Page 28 of Theirs to Rule

“Is this peanut butter and chocolate?” I asked him, as I slid my fork into the soft outer shell of the melting chocolate dessert he’d baked for us.

“Yeah,” he replied, flashing me a grin. “Vices, right? We all need them.”

My heart fluttered. Right now, he felt like anything but a vice – he felt like the only thing keeping me afloat in a raging storm.

I mentioned the upcoming Halloween party, explaining the concept and the competition. "That sounds like fun,” he said.

"Yeah, it could be a good way to take my mind off everything," I admitted, feeling a sense of relief at the thought of immersing myself in something wholly unrelated to the turmoil of my personal life.

“Let me know if you need help with your room. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve that might come in handy," he offered, a mischievous glint in his eye.

The idea of collaborating with Dante, of spending more time together outside the chaos of campus life, sounded exciting. "I might just take you up on that," I said, a smile tugging at my lips.

After dessert we moved to the couch. Dante cuddled me as we talked. For some reason I brought up Ty’s overdose and asked Dante if he thought Ty was still using.

“Addicts don’t change overnight,” he said, his expression grim. “Sometimes all you can hope is they don’t end up dying from the very thing they’re trying to ease their pain with.”

I wondered if he was talking from personal experience or just his experience of having counseled so many students. In any case, his words caused dark memories to wash over me. As I stared at him, he shook his head and grabbed my hands. “Shit I’m sorry I don’t know why I said that... your mom…Ty. Fuck.”

I smiled weakly. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Let’s go back to talking about other things. Has work been busy?”

He gave me vague answers, obviously not breaking any confidences. I was telling him that I needed to meet up with Bianca when I realized Dante was looking right at me, but his mind had obviously wandered.

“You okay?” I asked Dante.

He blinked. “Sure I am. Why?”

I shrugged. “You seem distracted.”

“Nope. I’m totally in the moment.”

“Really?” I wasn’t convinced.

“Maybe you’re just really boring and I zoned out,” he teased.

“Oh, yeah?” I narrowed my eyes and climbed into his lap. “Let me show you just how boring I can be,” I murmured, pressing my lips against his. I sank into the kiss.

I hadn’t known it, but part of me had been craving this all day. All the tension between me and Ty, it had left me wanting in ways I needed to satisfy. Dante slid his hand to the back of my head, kissing me back with such force it left me dizzy. Then he pulled away sharply, leaving me to catch my breath.

“Yep, I’m so bored right now, I could fall asleep,” he muttered, groaning as I rocked myself against his growing erection. I bit my lip, loving the feel of his thick, hard cock beneath me. Oh, so he wanted to make this a challenge, huh?

“How about now?” I teased, lowering his zipper. I reached into his pants and wrapped my fingers around his cock.

“It’s like watching paint dry,” he grunted as I palmed his length, but his eyes drifted shut as he leaned his head back on the couch. After all the pleasure he’d given me the day before, I wanted nothing more than to get him off.

I slid my hand into his hair, drawing his face to mine, and kissed him again. My fingers slid up and down his shaft as our tongues clashed.

“I think you need a distraction of your own…” I whispered against his lips.

Unfortunately, we both jerked at the sudden pounding on Dante’s door. Both of us groaned loudly, and he locked his hand around mine, stilling it on his gorgeous hard-on.

“Hold that thought?” he asked me. I stole one last kiss and nodded.

“Want me to get that?” I asked, raising my eyebrow at his obvious erection.

“Thanks, but a student answering my door probably isn’t a good look,” Dante muttered, walking awkwardly for the door.

“And answering the door with an erection is?” I called after him, suppressing my laughter.

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