Chapter 21

Ella

Dante's words spurred me into action. When he bent down to untie his boots and pull them off, I sat down on the end of my bed and did the same. I stood up, then pulled my own shirt off, followed by my bra. I stripped off my jeans, but before I could remove my panties, he was there, wrapping his now naked body around mine. The hair on his thick chest brushed against my hardened nipples. The tips were so sensitive that I cried out at the friction. Dante froze for a split-second at the sound, and then his hands were everywhere. He cupped my breasts, squeezing and kneading the supple mounds, then flicked his thumbs over my nipples. I moaned again as a shot of pure liquid fire ran through my body and my pussy clenched with need.

He lowered his head and kissed me, his lips ravishing mine as if he were starving and I was the one thing he needed in order to survive.

I slid my hands up over his biceps to his shoulders, my fingertips tracing each muscle I encountered along the way. I curled my hands around the back of his neck as I held him close, then tunneled my fingers through the short hair at his nape. When I gently raked my fingernails over his scalp, he groaned and bucked his body against mine.

"Fuck, sugar, that feels good." His lips released mine just long enough to offer that bit of encouragement, and then he was kissing me again, his tongue delving into my mouth. He explored me, tangling his tongue with mine. He pulled back, enticing me to follow, and I did. I licked the seam of his lips, teasing him, before sliding inside.

Dante's hands slid down my side to palm my butt, and his wicked fingers slid under the edge of my panties to grip me tightly. He pulled his mouth free long enough to order me to wrap my legs around his hips. I obeyed without thought, relishing in the feel of his chest pressed against my bare skin. He turned us and braced my back against the wall.

"I've had dreams about your ass since the first time I saw you," he muttered. He ground my panty-covered pussy over his erection, and my body clenched with need. I buried my face in his neck, breathing in the faint traces of his cologne, along with the scent of leather that seemed to be embedded in his skin.

I pressed feverish kisses along his neck and down to his chest, then dipped my head to flick my tongue over one of the tightly furled nipples nestled among the thick dusting of hair. He groaned and ground against me again. I nipped at the hard nub, pulling it between my lips as I sucked. Based on his reaction, his nipples were almost as sensitive as mine were.

"Fuck, yeah, do that again," he panted, his questing fingers now sliding even further under my panties to slip between my cheeks. I sucked his nipple again, then switched my attention to the other one. Dante's cock was now pressed between our bodies, and he was using my hips to rock my body against his. I cursed the slight barrier of my now-soaked panties, wanting nothing more than to be able to feel him inside me. Just when I was on the verge of begging him to fuck me, he carefully lowered me to my feet and took a step back.

"Let's do some yoga, sugar."

What???

He laughed at the look on my face, which was undoubtedly a mixture of arousal, frustration, and complete and utter confusion.

"I don't know what the move is called, but when I first laid eyes on you doing yoga in your back yard, you were bent over with your arms out in front of you, your legs spread, and your ass in the air." I flushed as I pictured what he had seen.

"Downward facing dog pose," I mumbled, and Dante's brows rose. The look of desire in his eyes sharpened, and he flashed a wicked grin that made my pussy clench.

"I've wanted to fuck you in that position ever since. I've jerked myself off to the memory of it, imagining you bent over in front of me while I pound into you." While he was talking, he pulled me away from the wall and maneuvered me, so I was facing the center of the room.

He stepped up behind me and wrapped his arms around me, cupping my breasts in his hands as he brushed his thumbs lightly over my nipples. The sensation sent a shiver through my body, which quickly turned into bolts of pleasure as he pinched my nipples between his thumb and forefinger and gently tugged. My knees sagged, and I would have fallen if his arms hadn't tightened around me.

He punched his hips forward, his erection pressing against the seam of my ass. In that moment, I knew I would do whatever this man wanted, as long as I had him filling me with every inch of that hard cock.

He stepped back and reached for my panties, stripping them off of me as he growled low in his throat.

"Bend over for me Ella."

He placed the palm of his hand on the small of my back, gently helping me as I got into position. At any other time I probably would have been self-conscious about it, worrying about how big my ass looked or how my boobs swayed with my movements.

Dante made me feel desirable though so I followed his commands without question, knowing that we would both enjoy the hell out of whatever happened next.

He used his foot to tap each of mine, silently urging me to spread my legs further apart. I braced my arms out in front of me, feeling the stretch in my spine as my ass tilted up in the air. In a move that shocked me, he dropped to his knees and grasped my thighs before spreading me open.

I gasped as I felt his tongue lick a stripe from my pussy to my ass. With a low moan of satisfaction, he buried his face in my pussy and devoured me. The sensations bombarding me in that moment were powerful, and my legs started to shake with the pleasure of it all.

