Chapter Seven
D ante would never grow tired of hearing his name on Amanda’s sweet lips. And her taste? He’d never get enough of that either.
“Oh, shoot.” She sat up on the counter.
The bounce of her gorgeous breasts sent a shaft of heat through his body and his dick throbbed painfully behind his zipper. “What’s wrong?” he managed to ask.
“Do you have a condom? I don’t have a condom.” Her panicked gaze met his. “I’m on birth control but we need a condom too.”
He smiled, fishing one from his wallet. “I bought some yesterday.”
After what nearly happened on his couch Tuesday night, Dante was now better prepared. He also needed to be more careful.
A gate at the top of the stairs had prevented his son from coming down, but if Noah had waited another five minutes, Dante’s situation would’ve been a lot worse.
The warmth from Amanda’s sigh washed over his skin. “Thank goodness,” she said, her smile suddenly turning shy. “And, uh, I should’ve asked sooner, but…um…is this your first time since…”
He dipped down to catch her gaze. “Since Sheri died?”
She nodded, biting her lower lip.
His heart warmed at the concern deepening the green in her eyes.
“No. Last year, I hooked up a few times with a paramedic friend of mine,” he told her, believing in being honest. “She was going through a divorce. We both kind of needed an out.”
She nodded again, even smiled. “I’m glad she was there for you.”
Her earnest nature did him in.
“You are something else.” He placed the condom on the counter, cupped her face, and softly kissed her lips.
This woman was special. He’d known it the first time he’d seen her in his backyard.
“Ditto, Mr. Williams,” she said when he drew back.
“I want you to know that this”—he paused to wave his free hand between them—“this isn’t a hook-up. This is different. Vastly different. We have chemistry. A connection.” Something he’d never experienced to this extent before. It was intense, but in a good way. “So, just because we have to take it slow in front of Noah, doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you. I hope you know that, Amanda, because I do, and I hope that’s what you want too.”
Christ, he sounded like a babbling fool, but he intended to do this the correct way, right from the start. A little while ago, she’d told him he was worth it. Well, she was worth it too.
Dante’s heartbeat pounded loud in his ears. He’d never said those words before, and he’d never been more scared of an answer.
“Yes. I definitely want more than a hook-up.” She smiled, and a warm rush of relief leveled out his pulse. “I definitely want you in my life. And right now, I want you somewhere else, too.”
The sight of her lush body naked and waiting made him harder than hell. The need to sink into her sweetness shook through him.
“Roger that.” As quickly as possible, he removed the rest of his clothes and grabbed the condom from the counter.
“Happy birthday to me,” she murmured, eying his erection as she licked her lips.
His dick throbbed as if she’d touched him.
The beauty before him made him smile and laugh, and he enjoyed making her smile and laugh too. But what he’d discovered a few amazing minutes ago was that he loved making her pant and call out his name as he satisfied her.
It made him feel top-of-the-world amazing. Like nothing he’d ever felt before.
And damn, he needed to do it again but this time, he wanted to be inside her as they came together.
“Allow me.” She slid off the counter, her beautiful breasts bouncing in front of him again as she swiped the condom from his hand.
Dante had to dig deep—real deep—to find the strength to stand still, not daring to breathe while she slowly rolled on the condom, adding several spine-melting strokes along the way. The woman tested his control like no other.
“Amanda,” he ground out through his teeth, and when she finished, he crushed her close, kissing her wild and frantic.
The feel of her breasts brushing his chest felt damn good. But hearing her moan as she deliberately rubbed her pert nipples against him again and again had need throbbing through his groin. Hearing and feeling Amanda pleasuring herself with his body was nearly too much.
He wasn’t going to last.
“Where’s your bedroom?” he asked, sweeping her off her feet.
She blinked and settled against him. “End of the hall.”
The wicked woman kissed and nipped the side of his neck. Swallowing an oath, Dante was grateful she had a small house. As soon as he set her on her bed, he was equally grateful she wasted no time scooting backward and settled against the pillows.
Damn, she was hot.
He crawled up her trembling body, licking and kissing a path to her gorgeous breasts, paying extra attention to her tight pink peaks. Amanda moaned and writhed beneath him. He liked that. A lot. It was how he’d felt when she had him in her hands. Crazed with need. Again and again, he tweaked and sucked until she clutched his shoulders.
“Dante…” she whispered on a hitched breath. “I need you.”
Lifting his head from her breast, he stared into her desire-laden eyes. They were so dark, they were the color of moss.
She spread her legs. “Now.”
