Authors: Tina Donahue
Lauren bit her bottom lip.
“Do you want me to stop?” he asked, not wanting to cause her
any pain, hating himself for not even considering that. “I will. I don’t have
to tell—”
“Please. I want to hear it.”
It was a moment before he could fight his guilt enough to
continue. “The company knew there were problems and could have fixed them
easily but they counted on nothing more than a few scraped knees and elbows
even though their engineers had warned them it could be worse. They refused to
budge because it would have cost them a few pennies in profit. I knew all of
this, and I still fought for them.
“I argued that it was the parents’ responsibility to rein in
their kids and see that they used the trikes properly. They should have
insisted their children wear headgear. Everything in life carries risks. You
can’t put a company out of business when a few out of hundreds of thousands get
hurt simply because the parents were too lazy to supervise. The jurors believed
my case more than they did Scott’s and refused to award anything to the parents.
These were people who didn’t have a lot to begin with, many were minorities,
struggling to pay their children’s medical bills. I shouldn’t have won. It was
wrong. I knew it at the time but I wanted this.”
He gestured to the house and backyard.
Lauren didn’t comment.
Sighing deeply, Dante dropped his arms and risked looking at
her, afraid he’d see disdain finally.
Tears sparkled in her eyes. Not for him, he didn’t deserve
that. For the families and kids.
“I tried to live with myself after that,” he said, his words
catching. “I couldn’t. It ate at me. Finally, I left the firm and sold this
place to Scott. I set up trusts for Eduardo, the toddler who was paralyzed, and
two other kids who needed prolonged medical care. I liquidated everything that
was left and gave it to my family.” Dante laughed sadly. “They’re a lot like
you. They didn’t want it either. Said I had nothing to be ashamed of.” He
swallowed. “I begged them to keep it so they wouldn’t have to worry about
making ends meet. Money doesn’t mean anything to me anymore. I don’t want—”
He stopped as Lauren moved into him. She slipped her arms
around his torso and rested her head against his chest.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, deeply ashamed of what she’d
said to him that day at the parlor. If she’d only known…
No. Screw that. She shouldn’t have judged period. Dante
never had when it came to her. She was so fucking imperfect it was laughable.
Yet, he’d done nothing except be her friend and lover. He’d continually tried
to help.
“Hey,” Dante murmured. He eased back and stared at her.
Lauren hadn’t meant to cry and suddenly couldn’t seem to stop.
“I shouldn’t have told you,” he said.
“I’m glad you did.”
“But you’re crying. Don’t, please,” he pleaded.
“Everything’s okay.”
“No it’s not. I was such a bitch to you.”
“You were just having a bad day.”
She blubbered another apology and pressed her face to his
throat, kissing it and his cheek. His bristly skin was so damn masculine, he
was such a good, decent man, she lost all control.
“Lauren?”
She’d yanked his tee up but the damn thing wouldn’t go past
his shoulders and the back of his head.
“Hey,” he said. “Slow down.”
She couldn’t. Having been without him for too many days, she
needed his strength and warmth. Fuck, she needed him deep within her.
Forgetting his tee, she unbuttoned his jeans and pulled down the fly.
Dante finally had his shirt off. He dropped it and grabbed
her hands. “I’ll get it.”
Her thumbs were already beneath the waistband of his jeans
and stretchy boxers. “You’re not moving fast enough.”
“I will if you let go. Let me do this. You might hurt me.”
She jerked her hands away from him. “I’m sorry, I didn’t
mean to—”
“I know. It’s no problem, all right?” He shoved off his
clothes and kicked them aside.
Lauren flew into his arms. Dante staggered back. She
followed, pushing her fingers through his hair, using it to keep him to her as
she captured his mouth and plunged her tongue inside. He froze for a moment
then cupped her ass and pulled her into his ginormous erection, fucking hard,
freaking silky, incredibly hot.
They went wild, each of them trying to control the kiss.
Dante won, pushing her tongue aside. He angled his head for greater
penetration. Lauren submitted eagerly and couldn’t touch him enough. She ran
her hands over his broad back, down his torso to his ass, the furrow between
his cheeks.
He pushed to his toes. She shot up with him. They sank to
their heels together, the sounds they made sloppy, joyous, hardcore. Dante
broke free finally and pointed his finger at her. “Don’t move,” he rasped and
edged back. “I mean it.”
Panting, Lauren padded closer, ready for a fucking lot more.
Dante grinned then sobered. “Stay.” Quickly, he went to his
jeans and dug a condom from his pocket.
“Not yet,” she said.
He gave her a weird look. “Not what?”
“That’s our entrée. I want an appetizer first.” She headed
for the chaise lounge.
Dante grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “What are you doing?”
