25. Dante

Chapter 25

Dante

C amille led me downstairs. "What are you doing here, Dante? I thought you had something urgent to attend to?"

"I just had a feeling you needed me," I admitted, trying to keep my voice even. It was our thing, this unspoken connection that seemed to pull me to her whenever she was in trouble.

She smiled at that, a genuine warmth reaching her eyes. "That's becoming a habit, isn't it?"

"I don't mind. Do you?"

"No. Not at all," she said quietly. "What I mind is you ditched the werewolf costume. Except for the fact that I couldn't see your face, it was super hot."

I chuckled then reached for her hand, glad her expression had lightened up a little. "I didn't get a chance to tell you -- I loved your costume and the way you decorated your room. Literary Haunts. I could tell it was yours right away. You've already won in my book."

"Thanks, Dante. That means a lot, really."

We moved to the living room, settling onto the couch. She leaned against my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, wishing I could shield her from every bad thing out there—as if I wasn't one of those bad things. I kissed the top of her head, and she looked up at me, her eyes flicking to my lips.

Dammit. I couldn't resist her. My fingers gently slid up her throat, grazing over the marks there. She didn’t flinch and her lips parted slightly. Whatever Ty had done to her, it hadn’t left her traumatized. No, it had left her wanting.

"You’re such a good girl, Peaches," I whispered.

Camille tilted her head back then pressed her lips against mine. A part of me wanted to keep it to just a kiss after what had happened between her and Ty, but my cock didn’t like that idea.

"Peaches, if you need to stop--"

"No," she said, pulling my lips back to hers and swinging her leg over my lap. My hands flew to her hips, finding that under Kage's monster shirt, she had nothing else on.

"You feel so good, Camille," I murmured against her mouth. I felt her smile before she grabbed the back of my head, pulling me in closer, her tongue slipping past my lips. My heart pounded in my chest.

Was this about me, or was this about what had happened with Ty? Did it matter? Did I even care? If she was this close to me, that was all I should have given a damn about.

But I did care. I could deal with her fucking Kage and Ty. But I had to know that when we were together, it was me she was wet for. When she slid her hands down to my waistband, my pulse quickened. I broke the kiss. "Camille--"

"I want you, Dante. You . The man who protects me. The man who makes me laugh. The man I can just be me with, no expectations, no lies between us."

No lies between us. Fuck.

"Camille, sweetheart, I have secrets..."

"I know. We all do. So long as you're not engaged or fucking another girl, I don't care right now."

She'd care later, I thought, telling myself to stop this. But as her hands fumbled with my zipper, I knew I wasn't going to.

I helped her undo my pants then shoved them down. She pushed me away and maneuvered herself until she was on her back, legs parted and showing me glimpses of her glistening pussy.

I scrambled to put on a condom. My dick throbbed in anticipation, pulsing with each beat of my heart. I lined myself up at her entrance then sank in as deeply as I could. Her tight heat wrapped around me, sending shockwaves of pure pleasure through my body. I groaned as I continued thrusting, needing to go deeper.

I moved slowly, taking my time and going gentle as I brushed my mouth along the red marks on her neck, kissing them better, trying to wipe away the memory of Ty.

"You don't have to hold back," she panted, her cheeks beautifully flushed.

"I'm a complicated guy. I don't go at one speed."

She bit her lip, and I felt her walls clenching around me. Damn, she was tight.

"Are you close?" I asked, moving faster, wanting to hear her say yes. To see her face.

Her head snapped back to meet my gaze, and she whimpered my name. "Oh God, Dante, I'm gonna..."

I pulled her hips up and I cradled her ass. Here, in this moment, she was mine – just mine. As her orgasm hit her, waves of pleasure radiated through her entire body, her pussy clenching around my cock. It was like watching a waterfall pour out of her, beautiful and wild. She threw her head back, letting out a throaty moan.

I came hard, too.

