But, then, there was a part of his brain that told him he had to think this through. Holly was already dealing with so much, and the responsibility of motherhood had been thrust on her and derailed her career. She loved being a chef as much as he did, and he couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have that yanked away from him.
“Dante?” Noah asked. “You look like you’re a million miles away.”
He shook his head. “Holly’s been through a lot,” he said. “You guys don’t even know the half of it. I’m not dumping this on her.”
“Dumping this on her?” Frankie asked incredulously. “She’s your mate. You are not ‘dumping’ anything on her.”
“Look, she might not even be my True Mate,” Dante said. The words sent his wolf on edge, as if daring him to say it again.
Alynna eyes widened. “Your wolf knows she is.”
He let out a sigh. “Even if she is,” he began, “I’m not going to fuck this up by getting her pregnant against her will.”
“You wouldn’t be,” Frankie said. “She’d make a great mother. She already is a great mom.”
Dante was losing his patience. Frankie and Alynna had stars in their eyes, probably already planning the wedding. “Look, just … let me figure this out, okay? No meddling.”
“Are you falling in love with her?” Frankie asked.
Noah cleared his throat. “I think we should head to the dining room. It’s almost three-thirty, and you know Gianna will lose her mind if we’re not all seated by the time she brings the antipasta out.”
Dante gave his father a grateful look for the quick subject change. The topic would be tabled for now, but Frankie’s question hung in the air. Was he falling in love with Holly? Shit. He was halfway there already.
***
Dinner was a lively affair as the Anderson-Muccino-Moretti-Westbrooke clan were a vibrant bunch. Despite her initial apprehensions, Holly found herself warmly welcomed and enjoying herself throughout the whole thing.
She looked over to the children’s table. Hannah was smiling and eating, something so rare since she came to live with her. Holly could hardly be resentful, though. All that mattered was that Hannah actually looked happy, surrounded by children who accepted her for who she was. Her eyes actually went misty a couple of times, such as when Adrianna and Lucas had embraced her fiercely when they saw her and when Noah told her it was okay to not talk.
As she took a sip of her wine, she glanced up slyly at Dante, who sat beside her. He was talking to Matt, who was seated on his right. Hannah was smiling because of Dante. Hell, she hadn’t felt this happy herself in a long while.
Holly felt eyes on her, and she looked across the table. Noah was watching her with a curious look on his face, and she blushed. He’d obviously caught her looking at his son. She turned away, hoping to escape his scrutiny. She still wasn’t quite sure what to think of Noah. Dante had never talked about him or his mother. She gathered that his mother had probably passed away, but he’d never mentioned his dad.
“Holly, would you like another slice of pie?” Frankie asked.
“Oh no, I’m stuffed, thank you. Everything was delicious,” she told Gianna.
“Thank you, dear,” the older woman replied. “And your macrons were amazing. Thank you for bringing them.” The kids were also impressed by the “rainbow cookies” (as Mika Anderson had dubbed them) she brought.
“Of course.”
Frankie glanced at her watch. “It’s almost time to go. Probably time to round up the kids.”
“You know it’s gonna be tough,” Alynna said. “They’re going to cry and moan at being separated. I mean, they all live in the same building! You’d think they’re never going to see each other again.”
The rest of the adults stood and began to clean up the table, with the exception of Nonna Gianna, who was, by virtue of being the cook, exempted from cleanup duty. Holly brought some dishes into the kitchen, but she was promptly shut out from further cleanup duty by none other than the men of Dante’s family.
“You’re a guest,” Matt said, pushing her gently out the door. “And guests don’t clean.”
“If you want to make it up to me, you can put in a good word for me to your hot boss,” Enzo added. “Now go. Have a glass of wine and put your feet up.”
“Fine,” she said with a short laugh. She turned around and walked away from the kitchen. Peeking into the living room, she saw the kids were cleaning up discarded toys, probably getting ready to leave. With so many people in the house, the air had gotten quite warm. So, Holly quietly padded to the front door and stepped out onto the porch to enjoy the fresh, cold air.
