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Chapter Nineteen: Dante

I watched Jade from the corner of my eye as she sat at the dining room table, her slender fingers tracing the grain of the wood in a rhythm that seemed to echo the steady beat of uncertainty. The Harbor Cove apartment was quiet. I didn’t know what she was doing and I didn’t want to know.

I couldn’t stop pacing, each step a silent plea for her to see past the revelations of my past.

“Jade,” I started, stopping mid-stride, “I laid it all out for you. My skeletons aren’t just in the closet; they’re sitting at the dinner table with us.”

She looked up, her face a study in contrasts—those intelligent eyes reflecting both the sharp edge of her analytical mind and the softness of emotions she couldn’t hide. “Dante, knowing everything...it changes things. I can’t just flip a switch and pretend it’s not a big deal.”

“Of course, it’s a big deal. But look. I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you everything. It’s probably a stupid defense, but I only wanted to protect you.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling the weight of her gaze. This was the woman who could dissect me down to my very core without so much as blinking—an ability that both thrilled and terrified me.

“Look, I get it,” I said, my voice rougher than I’d intended. “You need space to figure this out. And maybe there’s no solution that includes me anymore.”

Her lips parted slightly, but she remained silent, letting the unspoken words hang heavy between us. I knew what I had to do, even if every fiber of my being screamed against it. But I’d be damned if I made this any harder on her than it already was.

“Jade,” I whispered, my resolve cracking like thin ice underfoot, “no matter where we end up after this, know that you’ve changed me—in ways I didn’t think were possible.”

And then I closed the door to the living room behind me, because I couldn’t stand to look at her, to hear her silence.

Because it broke my fucking heart.

“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, my hands curling into fists. The walls of the bedroom closed in on me, every corner a reminder of her, of us. But if she couldn’t be sure about what we had, then I had no business lingering like some ghost of a happier past.

My fingers grazed the worn leather of the duffel bag, the one I’d kept ready for quick escapes. The one I’d brought all the way here in case we both had to quickly leave Harbor Cove together, which now felt like it had been a very stupid idea.

That’s all my life had been—escapes from the cops, from rivals, from reality. Only this time, I was running from the possibility of rejection.

“Stop.” Her voice, firm yet laced with something that sounded like pain, halted my movements.

I turned to find her there, her arms reaching out and wrapping around me from behind. My heart skipped, or maybe it stopped; either way, it reacted in ways I thought I’d long since mastered control over.

“Jade?” Confusion mixed with a flicker of hope that I immediately tried to squash. I couldn’t afford hope.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her breath warm against my skin. “Thank you for telling me the truth. For trusting me with your past.”

“And Dante,” she continued, her grip tightening, “I miss you. God, how I miss you.”

My chest tightened, and for a moment, I allowed myself the luxury of just feeling her presence, pushing aside the storm of my thoughts. This wasn’t a solution, but for a second, it was enough.

Her arms were still locked around my waist, her body pressed against my back, igniting every nerve ending with a fire I couldn’t contain. With a ragged breath, I turned within her embrace, my hands finding the soft curves of her hips. Pulling her close, the distance between us vanished in an instant as my lips crashed onto hers.

It was reckless, this kiss. It was a plunge into depths unknown, a leap towards a horizon that might never dawn. My mouth moved against hers with a hunger sharpened by the threat of loss. Her taste was the promise of a life I’d dared to dream, but never quite believed I could have.

“Jade,” I said, my voice low and steady despite the storm raging inside me. “I don’t give a damn about the uncertainty right now.” I paused, letting the weight of my admission hang between us before continuing, “All I care about is you—in this moment—feeling pleasure, being close to you.”

She drew in a sharp breath, her eyes searching mine for the truth behind my words. She found it there, naked and unashamed—the raw need to claim her as mine, if only temporarily.

I followed the impulse that pulled me towards her like gravity. “You don’t have to decide anything about us,” I murmured, my hands finding the small of her back, pulling her even tighter against me. “That doesn’t change how much I want you. How much I want to make you come.”

The words hung heavy in the quiet of the room, every syllable a testament to my longing. A question lingered in the air, charged and waiting for her to breathe life into it with a single word.

“Jade,” I broke the silence, my heart hammering against my chest like it wanted to break free. “Do you want me to?” The question was out there, naked in the stillness of the room.

Her eyes held mine, those dark pools reflecting a storm of emotions that matched the chaos inside me. And then, she whispered the word that unraveled all restraint.

“Yes.”