“Anything for you.” Positioning his tip at her center, he held her gaze and pushed in, but only halfway. He didn’t want to hurt her.
Still, damn…he’d never felt anything so good. So sweet.
He knew being inside the amazing woman would rock his world, but it went far beyond anything he could’ve imagined.
“More, Dante,” she murmured, her body arching off the mattress. “I want all of you.”
Not wanting to hurt her but wanting to please her at the same time, he slowly pushed in all the way and discovered he’d been wrong. This is what felt better than anything he’d experienced before. Amazing. Incredible. Perfect.
“Yes,” she whispered, a decadent smile on her lips. “You feel so good, Dante.”
His body shook at her words and at the intoxicating feeling of her sweet warmth surrounding him.
“You sure do,” he told her, setting his palms on the mattress beside her shoulders, and while she gripped his forearms, he began to thrust, relishing in the sexy, low moans he ripped from her throat.
Dipping down, he grazed her neck with his teeth. With an almost desperate sound coming from her throat, she grasped his face and tugged his mouth to hers. She kissed him fierce and hungry and deep, all while her body matched his movements. The feel of her peaked nipples skimming his chest drove him mad, and when she thrust her tongue into his mouth and tangled with his, he groaned, pumping into her harder and faster.
Heat skittered down his spine and tingled through his balls. Release was close, too close, but he wanted this to last forever. Wanted to enjoy her decadent body and the feel of her slick heat surrounding him.
But she felt too damn amazing.
Drawing back, he stared into her gaze, heavy with hunger and heat. So beautiful.
He dipped down and kissed a path to her breast and sucked a tight peak into his mouth. She cried out and bucked harder.
That was it. He’d reached the end of his control. He was done. She’d decimated it.
He slammed his palms on the mattress again and locked his elbows before shifting his hips slightly forward as he upped their pace.
A second later, she flew apart, calling his name again, and the combination spurred his own fierce release.
After a few mind-blowing seconds, he dropped onto his forearms, relishing the feel of the tiny spasms wracking her body. Still holding her close, he rolled them onto their sides while they worked to catch their breath. An occasional stray aftershock shook her, and a thrill ran through him knowing he was the cause.
He lifted a hand to brush her damp hair aside and kissed her temple. “You okay?”
She nodded. “That was…I…wow.” She drew in a breath. “Is it always wow? Because I’ve never had wow before.”
He chuckled and kissed her temple again. “It was definitely wow. Because we have chemistry. I’ve never had it before either.”
Since none of the women in his past had garnered this reaction from him, he didn’t feel he was speaking ill of Sheri, just a simple truth.
Amanda blinked at him, and her eyes rounded. “You haven’t?”
He shook his head. “No. Never. You’re the first.”
“Wow.” She blinked again and he watched a similar satisfaction to what he’d felt a minute ago flood her gaze. “I’m glad.”
Dante smiled. “Me, too.” He glanced at the clock on her nightstand and exhaled. As much as he hated to pull out of her, it was time. “Where’s your bathroom?”
“The door on the right.” She pointed to the hall.
Reluctantly, he left her to go take care of business then returned to the kitchen to grab his phone and check for texts or missed calls. Nothing. But the clock on his phone confirmed it was almost time to go, which meant he needed to put his clothes on instead of grabbing another condom from his wallet.
Damn. He’d hoped to have enough time to get lost in Amanda’s softness again.
“Time to go?” she asked, walking into the kitchen, wrapping a robe around her beautiful curves.
The white silk disguised nothing.
He swallowed. Hard. “Yeah. Sorry.” Ripping his gaze away, he concentrated on getting dressed, otherwise…no, there was no otherwise .
Even though the daycare remained open until six, he would never make his son wait while he had sex.
“No worries.” She picked up the last piece of his clothing off the floor and handed it to him.
He yanked the shirt over his head, and she gently tugged it into place and then yawned.
“Tired?” Dante smiled. “You have time for a nap before dinner tonight.”
She snickered. “I’m more relaxed than tired, although I might nod off for a bit.”
“Good.” He bent down to swipe her dress off the floor. “Can I put in a request that you wear this tonight?”
She took it from his hands and raised a brow. “Not sure it’s a good idea.”
“It’s a great idea, because it occurred to me that I have a monitor in Noah’s room. I can bring the other one downstairs.”
She smiled. “Then I think perhaps I will take that nap.”
“Another great idea, since we’ll be revisiting this tonight.” He pulled her close and cupped her sweet ass as he kissed her long and deep.