With a grunt, he reared back, giving one cheek a slap as he got to his feet.

"One of these days, I'm going to paint your ass red with my handprints. Been dreaming about that, too."

He reached toward the bed next to us, and I lifted my head enough to see him grabbing the condom he'd dropped there earlier and sheathing himself.

"Hurry, Dante, I need you, honey." I was too far gone to be embarrassed by the needy whimper that escaped me.

He chuckled, a low, satisfied sound, then grabbed my hips in his powerful grip as he took up a wide stance behind me, straddling my legs as he bent his knees slightly to align our bodies.

"That's it, sugar. Fuckin' perfect." He pressed my ass cheeks together, then spread them, repeating the movement over and over again as his condom-covered cock glided between my pussy lips and over my clit.

"I want to fuck your ass one of these days, too, Ella," he vowed, slipping a finger down to ease into my pussy. I clenched around him as I felt another gush of my juices coating his hand.

"Fuck, sugar, you like that idea, don't you."

I nodded, too far gone to speak.

"Jesus Christ, you're fuckin' perfect," he repeated. He thrust his hips, his cock entering me just enough to tease me, before he pulled back and then thrust again. Hard. He bottomed out inside me, and I cried out his name.

He stilled, then asked if I was OK.

"You're so…deep…like this," I panted. "Feels so good." I clenched my inner muscles, and his grip on my hips tightened before he groaned and started powering into me.

"Fuckin' perfect," I moaned, throwing his own words back at him. The rhythmic sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, punctuated by grunts of pleasure and frantic words of praise and encouragement.

"You feel so perfect wrapped around my dick, Ella. You're fuckin' made to take every inch of me."

"Oh, God, please don't stop," I begged.

"Never, sugar. Never gonna stop. Gonna live inside this cunt if you'll let me."

From this angle, Dante was pegging something inside me in a way I'd never experienced before. I'd always assumed I was one of those women whose G-spot just wasn't that sensitive. I was wrong. So fucking wrong. My inner walls fluttered and pulsated as my body milked his cock, determined to pull him over the edge with me.

An orgasm stronger than any I'd ever felt before hit me without warning, and my pussy clamped down on his cock as I screamed out his name.

"Fuck, that's it. Give me your sugar, El."

Dante thrust into me twice more before slamming into me and groaning long and loud. After a few moments of complete stillness, he pulled out and dropped to his knees behind me, his chest heaving with his exertion. He pulled me down with him, and we ended up in an exhausted tangle of limbs on my bedroom floor. It took several long moments before either of us could catch our breath. When he could finally speak, what came out of his mouth was as unexpected as it was hilarious.

"God damn, woman, I think I may be too old for that shit. I damned near had a fuckin' heart attack when I busted my nut just then."

I collapsed into helpless giggles at his disgruntled tone, and he let out a low growl as he grabbed me and smothered me with kisses all over my face.

"You think that's funny, do you?" He nuzzled the side of my neck, finding the ticklish spot that drove me crazy. My giggles turned into high-pitched squeals as he sucked that spot, no doubt leaving a mark behind.

"You won't think it's funny if I die in the middle of fucking you and leave you hanging, sugar. Just remember that the next time you decide to drive me wild like that."

I was still giggling as we struggled to wash away the sweat and the cum from our bodies in my too-small shower stall. It was plenty big enough for me but was clearly not built for two – especially when one of them was built like Dante.

"You need a bigger shower," he observed as we were drying off a few minutes later. "I've had some fantasies about you in the shower, but I think one of us would end up with an injury if we tried them in there."

"Is your shower stall any bigger?" I asked, wrapping my towel around me securely. Now that we weren't in the throes of passion, I wasn't feeling quite as bold about my nudity as I had earlier.

"Nope. I've thought about remodeling it over the years, but it seemed pointless, since I'm the only one who uses it." He caught my questioning glance and explained, "I've never brought anyone home with me, sugar."

I wondered if he would ever invite me home with him, then pushed that thought away. We were just starting to explore our relationship, so it was way too early to expect him to change a lifetime of habits for me.

We were snuggled up on the couch a little while later watching a true crime documentary – which we'd discovered we both loved – when Hunter and Mia walked in the door. I barely hid my groan of dismay when I saw not only Clayton, but Sabrina, following the kids inside. She'd never been inside this house before, and I wasn't happy to have her here now.

Dante clearly felt my body tense, and his arm tightened around my shoulder momentarily before he rose to his feet. He ignored my ex and his sidepiece-turned-wife and focused on greeting Hunter with a handshake and Mia with a kiss on her cheek.

