Dante's Way (21 page)

Stepping away from Dante, she walked over to the railing and looked out at the captivating scenery wondering how he ever got anything done besides sitting out here all night just getting lost in the beauty of everything.

She felt him come up behind her, but she didn’t turn around to look at him. “This is so breathtaking. I wouldn’t ever be able to leave it if I lived here.”

“Yes, it is very beautiful,” Dante answered.

Turning her head, Amara found his eyes on her and not the bright lights of the city shining in the distance. The heat in his eyes captivated her. She had never had a man look at her like that before; it was exhilarating and a little intimidating all at the same time.

“I was talking about the view,” she said, then licked her suddenly dry lips trying to stay cool and collected which was extremely hard to do with Dante’s eyes searching hers.

“I know, but I wasn’t,” he admitted.

Placing his hand on her waist he moved her body so she was completely facing him. “Amara, I’m not caring about any view out there, not when you look so stunning in the moonlight.” The sound of his voice lured her into taking a step closer.

“Thank you,” she whispered, softly.

He slid his hand behind her head and slowly brushed his thumb along her jaw line. “Did I tell you how pleased I was you decided to get on my motorcycle earlier. I like it when a woman can stand up to a direct challenge from me.”

“How could I back down?” she asked. “I mean, getting on that bike was the only way I could go on our date and I wasn’t about to miss it.”

“God, you know how to stroke a man’s ego. I’m just not sure if it’s a good thing, but I’ll worry about that later,” he teased.

The closeness of their bodies was like a drug, lulling her to euphoria. She couldn’t suppress the shudder that passed through her. Amara felt like she was speeding down a winding road without any brakes to stop her from going over the edge and she
loved
it!

“Are you cold?” Dante asked pressing her back against the railing as his hard chest brushed over her swollen nipples.

“No, I’m not cold,” she whispered.
Far from it.

“That’s good because I’m not ready to go in yet.” Lowering his head, Dante’s lips brushed over hers as he spoke. “I really love how you taste. It’s like nothing I’ve ever had the pleasure of sampling before.”

The tip of his tongue flickered along the corner of her mouth slowly shattering the calm she was trying so hard to keep intact. She couldn’t let him lure her further into his web of desire.

“Amara, let go. Block out everything but the touch of my mouth against yours. I’m not going to hurt you. I promise, baby.”

Raising his mouth from hers, he gazed into her eyes patiently waiting for her response. She knew if she told Dante no that he wouldn’t force the issue, but she wanted him to kiss her fully, completely until she couldn’t think about anything else but him.

Standing on tiptoe, she touched her lips to his giving Dante her answer. Taking over the kiss, he crushed her to his warm, hard body. Slipping his tongue between her lips, he explored the recesses of her mouth with the tip. The touch of his tongue against hers sent a shock wave throughout her entire body making her crave more than a few hot kisses.

Wrapping her arms around Dante’s wide shoulders, she pulled him to her body even more as he continued to take control of her mouth with a smoldering intensity. She didn’t want to slow down anytime soon. Keeping up with his kiss was a test as well as a challenge and Amara was thrilled to be the winner of the prize.

Slowly, Dante eased his mouth away from her and nibbled his way down her jaw line; then her earlobe until he planted a tantalizing kiss in the hollow of her neck. He was working his magic on her like he was a magician with several more tricks up his sleeve.

She breathed lightly between her lips as she tried getting her whirling emotions back together. The feel of his thick erection against her stomach made Amara realize they had to put on the brakes before things got entirely out of hand.

“Hmmm... we need to stop.” Placing her hands on his wide, perfect chest; she eased him away from her traitorous body. “I can’t think straight when you’re that close to me. My mind gets all...”

Dante stared at her with his desire-filled eyes. “Is that such a bad thing that I have your mind out of sorts?” he questioned, softly.

“No, I like how you take me to another place,” Amara admitted, honestly.

“Darling, I like it too. But I agree I didn’t bring you here tonight to make love. I promised you an amazing dinner and I always keep my word especially when it comes to a beautiful woman.”

Giving her another quick kiss, Dante stepped away from her breaking the mood. Instantly, Amara wished that she had kept her mouth shut. She liked the way her body felt safe and protected when she was in his arms.

“Come on. Let’s go inside, so I can feed you. I don’t want you to think that I’m a bad host.” Grabbing her by the hand, Dante escorted her back through the sliding doors.

Chapter Thirty

In his kitchen, Dante gathered all of the ingredients together for his famous jambalaya that he only fixed on special occasions, and tonight was definitely one of them. He actually finally had Amara inside of his house after weeks of wondering how it would feel and the reality of her was so much better than any of his dreams.

“Can I offer you something else to drink?” he asked, looking at the barely touched glass of wine he’d given to Amara.

“No, this is fine,” she answered, touching the wine glass then looking at him. “You have an amazing kitchen. My entire apartment could have fit inside of here.”

He laid the knife down on the cutting board then looked around the space trying to see it through Amara’s eyes. The hanging pot storage above the range helped him with extra counter space giving him the ability to cook without any obstructions in his way.

With the sink and range located within easy reach of each other, it enhanced the countertop area for food preparation. Everything around the space was designed by the contractor to fit him in every way. He honestly could see himself living here with his future wife and kids for a very long time.

Could Amara be the woman who finally made him get down on bended knee? He guessed only time would tell.

“Thank you. I love it myself,” he said, cutting up the rest of the smoked sausage adding it to the skillet with the onions and peppers.

Reaching to the side, he picked up the can of the tomatoes and added them. Stirring everything together, Dante tasted it before adding some Creole seasoning along with the rice he had already placed at the side.

Walking away from the food on the stove, he walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed the shrimp he had cleaned earlier for the meal tonight while the rice had been cooking. Going back over to the stove, Dante worked on getting his meal together for the next few minutes while Amara sat on the bar stool watching him with her beautiful bedroom eyes.

He wasn’t used to a woman being around him this long without hogging the conversation with endless chatter. Honestly, he found it rather peaceful and soothing all at the same time.

Taking the shrimp out of the bowl, Dante added it to the skillet with the other food knowing it wouldn’t take that long to cook. He wanted it to be done perfectly. One thing he hated was overcooked shrimp.

“Do you always wear your hair pulled back?” Amara asked him out of the blue.

“No, I don’t. Why do you asked?” He was pleased Amara was interested enough in him to ask more personal questions.

She shrugged her shoulders. “It just seems like in all of the times we have been around each other it’s always been pulled back in the same hairstyle, so I was just wondering. Is there anything I can do to help you with the meal?”

Dante could barely keep the smile off his face. He loved she wanted to be closer to him without saying the words. Now, the next step in his plans of winning Amara over, was to get her to see anytime they were within touching distance things always got increasingly better between them.

“Yes, I would love some help. Why don’t you come over here and help me with the rest of this?” he suggested, wanting to have Amara inside of his personal space.

Amara took a sip of her wine and then placed the glass back down before getting up from the stool. “What do you need me to do for you?” she asked, standing next to him.

Oh, he wanted her to do more than help him cook, but that would come later. He needed to stay focused on the here and now.

“I want you to continue to stir in the shrimp until it’s done. It only has a few more minutes and then we can eat.”

Taking a step back, he gave Amara’s soft, curvy body enough room to stand in front of his. Standing behind her, he watched her for a few seconds liking how good it felt to have her here with him before stepping back behind her.

Placing his hands on her hips, he put his mouth by her ear. “Don’t move,” he whispered. “Keep stirring. Everything is almost done.” He laid his hand on hers and finished helping her get their meal together.

“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.