?”
I pause with a ripe strawberry halfway to my mouth. Frowning, I set it back down. “I know how to shoot. Papi used to take me and Laz to ranges.”
Not that it helped us protect him.
“And yet you don’t carry one,” Rev says in an accusatory tone. “Did your papi ever tell you why he taught you how to shoot?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to think too hard about any of this. I don’t want to know Papi’s secrets. I don’t want the image of the man I adored to be tainted by shit that doesn’t matter anymore.
Thankfully, Rev doesn’t push me, and I finish cleaning my plate.
“So what’s CQC training?” I ask.
“Close quarter combat training. We’ll run simulations with teams in an indoor facility. The weapons are real, but they’re loaded with paint marking rounds.”
My heart dips into my stomach. Scooping up my empty plate and silverware, I move to the sink to rinse them. After drying everything, I open and close cabinets on a hunt to find where to return them, frustration spiking by the second.
“Dante,” Rev says gently.
I drop my head on a heavy exhale. “Where the fuck does this stuff go?”
Rev presses himself against my back. My breath hitches as he runs his hands down my arms. Gently, he takes the plate and silverware and moves away to place them in a deep drawer beside the sink.
He doesn’t ask me if I’m okay. He doesn’t tell me I’m not in the right condition to train with his team.
“Gonna get dressed. You can come watch if you want,” he says.
Snorting, I shake my head. “Pass.”
As the elevator sinks to the bottom of Sinro Enterprises, Rev gives me a quick rundown on signals and commands. I absorb what I can, stressed about fucking things up. I know it’s just a simulation, but it’s not just my life I’ll be responsible for, since we’ll be working in teams.
Guiding me into a supply room filled with shelves of protective gear, he hands me pieces to strap on, including a helmet with built-in eye protection.
“I thought these were fake rounds.” I grimace.
“Mmm, they still hurt. Do your best not to get hit.”
I clutch the helmet tighter in my hands, suddenly overcome with dread. A knuckle touches my chin. Rev lifts my head so I’m forced to meet his gaze. Swallowing, I shut my eyes to hide from him.
“It’s cool. I’m fine,” I mumble.
“Dante.” His tone slips through a crack in my armor.
“It’s just…I don’t like guns.”
When I open my eyes, his expression is serious. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I didn’t…I’m not…” I huff in frustration. “I should be fucking over it.”
His thumb brushes along my cheekbone. “Knives are effective, too, kitten, but if you’re going to hunt, I need you to carry a gun.”
Stepping away from his touch, I tug the helmet over my head. “I can handle it.”
“Just know you don’t have to. It’s no burden on me to kill for you.”
He leaves me speechless for a moment as he moves into a connected armory. I trail after him, overwhelmed by the glass cases backlit to show off an unholy number of pistols, rifles, and machine guns. There are shelves of ammunition, grenades, and smoke bombs, among other equipment.
It’s like something out of an action movie.
I touch my fingers to the cool glass storing brutal-looking knives. “How are you allowed to have all of this?”
“We take down some pretty large criminal organizations and high-profile targets. Doesn’t mean the government won’t change its mind about our existence one day,” Rev says.
He retrieves a gun with a holster from one of the cases and holds it out to me. “Goes on your belt.”
“Really?” I reply sarcastically.
He drops to his knees, icy blue eyes shining up at me while he straps another holster around my thigh. “You know, something about you packing heat combined with that attitude gets me going.”
“You never stop, do you?”
His grin is wicked. “You like knowing I’m turned on by you.”
I roll my eyes, but it’s the wrong thing to do. Rev’s on his feet in an instant, backing me against the glass displays with a gloved hand on my jaw.
Fuck. I don’t want to be into it. But I’m not in control of where my blood is flowing.
Rev holds me until I start squirming. Then he leans in to peck a kiss to my cheek. “You’ll run with me in the first round. After that, it’s gloves off, baby boy.”
As he strides through a set of heavy doors, I stalk after him.
Immediately, I freeze up as I take in a cavernous subterranean space, much like a warehouse with concrete walls and no windows.
Dozens of mercenaries wearing tactical gear stand around chatting, including some of the people from the meeting the other day.
Ezra beams at me, waving excitedly in a cute, golden retriever way.
“Watch out for him,” Rev says quietly. “Pretty boy looks innocent, but he’s your biggest threat on the red team.”
My head snaps to Rev. “You’re kidding.”
Of all the mercenaries present, he might be the smallest one. Even Neff and another woman with platinum blonde hair have him beat on height. Not that Ezra’s short. He’s perfectly average in size.
“Ezra commits to every single mission, training or not,” Rev explains.
His words swirl in my head as I’m introduced to our blue team. Forest hovers at my side while Rev runs through the scenario. Eliminate all targets on the red team. Don’t shoot anyone on the blue team. No point-blank shots. No piercing weapons. And no attacks with the intent to inflict true harm.