34. Chapter Thirty-Four Jade
Chapter Thirty-Four: Jade
W e had fallen asleep cuddling.
I woke up with another headache, something my doctor had reassured me was a symptom that would go away as I got further into my pregnancy.
I threw off the covers, the chill of the night air striking against my skin, contrasting with the warmth still lingering from where we had lain together. My feet met the cold floorboards, sending a shiver up my legs that had nothing to do with the temperature. I needed Dante. The need pulsed through me, urgent and demanding.
Padding quietly across the bedroom, I approached the bathroom, my sanctuary turned ominous by shadows that played upon the walls. The apartment felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. I paused, my hand hovering over the door handle, the soft hum of electricity from the lightbulbs the only sound in the silence.
I heard quiet talking coming from inside. That made sense, the bed was still warm and Dante couldn’t have gone too far.
Then Dante’s voice, muffled but distinct, sliced through the stillness. Low and tinged with annoyance, it crawled under my skin, raising hairs on the back of my neck. I stood there, hand frozen mid-air, heart pounding against my ribs. Should I go in? Or should I wait?
“Just handle it,” he ordered, a simple command that carried more weight than I could fathom. My breath caught as I pressed my ear closer to the door, trying to decipher the tension woven into his every syllable. The ‘Caruso problem’ he mentioned—a name that meant nothing to me, yet seemed to mean everything to him.
I strained to hear more.
“You heard me, Luca. Clip one of Caruso’s men. Can you get a capo?” Dante’s voice was strained, the frustration clear even through the barrier between us. I didn’t move, didn’t breathe, as I waited for the response I couldn’t hear.
There was a silence from his end—likely the person on the line was answering him—and then Dante spoke again, his tone sharp like shards of glass. “Well, then get another henchman. Just make it clear — tell him to back off Jade.”
That’s when my world tilted. The words crashed into me, every syllable a dagger aimed straight at my heart. He was talking about violence, about retribution. All because of me. That had been no figure of speech earlier.
Fear and confusion spun in my mind, creating a sickening cocktail that threatened to overwhelm me. This was a side of Dante I hadn’t known, a side that perhaps I had refused to see.
The click of the phone ending the call was brutal in its finality. It echoed in the room, bouncing off the walls and inside my skull. I stepped back, a shaky exhale escaping my lips as I tried to process what I’d just heard.
Dante, the man who could be gentle and caring—the man I’d fallen for—was cloaked in shadows so dark I could no longer pretend they weren’t there. My chest tightened, my stomach knotted with cold dread. There was a world he belonged to, a world of power plays and threats, and I knew so little about it.
I was faced with the stark reality of who Dante was, or at least part of who he was, and it left me standing in the hallway of my apartment, feeling more alone than ever.
I glanced down, my hand instinctively resting on my abdomen. Beneath the thin fabric of my pajama shirt, my fingers traced the secret I carried—our child, a life we created together. The weight of this knowledge was immense, pressing down on me, stealing my breath with its gravity.
I had always dreamed of having a family, but this... this was a twisted mockery of every hopeful picture I had painted in my mind. How could I bring an innocent soul into this chaos? How could I tie a child to a legacy of brutality and bloodshed?
Dante emerged from the shadows of the bathroom, clad only in his boxers, an odd juxtaposition to the violence that clung to him like a second skin. He looked at me, his gaze searching, a trace of vulnerability flickering behind the storm brewing in his eyes. He didn’t have to say anything; the silent questions hung in the air between us.
“Jade,” he said softly, his voice a velvet caress that belied the harshness of his earlier words. “What’s wrong?”
I wanted to scream, to unleash the torrent of emotions that threatened to suffocate me. Instead, I swallowed hard, forcing back the tide of words that fought for release. Now wasn’t the time for confessions or ultimatums. Now was a moment suspended—a precarious balance between what was known and the unspoken truth that lay heavy in my heart.
I needed to keep this quiet, for my unborn child’s sake.
“Nothing,” I lied, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. It was a feeble attempt to shield both of us from a confrontation neither was ready for. “Just woke up and noticed you weren’t there. Thought I’d come check up on you.”
Dante closed the distance between us, his presence enveloping me. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin, the barely restrained power of him. He reached out, his hand gently cupping my face, thumb caressing my cheek in a tender gesture that contrasted sharply with the man who had just been issuing threats over the phone.
“Talk to me, Jade,” he urged, his voice low and earnest.
But how could I? How could I reveal the storm raging inside me—the fear, the love, the desperate desire to protect something so fragile from the very man before me?
“Later,” I whispered, knowing that sooner or later, this conversation would have to happen. But not now. “I think I just woke up during a bad dream or something.”
“Later then,” Dante agreed, though the concern never left his eyes. He pulled me into an embrace, his arms a refuge that offered comfort despite the turmoil surrounding us. For now, I allowed myself to sink into his arms.