When we finished, neither of us could speak. We stayed like that, with me braced over her for several minutes, catching our breath. Finally, I slipped to the side while pulling her against my chest.

"Dante..." she breathed as her eyes closed. It was almost unreal how quickly she fell asleep in my arms.

I heard the front door open. Footsteps. Then the sound of the slider that led to the backyard opening and closing.

When Camille was soundly asleep, I carefully extricated myself from her arms. The warmth of our recent closeness lingered, but as I saw the marks on her throat again, my mind sped to the confrontation that awaited. It was time to have that talk with Ty. I couldn’t let him touch her in anger like that and get away with it, not a chance in hell, and the sight of her coming on my cock had given rise to a new wave of emotion inside of me. I pulled on my clothes then went after him.

I found Ty in the backyard, outlined against the faint glow of the outdoor lights, a cigarette between his fingers.

"Got one for me?" I asked, my voice neutral. He glanced up at me then pulled out a pack. He handed me one. Had he heard Camille and I together? I hoped he had. I hoped he had to deal with his jealousy the way I did mine. Not very enlightened of me but fuck it.

I took the lighter from him and lit up the cig, drawing deep until smoke filled my lungs.

Ty took another drag, the end of his cigarette glowing in the darkness.

"You put your hands on her in anger, Ty."

Ty was silent for several beats before he said, "I'm always angry, Dante. Don't you fucking know that by now."

"You're admitting it? That you hurt her deliberately? Choked her, deliberately?"

"She wanted me to show her how dark I'd give it to her. I did. But I was in control the whole time. Whatever pain I caused her was overshadowed by pleasure. She didn't want me to stop."

I was surprised by how forthcoming he was. Then again, he probably sensed that if didn't give me the right answer, I was ready to rip his head off.

"You going to start getting jealous now?" he taunted me, then took a long draw of his cig, blowing the smoke out through his lips.

I ignored the question. "Camille is confused. The three of us... whether we mean to or not, we're fucking with her head. You hurt her enough emotionally. Hurting her physically, with your history, even if it’s meant to be sexual play, I'm not sure that's good for her."

"Then it's a good thing it's not up to you, is it? Camille’s a big girl. She might be confused about what she feels for all of us, but she's strong as fuck, and she can handle herself. She doesn't need you to babysit her, Dante."

"I don't want her hurt," I bit out.

He smirked, a bitter twist to his lips. "Life hurts us. Everything hurts us eventually, even love. But you know that, don't you?"

Suddenly, with a deliberate motion, he pressed the lit cigarette against his skin, a grimace of pain and satisfaction on his face.

"What the fuck are you doing?” I snapped, knocking the cig away from his skin, but not before the damage had been done. "You think this makes up for what you did to her?"

"You think this is about her?"

"In a way, yes. There’s no denying there’s darkness inside you and her light confuses you. It illuminates the dark in you, something you hate. It's why you push her away so hard. Why you broke up with her in the first place. Am I right?"

When he didn’t answer, I grabbed his arm to see how bad he’d burned himself, but he ripped it out of my grasp. "Don't fucking touch me," he hissed. “Or do. Just know I get off on pain. I’m hard right now. Want to check and see if I’m telling the truth?" The challenge in his gaze was unmistakable, a taunt and a confession all at once.

I just stared at him, the weight of his words and actions settling heavily on me.

"You're fucked up, Ty," I said, not as an insult but as a stark observation. There was no mockery in my voice, only a deep, unspoken pity. "I'm sorry for all you've gone through. For what you pile on yourself because you think it's all you deserve. But know this. I don't want to fuck you. I don't want to hate you. I don't even want to fight you. But if you ever hurt Camille, I'll end you."

Without waiting for his response, I turned and went back inside, the cool air of the house wrapping around me like a shroud. I picked up Camille, who didn't even stir, and carried her upstairs to her bed. Then I shed my clothes and climbed in next to her. I felt her warmth seep into my bones, lulling me into a state of peace even as I couldn't help but think of the storm that raged within Ty.