6. Dogs are Great Listeners
CHAPTER 6
Dogs are Great Listeners
WOOF WOOF AND BOW DOWN
I stared into his lust-filled eyes. His eyes traveled up and down my body, slowly. He was waiting. He needed me to make the first move since I was the one who was unsure. But I wasn’t going to hesitate anymore.
I watched the way his eyes drunk me in. It was like he was memorizing every part of me. A sense of power coursed through my body. I was going to have this man so tightly wound around my pinky he wouldn’t be able to make a move without thinking of how it would affect me.
"Fuck it," I whispered. I faintly heard him gasp as I took his face in my hands. I smashed my lips against his, causing him to stumble back. He quickly recovered his balance and matched my fury. I relaxed in his arms, giving myself up to the tidal wave of lust. He pushed me back against the sink counter.
My fingers twisted into his hair, tugging. His sweatpants provided little barrier to what I could feel. His hands dug into my waist. I bit his lower lip and slightly pulled away. He groaned beautifully.
"Fuck," he whispered against my mouth. Our tongues clumsily found their way into a tango that set me on fire. But I wanted more. It had been so long since I felt like this and I had never been with a man who was this detailed with his tongue.
His hands stayed gripping my hips and I wanted him to touch me. I knew he was being cautious but I was taking a jump. I wasn't the type to tentatively give in. When I decided to do something I went all the way.
So I did the next lustful logical thing. I widened my legs, allowing him more room. I pushed my lips against his, forcing him to get on my level.
Instinctively he pushed back as he nipped and licked up and down my neck. I shut my eyes closed, letting the sensations wash over me. His hands were greedy as they kneaded my thighs. I desperately wanted between my legs. My core ached to be touched.
"More," I whispered, dragging one of his hands up my body. He forcibly stopped his hand from getting closer to her breast. "More," I pleaded. He looked into my eyes, pupils dilated, breathing ragged. His swollen lips pouted.
"Can we go to the couch?" he asked. Mhmm, manners were sexy. I nodded. He smirked, slipping his hands under my ass to lift me. I wrapped my legs tight around his waist and moaned at the feeling of his erection.
Instead of laying me down he sat, keeping me on top. I gasped at feeling him fully beneath my hips. I rocked against him. Dante threw his head back, eyes closed in bliss. I dragged my hands up his chest, gripping his neck.
“Look at me,” I demanded. His eyes collided with mine. His mouth hung open as I pushed my nails into his hair. I leaned down and pressed kisses against his neck. I sucked on his neck hard before soothing it with my tongue. He moaned again, his hands massaging my ass. I had control and it was giving me a delicious high.
"Lucia," he hissed. I smirked. I liked watching him become undone. I could see his control slowly slipping and dammit if it wasn't the hottest thing ever. He finally opened his eyes. Our gazes locked. His fingers slipped underneath the hem of my shirt, lightly grazing my skin. I arched on instinct, needing to feel more of his hands on my bare skin.
He raised an eyebrow in question, again, wanting permission. I nodded eagerly. He began lifting up my shirt and then a phone blared. I jumped back, heart hammering. The phone popped our sexually charged bubble. I was two seconds from tossing that phone into the garbage can.
"Pick it up," I murmured and moved off his lap. Dante stood up, adjusting himself. I shamelessly watched and bit my lip. He felt really fucking good underneath me.
He cursed in Italian. He stared at his phone, taking a deep breath. The ringing phone had spiked my adrenaline and depleted it just as fast.
I made my way to the kitchen to repackage the food. I could faintly hear him from across the room. The words were jumbled, a mix of English and Italian. His shoulders were hitched up and his fist was clenched.
I wondered what was wrong. I looked away, needing a moment to catch my breath. My body was still tingling. I was so close to giving myself over to Dante and I would have. I jumped feeling his arm around my waist. He kissed my cheek.
"We'll finish this later," he murmured. Turning in his grasp I squinted at him.
"This was your one chance," I said. A muscle in his jaw ticked. I smiled inwardly. I was going to leave him wanting more, needing me. The string was slowly being wrapped around him.