“Getting one of the pillows to put on the patio so we can
lie on it.” Lauren snuggled into him, her mouth on his throat. “We’re going to
eat each other.”
She didn’t need to draw him a picture. Dante released her
wrist. “I’ll set it up.”
“It’ll go faster if I help.”
“Just give me a sec. Hold this.” He handed her the condom.
She tossed it over her shoulder.
Dante planted his hands on his lean hips and breathed hard.
Lauren took the opportunity to lick his left nipple then sucked the tat on his
side.
Laughing, he squirmed away. “Shit, that tickles. Don’t
fucking move.”
“Ever?”
“Just until the boat passes.”
Her heart stalled. Holding one arm over her breasts, Lauren
covered her cunt with her free hand and looked over. The Waterway was still
empty. She faced him with a frown.
“You wouldn’t give me a sec,” he said. Finished with untying
the chaise’s cushion, he tossed it. The thing landed near her feet. He undid a
second one and dropped it near the first, making a reasonable bed for them.
“Go on.” She pointed. “Lie down.”
Dante pushed his face into hers. “Hey, who’s the boss here?”
“Me. If you don’t do as I say, you won’t get my mouth on
this.” She played with his equipment, stroking his cock, caressing his balls.
“Sure you want that?”
Like a good boy and a sex-starved man, Dante sank to the
cushions but tied the corners together first to make certain they wouldn’t pull
away from each other once the action started. Finished, he plopped down on his
back, spread his legs and shamelessly flaunted his stuff. “Don’t make me wait.”
Lauren held her hands behind herself as she strutted around
the cushions, taking him in as he’d done with her their first night in his
workstation.
Dante kept turning his head to follow her, his cock growing
harder by the minute. That baby was so erect, it lay on his belly, the crown
pointing at his other head.
“You’re so going to pay for this,” he warned.
“Promises, promises.”
He reached for her. She danced away.
“Fine. I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.” He grabbed
his rod and started stroking. Fast and hard.
Lauren fell to her knees and slapped his hand away. “That’s
my job.”
“Then do it,” he ordered.
Smiling, she turned to his feet and straddled his body. With
his hands guiding her, Lauren positioned herself until her cunt was above his
mouth and her lips were a breath away from his balls and cock.
“I hope you like meat,” he said.
Lauren laughed then settled in, wanting to relish the
moment. She smelled his wonderful scent and licked his full length.
He moaned loudly.
Not letting that sway her, she swirled her tongue over his
crown.
Dante brought up his legs so fast, his hairy thighs bumped
her shoulders. Offering no apology, he gripped Lauren’s hips, pulled her down
to his mouth and licked her slit.
She grunted at how damn good that felt.
It was only the beginning. With one hand, Dante separated
her cheeks then ran his finger down her furrow and probed her anus.
Her tongue paused on his shaft.
He sucked her nub.
Lauren cried out and gripped his thigh as everything began
spinning.
Dante made it worse, licking her nub, working his finger
into her anus, taking control.
Uh-uh.
This belonged to both of them. With more
willpower than Lauren knew she owned, she fought every base sensation rolling
through her and concentrated on the job at hand. She licked Dante’s crown as
she would one of Jasmina’s Dove bars or Fudgsicles, enjoying his flavor far
more. Once she lapped the veins on his shaft, she flicked her tongue over the
base of his balls.
He stiffened, paused then started suckling her again.
Panting, Lauren tended to his needs, trying to ignore her
own. Soon, they were sweating and swearing, trying to outdo each other as they
both went nuts.
“Shit,” Dante finally snapped. “I can’t fucking take it.”
“Good—hey.”
Ignoring her shout, he turned Lauren around and pushed her
on her back. “I have to be inside you.”
“You were.”
“Your cunt, not your mouth.” He looked around for the
condom.
Leaning over, Lauren reached it first. “I’ll put it on you.”
Dante looked like he wanted to argue. His face was scrunched
in what appeared to be real pain.
Aw.
“Are you hurting?”
“What do you think?” He gestured to his cock, the skin so
stretched it was red and shiny.
“I swear I’ll hurry.” She tugged on the foil wrapper. It
wouldn’t open. “Damn.”
“Give it to me.”
She pushed his hand away and used her teeth to tear the
packet open.
“Or not,” Dante panted, pushing his fingers through his
hair.
Looking up at him, she smiled, tenderness and lust coursing
through her. “I’m here to serve you.”
“Whatever you want, babe. Just make it fast.”
She giggled and cradled his cock.
Jeezus.
Dante’s body was so primed and needy, his
boys plumped to the point of bursting while his rod was rigid enough to deliver
some serious pleasure. “Hurry,” he gasped.
