by Leah Holt
“Come on.” His words were encouraging, laced with strength and conviction.
Staying silent, I took his fingers in mine and let him pull me up. Looking around, we were parked in an empty parking lot. I felt confused and scared. I didn't see Remo and that made me happy.
But the anxiety of when his devilish face would appear sat in the front of my mind, searing my brain with sharp pins and deadly needles.
“It's alright, come on out, we're alone.”
“But for how long?” I asked, throwing my feet over the edge of the trunk. Searching his face, there was something different about him.
He looked relaxed, comfortable, not nearly as agitated as he was when we had left the house.
“Forever, Ivy.” His fingers brushed the trim of my bangs, pushing them away from my face. A delicate smile rested against his cheeks as his eyes darted between mine.
“What the hell are you talking about? Remo's not coming? Did he decide I wasn't worth it?”
“No.” Shaking his head, Dante's thumb curved down my jawline, cupping my chin with his massive hand. “I decided you were worth it.”
“Wa . . . Wait, what? What do you mean?” Twisting my head over my shoulder, I scanned the small parking lot. “I don't trust this, it doesn't feel right.”
“I told you before to trust me.” His thumb drew circles against my skin, talking quietly, Dante smiled. “We're leaving . . . Together, Ivy. I can't give you back to him, you deserve better. I'm going to give you better.”
I wanted to be happy and I was pissed at myself for not being as excited as I thought I should be. But the fear was still there.
Dante was a Pisani. That meant his father would be after him, Remo would be after him.
And caught up in the middle of this mess was me.
He wasn't just risking his life, he was risking it for me.
“Dante, they're going to kill you, your father—he's going to be out for blood if you disobey him.”
Wrapping his arm around my waist, his face crept closer to mine. “I don't care, Ivy, let them come for us. I won't give you back, you're mine.” His lips grazed mine, barely touching. “I love you.” Grabbing my wrists, he unlocked the cuffs, and they fell like paper to the ground. I didn't hear the metal hit the pavement, I didn't hear the sound of the steel as it broke away. All I heard were his words. “I never thought I'd say that, but I do. I love you and I'm not giving away what I found. If my father can't accept that, then fuck him.”
Staring into his eyes, I wondered if he was really ready for what he was saying. “Are you sure about this? Are you really willing to die to save me?”
His smirk seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face. Reaching into his pocket, Dante pulled out a phone. It was different than the one I had seen him with before. I wasn't sure why it surprised me that he had two phones—maybe even more than that. The idea made sense considering his line of work. “Here,” he said, placing it into my hand. “Call your family.”
My chest began to tighten, heart pounding loud as crashing cymbals against my ribs. “Are you serious?”
“Do I look like I'm playing a joke on you?” Brushing the tip of his nose against mine, he said, “I've never been more serious about something in my life. But you need to know you won't be able to go home. . .” His eyes flicked down then up, searching my face for some sign of acceptance. “Maybe one day, but after all this, it'll be too dangerous. They'll look for you there and I won't risk losing you.” Cupping my cheek, his thumb glided over my jaw. “You can understand that, right?”
Forcing my mouth onto his, I kissed him. I kissed him like I'd never felt lips on my face, like the air was new and my body was finally finding out it was alive for the first time.
“I love you, Dante. I love you for stealing me away, I love you for making me yours, I love you.” Tears pricked my eyes as I realized that this love was more than just two people.
We were two people who were going to have to learn to live again. And I was more than willing to learn life all over with this man.
We were two lost bodies living in a world of rules and orders. But now we would be living in a world we would create together.
Nothing was what I had.
Now everything had finally found me.
Twenty-Two
Dante
My phone kept shooting off in my pocket, but I ignored it. I chose to disregard the man on the other end . . . My father.
He was looking for me, he was looking for Ivy. He was waiting.
And no one kept my father waiting. But I had decided to make him second to this.
Ivy needed me, and I wasn't going to let her down. The woman had been tossed into my world by sheer coincidence. She was the end result of bad business, and now she was mine.
I couldn't give her back, no fucking way.
If I sent her back to live the life Remo had mapped out for her, I could never call myself a man again.