"Like I said once you finish and you haven't," he said. He did say that. He placed a kiss on my neck and lightly bit the pulsing vein, sending instant shivers down my spine. “I promise,” he whispered against my skin. He walked out the door once again.
The chess pieces were moving.
The next day was Dante's final fitting. Once I handed over the suit there was nothing keeping us from speaking to each other. I couldn’t let that happen. There were things I needed to know. We stood in the back of the shop. Dante began stripping down and my pulse quickened.
"I'll give you some privacy," I said, turning away. He pulled me flush against him and dragged me into the empty changing room. His lips teased my ear.
"You've seen me half naked before," he mumbled. "And didn't I say once you finish?" he said. I stared into his gray eyes. They were playful, filled with hunger. The invisible string hung loosely around his shoulders. His fingers traced a line from my temples, down the side of my cheek, under my jaw and down my neck.
"Stop thinking," he said, voice gravelly. I bit my bottom lip. He pulled my bottom lip from my teeth. "I want to be the one to do that," he murmured. His warmth wrapped around me like an embrace.
"Dante..." I said softly. He closed his eyes as if savoring the sound of his name on my lips. He pressed me against the wall. My hips bucked on their own accord. One hand tightened on my hip. The other, gripping the back of my neck. My heart was racing. My hands were itching to weave their way through his silky dark hair.
"Don't make me beg, Lucia," he said, waiting. There was a needy edge to his voice. Something in me snapped. I placed my hands on his chest and pushed him against the opposite wall, pressing myself against him. His eyes half closed in a low moan. I gripped his jaw in my hand. His eyes snapped open, hungry. I needed to know how far I could push his control. I needed to know how much of him I owned.
"Maybe that's what I want. Maybe I want to show you what it's like to be at the mercy of someone else and wipe that entitled smirk off your face," I said as my hand dragged roughly down his button shirt. My hand trailed further south, brushing the tent in his pants. Dante took a deep breath, his eyes focused on my lips.
"This is what's going to happen. You're going to try on this damn suit so I can be done with it and maybe I'll consider inviting you over tonight to finish what I started,” I said.
After trying on the suit I made a mental note of the things I needed to fix. Luckily it wasn't much. I felt a pain on the side of my head forming again.
So naturally like any workaholic I ignored it and settled in the chair by the cash register to make my to do list. Dante strolled out from the back of the store. His eyes assessed me as if he knew something was off.
"Just a headache. I'm fine," I said, waving him off. The look in his eyes showed he wanted to say something but instead he held back. His phone rang. Glancing at the screen he pocketed his phone and kissed my cheek in goodbye.
I sighed, being able to breathe. I needed to try to get answers from him tonight. I stared at my phone debating whether or not to call my av? . I shook my head. I wasn’t going to interrupt him.
The suit needed to be done for tomorrow and so I shifted my focus on that. I carried on with my day, sewing, cutting, stabbing myself with a pin every once in a while. The pain in my head however was getting worse and I knew it was too late to take any medicine.
I mentally cursed at myself. This was leading towards a migraine and I should have paid more attention. The consistent headaches and stress were a sign of its impending doom.
I locked up the shop because there was no way I would be able to work through this. I learned that the hard way when I nearly stitched my index finger with the sewing machine. I just needed to get home and lay in bed.
I walked to my car with shaky legs. The brightness from the setting sun felt like nails railing into my head. The sound of cars driving by felt like an elephant stomping inside my skull. I breathed through my nose slowly.
I unlocked my car and someone called out to me. I turned around and the figure walking towards me was standing in front of the sun, blinding me and sending a wave of nausea. Fuck. They had to pick that spot. I leaned against her car.
"Are you okay?" a familiar voice asked.
"Yeah, yeah," I replied weakly. Another shot of pain barreled against my skull. I bit my lip to keep myself from crying out in pain. I unknowingly reached for his arm.
“Are you sure Lucia?” the voice asked. I continued to reach for him and felt his arm beneath my hand. I caught a whiff of citrus and cedar. I felt myself relax beneath this person. “Don't worry, I'll take care of you.”
