“I told you I had stuff on backorder for you.” He tugged hard, cursed vividly, and finally pulled the other glove off. I fought back a laugh.
“And all the backorder stuff got here today?”
“No. I cancelled that order and had my men bring different stuff. I couldn’t wait. I needed a place to collapse after a hard day of zombie lap dog wrestling.”
“You’d better not collapse on my new couch smelling like that!” I told him. And then I gave him a big smile.
“Oh, that’s it,” Dante exclaimed, and grabbed me in a hug. “If I have to smell like wet dog, then so do you.” He planted kisses all over my face.
“Ew, quit it!” I yelled, laughing and struggling to get away as the dampness from his clothes soaked through mine.
We both needed a shower after that, and decided to take one together. Dante kissed me as we stripped and got under the warm spray, and he soaped his hands up and washed my shoulders and belly. When I turned around so he could do my back, he whispered, “Shit.”
I turned around to look at him. “What’s wrong?”
“Your butt’s really bruised,” he said quietly. “Does it hurt?”
“A little, but I don’t mind.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I loved being spanked. It was incredibly arousing.” I took the soap from him and lathered up my hands, then ran them over his broad chest.
“I was really holding back,” he said after a minute. That surprised me. I hadn’t thought he was holding back at all.
“You didn’t have to. I liked it, Dante. A lot.”
“Maybe that’s just because you’re used to people treating you like crap.”
“What?”
“Your family’s horrible, Charlie. That had to have messed with your self esteem. So…I don’t know. Maybe you think you deserve this, to be beaten, to be treated this way. But you don’t, angel. You really, truly don’t.”
“Dante, you didn’t hurt me. It made both of us feel good, and I liked it. So please stop over-thinking it.”
He was quiet throughout the rest of the shower. And afterwards, he dried me so carefully and took me to my bed and laid down with me, holding me in his arms. After awhile he said, “I can never do that to you again.”
“I don’t know why you’re not hearing me when I tell you I liked it.”
“That’s not the point.”
I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, holding on tight.
Chapter Nine
Dante had been quiet all that night. We’d ordered dinner in and spent the evening Googling dog training videos on his phone. Finally when it was time for bed, he tucked me in and kissed me for a long time, then held me and watched me as I fell asleep.
I hadn’t expected him to stay the night, of course. But I still missed him when I woke up alone the next morning. I got dressed, then donned the second pair of big falconry gloves that Dante had bought for me, and went to get Peaches leashed so I could take him for a walk.
The dog growled and raised his hackles when he saw me, but it was sort of half-hearted. He was obviously depressed and missing my mom. Our mom, I corrected myself with an eye roll. He still tried to bite the crap out of me when I got the leash on him and lifted him out of the pen, though.
Peaches was better when I got him outside, more interested in peeing on absolutely everything than in trying to kill me. We ended up taking a two hour walk through Golden Gate Park, and he was good and tired by the time I got him back home.
I put him back in the pen and got him some fresh water, then went to grab a can of his special gluten-free dog food. When I opened the cabinet where the dog’s supplies were stored, I saw that Dante had purchased several cases of Peaches’ expensive food. God, that man was thoughtful. I’d have to remember to thank him. I served Peaches his breakfast, and the dog only had the energy to sneer at me before tucking into his food.
Finally, I turned to the coffee maker. And that’s when I saw the note that was stuck to the top of it.
Three sentences. Twelve little words.
We can’t do this anymore. I’m so sorry. I’ll never forget you.
Dante had broken up with me.
I sunk down onto the kitchen floor and hugged my knees to my chest. “Oh God,” I whispered.
I’d known him such a short time. But in just a few days, he’d become so incredibly important to me. His presence in my life had held the sadness at bay, made me forget all about the misery that my life had become. He’d made me feel cared for, at a time when I needed that so desperately. He’d been so good to me.