The single syllable ignited something primal within me. I pulled her closer, and our lips met in a collision of need and hunger that knew no caution, no hesitation. There was just skin, breath, and the pulse of desire that coursed through us both.

I kissed her again, this time, my hands wrapped around her waist and my body pressing into her. I knew she could feel how hard I was for her, and my groan echoed in her mouth as her own fingers dug into my back, pulling me closer.

“Dante,” she gasped against my lips. Her voice hitched as I trailed kisses down her neck to where her pulse danced beneath her skin.

“All I need is you, Jade,” I murmured, every word punctuated by a kiss, a caress, a nip. A promise. Her hands tangled in my hair, tugging lightly at the strands and sending pleasure humming through my veins.

“Dante,” she whispered, her voice heavy with anticipation and need. “I need you... now.”

That was all it took for any semblance of restraint to crumble. Need, raw and potent, coursed through my veins. I bent down to kiss her again, my fingers tracing a path down her side to send shivers coursing through her body.

I bunched up her tank top in my hands and slid it off her, then my mouth dropped to her exposed skin, crisscrossing her stomach with kisses as my fingers slid to the seam of her shorts. I undid them with a practiced ease, pulling the fabric down until it pooled at her feet, leaving her lying there on the bed in nothing but her underwear.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” I said.

The words slipped out, a rough whisper torn from the depth of my soul. I ran my fingers lightly over her trembling body, my mouth slowly moving down so I could suck on her nipples, gently, reverently, the taste of her skin sweet and intoxicating on my tongue. She arched into me with a soft gasp, her fingers threading through my hair, her nails scraping against my scalp as I lavished attention on her breasts.

She whimpered, her fingers tightening in my hair and her back arching off the bed as she sought more of my touch. Her breath hitched every time I grazed my teeth over her sensitive flesh, reducing her to a trembling mess under my hands and mouth.

My fingers traced the elastic of her underwear, my touch feather-light, just enough to make her squirm underneath me. With excruciating slowness, I slid them down her legs, exposing her completely to my gaze. The sight of her, bare and beautiful and mine, had me swallowing down a groan.

I leaned over her, taking in the sight of her flushed skin and heavy-lidded eyes. “You’re absolutely fucking breathtaking,” I murmured. I cupped her face with one hand, tipping it up so I could capture her mouth once more in a searing kiss.

And then, without breaking our kiss, I slid a hand down her body, tracing the curve of her hip before slipping between her thighs. She gasped into my mouth as my fingers found her wet and wanting. “Dante,” she breathed, her voice heavy with need.

I pulled away from our kiss, my eyes locked on hers as my fingers gently explored her. Her gaze was hazy with desire, her lips parted and panting. “Close your eyes,” I commanded softly, my voice fraught with barely controlled lust.

She followed my directive without question, her eyelashes fluttering shut. With an almost reverential touch, I drew circles on her clit, the motion causing a shiver to wrack through her body. I watched as her mouth opened in a silent moan, the sight sending white-hot desire coursing through my veins.

I pressed my fingers into her pussy. “God, you’re so fucking wet.”

Her body arched against my touch, her hands fisting the sheets beneath her. “Dante,” she gasped, her voice strained with unspoken pleas. Her fingers tangled into my hair as she tried to pull me up, but I resisted, keeping my attention focused where she needed it most.

A soft whimper left her lips, and the sound of it was like a siren’s call, drawing me deeper into the labyrinth of her pleasure. My fingers moved rhythmically within her, coaxing a symphony of moans from her parted lips as I sought out that sweet spot that would have her unraveling beneath me.

“Dante...please...” she begged through clenched teeth, her hips bucking against my hand in a desperate plea for relief.

I shifted my hand just enough to press against that sensitive bundle of nerves at her core. Every gasp and moan she made drove me further, fueled my desire to see her come apart under my touch.

“I’ve been dreaming about this,” I said. “I’ve been dreaming about making you come.”

Without breaking eye contact, I sank two fingers inside of her, savoring her sharp intake of breath and the way she arched up to meet my touch. Her hands fumbled blindly towards me, catching hold of my arm just as I began to move.

My touch was slow, deliberate. With every thrust I mapped her out, felt the way she tightened around me, experienced the tremors that rocked through her as pleasure crept closer. And through it all, I watched her. Watched as her brow furrowed in concentration, as she bit down on her lower lip to muffle a moan, as her hands gripped me tighter.

“Dante,” she whimpered, the desperation clear in her voice. “I need you.”

I smiled at her, a low chuckle rumbling from my chest. “I told you, darling. My only goal right now is to make you come.”

