Dante's Way Read online

  “I’ve never made jambalaya like this before,” Amara told him as her body eased back against his.

  He had her exactly where he wanted her, but he wasn’t going to lay all of his cards down on the table right at the very moment. “I learned this recipe from my grandmother when I was a little boy. She would fix it every other Sunday when I went to her house for a visit. Okay, I think it’s done.”

  Dante reached around her body and turned off the skillet. He grabbed a pot holder at his left and wrapped it around the handle then moved it off the hot burner. Breathing in her scent, he brushed his nose against the back of her neck.

  “Are you ready to eat now or would you rather talk for a few minutes?”

  “You are coming off very arrogant, Mr. Braden,” Amara said, touching his arm. “What makes you think I would rather talk to you instead of eating a good meal?”

  Spinning her around, he moved her further down the counter away from the stove. Staring into her eyes, he saw excitement shining there. She wanted him to prove her wrong and he would take pleasure in doing it.

  “I’m not cocky, but I know that I’m more tempting than food,” he answered.

  “Are you sure about that?” Amara teased, running her hands down the front of his shirt.

  Lowering his head until their mouths were only inches apart, Dante watched as Amara’s eyes closed and she raised her head to meet his kiss.

  “I guess I was wrong, so how about we do as you wanted and eat before the food gets cold?” He took a step back, but not before Amara’s eyes snapped opened.

  “I thought you were... I mean we were..” She sputtered.

  “Amara, what did you think we were going to do?” he questioned.

  “I didn’t think anything, so never mind.” Her eyes pierced the distance between them before she moved away from the counter and stormed back over to her glass. She picked it up and swallowed the contents in one gulp.

  Dante knew what Amara wanted and, until she admitted to him and herself, it was never going to happen. He could only kiss her so much before his body started demanding more. He wasn’t used to holding back this long from sex. So, the more she touched and kissed him it only fueled the need even further to have her in his bed. He only hoped his plan wouldn’t push Amara further away from him instead of bringing her closer the way he wished for.

  ****

  Stop thinking about kissing her. I can do this.

  Dante kept saying those words over and over as he watched as Amara’s cute pink tongue licked the chocolate icing off the back of her fork. They had just finished dinner and now they were sharing a slice of German Chocolate cake. Every time her tongue ran over the utensil he got the urge to tell her what else she could give that kind of attention to.

  Shit! He had to get his mind off sex or he wasn’t going to be able to make it through the rest of the dinner with her. He tried thinking of something, anything else besides seeing her beautiful body naked and sweaty in his bed.

  “Do you want your own piece of cake?” he asked. There was another piece in the refrigerator that he was going to take to work tomorrow, but he was more than willing to give it to her.

  Looking at him, Amara laid her fork back down on the plate then grinned at him. “Sorry I hogged most of our dessert, but it just has been a while since I’ve eaten a piece of chocolate cake.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed it. I got it from a bakery a few blocks from my bar. I get a slice or two about every other month. I didn’t mind sharing it with you. I know how much I love them, so I was hoping that you would too.”

  “I did,” Amara agreed, softly.

  “How are things going with your job hunt?” Dante asked.

  “I’m not doing that well with it, but I’m not giving up hope. I’m still looking for a good part-time job. I had thought about going back to college, but I need to see if there are any grants I might qualify for to help me finish the last of my credits. I was almost there to getting a bachelor degree.”

  “How many credits are you missing to get your degree?” he questioned.

  “I only had six months left to graduate before everything started going downhill and I ended up on the streets. I brought my idea of going back to college to Pastor Allen. He’s going to ask around at the mentoring program he works for to see if he can find out anything for me about those grants I mentioned.”

  “Let me see what I can do for you.” Dante couldn’t stop running names of people he knew through his head who would be able to help Amara. She could be sitting inside a classroom by the end of next month, if she only asked for his help.

  “No.”

  Shock didn’t begin to describe how he felt at her swift rejection at his suggestion. He had to get down to the bottom of this. “Why are you allowing Pastor Allen to help you out, but you won’t let me do anything. I thought we were building something here. I can get things done for you as well as him or Mr. Lee.” A hint of jealousy was in his voice.

  “It’s different with them,” Amara said.

  “How are they any different than me? Tell me.”

  “Pastor Allen and Mr. Lee are my friends.”

  After hearing the truth coming from Amara’s mouth, Dante felt his breath rush from his body like he had just gotten punched in his gut. Fuck! Amara was so far off track from him that she didn’t even consider him as a friend.

  Thank God, he finally knew where he stood with her. He wasn’t about to pursue a woman who didn’t want him. He had never done it and he sure in the hell wasn’t about to start now at his age.

  Pushing his chair away from the table, Dante got up from his seat as he tried to keep his growing anger under control. Since Amara finally told him the truth about her true feeling for him they might as well get this ‘date’ over with and he could take her back to the shelter.

  “Thank you for being honest and telling me that I’m not even your friend,” he said. “Let me grab my keys and I can take you back to the shelter.” Dante walked around the table and headed for the living room. He was halfway there when Amara stepped in front him blocking his path.

