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He watched me, arms crossed over his chest, and he didn’t offer to help.
“Take a seat.” I gestured to the dining table. “You want some wine?”
He moved to a seat and he sank in the chair, his thick arms resting on the table. “Sure.”
I uncorked a bottle and poured him a glass before I got back to work.
In silence, he watched me, his elbow on the table with his fingers pressed against his lips.
I put the shells in the oven to bake before I carried the bowl to him. “Try it.” I slid my finger through the cream then held it up for him.
He stared at me before he leaned forward and sucked the cream off my finger, his eyes on me the entire time.
I dropped not-so-subtle hints that I wanted to spend the night with him, but I wouldn’t be the first one to make a move. If he wanted me, he had to take me. That was how I liked it. “What do you think?”
He swallowed as his eyes remained locked on me. “Damn.”
I smiled then returned the bowl to the counter. I could feel his gaze on my back, feel it on my ass. Thankfully, the shells only took a few minutes because they were so thin, so I pulled them out of the oven, let them cool, and then filled them with the cream. “Here you go.” I put it on a little plate and placed it in front of him before I sat beside him, dragging my finger through the cream before I sucked it off. “Damn, that is good.”
He picked up the cannoli and took one big bite before he set it back on the plate. He chewed slowly, his eyes on me as he enjoyed it. A spot of cream was in the corner of his mouth, so he swiped it with his thumb before he licked it off. He didn’t finish his, like that was the only bite he would allow himself to have.
I ate all of mine, every single bite, leaving a pile of crumbs on my plate.
He stared at me, his fingers rubbing across his jawline even though he’d shaved his beard. His dark eyes were impossible to read, so rigid and hard, they guarded all his thoughts. He knew all he had to do was lean in and kiss me and we would end up in the bedroom, but he remained in place.
I grabbed the plates and carried them to the sink. “Thank you for dinner.”
He was quiet.
I turned around and leaned against the counter.
He remained in his chair, staring at me.
My impatience got the best of me. “I basically told you I want to fuck you, and you still haven’t kissed me.”
An instantaneous smile pulled at his lips, and the grin reached his eyes. He looked at me the way he had when we first met, affection in his gaze. “There’s that spice.”
“Where’s yours?”
With a grin still on his face, he came to me, stopping just inches away.
I stared at him, watched him glance down at my lips before he looked at me again.
Then he closed his eyes and gave a sigh. “I should go.”
“Sorry?” I was so shocked by what he’d said that I couldn’t stop myself from blurting that out.
“I’ve got somewhere to be.” His eyes were down for several seconds before he looked at me again. “Trust me…I wish I could stay.” He stepped away and walked through my living room. “Really, I do.”
I was so blinded by his withdrawal it took me several seconds to process what had just happened. Never in all my life had I been rejected like that. I’d offered him a night of passion, no strings attached…and he had somewhere to be. But I was too proud to question him or argue about it. His loss.
I met him by the door. “Well, thank you for dinner.”
“Thanks for the cannoli.” He didn’t hug me or kiss me on the cheek…nothing. He walked out and turned down the hallway.
I listened until his footsteps were gone before I shut the door.
I stood in my empty apartment and digested what had just happened, tried to figure out where I went wrong. Did I talk about Axel too much? Did I have a marinara stain in the corner of my mouth the entire time and didn’t notice? Or was he just not that attracted to me? Maybe that was it…
5
AXEL
I need to speak with you.
I was on the couch in my bedroom when Dante’s message appeared on my phone.
Half an hour. Our usual spot.
I knew the moment had arrived. At least he had the balls to fire me to my face. I expected him to do it over the phone or with a short text message. Or maybe he just intended to shoot me dead. Two birds, one stone. See you soon.