And when he left her house ten minutes later, it was with a smile on his face, a spring in his step, and an optimism he hadn’t felt in a damn long time, if ever.
***
T he next morning, Dante walked into the open bay door at ESI with the other fathers after having dropped their kids off at the academy. He’d restrained his thoughts of Amanda while he was with his son, but now he couldn’t get rid of the image of the gorgeous woman, naked and panting, her supple breasts bouncing as he took her against his bathroom wall last night.
Once his son had fallen asleep, after the three of them had eaten burgers and played with practically all the toys in Noah’s toybox for two hours and he had his bath, Dante swiped the monitor receiver from his nightstand and brought it downstairs.
Smiling like teenagers, they’d sequestered themselves in the bathroom—the only room downstairs with a door—then revisited and created some amazing, mind-blowing memories.
He couldn’t stop the smile from claiming his face now, but earlier, he’d played it cool and calm in her presence when she met Dillan at the daycare door. Dante had treated her with the same amount of friendliness as his friends, respecting her boundaries, and keeping his distance.
So why the hell were his buddies currently regarding him with a knowing look in their eyes?
Well, he wasn’t going to bite. Nope.
Ignoring them, he walked over to where Carter was currently running diagnostics on the latest ESI purchase—a new surveillance van. The two of them were taking it for a test run later that morning.
“Aw, look at him. Acting as if we won’t say anything if he ignores us,” Cooper said, his voice full of amusement.
Again, he didn’t bite. Didn’t even glance at the guy.
He stopped at the side of the open van and glanced inside. Two ergonomic seats faced a workstation with a set of computer monitors. The van was equipped with a range of cameras with automatic target tracking and long-range surveillance capabilities. There was full daylight HD capture, night vision, infrared, and facial recognition technology.
You name it, it was in there—Carter-tricked-out style.
Integrated ground surveillance radar assisted the camera system by providing all-weather detection and automatic tracking of targets. Then there were Carter’s babies. His drones. The tech genius had included drones with communication-jamming technology that he could man from an integrated long-range drone operation subsystem.
All of that was a genius level beyond Dante’s grasp. Oh, he knew tech, just not at Carter’s way-above-average zone.
“Yeah, Dante should know that never works,” Dex said.
Damn. He’d hoped the probing would’ve been dropped before it ever took off.
“Yep,” Mac said. “Never.”
Damn, not him too?
Now they’re all going to start.
Carter set down a power cable on the table loaded with electronics next to the van and frowned. “What are you guys jawing about now?”
“Not much,” Cooper replied. “Just the smile on Dante’s face and the fact Amanda put it there.”
Every operator on the ESI payroll stopped what they were doing and walked over.
Except for Sinjin.
The guy least likely to gossip stood by the heavy bag and continued to wrap his hands, a rueful expression on his face as their gazes met.
“Really?” Surprise flickered through Carter’s eyes before a wide grin spread across his face. “Ah, you finally gave into need and did the deed. Good for you, man.”
“In…to the need…into the need,” Lex, the idiot’s crazy cockatoo repeated.
“Did the deed…did…the deed,” Marilyn, Dex’s equally crazy cockatoo chimed in.
Those smart birds never failed to make him laugh, even now when the joke was about him.
“Yeah, good for you, Dante.” Hunter stepped close to slap Dante briefly on the back. “You look happy.”
“You do,” Mac said, his gaze serious. “Happier than we’ve seen you in years.”
Probably because he felt happier than he’d been in a long damn time. Amanda made him feel good about himself, about the way he took care of his son…and the way he took care of her.
“Thanks,” he finally said, pulling his mind from her hot curves before his favorite body part had a chance to respond.
“Glad for you, man,” Dex said, with his arm around Rylee.
She smiled warmly at him. “I like Amanda. She’s a good person.”
He thought so too. And he definitely liked her. A lot.
“But we plan to take it slow,” he told them, hoping they’d get the hint and not blow things out of proportion, especially when Noah was around.
Carter snorted. “Good luck with that.”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“He means, every single one of us here tried that tactic and we all FUBAR’d that op big time,” Dean said.
Cooper nodded. “And nearly blew our chances at happiness by being a—”
“A guy,” Rylee said with a grin.
The others laughed and nodded.
“True.” Dex tugged his wife closer and kissed her temple.
Dean blew out a breath and shook his head. “And if you’re trying to do friends with benefits , that’s even worse.”
RJ snorted. “That one gets out of control real fast.”
Sheri was a friends with benefits , and so was Monica, the paramedic.
“Amanda isn’t in that category,” he stated.
