Every day, I woke up in that new penthouse and stared at the ceiling, thinking of how I would change it all. I had the contacts, I had the training, I now had the resources. I just had to implement.
One day, I called Dante and went to work out with him. We trained hard, me constantly fighting for what could be my life against Dante’s hard advances. I didn’t hold back with him because I knew this training had saved me once before with Boris. I’d need it again.
When I landed a kick to his side that brought him to his knees in one of the gym’s rinks, he wheezed out a laugh. “Enough, Little One. You’re vicious today.”
I sighed and fell down beside him to rest, taking in rapid breaths. “Thanks for sparring with me.”
“No skin off my back.” He hesitated. “Except that your boy keeps asking about you.”
“I don’t have a boy.” I took a large breath in, trying to center myself now he’d brought up Rome.
“You do and you always will. That guy might have buried his chain, but he also tied it around you somehow. You’re linked together forever.”
“Not by choice,” I grumbled, picking at a small piece of plastic that had peeled off the mat.
“You fixing to put him out of his misery any time soon?”
“I don’t have a way of doing that now. We can’t be together, Dante.”
Dante started stretching and I followed suit. Like always, he seemed to think over my words before he replied. “There’s always a way to make things work if you want to.”
“I don’t,” I shot back, probably much too fast for him to believe me. My body heated thinking about Rome, though. I felt his touch, I heard his voice, and I dreamt of his smell even when I knew I shouldn’t. “I can’t trust him. He’ll never put me first. And I can’t put him first now either. Don’t you think that’s necessary if you’re going to be in a relationship in the mob?”
“I think it might be impossible if you’re in the mob, Little One.” He held his arm across his chest and his muscles flexed as he stretched. I did the same, my body completely in sync with his, as it usually was here within the gym. “You think anyone puts their untouchable first?”
“Probably not. Still, I can’t do that. And I can’t risk my place in the bratva for a lover. I’ve got bigger plans. Weallshould have bigger plans.”
“To do good things?” he joked. He motioned for me to lie down and my body was so used to following his in this space that I didn’t even question it.
“Something better than what we’ve done, at least.” On my back, I stared up at him as he brought my leg to my chest slowly and stretched me. “Are you okay with just doing this?”
He chuckled, and with his chest on my leg I felt the movement through my body. “I’m okay right here, Katie.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Dante had a hippy vibe to his military trained personality. Somehow, he maintained an attitude that almost came off as lazy and he joked as if there was not a worry in the world. His centered spirit calmed you and his drive to be the best pushed you. I loved that about him.
His laugh was contagious too. The man had caramel skin with tattoos snaking around it and such light green eyes that when I’d first seen him, I’d wondered if they were contacts.
To any woman, he was a sizzling, off the charts catch.
To me, he was just Dante.
We could laugh at the position we were in and call it a day without ever thinking twice about it.
Except today.
Because the laugh caught in my throat when I heard the voice I dreamt about growl, “Get the fuck off her.”
The sparkle in Dante’s eyes didn’t die as I jumped and he turned his head toward Rome’s voice.
Slowly, Dante pulled my leg back with him and tapped my other one. The sync I had with him was suddenly gone. He tapped it again and said, “Have to stretch your other leg, Katie.”
I turned to see Rome burning a hole of rage into both of us. I didn’t lift my leg immediately and I could admit that it was almost in fear.
I didn’t belong to him. I didn’t answer to him. I wasn’t with him. That was the concrete truth. I was proud that I had been able to tell him we couldn’t be together and I’d stuck to it by not calling him or reaching out in any way.
But as people buzzed around the grey-toned gym, punching bags and sparring in the other rinks, I found that my body wasn’t at all tired from my workout.
I had been ready to go to him immediately, ready to listen to what I knew he wanted. He didn’t want Dante stretching any part of me. And I knew if I let Dante finish, there might be hell to pay.