He’d breached my trust with this whole stupid date night, and I was going to breach his.
Allan and I practically fell out of the car from the alcohol running through us both, and I invited him into the hotel.
“Ms. Hardy, are you sure you’d like this gentleman up on your floor?” Leonardo asked, standing near us by the bell station. Leonardo was obviously very loyal to Dante, or to the Armanellis or something, since his hotel job extended to chauffeur when needed.
I rolled my eyes at him. “Yes, Allan is allowed up any time he wants.”
We made out in the elevator and all the way down the hall to my room. I was going to go all the way with him just to prove a point … even if I had to imagine Dante between my legs to make it happen.
This was my story. This was my Eat Pray Love.
I was seizing the moment.
I would have done just that if I hadn’t fallen backwards as my own hotel door swung open from behind me. I toppled right into strong tattooed arms that immediately sent stupid sparks through my whole body.
“This not your room, baby?” Allan stared at Dante, confused. “Sorry, man. If we were loud—”
“Quite frankly, she wasn’t loud enough. Considering I know exactly how she sounds when she wants someone to fuck her.”
My jaw dropped along with Allan’s. Dante didn’t seem at all fazed as he righted me so I could stand.
I shimmied my black dress back down to just above my knees and turned to glare at Dante. “Excuse my brother’s best friend here, Allan. He’s a little overprotective and a lot crude.”
“Your brother’s best friend?” Allan squeaked. “Why is he talking about how you sound when—”
“Because I know her very well. I’m not just her brother’s best friend. I’m also the guy taking over your date. So thanks for getting her home safe. Next time you take a girl out, don’t do blow in the bathroom. Then you’ll know whether or not this is dream. Now, leave.”
“What the …？” Allan was already backing away, his eyes so wide I now believed he might actually have been doing drugs in the bathroom.
“I’m so sorry, Allan,” I whispered, but he was already tripping over himself like he’d been caught doing something illegal and didn’t want to go to jail.
When Dante yanked me all the way into my room, I spun on him immediately. “You ruined my date.”
“The date would have been done had you not wanted to prove a point.”
“I can’t believe you.” I ripped my elbow from his grasp.
“Me? You’re the one fucking around all of San Juan causing me a damn heart attack with your antics.”
“A week ago, you were barely aware of my existence! We were different people on opposite sides of the world, living our own lives.”
“And now we’re tied together again.” He crossed his arms over his ginormous chest and scowled at me.
“Well, I don’t want to be tied to you. You think I’m some good girl who shouldn’t do shit, and I want to do everything. I deserve it after college and …”
“And what?”
“Oh my God. It’s none of your business,” I shouted and shoved at his chest. “I don’t want you here. I don’t want Izzy here. I just want to cross things off my list.”
“You can’t cross things off that list like it’s a damn exam, Lilah. It won’t make you happy.”
I tossed off my shoes and screamed, “Just get out of my room. I need to shower. And I need you to leave me alone.”
He threw up his hands like he didn’t want anything to do with me at that moment either. He paced toward the adjoining room door and then froze, turned, and stalked back to stand chest to chest with me. Without my heels, I had to glare up at him.
His hand went to the base of my neck and gripped a handful of my hair. He pulled my head further back so my neck was exposed as we glared at one another. Then his green eyes dilated right before he lowered his head and dragged his nose across my skin. “I don’t like another man’s mouth on you. I don’t like that I smell him here when I know it’s one of the most sensitive parts of your body.”
The breath I took in shook my whole body. His whispers against my skin caused my nipples to tighten, my pussy to clench, my brain to short-circuit.
“I’m being patient because being your friend first matters.”
Then he stepped back and let go of my hair. I took one giant step away from him too. He spun and was gone in an instant.