34. Chapter Forty-Four Dante
Chapter Forty-Four: Dante
J ade was upset.
I eased back from her, the plush cushion of the sofa giving way beneath my weight. There was something about the way Jade’s eyes had drifted, a vacant look that clawed at my insides. I could feel it—the crushing pressure of our reality pressing down on her, choking out the breath we both fought to catch.
I supposed this was my fault…and I hated it.
“Hey,” I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper as I reached out to her. My knuckles grazed the softness of her cheek in a tender stroke, a stark contrast to the rough life I led—a life she never asked to be a part of. “Are you okay?”
Her dark hair, a cascade of midnight against the pale blue of her dress, swayed slightly as she turned to face me. I knew then that whatever semblance of control I thought I had was slipping through my fingers.
I caught the glint of unshed tears in her eyes, and my throat tightened. “I’m fine,” she whispered, but her trembling voice gave her away. Her words were like a punch to the gut; I heard what she didn’t say as loudly as the lie that slipped through those quivering lips. “This just isn’t anything how I pictured it.”
My heart clenched. Jade, with her brilliant mind and too-big heart, hadn’t signed up for this—this twisted world where danger was always a misstep away. She was a woman of logic, of order, the complete opposite of the chaotic life I had been born into.
And now she was part of it, whether she wanted to be or not.
“What do you mean?” The question came out rougher than I intended, my concern threading through each syllable. I wanted—no, needed—to fix whatever was tearing at her, even if it meant tearing myself apart piece by piece.
“I don’t know. Guess I just always thought I’d be married before having children.”
Her eyes lifted to mine, probing as though the solution to her confusion might be hidden within my gaze. A soft chuckle slipped from me before I could stop it, and I saw the corner of her mouth twitch in response.
“We can still make that happen,” I declared with a certainty that even surprised me.
Jade’s laughter echoed then, a genuine sound that filled the room and eased the tension in my chest. “I’m not even your girlfriend, Dante.”
“Of course you are.” The words slid out smooth and easy, accompanied by a laugh that didn’t quite reach my eyes. It was an absurd conversation when we considered everything—two people tied together by circumstances neither of us fully comprehended.
She didn’t press on the matter, perhaps because deep down she recognized some truth entwined in our jesting. Or maybe we were both simply desperate to grasp at any semblance of normality amidst this chaos.
Or maybe she was just furious with me…and she had every right to be.
I inched closer, bridging the gap between us. My hands found her waist, drawing her gently against me. Jade’s arms wound around my torso; her face nestled into my chest and I felt her sigh against my skin. Her scent enveloped me—lilacs mixed with something else.
“I love you,” I whispered, the words tumbling from my lips before I could reconsider them. I knew she had heard it before, but I thought if I told her again, maybe she would finally begin to understand.
Jade’s body tensed briefly before relaxing once more into our embrace. She remained silent but she didn’t need to speak; her grip tightened, fingers digging into my back through the fabric of my suit. I knew she’d heard me, understood the gravity of my declaration.
Jade looked up at me, and I caught the storm of emotions swirling in her eyes—fear, hope, a fierce determination. It was like looking into the heart of the tempest itself.
For a second, I thought she might say that she loved me too.
She didn’t.
“I know,” she whispered, her voice shaky but carrying a weight that pinned me to the spot. That wasn’t what I wanted, but fuck it. It was good enough.
Without another word, my lips found hers, crushing onto her with a hunger born from too many nights spent dreaming of this. Her taste flooded my senses. Jade moaned, a sound so raw and true it echoed through the hollows of my soul. Her fingers curled into my shirt, clinging on like I was the last shred of sanity in her unraveling world.
I poured every unspoken promise, every silent plea into that kiss. I wanted her to taste the truth in my mouth—that she was mine in ways the law of men would never understand. Her response was immediate, fervent; her tongue met mine in a dance as desperate as it was deliberate.
Time held no meaning as we lost ourselves in the connection that had become our lifeline. It was more than passion; it was survival.
