Page 19 of Dante (Members From Money Season 2. #153)

"Intense and powerful. I wanted to swallow her.

I could not keep my hands off her. I don't know what the hell to do.

She's not who I would choose to be with and she's an employee.

Plus, she's pregnant." He rose and started pacing.

The room had steamed up significantly, only allowing him to see several inches in front of him.

"I never saw myself as a father. I'm not daddy material. "

"That's bullshit, and you know it," Jackson interjected with quiet force. "I've seen you with my sons and I'm a prime example of someone who never thought he could be someone's daddy. And I know I'm a damn good father."

"This is a woman who is having another man's baby. It's different."

"Admittedly yes. But you cannot take her on without taking on the child. You have to ask yourself if you can."

Dante sat back down.

"I don't know if I can answer that. You know my childhood and how rotten it was for years. I resigned myself to never getting married, much less having kids." He eased out a breath.

"And you never thought you would meet a woman you could fall in love with."

"What if it's just extreme lust?"

"You cannot tell the difference?" Jackson asked mockingly.

"If that's the case, then I'm disappointed in you.

" Leaning his head back, he closed his eyes.

"The very first time I saw Jerri, I knew it was going to be different.

I tried to deny it, but as soon as I touched her, I knew I was a goner.

" He opened his eyes and stared at his friend. "I believe it's the same for you."

"Yeah." Dante scrubbed his hands over his face. "And I'd better go and try and sort things out with her."

It was times like these that Courtney wished desperately that she had a woman friend she could talk to. She had always been content to say anything to her brother and knew that he would be in her corner, but this was different.

She had gone from being sensible and practical to being a woman who gets pregnant and alone and then having sex with her boss, her incredibly wealthy boss. After spending an hour rescheduling his appointments and doing some filing, she felt as if she was going crazy.

Caleb had called and said he was stopping by later to have dinner with her, and she had wanted to say no. While she could pretend with anyone else, he was the exception. He was going to realize that something was wrong.

When Donald came waltzing in with his cheerful smile and some pastries, she welcomed his uncomplicated presence and accepted the gift.

"He's not in yet?"

"No." Picking out a strawberry surprise, she took a tentative bite.

She had eaten a plain bagel and drunk a gallon of tea, and her stomach was settling.

"But I must point out that you don't have an appointment.

If you're here, with this bribe." She pointed to the bakery box and lifted her brows.

"I'm sorry to tell you, it's not going to work. "

"And here I was thinking we were friends." He flashed her a charming smile as he leaned on the desk and helped himself to a puff pastry.

"Oh, we are. And these are very good."

"The best. Angie's from across the street. She's a friend of mine and offers me the best of everything. I went in there especially for you."

"I'd be naive to believe that."

"You wound me pretty lady." He admired the purple sweater type dress she was wearing and the way it looked against her skin.

He would have pressed his point with her and asked her to go out with him, but figured it was a lost cause.

A pity, he thought sadly. He also knew she was out of his league.

Too classy and too beautiful. It was regrettable.

He could really use a woman of class and beauty on his arm.

Sighing deeply and meaning it, he picked up a napkin and leaned over.

"You have something on the left side of your mouth."

"Crumbs or powdery sugar?"

"Both." He grinned. "And I would not be a gentleman if I just let it slip."

Dante chose that very moment to step into the office.

Into what looked like a very intimate setting.

He felt the careful shield he had erected over his passions crack and shatter.

For a second he could swear he was seeing through a red haze.

A primal urge to leap across the room and grab the man by the throat had to be forcibly throttled.

He had always been amused when he saw men acting in jealousy, thinking of it as a waste of time and emotion.

Now it was upon him in full force, and he wanted to commit murder.

"Has the office taken a holiday?" His icy tone had the two people jolting. Donald straightened up slowly and Courtney felt her heart hammering inside her chest. He looked positively murderous, golden eyes boring into hers, before swinging to Donald. "Well?"

"I came by to see if you could pencil me in. I need to discuss."

"Call and schedule an appointment like normal people. I don't appreciate you using our relationship to see if you can slip in any time you want to and flirting with my assistant."

