“What did you do after Clora left?”
“I didn’t have a whole lot going on, but I knew I had to do something, or I was going to go insane and probably start drinking too much again. So, I decided to bring other missing people home while I worked Maya’s case, and a new life was born.”
He was living a life so different than the one he envisioned when he was younger. Back then, he’d dreamed of being a lawyer, his law office, a beautiful wife, and children. After Maya vanished, he still held dreams of a family, but they lost the shine of those earlier dreams.
The dark cloud of Maya’s disappearance would forever dampen all future joy. Every special event, every holiday, and birthday, someone would always be missing. And then, after becoming a vampire, he gave up all dreams of a family as he was sure he could never have one. But now, with Cassidy, those dreams were coming back, and they were vivid and wondrous; he would fight to the death to keep them and her.
Cassidy yawned as pink and yellow colors stretched across the sky.
“You’re tired,” Dante said. “Would you like to come upstairs? We can get some sleep before going to meet Lindsay Parks, or I can walk you home.”
He held his breath as he waited for her answer. He desired her, yes, but he also wanted to hold her in his arms and fall asleep secure in the knowledge she was with him.
She should go home and let their relationship progress slowly, but she couldn’t leave him, and she would only toss and turn until she saw him again. “Upstairs sounds good,” she said with a smile.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cassidy wokein Dante’s arms feeling more secure than she ever had. The carved muscles of his bare chest and abdomen were melded to her back, and contentment stole through her as she nestled against him.Thiswas where she belonged.
The realization caused her heart to knock against her ribs.Am I ready for this?
But it didn’t matter if she was ready. Life didn’t care what her plans and expectations were.
When his hand caressed her hip, her mouth went dry and her pulse raced. Earlier, she was too tired to do more than crawl onto his bed and pass out, but now her body was coming alive as his fingers set her blood on fire.
She should break away before this went too far and it was impossible to turn back, but she didn’t want to. She craved his touch and the joy that would come from losing herself to him for a little while.
Dante felt it when Cassidy came awake. They only had a couple of hours before they were supposed to meet Lindsay Parks, and she needed clothes and a shower, but he couldn’t stop touching her as his cock stirred and his fangs tingled.
Unable to resist the curve of her shoulder, he bent to kiss her neck. Her breath hitched, and her lashes fell to shadow her cheek as her lips parted. When he was younger, his parents took him and Maya to a tree farm. As Cassidy’s cherry scent intensified on the air, he felt as if he were standing in the grove of cherry trees again with all their beautiful, pink blooms surrounding him and awe filling him.
Cassidy moaned when his mouth teased her skin and his tongue tasted her flesh. His fangs scraped her neck, and she braced herself for their prick, but it didn’t come. Instead, his fingers slid down her belly and toyed with the sweatpants he gave her to wear. She’d tied the strings, but they’d worked their way down her hips to reveal the edge of her lacy, red underwear.
She hadn’t dressed last night with the expectation of finding herself in his bed this morning, but she did have him in mind when she slipped on the sexy underwear and matching, see-through bra.
When he leaned back, Dante’s dick tightened as he saw the red underwear he explored last night. The bright color against her pale skin was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. He pushed the sweatpants lower to reveal the intricate holes within her underwear that did little to conceal the curve of her taut ass. Dante leaned into her again as he traced the tiny holes.
When she didn’t tell him to stop, he slid his hands between her legs and discovered her already wet. He had to ease her, and as he stroked her through the material, her scent and sounds ensnared him.
Cassidy didn’t know if she was ready for this, but she couldn’t stop it. She’d never felt anything as magnificent as his fingers caressing her and his cock pressing into her lower back.
All she could do was feel while in his arms, and the only thing she felt was the awakening of something new. She didn’t know what that awakening was, but she welcomed it. He tugged her underwear down and when she parted her legs to give him better access, he dipped his hand between her legs.
He caressed her clit until he had her on the verge of coming before delving a finger into her. The exquisite sensations he roused were almost too much to bear as the tension coiling in her stomach grew to higher levels.
When he kissed her neck again, she almost screamed as he teased her with the promise of his bite. But instead of easing her need, his hand slid away, and she whimpered in disappointment.
She didn’t have much time to feel disappointed as he rolled her onto her stomach and tugged her sweatpants and underwear down her hips and thighs.
Dante tossed the clothes aside, and his mouth watered as he gazed down at her half-naked form. She was exquisite with her ivory skin, taut ass, and long legs. He nudged her legs apart to kneel between them; he ran his hands over her shapely calves and thighs as he explored her body.
Unable to stand the feel of his boxers against his skin anymore, he removed them and tossed them aside. His erection stood out from his body as he resisted parting her legs further and burying himself inside her.
He wanted to fuck her until they couldn’t walk, but he also wanted to savor every second with her. He was finally going to have her; he had no doubt.
Cassidy tried to control the blush creeping over her skin as she felt his gaze on her. She’d never been this exposed to anyone, and she found herself trapped between self-consciousness and lust. When his hands touched her with a reverence that shook her, she forgot all about her embarrassment and uncertainty.
Dante’s heart thundered with excitement as he ran his hands up the small of her back. As he moved, he pushed up the T-shirt he’d given her. She’d looked unbelievably sexy in his clothes last night, but now they had to come off.
