Page 20 of Tell Me You Want Me

—Dante

“Oh, boy,” I mutter half-heartedly to the empty kitchen. The bag I left in the car won’t be needed after all. I walk toward the back patio, stripping off my clothes piece by piece. My silk blouse, pencil skirt, lace bra, and panties are all dropped into a heap on the floor near the sliding glass door. The warm summer evening air hits my heated flesh, but it’s the man in the pool who really sets me on fire.

Dante’s resting his broad arms along the tiled edge, completely naked, water lapping at his wide chest and sculpted shoulders. His amber eyes lock on me the second I step through the door, tracking every inch of my bare body with an intense, hunger-filled gaze.

“Took you long enough.” His voice is low, raspy over the sound of the jets in the water.

“Take that up with your friend,” I say, stepping down the shallow steps of the pool. The water washes over my skin. The temperature is perfect to soothe every tired muscle in my body. “And don’t think I didn’t see the boxes in your living room.”

“Ourliving room,” Dante corrects me. I don’t even want to know what he’s spoiling me with now. The only good part is, there were only two compared to the plethora he had sent to the penthouse. Once I’m in reaching distance, his arms wrap around my waist under the water and pull me straight onto his lap. The head of his cock nudges at my entrance, and I slide down.

“Dante.” My eyes close, and I rest my hands on his shoulders, feeling his hard muscles beneath my palms. He smooths his hand up my back, his eyes searching mine with a fierce intensity.

“You’re not wearing clothes for the next forty-eight hours, Alexandria. I’m going to make good use of your body.” I tilt my head to look down at him. My pussy flutters around his cock. A thought has been lingering in the back of my mind since we finally became an us.

“You know,” I mutter, my fingers combing through the damp ends of his hair, “we haven’t been using birth control, and I never got the Plan B pill. Not in Vegas, not this week, and you keep coming inside me every single time.” Dante doesn’t blink. His grip on my hips fold firm, his thumb dragging dangerously close to my clit.

“And?” he asks. A spark takes hold in his amber eyes. “Told you before and I’ll tell you again. Don’t want you on birth control. You get pregnant, I’m all for it.”

“Dante,” I breathe out his name. A slow satisfied smirk spreads across his handsome face.

“I’m not bothered by it at all, wife.” He leans in, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear as he speaks in that smooth, uncompromising tone. “And obviously, you aren’t either, or you would have made a doctor’s appointment by now.” His warm breath sends shivers down my spine. My jaw drops open. I pull back, glaring at him, and while I’m annoyed, this movement also makes me purr in the back of my throat. His cock pulses inside me. I’m rolling my hips, and my clit throbs, demanding more.

“Shut up,” I snap, attempting to sound stern. There’s zero heat behind it, and all my husband does is laugh—a low, deep sound that vibrates through my body as he brings me closer, lips going to my skin before he bites the curve of my neck where it meets my shoulder.

God, why does he have to be right all the fucking time?I think to myself, burying my hands in his dark hair. I never made an appointment. I never looked up birth control plans again. And honestly, deep down, the thought of carrying his child, of being tied to this incredible, maddening man forever, stopped terrifying me. It actually thrills me now.

“Make me, wife,” he growls against my skin. Except Dante being Dante, he doesn’t give me a chance to answer. In one swift, powerful motion, he lifts me slightly, making sure not take hiscock away from me, and shifts us toward the wall of the pool. He pins me, and my legs wrap higher around his hips. I let out a breathless gasp as he pistons his hips in and out of my slick center. Each thrust is agonizingly perfect.

“Fuck, Alexandria,” he rumbles. My core clenches at how he says my name. His forehead rests against mine as he buries himself deeper and deeper with every shove of his hips. “You feel like heaven.”

“Yes, Dante. God, yes,” I whimper, my hips arching, hands clinging to his wet shoulders, nails digging into his skin.

The slick friction of our bodies, the weightlessness of the water, and the possessive look in Dante’s eyes completely undo me. He hammers into me, keeping a tight hold of me against the wall of the pool and driving every lingering thought from my mind until all that’s left is him.

His touch.

His voice.

And the reality that I’m irrevocably his.

epilogue

ALEXANDRIA

Three Weeks Later

The grand ballroom is bathed in warm, ambient lighting. Swaths of fabric hang from here to there, flowers are placed strategically in massive stands, and that’s not to mention every other detail Gennie’s family friend thought of. The room is alive with the low hum of laughter, clinking crystal, and the soft notes of a live string quartet.

I would say the childhood cancer research charity gala is a smashing success by looks alone. The entirety of this place is packed to the brim with Seattle’s elite, and every single one of them has their wallet open. I stand near the edge of the elevated balcony, leaning back against the solid, comforting warmth of Dante’s chest. His arm is wrapped around my waist, keeping me flush against him as he reaches around me, stopping a waiter passing by for yet another glass of champagne. Apparently, I’m no longer swearing the bubbly off these days.

“Be careful, Mr. Lombardi,” I mutter, taking the offered glass and bringing it to my lips for a long sip. I turn my head slightly a moment later to smile at him. “Between booking the luxurysuite upstairs for the night and feeding me copious amounts of champagne, a girl might think you’re trying to marry her all over again.”

“We’re already married, Alexandria. But if you want another ceremony, say the word. I’ll book the venue tomorrow.” A devilish smirk plays on his lips, his thumb stroking the silk of my dress right above my hip.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I laugh, shaking my head and leaning back into his embrace. Down on the main floor, the live auction is in full swing. Gennie crushed her date auction earlier looking like an absolute goddess in her emerald-green gown.

Now the big-ticket items are on the block. In true Dante fashion, he couldn’t sit back and watch. When a week-long excursion on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean came up, his paddle went straight into the air. He secured it without breaking a sweat and probably spent twice the amount it was worth, but like he said, it’s for a good cause. Then came the court side seats to the NBA finals, followed immediately by a pristine, signed first edition from a historic author that he bought specifically for the library at the Medina house.