Page 9 of Stealing Iris

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DANTE

Iris is waiting, her bottom lip caught in her teeth and her attention somewhere far away. My conscience weighs on me as I curl my fingers into the warm, damp towel I brought. It’s inadequate. A poor substitute for what I’ve become accustomed to. “Are you okay?”

Blinking, she snaps back to the present, pressing her arms a little tighter against her breasts. “Yes.” Her focus stays at chest level while her cheeks turn pink. “I just need to get to the bathroom.”

I hold out both towels, which she takes before sidestepping around me. The door shuts in my face, as if she’s eager to get away. “You don’t need to wait on me.” Her voice filters through the door, and damn if she doesn’t sound hopeful.

This is a little much, considering I couldn’t know her…condition. I snatch my clothes off the floor and drag on my briefs and jeans. When’s the last time anyone dismissed me like that? Never. At least I can’t remember it happening. Yet this woman can’t get rid of me fast enough.

To add insult to injury, I’m missing a damn sock. If I wasn’t wearing boots, I’d leave without it. Reaching down to check under the bed, my gaze is caught by the faint pink blotch stretching out past the covers. Iris… The tension along the back of my neck ratchets up. Lost sock in hand, I plop down on the edge of the mattress, exhaling in a rush.

I stare at the bed. Part of me wants to bundle up the sheet so no one else will see it, but I don’t want her to think I’m ashamed of what we did. I can’t regret what happened because she’s fucking incredible. Though I wouldn’t choose a place like this, surrounded by dingy walls and cheap artwork, for her to remember her first time.

“Oh, you’re still here.” She’s standing in the doorway, hand lingering on the doorknob. She must be used to Conrado taking off after a quick hookup. My first instinct is to trash talk him for disappearing, but I’ve done that, too, and it never bothered me…until now. It’s disturbing to think there’s even one area where we’re similar. But I can change that, right here, right now.

“I’ll walk you to your car then I’ll be gone…it’s not the best neighborhood.”

The evasive turn of her head shows off the length of her neck now that she’s pulled her hair up. Hell, I’m perfectly fine with her staying wrapped in a little towel. Sitting back, I cross my arms, taking in the view. She’s beautiful, classic, real.

If she’s going to get dressed, she has to walk over here because her clothes are right behind me. She realizes the situation within seconds, I know it from the slow exhale while her shoulders droop in resignation. Not exactly a great shot to my ego, but she’s caving.

Padding over, she gives me a sideways glance. “You really don’t have to wait on me.”

“I’m walking you to your car.” At this point, my stubbornness is getting the best of me.

“Then you’ll be waiting a long time,” she says, going by with a more self-assured swing to her hips. “Because I don’t have a car.”

I clamp down, grinding my molars. “So I’ll drop you off.” Yanking on my socks, I give her the opportunity to take care of the basics.

“Are you watching through the mirror?” The words slam down between us, a challenge I’ll enjoy toying with.

“No,” I assure her, shaking my head. “You’re too far out to see you in the mirror,” I tack on with a shrug.

“You’re such a…man,” she sputters.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” This time I turn. Her arms are stretched back to clip on a thin bra that outlines the crown of her nipples. The offering is temptation itself. A smile plays at my lips as I let my gaze trail down her body to the towel around her waist. The ends split to show her thigh at the widest part of her hips. Damn, she looks good, despite the disapproving twist at the corner of her mouth.

“They tend to be jerks.” She yanks a scrap of purple fabric from the sheets and glares at me for a second before giving me her back. Stepping into the panties is enough to send the towel sliding.

Reaching out, I grab an edge and hold it up. She stiffens, checking behind her. I slip around and shake out the makeshift cover to give her some privacy. “Can’t argue that.” I didn’t mean to be a jerk, but I’ve done things my way for too long to avoid the label. A nice guy would look away, but I can’t seem to force myself to do so. “I’m a man. One who can appreciate the beauty of a woman’s body.”

That gets her to pause as she reaches out to pick up her T-shirt. Holding it tight, she lets her gaze drift across my chest.

“In this case, I know how yours feels against mine.” I bring the towel down and gently hold her forearm, urging her closer until she’s standing in front of me. “I know how soft your skin is,” I say, wrapping my hands around her waist. My mouth is at her chin, nuzzling the underside, out to her neck, until she’s pressed against me. “And I know how you taste when you come.”

“Dante.” The blush is immediate. I’m close enough to see the change in her coloring. But she doesn’t move away. In fact, she puts her hands on my shoulders.

While I want to seduce her out of those purple panties, I can’t be that much of an ass, knowing she may be hurting. “I need to know you’re okay with what happened,” I explain, pulling away to search her face.

“I’m fine.” Taking a deep breath, she makes some sort of decision, and her body relaxes. “I never planned to die a virgin.” She shrugs. “It just hadn’t happened.”

Until I pushed the issue. The words hang between us, unsaid. “All right.” I slip down to cup her ass again. “If you’re ready to go, we can get dressed.” Neither one of us moves to put anything on, and my cock is onboard with whatever happens next.

“I, um, I open in the morning.” So she has to be up early to go to work. But she isn’t exactly rushing to leave, and I’m not about to hurry her along.

Strange, but I don’t want her to go. I’ll see her in a couple of days, yet I’m not ready to call it a night. “Come to dinner tomorrow night.”

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