Page 6 of Thorns of Silence
“I’m not your fucking Uber driver,” was what he said.
The exasperated look Raven shot me almost had me sparing her that torture.Almost.But I wasn’t that brave, and self-preservation prevailed. I pressed myself back into the cool leather, trying to get as far away from him as I could, praying for a short ride.
Oh how things had changed! Two years ago, all I wished for was longer drives and more time with him. I couldn’t get enough.
“How fast can this thing go?”
“As fast as you want.” He looked at me when he mouthed the words so I could read them, and I imagined his voice would feel like the softest caress against my heated skin. The sunset in the distance as we sped down the Pacific Coast Highway was breathtaking, but it had nothing on him.
“I want you to go fast, but I also want more time with you.” My cheeks heated at the admission, but the truth was boys hadn’t shown interest in me. I’d only experienced one chaste kiss on the cheek here and there, nothing more. I felt like the oldest virgin on the planet. Until I crossed paths with Dante a few weeks back at a New Years Eve party in Los Angeles. Now, much to my delight,chasteandvirginitywere words that flew out the window.
Chaste and Dante Leone in the same country, never mind sentence, didn’t marry. Neither did our families. The Romeros and Leones were reluctant business partners, but it wasn’t hard to figure out that Papà didn’t like them.
My age didn’t help. I wasn’t quite eighteen yet—though thanks to my fake ID, Dante believed me to be of legal age.
“We can go all night, Nix.” Gosh, when he said things like that, my body flared with lust. I ached for him, my desire for him growing stronger every day. “How fast do you want to go?”
“Fast,” I mouthed and signed out of habit. I’d noticed that he’d downloaded an ASL app, but he hadn’t said anything, so I didn’t either. With the top down on his black Audi convertible, the air caressed my cheeks and whipped my hair around my shoulders as he pushed on the gas pedal. “I want to touch you.”
The glance he cast my way was nothing but heat. My pulse fluttered, and the pressure between my legs built with each mile behind us.
In the next heartbeat, the car accelerated, pushing me back against my seat. A spark passed his eyes as he glanced my way again, then returned his attention to the road. He was going fast, his odometer hitting 80… 90… 100 mph.
Adrenaline surged through my veins in anticipation. Maybe he wanted me as much as I craved him. The past weeks since we’d crossed paths had been magnificent. I was high on the emotions he pulled from me. I was high on him.
He felt right, like the missing part of me I’d been searching for. Breathing his air and touching him felt like playing the piano. Actually, no, it was even better. The keys were cold and under my command; he was anything but. His skin was hot, and the darkness in his soul spoke to mine, but it was his vehemence that intoxicated me.
In my eyes, he was perfect.
The car slowed down, but the adrenaline and lust didn’t ebb. Once he pulled over, he turned the ignition off, and the feel of the engine’s soft crackles mirrored the ones sparking through my body. The heavy tension. The sunset sky. The hot air.
My breaths were labored as I waited. I wanted this man with every ounce of me, and every time I was near him, my control and guard melted away, surrendering to him. I wanted him to have it all.
Our gazes met, his dark and possessive. Mine submissive. I wanted to please him, feel owned by him.
His attention dropped down my body as he unbuckled his seat belt, then reached over and unclipped mine. Without any hesitation, I climbed over the console to straddle him, luxuriating in the pressure of his hands on my hips as he gripped the flesh and marked me.
His hands pushed my dress up my thighs while he watched me lazily, his head tilted back to lean against the headrest. I explored his chest, his neck, my fingers sinking into his thick dark hair and settling behind his nape.
“I like you in a dress.” He always made sure he met my eyes when he spoke, but it was his next action that made me free-fall. His hands left my thighs and he signed, “I love you, Nix. My dandelion.” His strong fingers moved gracefully as he uttered the words he seemed to have rehearsed.
My heart stumbled before it surged up into the air only to come back down and go to him, leaving me permanently.
I leaned forward, peppering kisses over his mouth and his jaw and his neck, then carved a path back to his lips and released a sigh. His hand splayed across my throat, pushing me back as he brushed a thumb over my pulse point. His expression was dark and possessive. “I want your forever.”
Little did he know he already had my past, present, and future. All of it. I was put on this earth for him and him alone.
“You have it,” I signed, mouthing the words at the same time. “I love you too.”
Then he pressed his mouth to mine. He kissed me, lazy and sweet, but it didn’t last long before it turned rough and possessive. His tongue slid into my mouth, sucking and nipping. When he pulled back with a long, deep lick, shudders coursed through me.
I watched his rough hands find their way down my breasts, the raised skin beneath my dress, the curve of my waist. He fisted the string of my thong before ripping the material clean off, baring me to his burning gaze.
He cupped my pussy with one hand while his other took my chin, his fingers tipping my face up and lifting my eyes to his.
“Mine.”
My breathing turned shallow, but I wasn’t scared. In fact, I loved him like this. He owned me, and something about his claim brought a rush of raw feelings to the forefront. Sometimes I wished I had a voice and my hearing, but in these moments, with Dante, I didn’t feel less than. I felt right, enough.