Because a real man wouldn't stand by knowing the abuse she would be put through, a real man wouldn't let that motherfucker break the only thing that had ever slipped through the cracks and made them whole.
I was a real man. And I wouldn't apologize for doing the right thing.
Pulling into the parking lot just outside of the city, my heart was stampeding with adrenaline and excitement. For the first time in my life I went against the orders I was given.
And it felt great.
The phone vibrated again for the tenth time and this time I couldn't ignore it. Thinking back on how screwed up it was how my family learned of what Sesto did, I couldn't stomach it. The fact he hadn't told us himself was worse to me than actually knowing that he ratted.
My father at least deserved some explanation from me. I wasn't going to leave him wondering, I owed him that if nothing else.
Slamming the door shut, I walked out into the parking lot, staring at the broken and faint lines painted into the cement. This place was desolate and far enough away from the yard that no one would get here before we were long gone.
Instead of driving to the yard, I drove an hour and half in the opposite direction. We'd have a three-hour head start and not one of my father's men would be able to touch us.
Flipping the phone open, I didn't even have the chance to spit out one word before I got a complete earful. “Where the fuck are you? You're already half an hour late. What the fuck didn't you understand about be at the yard in two hours? Fuck, Dante, I swear sometimes I feel like I'm talking to a fucking child with you.”
“Tell Remo I'm sorry—wait, no, tell him that he can go fuck himself. Make sure that last part is really drawn out. Even flip him off if you want to, that would be good too.”
“What the hell is wrong with you? You know what you need to do, stop screwing around and get here. We don't run on your time, you run on mine.”
“We? What, is he holding your hand right now?”
“Dante.” The harsh sound of his voice sent a spike into my skull. “This isn't a fucking joke. Get. Her. Here. Now.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. I'm not giving her back to him, he doesn't deserve her.”
A loud burst of air scratched through the speaker, the audible yells of Remo were distant, but there. “Dante, this is the last time I'm going to warn you, if you don't get here now, I'll have no choice.”
“That's where you're wrong, you decide the choice. But not this time, this time it's different. I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm out.”
“You're what?” His teeth ground down as the words trickled out like sand. “You're not out, you're never out unless I take you out. You don't get to call the shots, Dante, I do. Do you really want to lose your life because of that woman?”
“I'm not losing anything, I'm gaining everything.” Rubbing my chin, my hand shook slightly as I pressed the phone to my head. “You won't see me again, you won't have to deal with my fuck ups anymore. Isn't that what you wanted? You always held me to a highe
r standard, you always compared me to Sesto until he fucked you over. I was never good enough for you, you made that clear. Now I'm making it easy on you, I'll disappear, I'll evaporate into thin air, and you won't have to see me ever again.”
“That's not true.” His voice fell flat as the world he had created was crumbling around him. “You know that's not true, you're my son, that won't change.”
“But it changed with Sesto . . . Him going to the cops was enough for you to put out a hit on him, he was your son too. When does the line get drawn? When is blood thicker than water?”
My father had always dreamed that my brother and I would take over once he was gone. He had groomed my brother to take his place, fed me all the nutrients I needed to be the second hand. Bane Pisani had created our world, he made himself into an empire that he claimed was for us.
It was always for us. Now it was gone. He had no one left to carry on his creation.
“Yes, it is. Look, I'm not going to dive into the emotional troubles I felt as a kid. This isn't a fucking therapy session, but I did take one thing from my life, the one and only thing I ever saw you show real feelings with. You loved mom, you loved her more than life itself. I finally understand what you meant when you said a love that strong hurts. I hurt . . . I hurt for Ivy. Remo can't have her, she's mine.”
Lowering the phone to my waist, I could hear my father still arguing with himself. But I was done, he heard what I had to say, that was all that mattered to me. He had an explanation for my actions. I loved Ivy.
Ending the call, I held the phone for a moment. This phone had been the life line to reach my father, but I wasn't going to need it anymore. Breaking the burner phone in half, I tossed it out into the empty lot. The plastic clanked as it came down hard, echoing through the desolate space. Throwing that phone sent a surge of freedom through my muscles.
