Chapter 15
Dante
Ihad nothing better to do than sit around all day, waiting for Nick to return. He’d been gone when I woke up, the bed cold again where he’d slept as far away as possible from me for the rest of the night. I never even heard him leave. But he had a ranch to care for,ourranch, so I couldn’t really hold it against him.
Still, I sat there all day, anticipating the moment he’d return. I wanted to talk to him, to reassure him that everything that had happened between us was fine. That there was nothing wrong or unnatural about it. That hedidn’thave to do it again if he didn’t want to. I was more worried about him than I’d been about anything else in my life. And that kind of terrified me.
But I was Dante Valenti. I’d been running parts of the family business for years, breaking fingers when needed and having people dealt with who went against my family. And now, this cowboy I barely knew had gotten so far under my skin that I could hardly think anymore. And that, as my father would say, was dangerous fucking territory.
The sound of a truck engine cut through the late afternoon quiet, and my pulse kicked up. I moved to the window, watching as Nick climbed out of his pickup, dirt on his jeans andexhaustion written across his face. He paused before heading toward the house, his hand on the door of the truck like he was steeling himself.
I backed away from the window, not wanting him to catch me watching like some desperate fool. My ribs ached as I settled onto the couch, trying to look casual. Like I hadn’t been counting down the hours until he came back.
The door opened, and he stepped inside. Our eyes met for a half-second before he looked away, his jaw tight.
“Hey,” I said, keeping my voice neutral. “How’d everything go out there?”
“Fine.” He kicked off his boots by the door, not moving any further into the house. “Angelo’s got the cattle situation under control. Fences held up.”
“Good. That’s good.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating. This was exactly what I’d been afraid of, that he’d retreat so far back into himself that I’d never reach him again. I didn’t know what to do, so I just did what I always did when I felt uncomfortable. Act overconfident.
“So, did you miss me?” I asked, a cocky grin on my face. “After last night I figured you’d be begging to kiss me again.”
Nick stared at me, his jaw tensing.
“I mean, I hate to say it, but I told you so,” I continued, watching him get more frustrated by the second. “Everyone always gives in to my charms, eventually.”
Nick stormed away from me, heading for the bedroom in a huff. For half a second I opened my mouth, intent on calling him back. But he stopped in the doorway first, his shoulders heaving. Then he turned on me and my god… I don’t think I’d ever seen such fire in his eyes before. It went straight to my cock.
“Are you really this much of a fucking prick?!” he snapped, no longer able to contain his anger. “I show you an ounce ofvulnerability and you what? Walk all over me? Is this really who you are, Dante? Tell me now so I can figure out if I’m fucking done with you or not.”
The anger in his words hit me like a slap, cutting through my bravado and leaving me exposed. I felt my cocky grin falter, then disappear entirely as the weight of what I’d just done crashed over me.
I’d fucked up.Badly.
I’d pushed too hard. Done exactly what my father always did. He used control and swagger to cover up anything that felt too real, too vulnerable. And now Nick was looking at me like I was every bit the monster he’d originally thought I was.
“Nick, I—” I started, but the words caught in my throat. What could I say? That I was scared? That I didn’t know how to handle the fact that last night had meant something to me? That I’d spent my entire adult life using confidence as armor, and I didn’t know how to take it off?
“You what?” he demanded, taking a step toward me. “You didn’t mean it? You were just joking? Because that’s what you mobster types do, right? You play with people for fun? What are you going to do next, huh? Break my legs? Toss me in the river? Have Angelo make me disappear because I stood up to you?”
“No.” The word came out rougher than I intended. I pushed myself up from the couch, ignoring the protest from my ribs. “That’s not what I—fuck, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You shouldn’t have said a lot of things.” But some of the fire in his eyes dimmed slightly, replaced by something that looked like hurt. “I spent all day out there trying to figure out what the hell happened last night. Trying to understand why I wanted...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “And you’re just making jokes about it like it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing.” I took a careful step toward him, watching for any sign that he’d bolt. “Last night was... it meant something to me, Nick. More than I know how to say.”
He studied my face, and I could see him weighing whether to believe me. “Then why act like such an asshole about it?”
“Because I’m scared too,” I admitted, the words feeling like they were being dragged out of me. “Because I don’t know how to do this.Whateverthis is. Back in Jersey, everything was about control. About never showing weakness. If I showed weakness, everything collapsed. And when my father cleaned it up, people died.”
Nick flinched at that. “I knew you people were bad, but I didn’t know you’d spent your whole life killing people who crossed you.”
“I’ve never killed anyone,” I said, my tone harsher than I intended. “I’ve roughed up some people, but I’ve never killed a single fucking person. I told you, I’m not a monster.”
“Then stop trying to pretend to be one,” Nick replied. “Talk to me instead of making me feel like shit.”