I debated standing, then decided I wasn't obliged to show good manners to the two people who had entered my home uninvited and entirely unwelcome. I was at least polite enough to reach for the TV remote to pause the show we'd been watching.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room, and then Sabrina the WonderSlut decided to make things even more awkward.

She turned her gaze on Dante, then sauntered over to him with what seemed to me to be a predatory smile. "I'm sorry, we haven't met yet. I'm Sabrina Chadwick," she announced in that breathy, totally fake voice she liked to use, then held out her hand, palm down, as though waiting for him to raise it for a kiss.

I had to bite my lip to keep from snickering as Dante left her hanging, literally. He ignored her hand completely, looking down at me and offering me his hand instead, then pulling me to my feet and wrapping his arm around my waist.

"I'm King Morgan, Ella's man."

Sabrina's eyes flashed at the blatant snub, lowering her hand and running it down her hip as if smoothing down the short skirt she was wearing. I knew her well enough to know that she was trying to draw Dante's attention to her figure, which was noticeably slimmer and more toned than mine. That was probably because she was also fifteen years younger than me and hadn't birthed two children, the bitchy voice inside my head pointed out. I took comfort in the fact that Dante seemed to like my curves just fine the way they were.

"How…nice that Ella's finally found someone," Sabrina said, her voice fairly dripping with condescension.

Dante's hand tightened on my waist, and he dropped a kiss on my temple as he winked at me. "I prefer to think of it as Ella has found the right someone , and I couldn't be happier to have found her, too." I smiled up at him, ready to jump his bones right there for putting her in her place.

Clayton cleared his throat in that obnoxious way he had, drawing our attention toward him.

"Ella, I understand that my mother called this morning and informed you of the change in plans for the Florida trip."

I glanced at the kids, but neither one were paying us any attention. Mia was perched on the arm of the couch and scrolling through her phone, as usual, and Hunter had wandered into the kitchen where I could hear him opening the refrigerator.

"Yes, she did…thankfully," I added pointedly. He didn't even have the good sense to look embarrassed about failing to tell me or the kids that he'd changed the plans a month ago.

"Well, I trust that the children will be fine getting to Florida on their own, and I've told them that I'll try to make arrangements to see them when they return." Yeah, I wouldn't bet on that.

"Clayton has rented a fabulous bungalow for us, right on the beach in Oahu. It has the most breathtaking views you can imagine," Sabrina boasted gleefully, "and comes with our own private chef and a full staff to take care of our every little need. He just loves to spoil me."

Clayton flashed that supercilious smile he'd perfected in the past few years, and I almost sprained my eyeballs with the force it took to stop them from rolling right out of my head.

Mia glanced up from her phone long enough to shoot a death-ray glare at her dad and Sabrina, then stood up and announced she was going upstairs.

"Mia, aren't you forgetting your manners? You haven't said goodbye to us," Clayton called after her. She didn't even hesitate as she started up the stairs.

"Yeah, whatever," she tossed over her shoulder, and moments later her bedroom door slammed. I almost went after her, but then decided to give her a few minutes to herself. Besides, I didn't feel right leaving Dante to deal with Dr. and Mrs. Douchebag.

Clayton rounded on me, his features pinched in annoyance and embarrassment. "That behavior is simply unacceptable, and I expect you to –"

"Seriously, Dad? God, just drop it already." Hunter said as he walked back into the room, throwing a look of disgust at his father. He twisted the lid back onto the bottle of Sprite in his hand, then turned and stomped up the stairs as well. Seconds later, I jumped as he slammed his bedroom door hard enough to make the windows rattle.

"Ella, are you just going to stand there and –"

"Get out, both of you," I hissed, pointing toward the front door, "and don't ever walk into my home uninvited again."

They both stood, frozen in disbelief, until Dante stepped forward.

"You heard her. Get the fuck out," he growled. He looked fully prepared to physically toss them out into the yard headfirst if they didn't go on their own. If I hadn't been so furious, I would have laughed at the way they both sprang into motion, almost running into each other in their haste to leave.

"Oh, and Clayton?" He barely paused to look over his shoulder as I spoke up, and I smiled grimly at the fear I could see on his face. "Try pulling the stick out of your ass and start acting like a father who actually gives a shit about our kids, before it's too late."

Clayton stopped and turned around, but Dante shifted ever-so-slightly closer to me. That was all it took for Clayton to change his mind about whatever response he was planning to make, and I glared daggers at him as the ball-less chickenshit turned on his heel and hauled ass out the door just seconds after his slutbag of a wife.

