Chapter 14
DANTE
I ’m not sure what time it is when I wake up beside Ethan.
It’s pitch black in the room aside from the moonlight that peeks in through the cheap blinds.
In my sleep I managed to roll over onto my side and wrap my arms around him instead of lying on top of him.
My head is groggy and my face is sticky from tears.
It’s not the only part of my body that’s sticky and damp, but for some reason it’s the one I notice first as I wake.
The room is quiet. I know Ethan isn’t asleep because he’s not snoring. He doesn’t snore loudly, but enough that it’s clear when he’s asleep or not.
I feel his eyes on me in the low light.
“Tell me about your mother,” I insist. My voice cracks with sleep and is barely louder than our breathing.
I feel Ethan’s naked body shift against mine as his fingers trail up my arm from my wrist to my shoulder.
“My family really isn’t interesting compared to yours,” he tells me.
The sleepiness in his voice makes it a bit lower than usual, and adds a softness that makes me hum and find his face with my own. I nudge his cheek with my nose.
“I wanna know about your family, Ethan Moore.”
Ethan’s legs tangle even more with mine and I feel his breath against the top of my chest and neck when he sighs. “My mom’s name is Annabeth, but she goes by Anne. She hates being called Beth.” His voice is quiet, but it cuts through the night and finds its way to my ears so fucking perfectly.
“Why?” I ask as I close my eyes and just listen to his voice. I trace circles on his lower back, and I feel him squirm every now and then. I smirk to myself.
Ethan reaches back and moves my hand to his hip instead, and I squeeze it firmly.
“Mm,” he hums.
“Distracted, tsk tsk,” I whisper.
He smacks my shoulder, barely making a sound, then places his hand back down. “I don’t know. Do you like being called Dan?”
I cringe. “Absolutely fucking not.”
“For the same reason as that, I suppose.”
I chuckle softly. “Point taken.”
The silence lingers for another moment or two, and I wonder if he’s falling asleep, but then he speaks again.
“Her and my dad were in college when they had me. They were just nineteen and twenty. My mother tells me the story at least once or twice a year. She’ll tell anyone who asks, and even those who don’t,” Ethan says with a long sigh.
“According to her, they were rivals. Educationally, of course. They were always attempting to one-up each other. My mother usually got the upper hand, at least in her version of the story.”
I raise an eyebrow, though my eyes are still closed. “They didn’t stay rivals for long, clearly.”
“I do not like to think about it, and my mom tries to brush over this part of the story, but I’m pretty sure they were sleeping together while still actively trying to trample each other in class,” he tells me, and I hear the embarrassment in his voice.
“Regardless, they eventually realized most of the tension was their feelings for each other, and they started dating properly.”
“Properly.” I snicker. “You sound so traditional.”
“I am,” Ethan admits. “Or, I thought I was.” He clears his throat and continues. “They were only officially together for six months when my mom found out she was pregnant. She was terrified. My dad wasn’t. She says he’s the reason she didn’t lose her mind and drop out of school immediately.”
“They both stayed in school?” I ask, curious. Hearing about Ethan’s family history is oddly soothing.
“No, actually. My dad took a break from when I was born until I was a year old so she could focus on school,” he says.
“Wow, that’s…damn. Don’t know many guys who’d do that,” I say, genuinely shocked. I hold him closer to me and nuzzle my face against his cheek, slowly moving down to his neck, enjoying the warmth of our bodies under the blankets. They’re scratchy and dull compared to my own, but still.
“My father is…well, we don’t always get along, but he’s a good man.
After a year, he continued school alongside her, just a year behind.
My grandma died around that time. It was expected, since she was very sick, but it was really hard on everyone,” Ethan mumbles quickly, like he wants to move past that part.
“So my grandfather moved in with them and took care of me while they were at school and work.”
“That must’ve given him somethin’ good to focus on.”
Ethan chuckles. “That’s exactly what he says. He says taking care of me made losing Grandma easier. He says I look just like her, too.”
It’s quiet for a long moment, sadness easing in, and I kiss his neck a couple times.
“You’ll have to show me a picture of her,” I insist.
I feel him nod.
“Do I even want to know how your parents met?” Ethan asks.
“It’s not as bad as you’d think,” I reply.
“They weren’t in rival gangs?” Ethan asks with a weak laugh.
I chuckle tiredly. “No, surprisingly. My mother wasn’t a part of this world at all.
She didn’t even live or go to school here,” I tell him, a bit of sadness creeping over me as well, but I try to keep my tone light.
