Page 23 of In the Cover of Darkness

“Ace said you were an angry one,” Phil says, chuckling to himself. He looks like a kind older man who radiates happiness, the type of person that the world could be ending and he would still find a silver lining. Dante is still holding me behind him as I try to push past his arm, but end up in some sort of hanging backward hug.

“Hi Phil, thank you so much for coming to the house to drop this off, it's very kind of you. I'm Mila and this is Dante,” I say smiling, gesturing to myself and Dante, looking at the bundle of packages Phil is placing on the front step.

“I'm just going to leave these here, looks like your hands are full,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows, looking at Dante. “I spoke with Nova this morning and she said you would be starting work soon once you've settled in. I look forward to having a new face to talk to, Mila. Nova says it's calledspilling the tea, but I don't drink tea so I'm not sure, but anyway, I love our morning chats, so I am looking forward to you joining them.”

Can this day get any better, waking to Dante's cuddles and his hard cock, a cooked breakfast and now Phil telling me he and Nova are the town gossips. I'm beyond excited to say the least, because my once boring life is suddenly turning into a lot of fun.

“Thank you, Phil, I'm looking forward to starting when my arm feels better,” waving my cast out. For a second I see aflicker of compassion cross Phil's face but it doesn't upset me. If anything it makes me like the man even more. He's not stupid and can see the bruises, but he's not treating me like I'm wrapped in cotton wool either. I don't want anyone's pity, and I'm determined to make a new life here so watch out Hidden Valley, Mila is here to stay!

I feel almost giddy at the thought before Dante's low growl pulls me back to reality as we watch Phil walk back to his truck.

“Great to meet you both. Don't be a stranger now,” he yells back toward us as he gets in the driver side door. Waving goodbye to Phil, Dante lets me go from behind him and pulls me to his front.

“You just can't go running off and opening the door to strangers. He could have been anyone, he could have hurt you,” Dante says softly to me.

“Thank you,” is all I say, wrapping my arms around him, and giving him a quick hug before turning to pick up the parcels Phil left. It's not really the response he's after but I'm happy, everything is great right at this moment and I have mail to open which makes it even better. Let's be honest and say who doesn't love opening mail, unless it's a bill to pay but that's something to worry about another day.

There are far more parcels than the few items of clothes I picked so some of the stuff must be for Ace or Dante. Regardless, I'm still looking forward to feeling a little more like myself, wearing clothes that I like and which fit me.

Placing an armful of packages on the kitchen bench I find a pair of scissors in the drawer and look to Dante, making sure it is okay for me to start opening them, he did buy everything so I don't want to be rude. Smiling at me, he says, “It's okay, sunshine, they're all yours to open.”

Squealing with excitement I cut open the first package and it's a book. “Oh this must be for you or Ace,” I say, not really paying attention to the cover, moving quickly onto opening the next one. Several pairs of women's leggings, pants, tops, a jumper and more books later I can't find anything I picked and there's definitely no boots.

“Dante, what is all this?” gesturing to the pile of expensive winter clothes and books in front of me on the kitchen bench.

“I just got you a few extras, it's fine honestly. I still got the things you picked so they should arrive over the next couple of days. I'm going to make a coffee, you want one?” he says like we're talking about the weather, not a hint of emotion in his voice, not seeing how getting all these extras might affect me.

“The books. These are romance books, Dante. Did you get me these as well?” I say softly, almost as if I'm talking out loud to myself, shocked that he did something so thoughtful.

“You said you liked to read romance books to Ace the other night. I just added a few to the cart at checkout.”

“A few … A few ... A few is three, Dante. There are 11 books here. How many did you get?”

Rubbing his hand over his face, he looks at me, a flicker of worry in his eyes.

“How many, Dante?” I repeat, almost whispering now.

“I didn't know what you liked, apparently there's more than one kind of romance book out there—”

“How many?”

“100, I got everything on the bestseller list.”

I don't know how to take his answer. It's maybe the kindest thing he has done for me, that anyone has done for me. This is on top of a long list of things he's done, one of which is saving my life. I feel completely heard by him, and it unsettles me. He took a very low key conversation Ace and I were having about books, found something that made me happy and got it for me. Ithink the thing I'm struggling with most, is that I don't think he expects anything in return. He just did it to make me happy.

He pulls me to him so I'm standing in between his legs as he sits on the bar stool, my hands resting on his forearms. Taking his finger, he gently lifts my chin so we are looking at each other.

"Let me do this for you, baby. I'm not good at a lot of things and I've been called cold-hearted by more than one person in my past, but this … us … just let me do this."

He sounds pained as he talks, almost as if he wanted to say more but something was holding him back. I wish this thing we have between us wasn't overshadowed by everything that came before us. That we were just two people without pasts, that met and fell in love, living happily ever after, but reality is the bitch who bites us and sometimes she bites hard. So listening to everything he said and hearing everything he didn't, I say, "Okay", just like he did the night before. A non-complicated response to a complicated statement.

He pulls me onto his lap and I cuddle into him for a long while, wrapping my arms around him. After some time has passed, I slowly unwrap myself from him, and surprise us both by kissing his cheek, putting everything I want from him in that kiss before I gather the things he got me in my arms, and walk up the stairs toward our bedrooms.

Chapter 21 - Dante

Ican't believe we've been here almost three weeks. Winter is well and truly here with heavy snow all around us, Mila is practically healed with just her cast to come off in a couple of weeks, and her ribs to be rechecked at the same time. But, the most amazing part of it all is that each night since I met Mila we've slept in, and continue to sleep in the same bed together. I think we both got to the understanding that our sleeping arrangement was happening. I went to bed one night after staying up later than her to find my room empty of all my things, including Mila. Going into her room to ask what happened I found all of my things put away, the book I was reading and my phone charger ready on the bedside table. Most importantly, Mila was asleep in the large bed. Getting in next to her and pulling her back to my front like usual, settling into going to sleep, she sounded half awake and simply said, “It made more sense for us to sleep here. Room's bigger. Bathroom,” and that was that. She was right, it did make sense for us to share the larger room with an ensuite, but damn, did it catch me by surprise. I was being told in the best way possible that this is continuing, and I'm not mad about it one bit.

All of her books have arrived and she has a small library leaning against the wall underneath the bedroom window. With all of our things having been unpacked in the room we share, we've established this comfortable living arrangement. I've managed to keep my emotions in check and haven't tried to kiss her again. What a fuck up that was, but she didn't run a mile, and even though we didn't talk about what happened, I'm okay just keeping my feelings at bay until she's ready. We're already doing more than I have with any other woman I've been with in my life. Never in a million years would I have believed it if you said I'd be basically living with a woman I can't stop thinking about, that I'm completely in love with, but am just waiting for the right time to take that next step. I'd have laughed in your face.

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