I stalked to the front door and slammed it shut behind them. Clearly, slamming doors was a family trait. When I turned around again, Dante wordlessly pulled me into his arms. I held myself rigid for a moment, then the rage and anger flowed from my body, leaving only sadness and worry behind.

"I hate that I saddled my kids with a father like that," I whispered. "I failed them, and I want to protect them from him, but I can't. The court ordered the visitation, and I'll be held in contempt if I don't make the kids go with him. The judge made that clear at our last hearing, when Mia complained about having to spend the night at his house on Wednesdays. Hunter will be eighteen soon, so he'll be able to decide for himself, but I doubt he'll let Mia go alone. He's a great big brother, and he looks out for her." Dante held me closer, pulling my head down onto his chest so I could hear the steady beating of his heart.

"You've done a helluva good job with them, sugar. They know you love them and are doing the best you can with the hand you were dealt, don't ever doubt that." He kissed the top of my head, a sweet gesture I was coming to love from him. "Any idea why their dad insists on the visits? He seems pretty fuckin' checked out of being an actual father, and that bitch he married doesn't seem the least bit maternal."

"To keep up appearances, I think. His partners in the dental practice are big on family – well, at least they're big on parading their kids around like show ponies. The website for the practice features pictures of all of them, looking like perfect families with perfect smiles and perfect lives. It's all for show. Behind the scenes, they're all as dysfunctional as we are."

I laughed then, a bitter sound with no humor whatsoever. "The picture of Clayton, Sabrina, and the kids that's on their website now is exactly the same as the one of all of us before the divorce. Same pose, same background, same color-coordinated outfits, only the kids are older, and the wife changed."

"Jesus Christ, that sounds creepy as fuck, El."

"It is," I laughed, finding a bit of humor in this entire shitshow.

I clung to his broad shoulders for another minute, then eased out of his arms. "I'm going to go up and check on them."

Dante nodded. "Do you want me to go, or can I stay for a while? Maybe order some pizzas?"

I felt another piece of the wall surrounding my heart crumble and fall at the concerned expression on his face, and his willingness to stay even with the drama going on right now.

"Stay, please, and pizza sounds great. Hunter likes anything and everything on his. Mia and I like sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms."

"Got it, one deluxe, and one sausage, pepperoni and fungus," he teased, reminding me our first night together when he'd picked all the mushrooms off the pizza I'd ordered. I mustered up a smile, then turned toward the stairs.

I knocked on both their doors and waited for them to open. When they did, I tugged Hunter by the hand into Mia's room, simply because it was cleaner.

Mia flopped back down on her bed, and I sat down on the edge of the mattress next to her. Hunter took up a position leaning against her wall, looking resigned about having a family chat.

"Are you two OK? I know you've had a lot to deal with today."

"Honestly, Mom, we're used to Dad's bullshit," Hunter said, shrugging apologetically when I gave him the " mom glare " for his cursing.

"We don't even want him to go to Florida with us," Mia assured me as she sat up and hugged her pillow to her chest. "We'll have a better time alone with Grandma and Grandpa. We just hate the way he bends over backward for her, yet treats us, and you, like crap." I wrapped my arm around Mia's shoulder and gave her a hug, then Hunter leaned down and joined in.

"I wish we didn't have to see him at all. I don't know why he even bothers to pretend he wants us around," Mia muttered into my shoulder.

Ever since our divorce, I had tried to hide my feelings about Clayton and Sabrina in front of Hunter and Mia. I'd made sure I didn't badmouth either of them in front of my kids, and at times, I'd tried to makes excuses for Clayton when he'd failed them in some way, in an effort to spare their feelings. I drew the line at outright lying to them, though.

"I know, sweetie," I told her softly, running my fingers through her dark hair. "I don't understand why he does the things he does, and I wish it could be different for you both. It's his loss though, because he's missing out on spending time with two incredibly special people."

Hunter wiggled out of our group hug and rolled his eyes but couldn't quite hide his smile. "OK, that's enough. You're getting all lame and sappy on us, Mom."

Mia giggled as I lunged for Hunter and tried to rub my knuckles on his head like I'd done when he was little and getting a little mouthy. He reared back, and since he towered over me by a good eight inches, I didn't have much success reaching him.

"Crap, no noogies, Mom. I'm sorry, get as sappy as you want, just no noogies." He was laughing too hard to convey any real sincerity though, especially when I snatched Mia's pillow from her and smacked him with it.

When the kids and I came back downstairs twenty minutes later, we were all in a better mood and starving for pizza. Dante looked relieved to see us all smiling and by the time he left a couple of hours later, he'd won over both of my kids, almost as much as he had me.