Page 57 of King
Chapter 17
Ella
My doorbell rang a little before eleven-thirty Friday morning, and I opened it to find Dante standing on my doorstep holding a vase full of beautiful bluish-purple flowers.
“Good morning, sugar,” he said with a lazy grin as he held the flowers out to me.
“Uh…good morning” I responded, the sight of him causing my brain to lag a few seconds behind. I reached for the vase as Dante stepped forward, and I stepped back without thought. He dipped his head to place a kiss on my temple, and the faint scent of his cologne and the ever-present leather teased my senses as he brushed past me. I followed him into the living room, unable to stop myself from checking out the way his butt looked in his jeans. The denim clung to him in ways that made my mouth water as I imagined grabbing hold of those buns and pulling him into me. I clutched the vase as the urge to reach out for him swept over me.
“You’re working from home all day today, right?”
I was caught off-guard by the question and answered him warily. “Yes, why?”
“I want to take your SUV to our garage and have one of the guys check it over before you hit the road tomorrow morning. Make sure the fluid levels and tire pressures are good, check thebrakes, that sort of thing. We’ll have it back to you by four at the latest.”
“I appreciate that, but it should be fine. I’ve not had any problems with it, and it’s not even due for an oil change yet.”
“I just want to make sure you and your kids are safe on the road, sugar. Please let me do this for you, otherwise I’ll worry about you tomorrow.” His voice was a low rumble, and the sincerity of his words was unmistakable.
It had been so long since I’d had anyone worrying over me like that. Years, really, probably since Gran had died. Even when Clayton and I had been happily married, he’d never really expressed concern for my or the kids’ safety and well-being. My tenuous hold on my resolve slipped, and I felt the last brick in my wall of resistance crumbling.
“I’ll get my keys…and thank you.” I said softly.
“You don’t need to thank me for looking out for you, Ella.”
I looked away and blinked rapidly at the sudden sting of tears, not wanting Dante to see them. I hurried to the kitchen, where my purse sat in its usual spot on the end of the antique sideboard. It took a moment for me to find my key fob in amongst the collection of old receipts, pens, hair ties, and other assorted crap that I desperately needed to clean out.
I had just pulled out a small stack of mail, two small tubes of hand lotion and not one, not two, but three lip balms from the depths of the bag when Dante stepped up next to me. I glanced up at him, only to find him staring down at the pile of odds and ends I’d removed and placed on the sideboard. He had a perplexed expression on his face, and his lips quirked as he shifted his gaze to me.
“I remember watching Mary Poppins when I was a little kid and being fascinated by that bottomless bag she always pulled shit out of. I didn’t realize those really existed until now, sugar.”
I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. “Ha, ha, very funny.” My fingers finally grasped the oblong key fob at the very bottom of the bag, and I pulled it out triumphantly.
“Here,” I said, handing it over to him with a satisfied grin. He slid it into the front pocket of his jeans, and I resisted the urge to lower my eyes to follow the motion.
“Where are your kids today?”
I smiled at the question. “They’re both still in bed. I rarely see them before noon in the summertime.”
“I should have known. Jag and Rome were always the same way. Lucky, too, once he came to live with us.” The grin that lit his handsome face made my breath catch in my throat. “So, I have a few minutes alone with you then.”
He lowered his head and pressed a light kiss on my mouth. My lips parted in surprise, and he took full advantage of it, sliding his tongue inside to explore my mouth. He slid one arm around my waist, turning me and pulling me against him in one smooth move.
I moaned at the feel of his body against mine, the leather of his cut feeling cool against my suddenly overheated skin. The sound flipped some kind of switch in Dante, and the kiss turned ravenous as he devoured my mouth. His free hand grasped the back of my head, tunneling through the dark strands of hair and tugging until I was angled just right for his invasion.
I reached up and grabbed his shoulders, sliding one of my own hands into his hair. The resulting groan that escaped himmade my skin heat even more, and my pussy pulsated with need. My nipples were hard, the thin T-shirt and cotton bra I wore doing little to prevent the tight buds from brushing against the leather.
We parted on a gasp as the sound of a door upstairs opening and another one shutting a few seconds later registered. Dante’s arm tightened on my waist for a moment, holding me in place. I started to push him away, then relaxed as I heard footsteps overhead, followed by the shower turning on in the kids’ bathroom, which was directly over the kitchen. Dante must have recognized the sound as well, and his hold on me loosened slightly.
“So much for sleeping until noon,” he said with a wry grin. “I’d better go before whoever that was gets done showering, or before the other one comes downstairs.”
“Yeah,” I agreed huskily, my mind still boggled by his kisses to say anything more.
Dante dropped a quick kiss on my cheek, then released me and took a step back. He reached into his cut and pulled out a set of keys, which he laid on the sideboard next to my purse and it’s purged contents.
“I drove one of the club’s trucks over here, so I’ll leave these for you in case you need to go anywhere this afternoon. I have a meeting later, unfortunately, so I’ll have to have one of the prospects drop off your ride.”
I murmured my thanks, then motioned to the mudroom just off the kitchen. “The door to the garage is through here.” I was proud of myself that my brain had engaged enough to speak in full sentences. I opened the door and reached around to press the button on the wall to activate the overhead door opener. Istepped back and Dante squeezed around me, kissing my temple before he strode over to my car and opened the driver’s door.