"I was just."

"Ms. Vernon, in my office. Now." He did not break stride, his long legs eating up the space.

"Christ! I'm sorry," Donald was clearly agitated, a frown etching his brow. "I've seen him angry before, but never like this. Will you be okay?"

She had already grabbed her device and ordered herself to be calm.

"I'll be fine." She offered him a reassuring smile even though she was quaking inside. "Just go."

She took her time walking into his office, her own anger burning. How dare he speak to them like that!

"Shut the door."

When she did, he rounded on her.

"Is that what you do? Sleep with one man and then send out an invitation to another?"

Anger robbed her of speech, and she simply stared at him.

"I don't appreciate that kind of behavior.

" He stopped and narrowed his eyes as she marched over to him.

"What." The slap was rough enough to have his face snapping to one side.

It was his turn to be shocked. Lifting a hand to the sting on his jaw, he stared at her in silence.

Anger gave way to reluctant admiration as she faced him, eyes flashing, lips parted.

"I don't give a rat's ass if you fire me right now. How dare you talk to me that way? Donald was just wiping crumbs from my face like a normal human being. And even if I wanted to sleep with him, that's none of your damn business. You might sign my paycheck, but you don't own me. Is that clear?"

He rubbed his jaw absently and filed away the fact that she had an impressive right hook and a formidable temper.

"Now, if I'm not fired." She squealed when his hand banded around her arm.

Dropping her device, she tried to fight him off, but he was having none of that.

When he hauled her into his arms and crushed his lips to hers, she continued to fight on principle.

But the battle was already lost. The touch of his mouth on hers melted her bones and had her juices flowing.

He gentled the kiss when he felt her capitulating.

One arm banded around her waist to pull her closer.

As soon as her lips parted, his tongue invaded, the kiss potent.

The arms she had lifted to push him away wrapped around his neck helplessly.

Settling on the edge of the desk, Dante eased her between his thighs, his fingers dancing over her back and down to her bottom, where he molded and massaged.

He captured her gasp when she encountered the rigid evidence of his arousal and simply went to a quivering mass of jelly.

Ending the kiss, he cupped her cheek and trailed kisses at the sides of her mouth and throat. They were dimly aware of the phone ringing, but none of that registered.

"Please stop," she whispered as reality reared its head.

"I can't." He brushed his lips over hers slowly, seductively until her breath was escaping in pants. "I saw him touching you and started acting like a raving lunatic. I thought I had my emotions under control until I saw that. You and him."

"It was nothing." She heard herself say. Her body was trembling, and her feet were unsteady. She figured that it was a wonder he held her so tight, or she would be sliding to the carpeted floor. She felt unhinged and way out of her depth. "Dante."

His long, lean body shuddered at the sound of his name in that husky voice of hers.

"Say it again."

"What?" She blinked, fingers curling into his sweater as he nibbled at her bottom lip.

"My name. Say it again."

She was losing all sense of reality. He had reached her throat and settled on the pulse that hammered there like a wild trapped bird.

"The phone, your meetings. Please stop!" She found the strength to push away from him and almost had to crawl over to sit on one of the padded chairs. Closing her eyes, she tried to count to ten to gather her wits about her.

And snapped them open when she felt his presence in front of her.

Hunkering down in front of her, he took her trembling hands.

"What are you doing?"

"Touching you." His tone was amused. "I cannot seem to help myself."

"This has to stop."

"Why?"

She stared at him with wide eyes.

"Why?" When she started to drag her hands away, he simply held on. "This is insane. You're my boss and, even so, I, I'm pregnant and I'm not a whore."

He lifted one thick dark brow.

"I never said you were."

"You implied it."

"I was angry and jealous."

Her heart bumped, but she ignored it.

"That's not true. We're not in a relationship.

" She gasped when he lifted her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles.

Her insides turned to liquid, and she struggled to speak.

The phone rang again and this time he rose.

"We'll speak more on this later." Sitting on the edge of his desk, he reached for the phone. "Livingston."

It took her a few more seconds to settle herself and slip out of the office.