She blushed, but she didn’t look away from me. Instead, her grip on my arm tightened even more as she spread her legs wider, giving me even better access to her.

Her eyes were closed tightly, her lips parted slightly to let out soft whimpers and moans every time I moved inside of her. Her skin was flushed pink from arousal, and she was so wet for me that every thrust of my fingers made a lewd sound that echoed through the room.

“Dante,” she gasped again, this time louder and more desperate. I smiled again, a wicked grin spreading across my face as I watched her squirm underneath me, pushing against my hand in a silent plea for me to move faster.

And when I did, she cried out, a sweet sound that had me groaning in response. I added a third finger inside of her, stretching her around me as I picked up the pace.

At the same time, my tongue found her clit and began to circle it delicately at first, then with more insistence. Each flick and swirl sent her spiraling closer to the edge.

“God...Dante,” she panted out, her voice choppy and desperate. I glanced up at her through my lashes. The sight of her trembling beneath me, of her biting down on her lower lip in an attempt to control the sounds she couldn’t keep quiet, was nothing short of addictive.

“That’s it, Jade,” I murmured against her skin, my words vibrating against her overheated flesh. “Let go for me...I want to feel you come undone.”

Her response came in the form of a needy whimper as she twisted a hand into my hair, holding me closer. Her hips writhed restlessly against my mouth as tension coiled tight within her, straining for release.

I swiped my tongue firmly over her sensitive nub just as I curled my fingers inside of her, hitting that spot deep within that had her gasping.

“Can you squirt for me, bella?”

She let out a choked sob at my words, her body shivering under my touch as if she were on the verge of shattering. “Dante... I can’t...” She trailed off, her voice trembling under the weight of her pleasure.

“Yes, you can,” I urged her, sliding my fingers deeper and curling them just right. “I want to see you, Jade. I want to see how good I make you feel.”

Her response was a strangled moan as she bucked against me, her hands scrabbling at the sheets beneath her. Her body trembled, a fine sheen of sweat coating her skin as she writhed in pleasure.

“F-fuck,” she gasped, her fingers digging into the sheet as she squirmed beneath me.

I swirled my tongue around her again and again, keeping my rhythm steady and unyielding even as she writhed beneath me. “Come for me, beautiful,” I growled against her, the vibrations sending another jolt of pleasure coursing through her.

“Dante,” she cried out, and that was all the warning I got before she unraveled completely beneath me. The taste of her arousal, sweet and heady, filled my mouth as a rush of wetness soaked my hand and chin.

Her body convulsed with each wave of pleasure, her tight walls contracting around my fingers. Her cries echoed around the room, growing louder with each spasm until she was shaking uncontrollably in my arms. Her eyes were shut tight, her chest heaving as she gasped for air.

“Dante,” she panted, her cry a sweet symphony of relief and ecstasy that drove me to my own climax. The feel of her pulsating around me, the sight of her surrendering completely beneath me, it was overwhelming.

With a choked groan, I followed her over the edge. Pleasure ripped through me in blinding waves, my hips bucking into hers instinctively as my release took hold. I buried my face in her neck, my teeth grazing her skin as I rode out the exquisite torment.

Every nerve ending was ablaze, a flurry of sensation that left me breathless. Time seemed to slow down as we lay there entangled in one another, our bodies slick with sweat and spent desire.

As my heartbeat began to normalize, Jade’s soft caresses drew me back from the haze of pleasure clouding my senses. Her gaze met mine and I found myself helplessly lost in them once again.

“Dante...” she whispered, her voice hoarse from our heated exchange. Her fingers traced idle patterns on my chest as if trying to memorize everything about this moment.

I grunted in response, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. She exhaled a deep breath, her body molding perfectly against mine as the tension seeped out of her.

I rolled off her and stared at the ceiling as we both caught our breaths. “I love you, Jade.”

She looked at me for a second.

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m going to give you time to think,” I said, suddenly feeling like a fool for offering up that information in the first place. “I should go home.”

As I started to rise from the bed, Jade clutched my arm, stopping me in my tracks. Her gaze was earnest as she spoke, “Don’t... Don’t go yet.”

I stared at her hand on my arm, then lifted my gaze to meet hers. A powerful tide of emotion welled up within me. Fear, hope, and desperation battled within me; a maelstrom that Jade’s presence both stilled and amplified.

“I...” She bit her lip, hesitating. “I need some time to process everything. But...but I don’t want you to leave.”

It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to hear. But for now, it was good enough.

It had to be.