“Stay still.”
“Just like that.”
“God….”
He tensed, his face tightening, and came on my stomach, some shots hitting my breasts, and he held my gaze the entire time—an intense connection I couldn’t look away from.
We hadn’t even had sex. Just bodies, mouths, fingers. Friction, teases, touching. Whispers, pants, and begs. I’d gone further in the backseat of a car with my second boyfriend.
It should have felt minor. Instead, it felt like the biggest thing I’d ever done.
* * *
I cinched the belt of the thick and fluffy hotel robe and stepped into the bedroom, my feet leaving wet footprints on the floor. Through the open door, I spotted Dario in the kitchen and headed that way. He sat on a kitchen barstool, his phone in hand, head down. At my approach, he turned. “Enjoy the shower?”
I smiled. “It was heavenly.”
He reached out, pulling me against his thigh and planting a soft kiss on my temple. I looked over the plates of food spread out on the counter. “You ordered food?”
“Just some snacks.” He pulled a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries closer to me. “You want something to drink?”
“Water, please.” I bit into a strawberry, cupping my other hand underneath it to catch the bits of chocolate as they fell off it. “Oh my God, this is good.”
His hand tightened around my waist, a soft squeeze of affection, and then he reached around me for a water bottle. I went to stand, to move to the empty stool next to his, and he held me in place, twisting off the cap and passing the water bottle to me. He glanced down at my robe and I caught a whiff of fir trees from his freshly-shampooed head. “The shops are closed until the morning. I can have Vince bring me a change of clothes, but you’re going to be stuck in that robe, or naked, until morning.” The corner of his mouth lifted, and I loved the way it warmed his eyes.
“Hmmm….” I sucked a bit of strawberry juice off my fingertips. “Robe it is.”
He scowled and I laughed. I stood, moving down the plates of food and eyeing their contents.
“So, tell me, Bell Hartley…” He rested his forearms on the counter and studied me. “What would it take to get you to move in here?”
I coughed a little at the abrupt change of subject. “What’s your reason for wanting me to be here, specifically?”
He reached out and grabbed a piece of sushi with his fingers, dipping it into the soy sauce before bringing it to his mouth. As he chewed it, I followed suit, snagging a crab-topped piece, my own attempt a little messier than his had been. His vulnerability faded, and I watched as he shuttered back into dominance. “It’s easier for me if you’re here. I could meet you during the day or at night. Discreetly.”
I made a face at that statement, my stomach still unsettled with the entire situation.
He watched the expression and patted the closest stool, spinning to face it. “You don’t like me being married. So, let’s talk about that.”
I perched on the stool, taking a sip of water as he scratched the back of his head.
“I told you that Gwen and I … we aren’t monogamous. We also aren’t physically involved with each other.”
I held up a hand and stopped him. “At the Gold Room, you said that it wasn’t my business why your marriage is the way it is. I’m not sure it’s my business, now. But while your marriage freaks me out, it’s not the only issue I have.”
I took a breath, trying to decide how much of my soul I wanted to bare. “I’ve never been interested in being someone’s girlfriend before. Emotional feelings … my heart doesn’t seem to work that way. Which is a good thing, I think. At least, I’ve always seen it as a good thing.”
I looked at him, my confidence faltering. “But with you, I am worried that I will become emotionally attached. And I want, the first time I fall for someone, for it to be a winnable situation. You…your marriage…”
“It’s a losing situation,” he finished flatly. “Is that why you told me not to contact you?”
I nodded. “Plus, there’s your father-in-law. I’ve heard that he … well, he scares me. What I’ve heard of him scares me.”
He smiled sadly. “I’m sure that what you’d heard of me scared you as well.”
I said nothing, busying myself with a crunchy stick that tasted like apples and cinnamon.
Silence fell and when he finally spoke, the broken edges of his voice caused me to look up and into his eyes. “Gwen and I… we’re both broken. We fit well together because of that. We’ve survived things together that have made us stronger. And we sometimes forget how difficult our world might seem to someone from the outside, looking in.”