  “Dante, wait. Listen to me,” she pleaded, placing her hands in the middle of his chest. “You didn’t let me finish telling you—”

  He brushed her unwanted touch off his body. “No, you’ve said more than enough tonight. It’s time for you to go home. I’ve things that I need to get done.” He tried moving around her again, but she jumped back in his way.

  “No, I’m not going to let this happen. You misunderstood me. I don’t want you to be my friend because I want you to be—”

  “Enough,” Dante shouted. He was tired of constantly getting the run around from Amara. “Amara, I’m done with your nonsense. Move out of my way so I can get my keys and take you back to the shelter.”

  “Too bad because I’m not done with you." Standing on her tiptoes, Amara wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

  Dante stood frozen in shock as Amara kissed him on her own for the very first time. The feel of her mouth brushing across his made his cock painfully hard. Slowly, one of his hands slid through her hair while his free one wrapped around her waist. Taking the tip of his tongue, he outlined her full lips before slipping it inside. The taste that greeted him was warm, sweet and addictive.

  Lord...shit. He had to have her. He couldn’t hold back any longer. He nibbled at her bottom lip.

  “Sweetheart, I want you so badly. All of this kissing is killing me. Don’t you know what you are doing to me?” Dante whispered against her swollen lips. “Hell, I want to be more than friends with you.”

  “Dante, I want you too,” she moaned brushing her hips against his cock, making it thicker and harder. “I’ve been trying to fight it, but I can’t do it anymore. Honestly, I wanted you the first time I saw you which is crazy.”

  An all-consuming need filled him. He could almost feel his dick inside of Amara’s wet, tight pussy. He shivered from the vision. Lifting his head, he stared down into her big,
brown eyes loving the unveiled desire he saw there.

  “We can’t do this,” he said, trying to keep a level head. But even as he spoke the words his hands slid down her back cupping her full ass while his lips brushed over hers again for another taste.

  “Why not?” Amara asked, kissing him back.

  “If we do this, it will change everything between us. I won’t make love to you and then go back to those few kisses and touches. I’m a man and I have needs. I don’t or won’t start something if either one of us aren’t on the same page about it. Acting on a pure, lust-filled attraction can turn out badly for both people involved.”

  Leaning back in his arms, Amara stared up into his face. “Dante, I want to be your woman. I’m tired of wondering what it will be like to be with you. I can’t deny my feelings any longer. I feel something for you that I’ve never felt before. Yes, it’s a little scary because it’s happened so fast but I want to see where it takes us.”

  Lowering his head, Dante brushed his mouth over Amara’s again before he whispered. “Remember, I gave you the chance to turn me away,” he warned before he coaxed her lips apart and sucked the tip of her tongue back into his mouth.

  Finally, it was about to take place. No more waking up with a hard cock in the middle of the night causing him not to be at a hundred percent the next day at work. He was going to make love to Amara and brand her as his forever.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Without breaking their kiss Dante eased his fingers between their bodies working on the buttons on her pants. He slipped two fingers past her underwear and inside Amara’s tight, wet pussy.

  “OhmyGod,” she moaned, tearing her lips away from his. “Your fingers are so long and thick, I can’t believe it.”

  “Darling, you’re so wet for my cock,” he whispered against her ear as his fingers eased in and out of her and his thumb brushed over her clit. “Do you know how much I want to take you right here?” he asked.

  “Yes, I know,” she whimpered gripping the front of his shirt. “I want your cock inside of me too, please.”

  Her pleas turned him on and he worked another finger into her pussy. Amara was so tight. He wasn’t sure if she would be able to take his entire dick. It would be such a snug fit and his erection throbbed even more at the thought of it. He was dying to have her, but he would take things slow. He had to prove to Amara that she wasn’t making the wrong decision by trusting him.

  Lowering his head again, he nibbled at the corner of her sweet mouth as his fingers gently thrust in and out of her at the rhythm that was meant to make her lose complete control with him.

  “Baby, are you truly ready for me? I need to know now while I still have the control to stop.”

  His erection was hard almost to the point of being painful, but if Amara wasn’t ready he would find a way to stop as much as it would kill him. Her wishes were always at the very top of his list.

  “Dante, I love the touch of your fingers on my body. Do anything you want to me. I’m—”

  He captured Amara’s mouth with his as he eased his fingers out of her body. He heard her whimper in protest, but she wouldn’t be in need much longer. He was going to give them what they both wanted, but had been fighting so hard to resist.

  Swinging her up in his arms, Dante carried Amara’s light weight down the long hallway to his bedroom door. Kicking it open with the toe of his boot, he walked through the door, over to the bed and gently slid her down the length of his body until her feet touched the floor.

  Breaking the kiss, he stared down into her eyes while brushing her hair away from her beautiful face. Her dark brown eyes held his as her hand slid around the back of his head and her fingers removed the band holding his hair back. It came free brushing his shoulders.

  “I’ve been waiting for such a long time to see your hair down. I love it,” she whispered, staring up into his face.

  The corner of Dante’s mouth tilted up into a smile. He had been thinking about cutting it, but after hearing Amara’s response to it he decided not to make any changes to it.

