He must have seen the way Troy’s elbow bent to pull me in because suddenly I was free, water was splashing, Troy cried out, and then there was silence.
Silence except for the waves in the distance.
I squinted and found that Dante held that man’s arm in a very awkward position and small bubbles floated up to the surface of the water.
“Dante—”
“How long do you think he was holding you against your will?” he asked just loud enough for me to hear.
“You’re drowning him,” I stammered as I glanced around to see if anyone was going to stop him. The only person I saw was Leonardo, who stood completely stoic except for a hand that went to a button. Suddenly, all the lights around us, already dim, went out.
Well, that would be aiding and abetting in court, I was sure. “You can’t—”
“I can do whatever I want.” His words were pointed and meant to make me see the man I was really dealing with. An Armanelli.
A wolf.
A vicious protector.
“When a man pushes himself on a woman, more specifically my woman, I intend to teach him manners or have him die learning.”
“Dante …” I murmured as I stared at the bubbles getting smaller and smaller. “He’s learned.”
His jaw worked for seconds that felt like hours. The tendons in his neck strained like they couldn’t hold the fury in this man’s head much longer. Then he took a long, deep breath. His eyes closed, and his whole body—except that hand holding Troy—relaxed. Then he said, “Only for you, Lamb,” before yanking Troy up by his elbow.
Choking and gasping, Troy floundered as Dante shoved him away.
Troy didn’t even try to fight as he used the momentum of the push to scramble away from us. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Jesus, you could have killed me. I—”
“If you see her on a dating app again, swipe the other way, Troy. Or I will find you, and I will kill you.”
The dim lights turned back on, and Leonardo, suave as he was, told Troy to have a good night as he rushed past, leaving his towel behind.
“Now …” Dante inhaled air deeply and slowly let it out while water droplets cascaded down his chest. He took his time wiping some of the water from his face before stalking toward me. “Let me check you.”
“Check me?” I sputtered and started to back up. I couldn’t have Dante near me all wet and slick and half naked if I wanted to keep my options open, if I wanted to stick to the plan. Plus, he’d nearly just killed a man.
He smiled as he approached and I retreated. His teeth glowed, and his eyes sparkled in the night like he was enjoying every second of this.
“Want to run and see if I can catch you, Lamb?” His eyebrow quirked.
My heart jumped, and my adrenaline spiked. I’d actually enjoy the chase. Still, I shook my head no. “You don’t need to check me.”
He pursed his lips. “A man’s hands were just on you, Lilah. Without your consent, might I add.”
“Well, I consented at first,” I pointed out. I was nearing the stairs of the pool, but with each of my steps, he took two. He closed the distance between us, and I wasn’t sure what was about to happen when he met me chest to chest.
“Don’t you ever justify or minimize a man putting his hands on what’s mine without your consent.” Then his hands were on my waist, running over it as his eyes checked for whether or not Troy had left marks. He hadn’t. Dante had gotten there too fast, and even if he hadn’t, I would have kicked Troy hard enough in the balls to run.
“Yours?” I questioned.
“Yes, Lilah. I don’t know why we’ve been ignoring the inevitable. You’re my lamb. I’m your wolf. It’s about time I stop letting others play with my food.”
“Food? Really?”
“Well, I’m going to eat that pussy, aren’t I?”
I shook my head. “You said you’d help me check off the seven boxes. I can’t find the right guys to have fun with if—”
“I’m the right guy to have fun with, Lilah.” Then his hands were on my hips, lifting me onto the first step of the pool. He spread my legs so he could kneel in between, so that our bodies were aligned. His cold chest pressed against my breasts, his breath cascaded against my lips, and his pierced cock, even through the fabric of my panties and his swim trunks, pushed against my pussy. “Let me make you feel good, huh? You and I both know I’m the only one who can.”
I bit my lip to keep from agreeing with him and shook my head.