Page 30 of In the Cover of Darkness

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We have a low-key dinner of chicken and rice while Ace explains how most of the building supplies were delivered earlier in the day, and that he and Dante can finally get to work completing the apartment above the garage. I'm glad this will give him something to do while I'm at work so he has no more excuses as to why he might have to hang around or have a long lunch here and there.

I've decided to do some late night baking, making the most of the restless mood I'm in. Putting on the small kitchen radio, there are only a few stations we get this far up the mountain and one of them is classic radio, so I get to work making some banana bread listening to a mixture of Dolly Parton and Elvis. The bread is in the oven and with the timer set on my phone, I now have 45 minutes to wait until it's ready. I grab my latest book, a mafia romance with a marriage of convenience, my book light and a heavy blanket. Putting on Dante's spare jacket that's hanging by the front door, I carry everything to the porch swing, wrapping myself into a blanket burrito, letting the dogs go to the toilet and explore for a while before bed. I'm not sure where Ace and Dante have gone, maybe over to the barn to sort out a plan to start work tomorrow but I feel safe outside alone, and I have the dogs if anything were to happen.

After about ten minutes both dogs come back, jumping onto the porch swing, snuggling into me. I've nestled deep into my blanket burrito and I can see the stars if I tilt my head upward, like a circle skylight above my head. I'm not sure how long I've been reading at this point but my timer has not gone off so my plan is to stay here until I need to get the banana bread from the oven. I can hear banging and some yelling coming from insidethe house, but the blanket around my head muffles a lot of what is being said.

Suddenly the door slams open, and I can hear Dante clearly yell, “MILA … fuck. BABY, WHERE ARE YOU?”

It's so unexpected, and the strain in his voice so apparent, I attempt to leap up and say,I'm here, just sitting on the porch swing, in the dark, wrapped in a blanket so I can't hear anything, and immediately know I've made a mistake. If I could smack my own forehead in a facepalm, I would right now. But no, in my attempt to leap up, I get tangled in the blanket and fall off the porch swing with only a muffled yelp to give away my location.

Loud, rapid footsteps make their way toward me and I'm untangled from the blanket and pulled into Dante's chest in one swift motion. He's holding me so tight it's almost painful, but just as soon as I'm about to ask him to put me down, he lets me go, holding my arms and breathing heavily.

“I thought … I thought ..." clearing his throat.

I can see his walls building back up, his face losing all emotion. “You should get inside, it's late,” is what he eventually says, and he turns from me walking back into the house. The slamming of the door being the only emotion slipping through.

Thankfully my timer goes off and I quickly gather my things and head inside, the dogs following close behind me. Taking the banana bread from the oven to cool on the bench overnight, making sure everything is tidy before I head upstairs to bed. I can see Ace still out in the barn and I hope that Dante has gone back out to help him. I'm a little embarrassed over not letting him know where I was because it's not a normal thing for me to read outside on the porch swing in the time we've been together. I know how protective he is of me and I'd feel better if I gave him an apology, and we can talk about the best way to communicatelittle things like this going forward. I just don't want to face him right now. Call me avoidant, but he's worked up and I don't want this to escalate any more than it already has.

The universe however is not on my side and as I open the door to our bedroom, the hall light shines across his large figure lying on his side in the bed, his back facing the door inside the dark room. Sighing, I use the light on my phone to gather my things and get ready for bed in the ensuite. Getting changed into Dante's T-shirt, I take off the rest of my clothes, leaving my panties on. I take as long as I can to wash my face and clean my teeth so they are spotless before I have nothing left to do other than collect my courage over the many possible ways he could react and hope that he's fallen asleep.

Gently, I slide into my side of the bed and I can immediately feel the tension radiating from him, his breathing is heavier than usual and I know he's not asleep. After what feels like a lifetime, but was probably only 30 seconds, I feel his arm wrap around my waist and his usual pulling me across the bed occurs. My back is to his front and he's spooning me with every part of his body pressed against mine. His face nuzzles into my head and I give him a moment to calm.

With a hitched breath and his voice muffled from the position were lying in, he softly says, “I thought you'd left me,” and instantly my heart breaks for the man holding me.

Taking a moment to see if he says anything else I break from his hold, and roll over so I can talk to him directly. My hand gently traces his arm all the way up until I find his face, before running my fingers through his hair.

“Why would you think that? I wouldn't leave by choice and if I did I would tell you. Dante, I'd never want you to worry aboutme like that,” I say softly to him. "I'm sorry about earlier, I didn't think … I just didn't think it would be a problem."

“No baby, don't apologise. These are my insecurities coming out.” Taking a deep breath he continues. “You didn't do anything wrong and I know that logically, but when I couldn't find you I just … I panicked. I'm not good at this. Us. Whatever this thing is that we have. I like you, sunshine, but I don't know what I'm doing. I'm so scared of being like your ex that I'm fucking everything up. I never want you to be frightened of me, and I’d rather kill myself before I hurt you.”

“You like me, like me?” I say smiling.

“Fuck, I really am bad at this if you couldn't even tell that I like you,” he says softly, laughing at himself in disbelief.

“Maybe we are just long overdue for this talk, to get it all out there in the open. I mean, this is what we do right? Have our deep and meaningfuls in bed at night.”

So with bated breath, I put it all out there for him to do with what he wants.

"I like you too Dante. I like it when you touch me. I like it when you hold my hand and cuddle me at night. I feel safe when you're around and I never in a million years would have thought I'd be falling for the man who saved me. It hasn't been that long since everything happened, so I'm nervous to suddenly have these feelings, that I'm simply trading one man for another and not taking the time to find me. I'm not scared of you, and I haven't been in the time we've known each other, but if that changes I promise I will tell you. I want this, I want us, but I also need a little time, so if you can't wait then I understand.”

“I'll wait as long as you need. I'm not going anywhere.”

“So you're okay to keep things as they are between us until I'm ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

Smiling at his very short, very typical response, and relieved that we are both on the same page with everything, I relax completely, turning over again so my back is to his chest.

“Dante.”

“Yeah, baby?”

“If you want, maybe we could do a little more kissing too,” I say so quietly, that I can barely hear myself. He lets out a loud groan and I laugh as he wraps his arms around me tightly, pulling me hard against himself.

“Okay baby, anything you want,” he says, kissing the back of my head, holding me tight, and we relax into a comfortable silence as we drift off to sleep.

Chapter 26 - Dante

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