Chapter 21
EVERLEIGH
He lifts me effortlessly, and I instinctively wrap my legs tightly around his waist as he carries me backward toward the windows. My back hits the cool glass with a soft thud, but the shock of it barely registers through everything else consuming me right now.
Our mouths never separate.
Not even for a second.
The kiss stays heated and desperate as his hands grip firmly beneath my thighs to keep me against him while rain streaks down the windows behind us.
All I can do is focus on him.
The way he kisses me like he’s starving for it.
Like this entire past year has been killing him too.
A quiet sound slips from me when his mouth drags against mine harder, and I immediately tighten my legs around his waist in response. My fingers slide into the back of his hair while his breathing turns rougher against my lips.
Everything about this feels reckless.
Like we’re standing in the middle of something already burning down and choosing to kiss inside the flames anyway.
But I can’t seem to make myself care.
Not when his hands are gripping me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he loosens them.
Not when every bit of anger between us keeps twisting into something hotter instead.
“Dante,” I breathe quietly against his mouth.
His head dips slightly at the sound of my voice, forehead brushing against mine for half a second before he kisses me again like he can’t help himself.
His mouth moves against mine slower for a second, deeper now, like he’s trying to memorize me all over again. The feeling sends something dangerous twisting low in my stomach.
I hate how easily my body still responds to him.
Hate how quickly all the anger inside of me starts unraveling the second he touches me like this.
“You’re making this really fucking difficult,” he says quietly, voice rough enough to send another wave of heat through me.
A bitter laugh leaves me softly. “Pretty sure we passed difficult a long time ago.”
His lips find mine again as he pulls me away from the window, one arm wrapped tightly around my waist while he walks me backward toward my bedroom like he already knows exactly where this is heading.
His mouth keeps crashing against mine as if he’s trying to make up for an entire year in a single night.
My hands grip tightly into the front of his shirt as he guides me down the hallway, every step feeding the heat building between us even more.
It feels insane.
Completely fucking psychotic.
But neither of us stops.
Dante’s hand slides up my spine slowly before settling at the back of my neck, tilting my head slightly so he can kiss me deeper. The quiet sound that leaves him turns my insides into mush.
The bedroom door slams shut behind us the second we stumble inside.
That sound seems to snap something loose in both of us.
His hands grip my waist tighter while mine slide underneath the open collar of his shirt, fingertips brushing against warm skin and old scars I still remember all too well.
The kiss slows and then halts entirely.
Dante rests his forehead briefly against mine while both of us breathe heavily in the darkened room.
“You should tell me to leave,” he mutters quietly.
A small smile pulls at my lips. “Should I?” I ask quietly. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s not what you want.”
Dante stares at me for a second with those intimidating obsidian eyes.
The kind that used to follow me around rooms before either of us was stupid enough to admit why.
“Right now?” His voice comes out more husky than before. “The only thing I fucking want is you.”
Heat curls low in my abdomen instantly as he pulls my top over my head, exposing my black laced bra.
He slowly guides me backward until the edge of the bed hits behind my legs before easing me down onto the mattress. His eyes drag over me in a way that makes my pulse jump harder beneath my skin.
He moves closer again, crowding himself between my knees until my legs brush against his thighs. My breathing turns irregular the second his hands settle roughly on my waist.
He seems irritated by how badly he wants me.
Like every touch is frustrating him even while he keeps coming back for more.
But he still doesn’t stop.
His fingers slip slowly to the button of my slacks before undoing it carefully, eyes never leaving mine while he pushes the material down my legs inch by inch.
The movement feels painfully intimate.
Especially when he kneels between my thighs afterward.
Something about seeing Dante Rivera on his knees in front of me twists something dark and sickening deep inside of me.
Something possessive and.. controlling.
Like some fucked up part of me wants to see just how far I could push him before he finally breaks apart beneath my hands.
I want to hurt him the same way he hurt me.
I want him to feel every second of confusion and humiliation and heartbreak he left festering inside of me for the last year.
Even now, with him on his knees in front of me and finally within reach again… I still can’t bring myself to do it.
His hands slide slowly up the inside of my thighs, fingers tightening slightly against my skin as he leans forward and presses the first kiss there.
My breath catches instantly.
“Dante..” I barely recognize my own voice.
He glances up at me through dark lashes, and the look in his eyes makes my stomach bottom-out.
He has an intense hunger in his gaze.
“You know how many times I’ve thought about this?” he mutters quietly against my skin before pressing another kiss higher up my thigh.
The roughness in his voice sends heat rushing straight through me.
My fingers tighten into the duvet beneath me while his hands spread my thighs apart a little further, grip firm enough to make my breath stagger again.
The rain outside pounds harder against the windows while the city glows dimly through the bedroom behind him, but none of it feels real anymore.
Not when Dante’s touching me like this.
Not when every bit of restraint between us finally feels like it’s breaking apart piece by piece.
His mouth drags slowly against my skin again before he looks up at me one more time.
He places both hands against my hips, his fingers catching lightly against the underwear that sits at my sides. His eyes lift to mine afterward, dark and unreadable.
He’s asking..
I should stop this.
But I can’t.
I hate that I can’t.
I give him the slightest nod, and his expression shifts immediately after it.
The fabric disappears a second later before he pulls himself closer between my thighs, his grip tightening slightly against my hips as his tongue drags against my clit slowly, causing me to flinch at the feeling of it.
It all feels so foreign to me.
But Dante is using his mouth with so much confidence for this to be unfamiliar territory.
Because there’s no way I’m the first woman he’s touched like this.
Not with the way he sucking at my sensitive skin.
A quiet breath slips from me before I can stop it.
Dante seems to react to every little sound I make now like he’s starved for it.
My fingers slide into his hair automatically while my head falls back slightly against the mattress, the rain outside becoming nothing but background noise compared to the heat building in the room.