As I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, I made a silent promise to myself and to the life growing inside of me. Whatever it took, I would find a way through this labyrinth of secrets and lies. Love and fear might be entwined within me, but my resolve was solidifying. I would fight for our future—even if it meant going up against the shadows that clung to Dante Moretti.
He pulled away from me. “Jade, are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes,” I answered too quickly, the lie stinging my tongue. His eyes bore into mine and for a moment, I was sure he could see through the fa?ade. But he merely nodded, wrapping a protective arm around me as we made our way back to bed.
“If the dream was bad, I can eat you out until you fall asleep with my tongue inside of you,” he said.
A soft gasp escaped my lips at his brazen words, the immediate physical response coursing through me, momentarily banishing my sorrow. His offer was enticing - a distracting contrast to the dark world he inhabited. It was this Dante, the sensual and passionate lover, who made it so hard to reconcile with the violent reality I had glimpsed earlier.
“I...” I stuttered, my mind racing, the weight of our situation pressing on me from all sides. The ticking time bomb of secrets between us seemed to pause in this intimate moment. The carnal promise in his eyes held a tantalizing escape from the harsh truth we were both avoiding.
I searched his face, the lines of worry etching a new pattern around his eyes. He was waiting for my answer yet his gaze held an unspoken request - let’s forget, if only for tonight.
Mustering a weak smile, I nodded.
And as soon as I did, he dropped gracefully to his knees.
He looked up at me, his dark eyes intense and full of desire. The sight of him, half naked and on his knees for me, was a powerful one. I watched as his hands trailed up my legs.
“Jade,” he murmured, his voice muffled against my skin as he pressed a soft kiss to the inside of my thigh. The sound of my name on his lips sent a shiver down my spine.
His hands slipped beneath my panties, his fingers dancing lightly over my skin as he pulled them down with excruciating slowness. The way he was looking at me - it was like I was the only thing that mattered in that moment.
He swirled his tongue around my sensitive clit, eliciting a gasp from my lips. He opened his mouth and dipped his tongue inside, his movements firm yet deliberate. The pleasure was immediate and overwhelming, like electricity arcing through my body. The tensions and fears of the day started to dissipate as he worked me with expert precision.
His hand rose to rest on my lower abdomen, and I sucked in a breath–the secret there a silent echo between us. His touch was gentle, protective even, as he continued to stroke me rhythmically with his tongue.
He pulled away from me for a second, picking up his head to smile at me. “Fuck, you taste so good,” he said. “You taste like my come and your arousal.”
He plunged his tongue back in, fucking me with it. The sensation was intense - bordering on unbearable. As he flicked his tongue over my clit, a sharp jolt of pleasure raced through me.
“D-Dante,” I whimpered, my fingers tangling in his hair, anchoring myself to him. He moaned against me and the vibration sent another shockwave of pleasure through my body.
Suddenly, his fingers found their way into my pussy. He pumped them in and out of me while still making love to my clit with his mouth.
I let out a choked moan as his fingers curled within me, finding that sweet spot that made my vision blur with pleasure. My body responded instinctively, hips moving in time with his rhythm. His mouth continued to drive me wild, his tongue flicking over my throbbing clit over and over.
“Can you squirt for me again, beautiful?”
His words were a catalyst, and I felt the pressure building deep within me. My mind was filled with Dante and nothing else. The rest of the world fell away, my vision narrowing to just this moment, just this man.
I clung to him tightly, my body shaking as the pleasure built. I could feel his smile against my clit as he worked me into a frenzy. The knowledge that he was enjoying this—enjoying me—just as much as I was made it all the more intense.
“I want you to squirt all over my face,” he growled out, his voice low and raspy, sending shivers cascading down my spine. “Give it to me, Jade.”
His words were like a spark to dry kindling, setting my body alight with an unfathomable pleasure. His pace quickened, the rhythm of his fingers matching the desperate need that coursed through my veins.
“Dante,” I moaned again, my voice barely a whisper as I surrendered to the onslaught of sensations he was eliciting within me. His name spilled from my lips over and over, each utterance pushing me closer to the precipice.
Tension coiled tightly within me, spiraling outwards from where Dante’s mouth met my body with fervor. A gasp tore through me.
Suddenly, the world shattered into a million pieces of white-hot fire. An intense surge of pleasure radiated from my core and washed over me in waves. My knees practically buckled, the strength of the orgasm leaving me breathless. Dante didn’t pull away, his mouth still locked onto my quivering clit as he milked me for everything I had to give.
I could feel myself squirting, drenching his face as he had desired. A low groan rumbled from deep within him, his satisfaction palpable as he continued to lap at me. The aftershocks coursed through me, my body quivering uncontrollably under his touch.
He finally pulled back, his face flushed with satisfaction. He rose up, his fingers tracing a teasing trail up my trembling body until he was level with me. His lips met mine in a lingering kiss, the taste of myself on his tongue a reminder of what had just happened.
“Okay,” he said, slinging an arm around my waist. “Now let’s do that again, but in bed.”