I woke up in my own bed. I gingerly sat up and grabbed my head immediately. Fuck, it didn’t matter how careful I was sitting up, there was still a lingering pain. How did I get here? My bedroom door was slightly ajar and I could hear someone in my kitchen. Who the fuck was in my apartment?
All I could remember was a familiar voice calling to me and being carried inside. I placed my feet on the floor carefully, not wanting to upset my stomach. I didn’t need the nauseous acting up.
Taking a deep breath I stood up. The door opened wider and it was Luca. My shoulders sagged in relief. I guess I didn’t need to punch anyone for breaking into my apartment. Although given the state I was in earlier I think I had known it was Luca that saved me.
He was wearing a gray polo tucked into dark slimming slacks. His blonde hair was loose around his face in waves.
"How did you know where I—mafia," I said, closing my eyes. He offered a small smile. In his hands were a wet towel and a cup of tea.
"Why don't you lay back down?" His voice was gentle. I squinted at him. I wasn't sure why he was being nice. Did Dante send him? Unlike Dante, Luca had been kind from the beginning. There was an easy air around him that relaxed me. "You're not the first person I've left speechless," he said with an easy smile. I sighed. I moved to sit on the edge of the bed as he walked over.
"You can leave now," I said, my voice scratching against my ears. He softly scoffed, setting the tea on my bedside. The smell of ginger and lemon hung in the air. Ginger was good for nauseous which happened whenever I had a migraine .
"I'm not leaving," he said, taking a seat next to me. The bed shifted under his weight. I should be nervous even scared that a slightly strange man was in my apartment and sitting on my bed but I wasn’t. My lips twitched.
“You look like you’re about to laugh,” he pointed out. My cheeks heated.
“I just thought about how you’re on my bed and Dante hasn’t even made it towards my bedroom door,” I said. Luca’s eyes sparkled.
“Mhmm you sure know how to make a man feel good,” he said with a lopsided grin. I couldn’t stop myself from returning the same smile.
“You should leave,” I whispered. I tilted my head at him. His eyes looked lighter like the sky on a clear day. They were warm and inviting. He placed the towel on my forehead. I hissed at the contact. The coolness instantly relaxed me.
"I can't leave you when you're like this," he said softly, leaning closer. I noticed many dots on the outskirts of his face. I felt the urge to trace them with my finger.
"I've dealt with this before," I said as he provided delicious pressure with the towel.
"Just because you're used to doing this alone doesn't mean you have to," he whispered. He rubbed slow lazy circles on my temples. "You also realized if I wasn't there you would have been passed out on the street," he pointed out. I rolled my eyes through the pain.
"I would have made it into my car if you hadn't called my name," I said. He chuckled while shaking his head.
"You can leave," I said, reaching for the towel. He continued staring at me. He was as stubborn as Dante. I sighed. "Fine you can stay out in the living room," I said, pointing towards the door. He glanced at my bed.
"I don't know your bed looks pretty comfy," he said, patting the mattress.
"It's for one person," I said. He let out a chuckle. It wasn’t as deep as Dante’s but I couldn’t help but be slightly entranced by the sound.
"I could sit on the floor," he said, glancing at the spot by my window. I couldn't stop the smile from spreading across my face .
"Like a dog?" I teased. His eyes widened and a spark of excitement briefly coursed through me.
"Are you my master?" he asked. My cheeks flushed. My plan had briefly involved seducing Dante to get him to talk but Luca might be an easier route.
“Would you mind having a woman tell you what to do?” I asked. I placed the towel on my nightstand. He stared at me in silence as I crawled under my covers, settling in my bed. Luca didn’t answer and so I decided to ask another question.
"Does Dante know?" I asked. I reached for my tea and took a sip. I hissed at the burning liquid. Luca leaned forward, hands on either side of me.
"I haven't decided if I want to tell him yet," he said and then blew a breath to cool down my tea. My eyes were trained on his lips. They were a dusty rose and his top lip was slightly fuller. I swallowed and nodded in thanks. I took another sip and enjoyed the taste. Luca smirked and made his way to the window. He sat down, crossed legged.
“Lucia,” he called out from his position. I glanced at him as I buried myself beneath the covers.
“Yes, Luca?” I asked.
“Woof.”