  “Darling, you’re going to get more pleasure than just my hair down and so I hope you’re ready for it,” he promised. Reaching out, Dante gently pushed her down on the bed and then bent down removing her shoes. He tossed them away from him then little by little he removed the rest of her clothing until she was completely naked in front him.

  He loved a woman’s breasts and Amara’s were mouth-wateringly perfect. They were more than enough to fill his hands and her nipples were big and suckable, everything a man like him wanted.

  Reaching out, he cupped the right one in his hand brushing his thumb over the nipple. It tightened and his cock jumped to instant attention inside his jeans.

  “Aren’t you going to take your clothes off?” she asked in a soft voice looking at him like she was a bit uncomfortable being the only one naked in the room.

  “I’m more than happy to get naked with you, baby.”

  Stepping back, Dante stripped out of his clothes in record time. He stood still while Amara’s eyes slowly made their way down his body until they landed on his cock. He watched how they grew even bigger and she gasped.

  “Look at me sweetheart,” Dante said, softly. He saw the apprehensive look on her pretty face and he wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He had to ease her fears because his need to be with her was very real and he couldn’t deny it any longer.

  Slowly, her eyes eased away from his cock and came back to his face. “I’ve been waiting to see you in my house and in my bed. I’ve thought about nothing else since I saw you at the library,” he said, gently pushing her down on the bed,

  Going over the nightstand, Dante pulled open the drawer and tossed two condoms on the top and then he slammed it closed. Easing down on the bed, he gently covered Amara’s silky body with his and tugged her arms above her head watching how her breasts bounced together from the slight movement. He couldn’t believe how good she felt beneath him. It was like their bodies fit perfectly together despite their differences in height.

  Hopefully, this would be the first time of many more wonderful nights of them together, so tonight had to be made into something very special. Holding her to his body, Dante buried his face in her neck breathing in her own unique scent.

  “You smell so unbelievable,” he moaned.

  “I’m not wearing any perfume,” Amara whispered.

  “Sweetheart, I know and that’s what I love.” Dante growled then nibbled at her ear. “I just want to get lost in the sweet taste of you and nothing else.”

  Amara’s soft body squirmed under his making his cock get even harder than it was a few minutes ago. He looked into her eyes and her desire for him was written all over her beautiful face.

  She licked her bottom lip as she tried to hold back from brushing her luscious body against his again, but he didn’t want her holding back. Dante wanted...no craved for Amara to be crazy for him as he was for her.

  Sliding his knee between her thighs, he spread them even further apart and rubbed the tip of his cock up and down her wet slit making sure he touched her swollen nub every single time. A low moan slipped from between her lips before he lowered his mouth capturing her mouth with his in a hungry, needy kiss.

  Dante thrust his tongue into her mouth running it along the tip of her tongue and Amara moaned even louder as she pulled at her wrists, but he didn’t let her go. He wanted to show her how much she had been missing out with him by running away all of the time. This night was for him to prove that he was going to be the only man in her life in and out of the bedroom.

  Letting go of her wrists with his left hand, he eased it over Amara’s smooth skin until it came to her right breast. He held its soft weight in his palm before running the pad of his thumb over her hard, swollen perfect nipple. Mewling in the very back of her throat, Amara arched her back trying to press more of her plump breast into his palm.

  Dante pulled his lips away from the delic
ious sweet taste of Amara’s tempting mouth and planted kisses from her jaw line, loving the sounds of the moans in his ear as he made his way along her body until his mouth was pressed against the side of her ear.

  His fingers continued to pull at her nipple making it come even more alive in his hand while his right hand held her wrist gently down to the mattress. He was the one in control and he had to make Amara understand when it came to making love that he knew what he was doing better than any other man she had been with before.

  “Is this what you really want, sweetheart?” Dante asked, giving Amara one last time to back out. He didn’t want to scare her away from him again by being too rough. He was giving her the chance to still back out.

  “Yes, this is what I want, Dante. I...I want you to make love to me,” she told him looking into his eyes with desire shimmering in her own.

  He could barely control his need to thrust his aching cock into Amara when she started rubbing her pussy against his swollen dick. He tried to think of the last time a woman had him this crazy in his own bed, but not one damn incident came to mind. He was truly taking all of his self-control to not fuck the woman beneath him fast and hard, but he held back.

  Holding her eyes with his, he let go of her breasts and lowered his head drawing the nipple into his mouth. He swirled the tip of his tongue around it again and again before sucking on it.

  He smiled with masculine pride as Amara panted his name while she closed her eyes pulling her lower lip between her teeth. He finally let go of her wrists and eased his right hand between their bodies until his fingers found her clit and he gently brushed his thumb over it until her heard her breath catch. She looked so amazingly beautiful with her body glistening underneath his and he couldn’t wait until his cock was buried deep inside of her. It was going to be a night neither of them would forget.

  Removing his thumb, Dante pushed his middle finger into Amara’s wetness almost coming on the spot at how fucking tight she was. He couldn’t believe it! He eased another finger inside of her loving how her low moans sounded to his ears. He could feel her wetness covering this fingers and it was turning him on even more.