I knew there was more to that part of the story, but I let it go. “Smart little boy,” I said softly.
Dante nodded and pulled free of my embrace. He wiped at his eyes with his hands. He could have been trying to get rid of some of the rainwater that was dripping down from his hair, but I highly doubted it. He stood stock still after that, clearly waiting for me to rain judgement down on him for what had happened to his brother.
“Tell me what you need from me, Dante,” I murmured as I reached out to run my fingers along his jawline. “Nothing’s changedfor me. Nothing you’ve told me changes how I feel about you…I doubt there’s anything you could tell me that could change that.”
“I don’t do relationships for a reason, Magnus,” Dante muttered as he glanced out the window. The rain was still coming down in sheets, but I knew it wouldn’t deter him from leaving if that was what he still wanted.
“I don’t want to just be another warm body to you,” I admitted, hating the vulnerability that skated through me. “This being with another guy thing may be new for me, but you’re not some experiment.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” he asked, his voice not as worn down anymore. The fact that he wasn’t outright dismissing what was between us had hope unfurling deep inside of me.
“For starters, you could stay,” I said softly. “And we’ll go from there.”
The silence loomed between us for so long that I was sure he wasn’t going to agree. But when he finally nodded, I wanted to do a victory dance.
“I’ll go tell the cab driver…”
“I can do it,” I offered. Dante stiffened when I grabbed his wrist as he turned to go and I immediately released him.
“Magnus, I can’t do this if you don’t trust me.”
I debated how to answer and then settled for the truth since it had gotten me this far. “I do trust you, Dante. But you need to understand that I’m not going to walk on eggshells around you. I offered to send the cab away because you’re wet and cold and I really just want to get you warmed up as soon as possible. I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop putting your needs above my own.”
Dante didn’t move or respond for several long seconds and his expression was unreadable. He finally reached out and took one of my hands in his. He played with my fingers as he whispered, “I’m telling you now that I’m gonna be really bad at this relationship shit.”
“Did you miss the part where my ex slapped me at my daughter’s wake, blamed me for her death and then set me up in a courtroom full of people?” I asked mildly.
A small smile spread across Dante’s mouth and he pulled my hand up to his lips and settled a kiss on my knuckles which were bruised from punching Colton the day before. “Can I use your shower?”
I nodded even as the flame of need inside me sparked to life.
“Will you get rid of the cab?” Dante asked as he pulled me forward until our bodies were pressed together. The flame changed to a full-on inferno and I wasn’t sure if I managed to get out an answer. But I must have because Dante curled his hand around the back of my head and pulled me down for a kiss.
“Will you come join me in the shower when you’re done?”
I answered him by thrusting my tongue into his mouth. Dante was the one to break the kiss a few seconds later. He began heading towards the stairs as I patted down my pockets for my wallet.
“Shit,” I muttered as I realized it was sitting up on my nightstand.
“My wallet is in my bag on the porch,” Dante said over his shoulder. “In the front pocket…next to the condoms and lube.”
I smiled at the unspoken hint and hurried out to get rid of the waiting cab. I just hoped like hell it wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon…or ever.
Chapter 15
Dante
“Cock,”I murmured drowsily.
Magnus chuckled, his warm breath fanning over the back of my neck. “No,” he said and then his fingers were moving over my bare back in the same pattern.
“Isn’t this a game that twelve-year-old girls play?” I asked.
“You want me to stop?” Magnus asked.
“Fuck, no,” I declared which made Magnus laugh and then his lips pressed against the back of my shoulder.
I had no idea how the fuck I’d ended up here…and what the hell I’d finally done right in my life to deserve any of it. One minute I’d been standing on the porch ready to get in the cab, the next I’d been in Magnus’s kitchen trying to convince him I wasn’t worth the effort he was making.
