10. Thea
10
Thea
T he nightmares had returned. Since leaving the guys, my sleep had been restless at best. I wasn’t sure why, but having one of them in my bed, usually Milo, helped to keep my long-buried memories locked down.
Maybe I ought to speak to a counselor one of these days but then I’d probably be arrested if I told anyone about some of the shit Torrance had forced me to do.
This nightmare was a peach.
I walked out of the bar, my face covered. Ahead, Fausto’s car burned, flames soaring skyward. People screamed as burning debris scattered. My feet locked to the ground, forcing me to watch as a blackened face pressed up against the door, mouth open in a silent scream.
“Help!” my dream self cried. But nobody did. They all watched, mouths yawning in horror as the car exploded in a fiery inferno. Then I started screaming too.
“Thea!” Dario’s voice cut through the dream and it faded, leaving only a lingering sense of horror and despair behind. “Fuck, Thea, wake up, cara !”
“I’m awake,” I muttered groggily. “Sorry. Bad dream.”
He lay down on the small bed and pulled me against his warm chest. I inhaled his comforting scent and my body relaxed. It wasn’t the first time he’d saved me from a nightmare. As a child, I’d often woken myself up screaming at some imaginary monster. Or not so imaginary sometimes.
The first time I woke to find Dario in my room, I’d nearly stabbed him to death. Luckily, he’d only suffered a few minor defensive wounds before I realized it was him. Once we’d both calmed down, he then explained how he’d found a hidden tunnel into the wine cellar and used it to get into my room.
From then on, he appeared regularly, usually when his father stayed late on business at our house and had brought Dario along. I felt sure Torrance would tell my father about my nocturnal visitor, but he never did.
“You never have to apologize for having nightmares, Thea. Besides, I was awake anyway.”
“Is the sofa horrific?”
He rolled on to his back and stared up at the ceiling. “It’s not great, but mostly it’s because I can’t stop thinking about Papa.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around his bicep. His muscles flexed under my fingers. Touching him was dangerous with my guard down. It wouldn’t take much to start a fire neither of us could extinguish.
“Your father was a good man. He didn’t deserve to die.”
“He wasn’t all good, Thea. He spent years managing the money for Francesco. I’d say that makes him morally gray at best, and a criminal at worst.”
“We’re all morally gray, Dar. Me more than most. I’ve done things that make your father’s crimes pale in comparison.”
“No, you’re not to blame, Thea. Your father is the monster. He stole your childhood, coerced and manipulated you into doing his bidding, and now he’s taken my father from me,” he growled.
He was right, of course.
“He’s taken your father from both of us. I cared for him, too.” The nightmare still lingered: the stench of smoke and burning flesh, the sense of powerlessness and sorrow.
When I looked at Dario, he’d closed his eyes. Wetness glimmered on his cheeks. The last time I’d seen Dar cry, we were kids. He’d shown up at the chapel late one afternoon, angry and upset. Some asshole had killed his dog - the poor thing had run out of the garden and under the wheels of a passing car.
Was this a normal response to losing a parent? Had I cried when Mama passed? I couldn’t remember.
Seeing Dar so vulnerable made me want to comfort him, even if his emotions triggered me. I’d never been good at dealing with emotions. Not mine and definitely not anyone else’s.
He didn’t react when I tentatively reached out and stroked his cheek.
“I’ll make him pay,” I promised. A soft exhale told me he was listening, so I continued. “I’ll make it hurt. He deserves no less.”
Dario snorted and wiped his eyes. “Hallmark called. They need a few new sentiments for their sympathy card range.” He rolled toward me, close enough that his warm breath brushed my lips. When his hand snaked out and cupped my cheek, I didn’t protest.
“Can I kiss you?” he whispered, the soft light from the window painting his face in silver. He was so damn pretty. Far prettier than any man had a right to be. Cut cheekbones and a square jaw ensured he didn’t appear too feminine. Not that anyone would accuse him of being effeminate. Not with all those muscles and tatts.
“Yes.” We both needed some comfort tonight.
The minute the words fell from my mouth, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. For a moment, neither of us moved. His hard body against mine, chest to breast, with the covers pooled around my waist, felt right. Like it had all those years ago when we fooled around in the dark in my bedroom late at night.
Neither of us had known what we were doing back then. At least I hadn’t. But we were adults now.
He swiped my lips with his tongue, and the passion between us exploded. I felt his fingers thread through the short hair at the nape of my neck, cupping my head as he deepened the kiss.
I tried to kick the covers down, desperate for more of his skin against mine, but they were all tangled up around my legs. Frustration boiled over, and I pushed him away. For a moment, he seemed worried that he’d overstepped, but when I threw the covers back and moved astride him, he grinned.
“Take what you want, tesoro . Use me.”
“I intend to.” The thought of other females touching him made me feral. I knew he’d probably slept with a great number of women. We’d planned to be each other’s firsts, but then Torrance ruined everything.
As much as it pained me to think about that loss, part of me wondered if maybe it was meant to happen this way. If Dario and I had crossed the line back then, our relationship would have deepened. I was already half in love with him at the time, which was why his rejection hurt so much.
Dad would have used him against me once he found out, and teenage Dario was reckless enough to try to fight back. There was no way my father would have stood for a rebellion. Not even from Fausto’s son.
But that was all in the past.