“Feeling a little hot in there, huh?”
Holly nearly jumped out of her skin. She didn’t realize Noah had joined her on the porch. God, he moved quietly. Now she knew where Dante got it from.
“Sorry to startle you,” he said with a sheepish grin.
“No worries,” she replied. “Uhm, Dante’s in the kitchen, I think.”
“I know.” He stepped forward, his heavy boots making the wooden floorboard shake. “I just needed a little air. Like you did, I guess.”
She shrugged. “It was just getting a little stuffy inside.”
“Mind if I just stand out here with you?”
“Go ahead.”
They stood there for a few moments, enjoying the silence of the cold winter night. Finally, it was Noah who spoke first.
“Dante told me about what happened to your niece. I’m sorry about your brother and his wife. I think it’s admirable, what you’re doing for her.”
She let out an impatient sigh. “People seem to think I’m some kind of saint,” she began. “But she’s my only family left. What was I supposed to do? Anyone would have done the same.” It really was frustrating, all those pitying looks she got when they found out about Hannah. And all those fawning sighs, telling her how “brave” she was for taking her niece in. Frankly, she was getting sick of it. “I should go inside.” She turned to walk away.
“No, they wouldn’t. I wouldn’t have.” He paused. “I mean, I didn’t.”
Holly’s hand on the doorknob froze. “Excuse me?”
“You’re probably wondering why Dante’s never mentioned me before,” he began. “That’s because I abandoned them before he was born. I left after I got their mother pregnant again and Frankie was about two years old.”
Slowly, she turned around. Noah had abandoned his pregnant wife and child? Her mind whirled with questions. But mostly, she felt outrage on Dante and Frankie’s behalf. How could he do that? How could Frankie and Dante welcome him back? Her fingers curled into fists.
“You probably hate me, and that’s understandable,” he said. “And maybe someday you’ll find out my reasons and you’ll forgive me. Or at least understand.”
Curiosity pricked at her. “Why are you telling me this?”
He shrugged. “Because, like I said, not everyone would have done what you did. Some people run away from responsibility, to follow what they think are their dreams and end up regretting it their whole lives.” He paused and looked out toward the road. “Frankie … she has her mother’s temper. Didn’t want anything to do with me when I came to them last year. Dante, on the other hand, was the first one to welcome me back. Has his mother’s heart.” He looked at her knowingly.
A lump formed in her throat, and she swallowed it down. “I—”
“There you are,” Dante said, his head sticking out from behind the door. “It’s almost time to go. We should say goodbye to everyone.”
“Of course,” she said. “What about you, Noah?”
“You go ahead. I’ll be inside in a minute.”
“Thanks for the company,” she said, before following Dante into the room.
“Everything okay?” Dante asked, concern marring his face.
“Yes,” she said. “Just needed some fresh air.”
They walked to the living room, where all the adults and kids were gather
ed. The kids, who she had heard moaning and crying earlier, now seemed resigned to their separation.
“Promise we’ll see you again?” Adrianna said to Hannah, who looked at Holly. “I want her to meet Bailey. That’s our dog; she’s the best. My Aunt Cady and Nick have her, since we can’t take her to Paris to see Nana.”
“I’ll get your mother’s number,” Holly said. “And we’ll arrange playdates.”
Adrianna hugged Hannah. “Oh, Julianna says you can keep the wolf,” she said, pointing to the stuffed animal in Hannah’s arms. “It’s really good at keeping nightmares away.” The little girl trudged toward her mother, who was chatting with her brothers.
With such a big group, the goodbyes took longer, but, finally, everyone was in their respective vehicles, on their way to their destinations. Holly, Dante, and Hannah were in the car, driving back to Manhattan in relatively comfortable silence.