Lauren stroked his length. He shuddered. She ran her fingers
over his crown, tearing a groan from him.
“You all right?” she whispered.
“Fuck no. Put the rubber on me, or I will.”
She pushed his hand away again and kissed his belly. Dante’s
head fell back on his shoulders. His chin pointed at the starry sky. He exhaled
loudly and spoke through his teeth, “Lauren.”
Her fingers paused on the tiny fissure in his crown, the
pre-cum seeping out.
In another sec, he was going to lose it. “I. Am. Going. To.
Come.”
“Sorry.” She licked the pearl of moisture away, paused at
his tortured gasp then eased the rubber down his length.
Finally.
In a flash, Dante had Lauren on her back,
his hand trapping both her wrists. “You move,” he warned, “you say anything and
you don’t get this.” Lifting his cock, he ran the tip of it up her slick cleft.
She wrapped her legs around his lean hips—moving when he’d
told her not to—then whispered,
“Sí, por supuesto.”
“What?”
She repeated the phrase. Yessir, in Spanish.
Dante sat back on his heels, impressed with her knowledge
and pronunciation. Nearly perfect. “Since when do you know my language?”
“I looked it up on the Internet.”
God love her. She hadn’t holed up in the office merely to
look for jobs or to sell the place…to take herself away from him. The reminder
hit Dante like a punch to his gut. He couldn’t move or breathe.
Lauren stopped wiggling beneath him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he lied quickly and entered her in one thrust,
needing to be as close as possible for as long as he could.
She tightened her legs around him and lifted her hips,
welcoming him into her body.
Dante accepted her invitation without pause and pumped
slowly, each thrust prolonged. His gaze on hers never strayed. Nor did Lauren’s
with his. They smiled at times then grew solemn again, the moment unbelievably
sacred for Dante as he drowned in her softness and warmth, the woman she was,
the person he needed.
He longed for these moments to last even as he feared they
wouldn’t.
They made love as they hadn’t before. It was still lusty as
hell, but to Lauren it was also deeper, richer than it had been.
She simply couldn’t get enough of Dante, her addiction to
everything he was both frightening and wonderful. He seemed as eager to be with
her. Once they’d climaxed, sweaty and exhausted, they clung to each other. Not
entirely as friends.
At least not for her. Since their evening on the carousel,
something had shifted for Lauren. Her desire had turned soul deep. Dante
offered her comfort she’d never known from a guy. She’d always been practical
about life and especially love, never allowing herself to plunge too deeply
into anything.
This wasn’t any different. She’d have to fight her feelings
and would. Tomorrow. This evening was too precious to resist or ruin by saying
the wrong thing.
When they finally decided to make dinner, Dante thankfully
told her what to do. They held hands while Lauren ate the best steak she’d ever
tasted. Dante had also grilled corn on the cob and baked garlic bread.
He wasn’t only the most gorgeous man she’d ever known, but
he could also cook real food.
You are so screwed.
Tomorrow. Right now, Lauren fed him the last of the bread
then licked a dribble of butter from the side of his mouth. He tapped her naked
toes with his.
The evening had cooled somewhat, the mild breeze brushing
past the vegetation, gently lifting the ends of their hair. As far as Lauren
knew, no boats had gone down the Waterway since they’d been here. If they had,
she’d missed them. Not only was her full focus on Dante, she’d finally realized
that even the most persistent voyeur would need night vision goggles to see
anything clearly in the dim lighting.
“Dessert?” Dante asked, pushing to his feet. “There’s ice
cream in the freezer. Fresh fruit in the fridge.”
“In a minute.” She squeezed his fingers. “I don’t want to
eat all of Scott’s food right away. That wouldn’t be polite. Let’s wait a bit.”
Laughing, Dante sank back to his chair. “Trust me, Scott
won’t mind. He’s a good guy.”
“I get that.” She hesitated then said what she’d been
thinking since Dante had shared his past with her. “I totally understand why
you quit the firm you worked for. I’m sure they were all about billable hours
and the bottom line. After you met Scott though, why didn’t you hook up with
him and fight the good fight for plaintiffs?”
Dante glanced past her to the house. Whatever he was
thinking, he kept well hidden.
Lauren cursed her big mouth. “I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s all right.” He ran his thumb over hers. “Scott offered
me a partnership in his firm.” Dante shook his head. “Turned him down. I needed
a break from law badly.”
She sensed he wanted to punish himself for his earlier cases
and victories. “Will you ever go back to it?”
He got an odd look on his face then smiled broadly, masking
whatever he was thinking. “And leave you alone to run the parlor? Who’d keep me
in line at a law firm?” He kissed her knuckles. “Who’d order me not to flirt
with or fuck with the clients?”
“Hire Jasmina. Her balls are as big as yours.”
