Both women sat on the sofa while the babies seemed to be exploring one another on the rug in front of us.
“I’m sorry about earlier, about snapping at you when I came into the house.”
Gina waved my apology off. “Unnecessary. This house and the men in it are made to drive us crazy I am sure.”
I nodded while Jay laughed before turning her attention to my daughter. “What’s her name?”
“Amina.”
“That’s so pretty. Amina and Alessandra.” Jay reached down and stroked the heads of each child in turn.
“You named her after The Capo?” I had been away a relatively short time and had missed so much.
“Nonno, yes. I believe my husband is The Capo now. It was the only girl’s name Carlo and I could agree on, but we sometimes shorten it to Leesa.”
The quirk of my brow was my only response wondering how she really felt about him being The Capo because not only had she been a total outsider when she met Carlo, she had been clean and honest, untouched by the darkness our world was filled with. Both her and Jay had been, but the latter had seemed able to accept the idea of asking no questions, and doing as she was told far quicker than Gina.
“Dante asked us to come and help you with clothes and things for the baby until tomorrow.”
I nodded at Gina who was already on her feet.
“Come on then, let’s go to my place and see what we have for you both. Zita is arranging for Leesa’s first crib to be brought up.”
* * *
An hour,maybe two passed and by the time I returned to Dante’s apartment, it was barely recognisable with a sea of baby clothes, toys and accessories littering the place. Clothes and toiletries had been put into the bathroom and the empty space in Dante’s dressing room for me. The crib was assembled, dressed in the most adorable white and pink linen and positioned at the foot of the bed. Dante’s bed. I really was expected to remain here, in his home, his bed, but what did he expect from that situation, from me? He had reassured me that my wishes and boundaries would be respected, so I had nothing to worry about, did I? Except that I wasn’t sure if I spent enough time with him that I wouldn’t want more. It had been hours and I was already remembering the old Dante, the handsome boy he had been, my first crush, my first kiss, and for such a long time the one I hoped would be my everything.
I allowed my mind to drift back to the day I left here. The day Dante had kissed me for the first time, when I had been his first kiss too. That still made my heart bloom, although I didn’t doubt there had been many women since who had been kissed by him, but for now I was back in that moment, that kiss and everything that had followed.
Dante’s lips seemed to fit mine perfectly. As we moved together in perfect harmony, his tongue had entered my mouth and as it met my own, it was perfect. We remained in the hall for long minutes, how many I was unsure, Dante’s hands skimming over my clothed body, caressing me and causing my body to heat, soften and dampen, while the strange sounds of desire and pleasure echoed around us.
“Anna.” He broke the kiss with his breathless murmur of my name. “I want so much more than to kiss you.”
He was asking for consent to take this any further.
I didn’t know what to say to him, instead, I stretched forward and took his hand in mine so I might lead him upstairs. To my bedroom. He offered no objection and simply followed. Once in my bedroom he began to kiss me again, but this time, rather than stepping me back into a wall, he led me to my bed and lay beside me.
“Anna, are you sure?” he asked as his gaze bore through me and his eyes were aflame with want, perhaps something deeper.
“Yes. I want you to be my first.”
He grinned down at me while his fingers were already undoing the buttons on the red sundress I wore. “I would like to be your only.”
Unsure where it came from, I lunged for him, pulling on his clothes in an attempt to feel his lips on mine once more. Kissing Dante was the best feeling in the world. The way I reacted to it confirmed my feelings for him. His touch became firmer and moved beneath my clothing, skimming my sides before moving higher, grazing my nipples that were erect and aching.
“Dante,” I pleaded and he didn’t disappoint me as his finger slid beneath the plain cotton fabric of my bra, stroking the beaded point of my nipple before incorporating another finger that allowed him to bring each breast to sit atop the fabric of my bra.
“Perfection, Anna,” he said before closing his mouth around my nipple and sucking. The sound that left my mouth was a cross between a moan and a hoarse cry as sensation tore through me, from my breasts to my sex that was already slick with arousal and desperate for Dante’s touch.
In no time at all we were both down to our underwear, our bodies entwined as our hands explored the other. The clasp on my bra was expertly undone by Dante before he kissed his way down my body until he got to my underwear that he slid over my behind and then pulled them down my legs before casting them aside. Suddenly I felt embarrassed and overexposed, although I understood that I couldn’t be any more exposed, or so I thought until he spread my legs and looked down at me. There.
Desperately, I tried to close my legs and cover myself with my hands.
“Anna, show me, show yourself to me. There is nothing to be ashamed of. You are beautiful.” And I believed every word of it, so much so that I uncovered myself and watched on as Dante pushed his underwear down to reveal his huge erection that already glistened with his arousal.
“Dante, it’s big . . . will it–”
“It will fit,” he told me, knowing where I was going. “It might be a little painful, but it will feel good, I promise.”