Holly couldn’t get Noah’s cryptic words out of her mind. What did he mean? Why did he leave them? And had Dante really forgiven him?
“Penny for your thoughts?”
“Huh? Oh.” She shrugged and looked behind her. Holly was fast asleep. “I just … I hope you don’t mind if I ask. About your dad. He told me about leaving you guys.”
“Ah.”
“I mean, it’s fine. You don’t have to—”
“It’s okay.” He paused as he merged onto the highway, checking the mirror to make sure it was clear. “I didn’t meet him until last year,” he said. “It’s hard to explain, but he’s what we call a Lone Wolf. He has no clan and just wanders around.”
“Why doesn’t he have a clan?”
“Well, Noah … he’s not like other Lycans. We live with our wolves, sharing our bodies peacefully most of the time. We learn to control it, so it doesn’t control us. But Noah’s not like that. He doesn’t talk about it, but I think he went through a hard time when he was young. Anyway, his wolf is broken and can’t stay put. Ma was Alpha, and he must have felt his control slipping, which is why he chose to stay away. If he had hurt anyone or risked our secret, Ma would have had no choice but to put him down.”
The words sent a chill through her. Is that what they did to people who tried to reveal their secret? She supposed it was necessary to protect their kind.
“Hey, everything okay? I hope tonight wasn’t too much,” he said.
“No, it was wonderful. Hannah had a great time.”
“Yeah, but did you have a good time?”
She smiled. “Yeah, I did.”
Dante flashed her a grin that made her stomach flip-flop. Outside, the snow had begun to fall, and he drove slower and more carefully. It took them much longer to get back to New York, but they made it eventually. Hannah was fast asleep, so Dante picked her up and carried her all the way up to their apartment.
“Wait.” Dante said as she was about to open the door. “Do you trust me?”
“Huh?” What was he talking about.
“Do you trust me?” he repeated.
“I … I guess? Yes.”
“Good. I’m going in to put Hannah in bed, and I need you to stay here for a bit, until I come back out, okay?”
What was he up to? “All right.”
He opened the door and closed it behind him. A few minutes later he came out. “Okay, so I cashed in a favor from a couple of friends of mine. Now, don’t freak out, but … I kind of asked them to break into your apartment.”
“You what?” she asked, her voice raising.
“Ssshh … get mad at me later. Right now, there’s something you need to see.” He held out his hand, and she took it reluctantly. She let him lead her inside the dark apartment.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said impatiently. “What are you—” She let out a gasp as the lights came on. Only they weren’t coming from her ceiling lights.
Christmas lights illuminated the living room, strung up all over the place, over the windows and across the ceiling like a canopy. Fresh evergreen and holly bouquets dotted the various surfaces of the room, making the room smell like a forest. A wreath hung on an empty wall, as well as three stockings. And in the corner was an enormous Christmas tree, heavy with decorations and lights. The area under the tree was overflowing with wrapped gifts.
Holly was stunned, and she blinked a few times. “You … did this?”
“Like I said, I asked for a favor from a friend of mine. He owes me. Though looking at what he’s done here, I probably owe him a couple of free meals,” he said. “He, uh, got into your apartment. His wife Luna has a great artistic eye. I bet she probably set this up. I only asked him to get the tree and presents.”
“Why?”
“Well, you said you didn’t have time to prepare, and I wanted to make sure Hannah has a good Christmas morning. I kept the lights off when I brought her in, so she’ll be really surprised tomorrow.” He stared down at her, his eyebrows drawing together. “Shit, I’m sorry. I probably overstepped—”
Holly cut him off by snaking her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. She wasn’t sure what had gotten into her. Maybe it was the season. Or maybe she was just tired of fighting and building up her walls. She didn’t quite know why; all she knew was that she wanted Dante.
Dante seemed like he was caught off guard for a moment, but he quickly returned her kiss. He sipped at her lips, tasting her. His hands moved down her waist, pulling her to him. She gasped against his mouth when his erection became evident, pressing into her hip.
