“You were perfect,” I rasp, and she flushes deep when I reach down and swipe her lips with my thumb before dipping it into her mouth. Her lips close around my thumb in slow suction, and I growl, pulling back when my cock jolts with interest. “Fuckbaby, you were perfect.” I reach down and take her hand, helping her up. “How about we share that bath you were looking to take earlier?”
She nods, blushing prettily. “Okay.”
I take her hand, ready to take her to the ensuite to draw us a bath, when I notice something lying on the floor. I take a closer look and realize it’s a white envelope. I must have pushed it off the dresser when I lifted her on it earlier, so I reach down and grab it. But before I can turn it over, Gia snaps it from my fingers. I face her, intent on teasing her for that overreaction, but the panic on her face kills whatever joke I was going to make.
“What is it?” I ask, eyes narrowing on the white envelope.
"Nothing," Gia says, a little too fast for it to be the truth. She opens a drawer and stuffs the envelope in there so quickly that it only adds to my suspicion. "It's just some junk mail I got at my old apartment and forgot to throw out."
She’s not telling the truth.
Gia is someone who wears her heart on her sleeve, and if I wanted, I could push her for the truth, but that would only ruin the moment. Besides, I need her trust more than anything. I’ll earn that first, so she’ll know to come to me for everything.
"Alright then, let’s go," I say, tightening my hand on hers as I pull her to the bathroom. I can read her relief on my decision not to push the matter. With a last glance at the drawer she shoved the envelope into, I make a silent vow to take another look at it later.
There is no reason to ruin the night, perfect as it is.
Chapter Five
Gia
I wake up before Dante, and I know I should get up to start my morning workout, but I allow myself to linger, completely captivated by the man lying next to me.
I glance at Dante’s bedroom and the ensuite bathroom where we shared a bath before falling asleep in his bed.
A part of me is certain that this is some kind of dream. That everything that happened last night was my mind playing tricks on me, but the arm wrapped around my waist feels solid. And the man lying on his stomach looks very real to me.
But just to be certain, I reach up and trace the line of his jaw with my fingertips, reveling in the warmth of his skin.
The morning sun pours into the room, and it's like a spotlight on his face, highlighting every single feature of that handsome face. His dark hair is a mess, sprawled across the pillow, and the sunlight catches the golden highlights in it. His eyelashes are long and dark, casting tiny shadows on his cheeks with each slow breath.
The morning sun makes his bronze skin glow, and the way his lips are slightly parted in a slight smile makes my heart skip abeat. I watch him for a little longer, taking in the rugged features of his face and the way his chest rises and falls with each breath.
I’m in love with Dante Rossi.
It wasn't much of a question before as much as a rejection of the truth on my part. Somehow, I convinced myself that all I felt for the man was physical and that it could be solved with a single night, but it's no use lying to myself any longer.
And last night… Christ, I can’t believe any of that happened. His lips on my skin, hungry and desperate as he pleasured me. And there is no forgetting that hungry look in his eyes when I was on my knees, or the taste of him. I bring a finger up to touch my lips, recalling how sinful but right it felt to please him the way I did last night.
But the white envelope nearly ruined it.
I can’t believe I was so careless and left the letter out in the open. While I was able to shove it into a drawer, the guilt still surfaces. I’m honest with Dante in a way I’m not with many people, but telling him about my stalker would not end well. He’s fiercely protective of me, and a part of me is terrified that he would try to force me to quit ballet.
Would I? Could I?
I'm afraid to think of a choice I would have to make if it were Dante asking it of me. I don't allow myself to question if this man is more important to me than a career I've worked on my entire life, so I turn away from him and slowly slide out of bed, careful not to wake him. I tiptoe back to my room and start opening boxes, hoping I don't have to dig far before I find my workout clothes.
“Bingo!” I whisper when I open the second box and find my leggings neatly folded inside. The next box proves to be ashelpful as I find my tops, and I’m relieved when I find my ballet flats in the next. I quietly carry everything to the bathroom.
Dante is still asleep when I come out of the bathroom, and he looks so good lying there. It’s tempting, so freaking tempting to climb back in bed and cuddle with a man I have fallen for but I hold back the need. With a last glance at the sleeping man, I walk out of the room. I stop in my room and grab the letter from my dresser drawer before heading to the kitchen first. I turn on water in the sink and stuff the letter down the garbage disposal to destroy it.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
I don’t have to think about the stalker anymore. There is no way in hell he can get to me with Dante around.
I close my eyes and take in a deep breath before releasing it slowly, feeling much better than I have in days. Weeks even.
I’m smiling as I make myself a protein shake, and I allow myself to think of Dante and how things are going to change for us. Surprisingly, I was able to convince myself that Dante had no feelings for me despite everything he did to show it.