Enough water had passed under the bridge for me to forgive Dario. Or at least understand why he did what he did. I didn’t blame him for what happened. Not any more. Not now I knew how Torrance had manipulated him.
Dar watched as I pulled my tee off and tossed it aside. His eyes soaked me in like a sponge, reacquainting himself with my curves.
“Your tits are much bigger,” he commented.
“I was a skinny girl back then.”
“You were perfect, Thea.” He sat up effortlessly and hooked his arms around my neck. “You’ve always been perfect for me. The only woman I ever wanted.”
“I bet you’ve fucked loads of women.” As much as I wanted to hide my jealous side, I couldn’t. He smirked for a moment before his smile slipped.
“Yes, but none of them meant anything.” He sighed. “I tried everything to fuck you out of my system, tesoro , but nothing worked. You are the only woman I ever wanted. Even if I have to share you with those… stronzos .” Fine … he didn’t like sharing, but I wasn’t about to lie and say the others meant nothing to me. They did.
“They’re not here now. It’s just you and me.” The time for talking was over. I wanted him and from the way his erection throbbed between us, he wanted me, too.
“Help me forget, tesoro ,” he murmured against my mouth. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring, so let’s make the most of the time we have left.”
I ran my fingers under his shirt, exploring each dip and plane of muscle, enjoying the perfection of his cut body. He groaned softly when I brushed against the hard length threatening to bust out of his jeans.
“Fuck, I’m so hard right now.” He sucked in a shaky breath and then pushed me backward so I lay on the covers with him hovering over me. “Let me taste you, tesoro .” A memory of the first time he licked me there sprang into my mind, and I shivered.
“Am I doing it right?” he’d asked from between my thighs. “Does it feel good?”
“Yes, don’t stop!”
I’d come so hard, even though we’d both been clueless about the mechanics of oral sex. It hadn’t mattered. Teenage lust was a powerful thing.
Dar pulled my shorts off and stared at my pussy like he’d just discovered a long-lost treasure worth billions.
“So wet and pretty,” he breathed, spreading me wide and licking me from top to bottom before zeroing in on my clit. My back arched, and I cried out. This was no tentative teenage fumble. Dar had leveled up since we last got naked.
He pushed me to the edge and then backed off. Again and again, and fucking again. I wasn’t sure I liked this version of Dario. He was an asshole.
“Please!” I whined. “Let me come!”
“Not yet.” He moved up my body, taking the time to worship my breasts, licking and sucking my nipples. Over the last week, they’d become hypersensitive, and each swipe of his tongue had me whimpering in frustration.
Just as I was about to punch him in the face, he sat back. The shirt came off and then his fingers moved to unfasten his jeans, but I reached out to stop him.
“No.”
“No?” His expression froze, the heat in his eyes fading rapidly. I almost smirked because it was obvious he thought I’d had a change of heart. I hadn’t, but it didn’t hurt to make him think that after all his shameless teasing.
“No, that’s my job.” I pushed his hands away and gestured at him to stand. He did as he was told and waited while I crawled over the bed and got on my knees for him. Being submissive wasn’t really my thing, but I wanted to do this for him.
My last attempt at giving him a blowjob hadn’t been a huge success, but I’d learned a few tricks since then, thanks to expert tutelage from Kyril.
He stared down at me as I unfastened his jeans and yanked the zipper down. Seeing how hard he was for me made my mouth water. I needed to taste him, feel him in my mouth, swallow his pleasure.
A soft groan told me how desperate he was for some relief. How much he wanted me.
I pulled his jeans down, and he quickly stepped out of them. His boxers were next, leaving his cock standing proud.
When I swiped my tongue over his weeping crown, he hissed. Both hands cupped my head and pulled me closer, encouraging me to take him inside my mouth. I opened wide and did exactly that. The salty flavor of him burst on my tongue. Delicious. Perfect.
He was thick and oh-so hard, almost too much for me to take, but I’d had a lot of practice lately. More than enough to let him slide deeper without gagging.
From the way he exhaled in surprise, he wasn’t expecting that. I smiled around him and used my tongue to caress his crown before pulling away.
“Fuck, Thea,” he groaned. “I’m not going to last five fucking minutes if you keep this up.”
“Good,” I mumbled around his cock. He tried to push me away, but I held firm, and with a few last sucks, he came hard down my throat. It was a struggle to swallow it all and some of his release slid down my chin.
“You missed a bit,” he smiled before scooping it up with his finger and pressing it between my lips. “Damn, my cum looks good on you.” Such filthy words. Then his smile faded. “You were supposed to come first,” he said petulantly.
That provoked a laugh. “I could have if you’d not decided to tease me earlier.” I was still pissed about being edged. “It’s not dawn yet. We have time to correct your mistake.”
He grinned, pushing me back on the bed. His dick was already hard again, but instead of sinking into me as I expected, he settled back between my legs and did what I wanted him to do the first time: make me come all over his face.
It didn’t take long, and before I’d had a chance to come down from my high, he pushed inside me. His thickness stretched me, hitting all the sweet spots, obliterating any remaining doubts I might have had about him, about us .
With each sensuous roll of his hips, every brush of his lips against my neck, and caress of my breasts, I was gone. Catapulted into a haze of pleasure. Uncaring of what lay ahead.
This was all that mattered. The two of us, back where we belonged, with each other.