Somehow, I managed to tear myself away from her, and stood up. “Come on,” I said. “Let’s go to bed.”
Her eyes, glazed and heavy-lidded, stared up at me as she nodded, rising to her feet. I could tell she was tired; the day had taken its toll on us both. But beneath the fatigue, there was something else—a spark of something that filled me with dread and hope in equal measures.
I held out my hand to her and Jade took it, her palm sliding against mine with a kind of intimacy that reached right into the core of me. Her touch was soft, almost fragile, like she was offering herself over to an uncertainty that neither of us could predict. I tugged her lightly, leading her away from the oppressive weight of the living room and toward the sanctuary of the bedroom.
As we approached the bed, I pulled her into another kiss.
The heat from our desperate embrace hung in the air of my penthouse, thick as the tension that had always crackled between us. Jade’s breath came in ragged pulls, each one syncing with the erratic thrumming of my heart.
My hands, traitorous and hungry, couldn’t get enough of her skin. They slipped beneath the hem of her blue dress, fingers brushing against her warm flesh. Jade arched into my touch, her moaning a siren’s call.
She was mine to claim, and damn anyone who told me otherwise.
“Jade,” I murmured against her lips, the taste of her still lingering like a promise. With a swift motion, I turned her over, her front pressed into the soft sheets. My eyes raked her body, greedily taking in every curve as I slowly unzipped her dress. The sound it made was a whisper of fabric, a prelude to what was to come.
As the zipper descended, I leaned down, my lips trailing a path of fire down her spine. Each kiss I planted was a brand, a mark of my possession that burned through the layers of her defenses. She gasped, the sound cutting through the silence of the evening. Her fingers, delicate yet frantic, tangled in the Egyptian cotton, clutching for an anchor as I worshipped her body with a fervor that could only be described as devout.
“Get on the bed,” I said. “Get on your front.”
She moved onto the bed, her legs dangling off the side, her body illuminated by the soft glow spilling from the table lamp. I drank in the view, my gaze tracing the curve of her hips, the arch of her back. I could spend an eternity memorizing her form, and it still wouldn’t be enough.
Slowly, methodically, I peeled the silky dress away from her body, revealing the creamy expanse of her back to my eager eyes. My fingers traced invisible patterns on her skin, exploring every inch as though it were a map to some hidden treasure.
Jade shivered beneath my touch, her skin prickling in response. The sounds that escaped from her lips were soft and low, an intoxicating melody that urged me on.
With a swift, practiced motion, I unbuttoned my shirt, the crisp material rustling as it slid off my shoulders and landed in a heap on the floor. The world outside the penthouse’s high windows felt distant and unimportant. In here, nothing else existed but the two of us.
My lips moved lower, kissing the small of her back, trailing a fiery path down. Jade squirmed beneath me, the sound of her shallow breaths echoing in the stillness of the room. I paused momentarily, looking at her with a mix of admiration and pure desire.
Each breath she took echoed in the silence of the room, harmonizing with the low hum of desire that vibrated through me. A thin layer of sweat blanketed her skin, glistening under the soft glow of the lamp. It was a sight that would forever be ingrained in my memory.
I kissed her again. I let my lips trail lower, down the curve of her spine, all the way to her lower back. The taste of her skin on my tongue was intoxicating, flooding my senses with a heady mix of desire and possession that spurred me on. My hands gripped her hips as I buried my face between them, losing myself in her.
Beneath me, Jade released a sharp cry of surprise that swiftly transformed into a guttural moan of pleasure. Her body convulsed under my weight, every nerve in her body ignited by the intimate invasion of my tongue exploring her pretty little asshole.
“God...Dante,” she gasped out my name, her voice trembling with ecstasy and something else. Something that felt a lot like surrender.
Her body writhed beneath my touch, a silent invitation to take what was being offered so willingly. My hands slid up along her sides, fingers tangling in her dark hair as I continued to feast on her.
Every sound she made echoed through the room; each gasp and moan only served to fuel the fire raging within me. The pull was too strong, too potent to resist.
For once, I didn’t want to.
