Page 37

THIRTY-SIX

Inaya

One of the perks of being in captivity with someone for months is that there is nothing to do but study that person. Dante may have known all the surface things about me, but I learned about his mannerisms. Without him saying a word, I knew he was plotting someone’s death, so I’m not surprised to awaken for my night pee to find him missing again.

Dante lives for the shadows, and I cannot—no, will not try to change that about him. He may have been taught how to do a lot of wrong, but lately his methods have been for the good of others. If he felt his mission was a good enough reason to leave me at the house, I believe him.

While the police have been quiet over the holidays with some of their officers switching out to watch out for Dante, no threat of arrest has been made. They can’t seem to make the frame job stick, but they are trying their best, especially with the curious death of Detective Mendez. Andrea doesn’t allow them to get too close to his property, thus rendering them ineffective. Their fear of Andrea keeps them from pushing, and I appreciate that. A new crop of idealistic FBI agents has called Dante and me in for questioning. He’s unflappable and I’m numb to anything relating to Father.

They still don’t have anything concrete, but I still feel like although it’s a new year, some of the same bullshit still managed to follow me. Dante didn’t kill Detective Mendez; he wanted to, but he’s too calculated to be cocky enough to kill while being watched.

The baby moving pulls a smile out of me. When I ran from Father, I didn’t think I’d ever have a family. Being abducted didn’t appear to help my odds, but it was the exact opposite.

Dante has made so much progress with connecting with me emotionally that our relationship almost seems normal, even with knowing that he’s gearing up to kill someone. His need to take out “Abel West” makes so much sense that I wonder if I’ve joined Dante’s way of thinking.

Our so-called brother is out for vengeance without a clear purpose. All I can think of is something Dante once told me. Father made Carlos believe that Dante was adopted, although there isn’t any paperwork to support that. He didn’t adopt anyone; just kept them brainwashed. Carlos was led to believe that he’d never be as accepted as Dante.

Moving past my musings, I stretch in bed and give myself a mini pep talk to get up; luckily, my bladder won’t allow me to ignore it much longer. A sleepy yawn escapes as I climb out of bed. January is much colder than December, but I don’t have to worry about losing warmth because Andrea’s amenities are amazing. My feet touch the heated floors, and I begin to amble toward the bathroom.

All the couples had split off into our own worlds during the holidays. Dante and I laid low at the house while Andrea and Theodore took their wives on separate getaways. I only saw Kennedy for my checkup, so I don’t know what she did for Christmas. Although no one directly said anything, I know what they were doing. They were providing space. Dante is not used to holidays and especially would not be accustomed to family-style gatherings; it’s something he needs to be eased into over time.

I was happy to spend quiet time with him, not worrying about gifts, since our only gift exchange ever was the catalyst for most of this turmoil. We will get there; it doesn’t have to be now.

My trip from the bathroom brings another smile to my face as I see the gifts the ladies gave me for the baby. It feels good to be around people who understand my unique position and relationship. They are becoming the friends that I wanted. I hope to see them more, once things are more settled.

My positivity often slips when I think about Father being in the wild. He’s not physically strong enough to do anything to us, but he doesn’t have a shortage of minions. I climb back into bed, but I don't lie down immediately. Although it’s not the case tonight, I still have the occasional nightmare about how Father dragged me to the almost death of my child and possibly me as well.

The evil man who stood before me, glared at me and hit me in ways I’ve never known from my dad. He was a stranger, yet somehow his true self. The hate in his eyes always sticks with me once I awaken. It’s also the part that pisses me off.

It makes me angry for Dante. The nightmares he used to have were hard to endure when I was his captive and unaware of the source. As his wife, who knows the monster in his nightmares, it’s heartbreaking.

I want to do everything in my power to give him peace, despite knowing that it’s a steep uphill battle.

In the spirit of preparedness, Dante started training me as well as he can with me being pregnant. He chose to focus on weapons knowledge and how to get out of popular holds. I’ll admit, working with Dante is quite distracting.

As if my current thoughts conjured him, Dante comes into view. It would have scared me if I weren’t used to his propensity to pop up out of nowhere. His sigh tells me everything I need to know; it wasn’t the right time to finish his mission. I don’t know what kind of game he and Carlos are playing, but I don’t attempt to understand it.

Piece by piece, he removes his clothing and drops it into our laundry basket. He has a place for everything and it’s fascinating to watch. Naked, he climbs into bed and pulls me to him. His kiss on my forehead is gentle, although I can feel the tension in the way he holds me.

“Want to talk about it?” I offer as I snuggle up against his chest.

He turns his head in my direction but doesn’t move beyond that. “It wasn’t right. I just want to go to sleep.”

“Okay,” I tell him with a kiss on his pec, collarbone, neck, and cheek.

I feel his smile under my lips. “This is the opposite of sleep, carino. ”

“What? I’m being comforting.”

Dante’s chuckle is low and sexy as he turns on his side to face me. “You are being seductive.”

It’s my turn to laugh because I’m genuinely content with falling asleep holding him.

“No. Comforting.” I drop a kiss on his lips. “It’s just an innocent kisses.”

Dante cups the back of my neck and gives me a longer kiss. “Our kisses are never innocent.”

His other warm hand slides up my leg until he grabs the back of my knee. I bury my hand in his hair and stare into his eyes the best I can in the low light. The quiet moments like this are what I love. Just having him here and feeling the warmth of his firm body pressed against mine is enough to make me happy. Dante’s erection makes its presence known when it pokes my thigh.

“I really was trying to be comforting,” I whisper with a smile.

I try not to pout when he rips my underwear. It was one of my most comfortable pairs. I’ll accept their fate to connect with my husband.

“Oh, Inaya. You need to learn the power of your touch.” He nips at my jaw as he slides into me. Our moans mingle and our lips are a taste away from each other. “Only you have the power to turn me on.” He moves us until I’m on top of him. Dante removes my night shirt, running kisses over the skin. “The only one to ever make it pleasurable.”

His words stay stuck in my head as I ride both of us to orgasm.

Despite the post sex cuddling, my brain is still replaying what he said in a loop. There was a touch of vulnerability in his words.

“Dante? You don’t have to tell me now, but I want to know what you meant.”

One of the things I love about Dante is he doesn’t have the patience to bullshit me. His super memory also aids in his conversation recall.

“Just what I said. I’ve never enjoyed sex before you.”

I know it can happen with women since our bodies should come with instruction manuals, but men are a different story.

“How?” The question comes out before I can think better of it. Dante’s following long exhale tells me more than I want to know.

“Father forced me to lose my virginity,” he starts, immediately making me wish I could drink. “Any sex after that was part of the missions.”

I withhold my comment, although my sadness and anger are already building. Dante starts from the beginning to give me every detail I wanted to hear but dreaded knowing. By the time he's done, my face is wet from my tears, and I feel more than capable of killing Father myself.