She was different. He wanted to please her. Do things to make her laugh and smile, to make her happy, and not just in bed.
“Ah, so you’re already a step ahead,” Mac said. “You know she’s special.”
No sense in denying it. Rylee with her mega observation skills, and the Tier 1 Operators in his buddies would see right through that bullshit, so Dante nodded.
“Once you find the right woman, she gets into your blood, and stays with you,” Sinjin said, finally joining the conversation, speaking between jabs to the heavy bag. “And when you aren’t together, it gnaws at you until you do whatever’s required to keep her at your side.”
Dante wondered what exactly had transpired between his Native American buddy and his pretty nurse.
He cleared his throat. “Well, it’s not exactly like that.”
Sinjin’s dark gaze met his. “Not yet.”
A shiver ran through him. He shrugged it off. “We’re keeping things neutral around Noah, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say anything when we only act like friends in his presence. Okay?”
“Absolutely,” Hunter replied, and Dante wasn’t surprised, given the guy had been in a similar position with Christa and her son, but on the Amanda side of the coin. “That’s what Christa and I tried at first. But, like they said, it didn’t last long.”
Dante frowned. “Why?”
“Because Dillan wanted us to be together,” Hunter replied. “I’m betting that will happen with Noah, too. Sooner probably than later. He seems to like Amanda.”
A smile tugged at Dante’s lips as memories of the woman interacting with his son the past few days filled his mind. “He does. He likes when she reads to him because she does better voices. And she makes better spaghetti than I do.”
Carter’s brows rose. “How many times has she been over?”
“Two times.” He avoided all gazes.
Even the birds.
“How many times have you been to her place?” Cooper asked.
Dante exhaled. “Two times.”
The guys laughed.
“Are you seeing her tonight?” Dean asked.
“No, he’s bringing Noah to our house for tacos,” Hunter replied.
RJ’s brows rose. “She’s okay with not being invited?”
He jerked his head back. “Of course.”
They had an understanding. Amanda would not mind if he did things without her.
“Yeah, that ‘acting like friends’ thing is going to hit the fan soon.” Carter chuckled.
“He’ll cross that bridge when it comes,” Mac said, then straightened his stance. “Okay, I think that’s enough of the Dante inquisition and advice segment.”
Grateful for the assist, he nodded at Mac.
“So, how about we get on with our day?” The boss motioned toward the mat in the middle of the room where they held their daily sparring matches to keep in shape. “Who’s beating the shit out of who first? Winner takes on Dante.”
All right. He nodded, completely on board.
She’s okay with not being invited?
RJ’s question resounded in Dante’s head. He’d been sure of his answer, but now, the more it replayed in his mind, the more unsure he became.
Noah was his responsibility, not Amanda’s. Why would he expect her to want to go?
Did you ask her? His conscience butted in.
His pulse flickered. No.
Why?
He thought about that for a second before the answer became clear.
What if she’d said no?
What if this past week she only spent time with Noah because of him?
That was crazy. She wasn’t like that.
One way to find out.
He fished the phone from his pocket and found her number in his Contacts under his Favorites where he’d added her on Monday.
Dante tapped her number on the screen and walked toward the workbench and away from where Dean and Cooper were going at it on the mat.
Expecting the call to go to voicemail since it was the middle of a work morning, he was caught off guard when she answered.
“Dante?” Her breathless voice shot a blast of awareness through his body. “Everything okay?”
Just great. He was standing there getting a hard-on just by talking to her on the damn phone. “Yeah,” he said, a grin tugging at his lips. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you at work. Thought I’d get your voicemail,” he told her inanely.
“I happen to be on a break,” she said. “What’s up?”
“Did you want to go with Noah and me to Hunter’s tonight?” he asked.
And the line was quiet.
His heart rocked.
Shit.
“Oh, I wish I’d known,” she said, sounding upset. “I already told my sisters I’d meet them for dinner tonight. But I can cancel.”
“No,” he rushed to say, not wanting to mess up her plans. Family was important. “Don’t cancel. I just didn’t want you to think I’d deliberately left you out of our plans.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.” Her tone softened, and he could hear her smile. “Now I want to cancel.”
“No need.” He chuckled. “There will be other playdates.”
She laughed. “Then count me in on the next one. Have fun tonight. I’ll see you and Noah tomorrow at the sanctuary, and you can fill me in on what I miss.”
“Roger that.”
He knew he’d see her briefly at the daycare when he picked Noah up, but they would be surrounded by kids and parents. No, he looked forward to tomorrow.
…And filling her in.