I left her there on the bed, tangled in the sheets as I rid myself of the rest of my clothes. My gaze roamed over her exposed form, drinking in the sight of her - all flushed skin and tousled hair.
As I crawled onto the bed, Jade’s eyes fluttered open and met mine. There was an edge of fear reflecting in them but it was quickly overshadowed by something else - trust. And in that moment, I knew she was putting herself completely at my mercy.
It was really fucking hot.
With a gentle nudge, I guided her legs apart, a low growl escaping my lips at how ready she was for me.
“God, you taste good,” I said.
“Please, Dante,” she whispered, her voice heavy with need.
I didn’t need to be asked twice. Moving closer, I positioned myself at her entrance, my aching length brushing against her inviting warmth. The anticipation was maddening, but control was necessary. She deserved nothing less.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed inside her slowly, the world outside evaporating as her heat welcomed me in.
“Fucking hell,” I said. Jade’s gasp filled the room as she adjusted to my size, a sound that drew a low groan from deep within me. “You’re so tight. You’re doing so good for me.”
Her body yielded to mine, each millimeter sinking deeper into her eliciting a soft moan that reverberated in the silent room. The vulnerability of the moment held us captive, heightening the intimacy between us. I paused, looking down at her, my eyes searching hers for any sign of discomfort. Finding none, I leaned forward, kissing her tenderly as if in reassurance.
I pulled back slightly only to thrust again, this time with a bit more force. Jade whimpered beneath me, her fingers digging into my shoulders. The feeling was indescribable—raw, carnal. Every nerve-ending screamed with pleasure as I moved in her, each stroke bringing with it a tidal wave of sensations.
“Fuck...Dante,” Jade moaned my name again, and it was music to my ears. She was on her hands and knees, her body rocking with each of my thrusts. The sight of her, lost in a haze of ecstasy and need, was all the encouragement I needed.
Leaning in, my lips found the nape of her neck, savoring the salty-sweet taste of her skin. My hands gripped her waist, guiding her movements to meet mine in a rhythm that was steadily growing frantic. There was no holding back now, not when she was writhing beneath me in such sweet abandon.
The room filled with the sounds of our heavy breathing and whispered curses, the cracking fire in the hearth paling in comparison to the inferno that was raging between us.
“Harder...please...” she gasped out between moans. Her wish was my command. I pushed deeper into her warmth, eliciting a sharp cry from her lips as I hit a spot that had her seeing stars.
“That’s it...cry for me,” I growled into her ear, my words both a plea and a command. “Ask me for more.”
“Please,” she screamed. “Please, more.”
Her plea was like a match to tinder, fueling the fire within me. I complied, driving into her with an intensity that shook us both to our cores. With each thrust, I intended to claim her, to make her feel what she did to me — this maddening, insatiable desire that made my heart pound in my chest.
Her body responded beautifully — twisting and writhing beneath me, meeting each of my movements with one of her own. Each cry that escaped from her was a symphony of pleasure that drove me deeper into the abyss of need.
“Fuck…” I groaned as the pleasure surged within me. My grip on her tightened, fingers digging into her flesh as I sought purchase. Jade whimpered in response, her body quivering as she neared her climax.
I could feel it — the flutter of her inner walls around me, the tremble in her thighs, the desperate gasps escaping from between her parted lips. It was all building up to a crescendo that promised to shatter us both.
And then she was there, crying out my name as she tipped over the edge. She convulsed beneath me, her body gripping mine in a vice-like hold as waves of pleasure coursed through her.
I gently pulled out of her, collapsing next to her on the bed, my arm instinctively pulling her closer into me. Our naked bodies were pressed together, my hand tracing lazy circles on her skin.
Jade turned to look at me, her beautiful eyes heavy-lidded but glowing with unshed tears of satisfaction and relief. She snuggled closer into me, her head resting on my chest as if it had always been its home. The intimacy of the moment was overwhelming.
“You okay?” I asked her.
She smiled at me before nuzzling into the crook of my arm. “Yes,” she said. “Never better.”