Page 54 of Dante
He tasted dark, dangerous, and so achingly sweet that she wondered if she was not drunk on the taste. Her hands crept up and around his neck as she sank into the forbidden taste. Would she ever stop craving him? She wondered as he took her even deeper.
Dante was thinking the same thing. Marriage had never entered his mind before. His heart had been bruised and battered since his youth. The first woman in his life, the one who had given him life had taken something away from him with her needless cruelty. And it had broken him.
He had decided a long time ago that no one would ever be powerful or effective enough to do that to him again. Until her.
Lifting her against him, driving himself mad with the taste of her, he carried her unerringly to bed. Still fully dressed, he laid her down and covered her body with his. He wanted nothing between them, but he could not stop kissing her. He wanted the taste of her inside him, nothing more could ever suffice.
He was amazed that in a few short weeks she had come to mean more to him than even the company he had fought to build.
Lifting his mouth from hers, he fought to regain some sanity. His heart was racing, and his body was straining from a desire so strong, he could not control it.
"Marry me," he whispered roughly.
"We should wait..."
"No." He stamped her mouth with his again and had her moaning.
"Dante... Oh God." She was vibrating beneath him.
"You're going to change your mind."
"Do you love me?"
"What does that have to do with..."
"Answer the question."
"Yes. I love you." She closed her eyes briefly as she fought the emotions tumbling around inside her. "Yes, I love you so much."
"Then it's settled." He sighed deeply, before taking her lips in a kiss that had tears spilling from her closed lids.
Later when she fell asleep in his arms, he stared up at the ceiling, a frown etched on his brow. It seemed like the events were sailing right along without his input. This wasn't him. He wasn't one to hurry things along. He had almost begged her to marry him.
He was not a safe bet, and he would not just be taking on her, he would be taking on her child as well.
His stock wasn't good. A drunken and abusive mother and a father who had disappeared as soon as he was born, only to resurface years later when he made his fortune. The only thing he had been interested in is if the old man had donated any more sperm. But ironically, Dante was his only offspring.
He did not know how to be a father. The only thing he knew how to do was make money.
But he loved her. Tipping his head down, he was careful not to disturb her as he stared. Even in sleep, she was striking. Her short hair was hopelessly tousled from his roaming fingers with locks of it falling over her forehead. Her lips were still swollen from his avid attention and her lashes were thick and long.
But it was her complexion that caught his notice. It reminded him of strong black coffee laced with heavy cream and was completely flawless. Lifting a hand, he carefully brushed away the tendrils off her face.
He had asked her to marry him and meant it. But was troubled that he would hurt her. And the kid. What if he decided that he... No! He shook his head fiercely. That was not going to happen. He was not like the man who had made him and left him with a woman who took out her frustrations on her son.
He would be a father to her child and perhaps they would make one of their own. The idea of his seed growing inside her sent shivers throughout his body. When she stirred and murmured,he gathered her close and knew he would protect her with his life.
She avoided his eyes as she tried to start the engine again.
"You're going to flood it." He popped the hood just to take a look. "It's the battery. And it's a mess in here." He contained his anger just. "How often does this happen?"
"Once." When he leaned his head around the raised hood and stared her down, she lifted a shoulder. "Okay, maybe twice before. I could get a new battery..."
"You're getting a new car and riding with me. I'll call Roger..."
"No..."
"That wasn't a question." Slamming down the hood, he dusted his hands and glanced at his watch. He had been the one whodelayed them in the shower. A wet Courtney was incredibly hard to resist, and he had to have her. So, he did.