He barked a laugh.
“I want what’s best for you,” Lauren murmured. “If you truly
hate law then—”
“I don’t hate it. I needed a break and I’m taking it.
Tattooing has always fascinated me. I’m not as artistic as my brother Hector or
Van Gogh—hell, those two are gods—but I do all right. I enjoyed learning how to
ink. I met Frank at a tattoo expo. We got to talking and he brought me on at
Wicked Brand. It all worked out.”
Lauren didn’t comment.
For the first time ever, Dante looked embarrassed, as though
she’d read his soul and knew he was lying to himself. He shrugged it off,
grinning good-naturedly. “Why all the talk about law? Are you trying to get rid
of me?”
“Never,” she whispered.
His smile faded. He seemed to want to say something but
didn’t, waiting for her.
Lauren couldn’t keep her news in any longer. She didn’t want
to be dishonest with him. “I have an interview Friday.”
Surprise and something else that she couldn’t read crossed
Dante’s face. The moment passed. He grinned even broader this time. “That’s
fucking great. What’s the job? Is it what you’re looking for?”
The position was way better than her wildest fantasies. Now
that her dreams were almost within reach, Lauren could do little more than
shrug. “Sure. It’s a senior HR position with a huge company.”
“Jesus, that’s wonderful.” Dante left his chair and pulled
Lauren into his arms, hugging her.
She held him as hard as she could, fighting tears as she had
earlier. “I might not get it.”
“Bull.” He smacked her ass. “No more talk like that. The
second they make you an offer, I want to know. I’ll give you one helluva
going-away party.”
Lauren swallowed and tightened her arms around him. Dante
did the same with her. She figured now was the perfect opportunity to tell him
about the potential buyer’s interest in the parlor, dump everything on him at
once, but couldn’t bring herself to do so.
Their silence stretched out and lingered, the previous magic
gone. They dressed, cleaned up and finally left.
Each time Lauren caught Dante studying her, she forced
herself to smile. He did the same when he caught her watching him, his grin not
quite genuine. She dropped him off at his modest apartment complex a few blocks
from the parlor. Before he got out of her car, Dante kissed Lauren deeply.
Longingly, she thought.
Or maybe she hoped. They were good friends. That’s all.
She waited for him to look back at her before she pulled
away. When Dante reached his front door, he did. His face was too shadowed for
Lauren to catch his expression. She wondered if it was as sad as hers then told
herself it surely wasn’t. To him, she was merely a fun buddy who would be
moving on.
He lifted his hand in farewell.
She did the same.
When Lauren got home, she sat on the sofa unable to sleep.
She reminded herself of what she had to do to pull herself out of the financial
hole she was in—get a great job, pay off her bills, move forward rather than
letting the present sway her.
Refuse to dwell on the past.
The box she’d gotten from Frank’s attorney was on the lower
shelf of her TV stand. Lauren had shoved it there, not interested in anything
it contained, especially Frank’s note to her.
She rocked on the sofa, thinking about tonight with Dante,
the last she’d have with him. Even if she didn’t get the job on Friday, Lauren
couldn’t keep doing this. It hurt too badly. She needed him too much. Just as
her mom had needed Frank. Look how that had turned out. Uh-uh. That wasn’t for
her.
On a sigh that was pissed and sad, Lauren pulled out the box
and put it on the cocktail table. For minutes, she simply stared at the stupid
thing, fighting anger and tears, her longing for stuff she’d always wanted but
would never have. A man to love forever. A home. A damn family.
She yanked off the top of the box and tossed it aside.
Frank’s glasses were on top of a stack of papers. Next to
them was his watch. Proof that he’d existed.
Her throat tightened. She swallowed down grief she hadn’t
expected to feel and rifled through the legal documents, searching for his
note. Once she’d found it, minutes passed before Lauren had the nerve to open
the damn thing.
She warned herself not to expect much. This was from Frank,
after all. The man who’d caused her mom countless tears and a hard fucking life
as a single mother.
Renewed outrage washed over her, giving Lauren the courage
she needed to read the stupid thing.
I was wrong,
it
began.
Her mouth quivered. She took a deep breath, wanting to
crumble the note and throw it away. She needed to hold on to her anger, but
couldn’t finally. As it drained from her, all Lauren felt was tired and sad.
Sagging into the sofa, she read the rest of what he’d written to her.
Nothing I can say will ever make what I did better. I don’t
deserve your forgiveness and would never ask for it. You have every right to
hate me.
Please don’t let what I did to you and your mother get in
the way of what will make you happy.
There are good men out there, Lauren. I wish I could have
been one of them.
I wish I could have been the father you needed and
deserved.
Frank
She covered her face with her hands.