I nod my head. At least I know that voice belonged to someone. It isn’t all in my head. There was someone there, and they were planning on taking me. Who would be crazy enough to try to kidnap someone in the middle of the day?
“Serena,” Dante starts. “Do you know how you were drugged?”
Drugged?What the hell?The headache I thought was gone comes back with a vengeance. I cradle my head in my hands as I try to think past the pain.
“I… I… I was fine until math class. All I had was water from my bottle.”
“If he was able to put that dress into your locker, we can assume he was able to drug your drink too,” Dante said, looking more concerned than I have ever seen him. He started speaking to himself in Italian, and this is one of the many moments I wished I knew how to speak it.
Note to self. Learn Italian.
Dante started passing the kitchen, deep in thought. I watched for a few minutes before my head started to swim again. Without saying anything, I got up from the chair he had placed me in and walked back towards his room. Maybe a couple more hours of sleep will help.
My foot hits the bottom stair as my phone dings. I pull it out of my back pocket and stare down at the message. It only says one word.
Unknown: Soon.
Serena
I spent the night at Dante’s. Not wanting to face my mother after being drugged and almost kidnapped. I tried to keep the anxiety I felt out of my voice when I spoke to her on the phone earlier, but she could tell something was wrong. Mom’s always can.
Nico, Marco, and Bastian left yesterday to fly back home for the holidays with Nico’s uncle. They each gave me a big hug, promising they would be back soon and would find this guy. I thanked them all and wished them a Merry Christmas.
After that, Dante and I spent the evening watching movies on his couch. At least parts of movies. I think by the second movie we put on, our clothes were off and we entertained each other with other things the rest of the night.
I passed out on the couch after the fourth round, and Dante carried me to his bed. He woke me this morning with his expert tongue. I have learnt the hard way how much Dante loves edging and denying me until I am a mess under him and begging him.
I glance over to the clock hanging on the wall in the kitchen as I sip my latte that Dante prepared for me. It’s noon, and I probably should head home. Christmas is in a few days, and I need some time with my mom.
As if sensing what I am thinking, Dante grabs my hand and pulls me towards the garage door off the entrance of the house. He grabs the keys for a fancy sports car and opens the passenger door for me. I smile at him before sitting in the car seat. The smell of leather and new car fills my senses as Dante walks over to the driver’s side.
The engine roars to life, and soon we are driving down the long driveway and onto the main road. Music starts playing through the sound system, but I don’t know the song. Sounds like old rap music that my mom might have liked while growing up. The song is catchy, and I bob my head along with it.
I glance over to Dante. His hands are gripping the steering wheel tightly, and his face is set in a stony mask. He doesn’t look at me. Barely acting as if I am in the car with him. Something is going through his head.
I turn around, not in the mood to speak, and stare out the window as the world passes by. Before I know it, we are pulling into Fallingbrook. The familiar roads that were recently so foreign to me fill my sight. The café I go to regularly in the morning. The diner that makes the best food I have ever had. Except for my moms.
My street comes into view, and we pull onto it. I see them before they notice us. Zane, Ryker, and Axel. All are standing in Zane’s laneway, deep in conversation. Dante notices them too and slows his car down.
“I’ll get out here. You turn around and head home.” I say, not wanting any type of fight to happen.
Dante grinds his teeth as he stares the three of them down, but he nods his head. I can see how much he wants to hurt them in his eyes, but he knows I am right. He would be woefully outmanned and outgunned right now. As much as I think I could stand in the middle and stop bullets from flying, I am also not stupid enough to think that that isn’t a logical solution to this.
Zane and the others may have shown some sort of weird attachment to me, but I have learnt enough to know that they would rather kill me to get to Dante than to leave without a fight.
Dante pulls his car over and puts it into park. I lean over the center console and press my lips to his. His warm lips fight against mine for control that I readily give him. I never thought I would be the one to enjoy having a dominant man, but I can’t get enough of it.
The way he controls my body doesn’t make me feel like I am giving up a part of myself. Destroying who I am as a person. Instead, it is embracing a part of me I never knew existed. A part that craves it.
Dante growls against my lips as I try to pull away from him. His hand shoots up, grabbing a fistful of my hair, and holds me where he wants me. I clench my thighs together as need grows in me.
We stare into each other's eyes for a few moments, taking each other in. The rich amber color of his eyes holds me captive in them. The small flecks of gold shine in the sunlight. His silky dark hair, always so perfect the way it is slicked back.
I want to say something to him. Anything. But the words are stuck in my throat. By the looks of him, he feels the same way. Instead of words, I gently place my lips against his again, stealing a peck before pulling away. His hand lazily lets go of my hair, not wanting this moment to end.
I open my door, climb out, and give him one last look before closing it. I walk down the street towards my house, only checking over my shoulder once to see him still parked there. His windows are tinted enough that you can’t see him in it, but with how ridiculously expensive the car is, you can tell it’s him.
I ignore the three men in the laneway next to mine as I walk up the front path to the door. With my hand on the handle, I take one last look at Dante as he pulls his car around and drives off.