“She was just in town visitin’ a friend and met my father on the beach one day.
They had a whirlwind fling that week, she left, and then she showed back up a month later with her things and never left. ”
Ethan nearly chokes. “Jesus, that’s…well, I guess when you know you know.”
“Yeah. My father is a son of a bitch, but she loved him, flaws and all,” I say slowly, my chest feeling tight. “I wanna believe he loved her. Maybe he just lost sight of it in all the…power.”
It’s silent, so much so that it unnerves me. I chuckle, trying to let off some of the tension.
Ethan’s hand slides to my cheek and his thumb caresses it.
“I’ve never felt anything like this before,” I say. “Told anyone this. Cried in their arms. Held them so close for so long. Felt so…soft.”
Ethan brushes a tuft of my hair behind my ear and turns my head so that his nose brushes mine. “Me, either,” he admits. “But I think you need it a lot more than I do.”
I swallow the lump in my throat and brush my lips to his. I’m about to kiss him, really kiss him, and perhaps fuck him to sleep again, when my phone starts to vibrate aggressively on the floor nearby.
“Motherfucker,” I hiss.
Ethan jumps, startled, and pulls back from me. I lean in and kiss his nose several times before finally sliding out of bed and stumbling in the dark until I find my phone.
The light of the screen blinds me for a second. “Fuck, shit.”
I swipe to answer the call and put it to my ear. “You know, you’ve got the worst fuckin’ timing, brother,” I snarl.
My eyes shift to Ethan, who’s sitting up in bed and holding the blanket in his lap. The light of my phone allows me to see him better—his ruffled hair, his hickey-covered body. I barely process what my brother’s saying.
“Huh?” I ask.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you asshole. Screw your head back on. I said, Father is pissed and wants to talk to you right now. Family meeting,” Marco tells me.
I hold the phone tighter, hearing the frame creak. “It really can’t wait until sunrise?”
“The sun’ll be risen by the time you get here, Dante. You’ve got until Father finishes his second coffee and smoke, or your ass is grass.”
I growl under my breath and my free hand balls into a fist. “Can’t even get a fucking morning to myself. I’ll be there.” I hang up before Marco can reply, but I see the text he sends me as it pops up in my notifications.
Marco: is the ass really that good?
I angrily text him back.
Me: you’ll never know, jackass
I huff and start trying to find my clothing.
“What’s going on?” Ethan asks. The light on the nightstand startles me, and I grimace as I adjust to it. “Sorry.”
Once my eyes adjust, it’s easier to find my clothing. “Family meeting. Can’t wait, apparently. Got wipes?”
Ethan blinks at me and then nods, sliding off the bed.
I watch him walk, legs wobbly for the first few steps, and then he leaves the room.
When he returns a minute later, he’s holding a container of baby wipes.
“Here, let me get it.” He pulls a couple out, steps over to me, and slowly wipes the cum off my stomach and the front of my thighs.
I shiver at the feeling, then look at him with surprise as he steps behind me and does the same to my back.
He even pays attention to my ass with his cleaning.
“Is this alright?” Ethan asks.
I sigh and close my eyes for a second. “It’s perfect, thank you, puppy.”
He tosses the wipes in the small trash can by the bed after wiping his own stomach and chest, and then sits down on the bed. “When will I see you again?”
I snort. “You say that like I’m going off to war.”
He eyes me. “With how dangerous this all is, as you pointed out to me, you could be.”
My face falls. “I’m just talking to my father. He’s got a burr up his ass, probably about the Greivans. Not that I blame him after what they’ve done to you. But right now, it’s just the wrath of the old man. I can handle it.”
“You didn’t answer my question, though,” Ethan says, a small smile tugging at his lips.
I’ve pulled on my boxers, jeans, and shirt by now, and have to sit down to get my socks on. “When do you wanna see me?” I smirk as I finish getting dressed beside him.
“As soon as possible.” He reaches over and fixes the cuff of one of my sleeves. “After class and…studying. Unless you’ll study with me.” He raises a brow.
I put my feet on the floor and slide my arm behind his back. “Do we have to actually study?”
He rolls his eyes and shoves me away gently. “Yes. Exams are soon.”
I shrug. “Can’t blame me for trying.” I grunt as I stand up and stretch my arms above my head. I’m sore for multiple reasons, but I regret none of them.
“You need help getting to class?” I ask.
Ethan shakes his head. “No, Nathan is going to drive me today.” I ignore the twinge of jealousy in my chest.
“What’s that look?” he asks.