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NAVY
I stared out of the window as we drove past houses that I didn’t recognize. Since coming to the mansion, I’d only been out a handful of times, but even then, I hadn’t really paid attention, not until we’d driven through the mansion gates this morning alone.
“Where’s my car?” I asked, realizing I hadn’t seen it when we left this morning.
Dante’s hand squeezed my thigh. “In the garage.”
I turned to face him, staring intently as he drove. I’d never been in a car with him before, not just the two of us anyway. Dante was a feast for the eyes at any time, but with one hand on the steering wheel and his other across the center console on my thigh, it was the hottest I’d seen him.
“You keep fucking me with your eyes, sweetheart, and I’ll have to pull over and give you a real show.”
I pursed my lips, trying to keep my smile at bay, but it was useless when he turned and flashed me his grin and a wink.
Shaking my head, I puffed out a breath. “Didn’t you get enough this morning?”
“Nope.” His answer was immediate, not a second of hesitation. And if I was honest, I didn’t get enough either, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get enough.
“You’re a fiend.”
“Just the way you like it though, huh?”
I chuckled, masking the fact that it was the truth and rolled my eyes. I was addicted to him, and I liked it…a lot. I needed to distract myself, so I commenced my window watching. The closer to the school we got, the more the nerves kicked in, and the more I wondered if I was making a mistake.
When I’d told Dante that I wanted to go back to school to graduate, he hadn’t hesitated in telling me that I should. Part of me had wondered if he would have tried to stop me, but he didn’t. And I could only think back to the way Dad said that they were the bad guys.
I had no idea what business they were part of, no inkling of what went on when they left the house, but I did know what they were like when it was just the family.
They cared, more than anyone would have ever understood. They protected the people they loved. They wanted the best for them. They weren’t the monsters people made out, at least, not that I had witnessed.
Maybe I was living in my own world where everything was unicorns and rainbows, but…I had to think like that. I had to separate the man from the job, at least for now. Everything was calm and settled. We were getting to know each other, both with words and our bodies.
I grinned as I thought about our night and morning. Ma had taken Dario so I could get a good night’s sleep, but Dante had other plans—plans that I liked very much. I wondered if I should have stayed in bed with him all day as we pulled up to a stop sign. At least then I wouldn’t be so damn nervous.
We were only a minute away from my school now, and I could already see students making their way down the road that the building was on.
Dante’s hand squeezed my thigh, giving me the silent reassurance that I desperately needed. The engine revved as he pulled away when it was clear, and then we were entering the school parking lot that was packed with students, all milling around and talking before the first bell of the day rang.
“I’ll be here when you finish,” Dante said, but I didn’t make a move to leave the confines of his car. I was safe in here, but out there, it was…scary. The last time anyone had seen me I’d been heavily pregnant, but now my stomach was almost flat again and my boobs were twice the size thanks to breastfeeding.
“Navy?”
I swallowed, trying to paste a smile on my face. Fake it until you make it, right?
“I’ll see you after school, then,” I murmured, reaching for the door. I pushed it open, slowly getting out, hearing the engine still roaring. The sound had pulled the attention from those around us, and I could feel their eyes burning on us.
I closed the passenger door without looking back, scanning the crowd for Zara. She had no idea that I was coming back today, probably because I hadn’t spoken to her in what felt like months—it actually had been months when I thought about it.
A hand grabbed my wrist, long fingers entwining over my skin. My heart pounded at the contact, my breaths coming faster. “You think I’m gonna let you out of my car without getting a goodbye kiss?”
My shoulders sagged, the fake smile turning into a real one as I slowly turned around. “A goodbye kiss?” I asked, pressing my front against his.
He stared down at me, his eyes lighting with fire once again. I loved that look. I obsessed over that look.
His nostrils flared, his hands moving to my waist as he bent his knees so that we were eye level, and then he kissed me. It wasn’t just any kiss though, no…this wasthekiss. The one that told me he loved me, the one that claimed me as his to everyone around us, the one that made promises I was hoping he’d keep.
Dante’s tongue stroked mine one last time, his lips pulling away slowly, leaving me breathless.
“Was that a good enough goodbye kiss?” he asked, his voice rough.