“Dante,” she whispered when she pulled away. “Let’s go to my room.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low and husky.
She nodded. “Yes. But we’ll have to be … quiet.”
“Oh, I can be quiet,” he said. “But can you?”
Before she could answer, Dante swept her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.
“I can walk,” she giggled, but laid her head on his chest anyway, breathing in his scent. It seemed to wrap around her, filling her and making her feel at ease.
“I know, but it seemed more romantic this way,” he said as he laid her down on the bed, then stood back. He stared down at her with those unusual eyes. In the low light of her bedroom, they glowed, and she gasped. But she wasn’t afraid. Not anymore.
Holly reached down to undo her boots as Dante began to unbutton his shirt, then shrugged it off. He was even sexier than she’d imagined, with those broad shoulders and olive skin. His muscles rippled and stretched under the taut skin. His body would have been the envy of any Michelangelo statue. God, was he even real? Those six-pack abs and the V of his hips looked like they’d been Photoshopped on.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a grin as he reached for the fly on his jeans. She had a witty comeback in mind, but it went out the window when he whipped his pants and underwear down in one motion. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his naked cock, hard and jutting out from between his legs. For moment, Holly wondered if this was physically possible. She wasn’t a virgin or anything, but her experience was limited and she didn’t even want to think of the last time she’d been with a man. But Dante’s … tool seemed like more than she could take.
“I guess you do like what you see,” he chuckled as he got on the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight.
“I don’t have … I mean, I’m not on the pill or anything,” she said shyly.
“Don’t worry,” he said and held up his hand, a foil packet between his fingers. “I only have one, though. But I can get more from the store later.”
More? How many times was he planning to have sex tonight?
Dante stretched out beside her, then cupped her chin as he kissed her again. God, his kisses made her boneless, and it was a good thing she was already lying down or she surely would have melted into a puddle on the floor. Dante rolled over on top of her, bracing his weight on his elbows so as not to crush her. His kissed turned urgent and his hands moved lower, slipping under her legg
ings to skim over her underwear. Fingers stroked her through the fabric, which was already soaked at this point. Pushing it aside, he slid his forefinger against her slit, rubbing it until she moaned into his mouth.
“Dante,” she cried, her hips pushing up off the bed as he slid one digit into her.
“You’re so wet and tight,” he whispered, thrusting his hand against her. His thumb found her clit, brushing it until she was panting. “I can’t wait. I need to taste you. I’m sorry.”
What?
The sound of fabric ripping startled her, and by the time she looked down, her leggings and underwear were scraps of fabric around her hips and legs. She’d forgotten how strong he was, and her clothes were probably like tissue paper in his hands. Not wanting to ruin her favorite sweater, she whipped it over her head, then unclasped her bra as Dante grabbed her ankles and pulled her down.
Dante spread her knees and looked up at her. “Hold on tight. And try not to scream,” he said with a grin as he dove between her legs.
Holly let out a squeak the moment Dante’s tongue touched her core. She grabbed the headboard with one hand, while she placed the other over her mouth and bit it to keep from crying out. He licked at her, teasing her until she was writhing underneath his talented mouth. He sucked on her clit, flicking the sensitive button over and over again until she was bucking into his face, riding out her orgasm. Hands slipped under her buttocks to steady her and pull her closer as he thrust his tongue right into her core.
“Dante,” she moaned against the back of her hand as her body spasmed and waves of ecstasy bobbed through her. Finally, she sank back down, panting and her chest heaving.
“I want to be inside you,” he said as he looked up at her, his eyes glowing again.
“Yes, please,” she moaned. “Dante. I need you.”
He quickly ripped open the foil packet and slipped the condom over his penis then positioned himself between her legs. Without another word, he bent his head to give her another bone-melting kiss. She felt him shift his hips and nudge her entrance with the tip of his cock.
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