Tossing the lighter to the side, Dante goes into the kitchen to grab something. Lunchbox takes advantage of the door being open and comes running into the room. He barks as he tries to jump on the bed, but I’m too drained to get up.
“Come on, Lunchbox.” Dante whistles and squeaks Lunchbox’s toy before tossing it to the other side of the room. While Lunchbox is distracted, Dante slips back into the room and shuts the door again. My eyebrows raise when I see the ice cube in his hand, already starting to melt.
“What are you going to do with that?” I ask sleepily.
I can’t believe how exhausted I am already.
“Can I experiment on you?” he asks. The question is lighthearted, but I don’t miss the seriousness in his expression.
I nod. “Okay.”
Perhaps I should ask him what this experiment entails, but I know that whatever it is, it’s completely for both of our pleasure.
He’s not Evan. He won’t hurt me.
Dante kneels in front of me and spreads my legs again, and my stomach flutters at the sight of him down there. He gets close to my heated sex and breathes warm air onto my sensitive clit before rubbing the ice cube over it. My breathing is strained as I squirm from the sensation of warm and cold.
He does that a few more times before flicking on the lighter and quickly running the flame over my clit. I cry out from the pain, but then Dante runs the ice over it, then he licks it, and I swear I see stars.
My thighs shake violently as he continues to experiment on me, and by the time the ice cube has completely melted, I’m gripping his hair and screaming as I’m claimed by yet another orgasm.
I lay on the bed, shivering and sweating and feeling like my body isn’t my own anymore. The edges of my vision are fuzzy, and I have to blink a few times to focus.
“Essence,” Dante says gently. The bed dips as he sits next to me. For a moment it feels like I’m floating, then Dante’s scent envelops me as his arms hold me close to his chest. “Are you okay?”
Unable to form words, I nod.
“If that was too much for you, we can stop,” he says softly, caressing my back.
I clear my throat and shake my head. “I’m okay.” I look up at Dante and smile reassuringly, but he still looks concerned. “I promise.”
Without saying anything, he gets up, carries me to the head of the bed, and lays me against the pillows. With hooded eyelids, I tug on the waistband of his pants to bring him closer to me, but he moves my hand away and tucks me underneath the comforter.
I look up at him in confusion; he leans down and kisses me softly.
“We can finish this tomorrow,” he says against my lips. “You need to rest.”
That’s definitely true because my eyes are already closed, and I’m slowly drifting off to sleep. But not before Dante takes off my heels, gets in the bed with me, and pulls me against him.
“I love you, Essence,” is the last thing I hear before sleep claims me.
CHAPTER 40
ESSENCE
The soundof birds chirping wakes me from a restful sleep. Golden sunlight filters in through the open blinds of Dante’s room and drenches the small space in warmth. Lunchbox sleeps in his little bed peacefully, which brings a smile to my face.
I reach back and feel around for Dante, but my hand only grazes over the cool sheet. Sitting up, I look at his side of the bed in confusion.
Where is he?
Suddenly, the smoke detector beeps.
Is there a fire? Did he really leave me here to fend for myself?
And I thought he was different from Evan…
No, he’s nothing like Evan. He wouldn’t have left me here to die in a fire, not after everything that’s happened.
