Chapter 4
Dante and I were both breathing heavily, and my body was completely numb. I lifted myself, gave Dante a quick kiss, and fell onto my back so my cum didn’t glue our bodies together.
He stood, rummaged through the hamper, pulled out a dirty T-shirt, and cleaned us of the sticky mess. He crawled back into bed with me and pulled me against him. “Come here,” he said with his face pressed into my shoulder, where he nibbled it. “Have I told you I loved you lately?”
I giggled and nodded. “All the time.”
He pulled back, kissed my nose, and dug his finger into the corner of my eye. “Eye cheese,” he explained.
“Gross.”
Before we got too comfortable, the puppy started crying and whining.
“I’ll go check on her,” I said, climbing out of bed.
“Her doggie stuff should be delivered in a couple of hours.”
I opened the dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of underwear, a T-shirt, and joggers. After I got dressed, I looked up on the shelf where I kept Rabbit. The poor thing was getting decrepit. He’d been through the wringer. I’d had him for how long now? Ten years? More?
He’d saved my life more times than I could count.
I had him when I needed to cry and hold something soft after being raped or beaten.
When Father, the man who owned me, put my electric collar on, I wanted to die, but Rabbit helped hold me together.
I still had the scars to show for it on my throat.
The stuffed animal gave me hope, as small as it was.
I knew an angel would sweep in and save me, and Rabbit was there to help me hold on to that hope.
Then he became my safe place after I stole Father’s diamonds.
They searched my room for them, but they never found them. They never suspected Rabbit.
I gave those very diamonds to Dante, who took them so I could hire him. They paid for his entire family at The District to help me find my revenge and exact retribution.
It was hard to let go of Rabbit. He was a part of my very soul. And though I held him less and less, there was someone now who needed him more.
I looked back at Dante and pointed at the shelf. “Can you bring Rabbit down?”
“Sure. Are you okay? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, Angel. I want to give him to Hattie. I don’t want her sad in her crate when she’s alone.”
Dante reached for him and pulled him down since he was taller than I was. He handed him to me, and I pressed the stuffed animal against my chest and rubbed its ears. He wasn’t as soft as he used to be. He’d been sewn up more times than I could count, and his green overalls were threadbare.
“Are you sure? She may chew him up, baby. I don’t think you’re ready for that. You may never be, and that’s okay.”
My eyes watered, and I clung to Rabbit as if he would suddenly be stolen from me. Perhaps Dante was right. Could I let go of Rabbit? Could I risk him getting chewed up? No, I think seeing Rabbit destroyed would probably kill me, or close to it.
“O-okay.”
He took Rabbit back from me and set him high on the shelf again. I felt naked without it. But I’d been really working on weaning myself from Rabbit. I was going to be twenty-five soon, and I was just too old for toys, not that Rabbit was a toy. Rabbit was my friend.
Dante placed his hands on my shoulders and tugged me against him. “Tell you what? We’ll go to the pet store and find Hattie a special toy. I bet you’ll even find a rabbit for her, too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yep.”
“I think I’d like that.”
He kissed my head and held me tighter. The puppy was still crying, but he wouldn’t let go until he made sure I was okay, too.
“Don’t feel like you ever have to get rid of Rabbit, okay?
I know he’s a packaged deal when it comes to loving you.
I love him, too, because he helped to keep you alive.
I never would’ve found you had you not had Rabbit to get you through it all. ”
“Thanks, Angel. Sometimes I feel too grown up for him.”
“You’re a special person, Luca, and this is a special case. Never feel like you need to get rid of him. It was a sweet gesture to think of Hattie, though.”
Dante stepped back, held my face in his angel hands, and swiped a few stray tears from my face. He was used to my periodic emotional breaks. “Let’s go check on that sweet baby. I bet she’d love to get out of the crate and play for a while.”
He took my hand and let me out of the bedroom. When we stepped into the living room where the crate was, we stopped in our tracks. There was Cleo, lying down with her body pressed against the metal grate as the puppy pressed its body against her.
“Would you look at that,” he said.
“You’re surprised? Cleo is a queen. She’s always been protective.”
“True, but I thought maybe she’d feel the puppy was replacing her or she’d get forgotten about.”
I rest my head on his shoulder as we stare at the two dogs. “Never. She knows we love her, and she’ll love Hattie, too. She’ll be a great teacher.”
“You’re right.”
I let go of Dante and went to sit next to Cleo. I petted her head, and she wagged her tail without moving her body. “You’re amazing, sweet girl. We’ll always love you.”
The puppy stood and pawed at me through the grating, wagging its tail. She had such long legs and huge paws. They seemed so out of proportion to her sleek body and huge head.
“Aw, do you need attention, princess?”
She barked in response, now excited, knocking over her water and getting it everywhere. I laughed, opened her crate, and picked her up. She licked me all over my face, her little body wiggling around.
“Welcome to the family, baby girl.”