Ivy and I had more in common than I thought. We were both slaves to the men who held our lives, we were both living for others without a choice.
We were both finally free.
I was done being who I was, I was done living for a man who didn't see any value to his own son. I was done being a Pisani.
That wasn't me . . . Not anymore.
I found what fed my veins and breathed life into my soul.
My Ivy.
And that was enough for me.
Epilogue
Dante
Sliding the card into the lock, I heard the beep and felt the lock slip free. Popping the door open, I pushed it with my hip and walked in.
My arms were full, holding two paper sacks of groceries . . . And a book Ivy pleaded for. It was hell to find, but I got it done. I always did.
“Ivy, you are one lucky girl.” Dropping the bags on the small table by the door, I flipped the lock into place and double checked it twice to make sure it was secure.
We had been on the run for a month now, but nothing would ever be safe for us. Ivy asked me if I was going to go to the cops . . . I said no.
And she wasn't going either.
I might have just done one of the most fucked up things to my father. But the cops—that was a blatant death sentence. My hope was that he'd just chalk this up as a lost cause, and forget I ever existed.
My mother was the rational one. If she had been here, none of this would have happened. There was no way in hell she would've let Ivy get stuck in the middle of this. My mother would have ordered my father to help her, she would have thrown herself into the pit of hell to help Ivy.
Maybe it was my mother that had helped me open my eyes and see what I needed to do. Maybe it was her hand reaching down and giving me the strength to do what's right.
Lord knows that I had never been weak . . . Until her.
As for Remo, he would try and find us, there was doubt about that. But I already had a plan for him. All I needed was a little more time and he'd have his day.
“I already knew that.” Winking, she rolled onto her belly on the hotel mattress and kicked her heels into her ass.
Fuck, I loved that ass.
“No, I don't think you do. Do you know what I had to go through to get this fucking book?”
Propping her chin up on the back of her palm, she smiled through those gorgeous lips I couldn't get enough of, teasing me with that grin. “Did you have to kill some little old lady? Because if you did, I'd say you have no idea how worth it it was.”
Chuckling, I pulled a bottle of water from the bag and tossed her book onto the end of the bed. “All I'm say is that you owe me.”
“Shit, I know what you want.”
Cocking my head, I asked, “Oh you do?”
“Anal.” Pointing her finger at me, she twirled it in small circles. “I know that look and that one right there says anal.”
“What? Come on.” Fanning out my arms, I pursed my mouth to the side and made a loud raspberry sound with my lips. “I don't have an anal look.”
“You do, and that face is it.” Bending up on her knees, Ivy bounced her ass generously into the air. “And it's totally worth it, you deserve my ass for the find.” Rolling her hips, her ass jiggled and danced.
“Fuck, woman, you're not even going to get to read that thing if this is your thank you for it.” Lifting the book up, I flipped the pages. “I might take you up on that, then I'll just bring it back.” My lips pulled back, baring my teeth. “Then I'll go find it again and again.”
“I don't think so.” Snapping her body upright, she plucked the book from my hands. “Besides, it's not like you never get it.” Shaking her ass again, she pushed her hips back and lifted her backside towards my face.
My dick thickened, the blood draining from my head and filling my pants with delirious quickness. I suddenly felt light headed, the air seeped slowly into my lungs, defying gravity and never making it to my brain.
Stepping closer to the end of the bed, I drew long letters over her cheek. 'M. I.' Swirling to the next voluptuous curve arching high, I kept tracing the imaginary letters. 'N. E.'
“That's right,” she said, whispering over her shoulder as her eyes turned sultry, sparking with desire. “I am yours.”
Bringing a heavy hand down hard onto her ass, I let the jiggle settle against my palm. “Fuck.” The air whooshed out of my lungs, my hands slipping up her back and sliding back down to grab the edge of her shorts.
Tearing them over her ass, her wet pussy glistened, eager and clenching the air around it. But I wasn't going for pussy tonight . . .
Ivy said anal.
“Fuck me, Dante.” Grinding back, her hips rolled side to side, making a perfect figure eight. “You know you want this, so take it.”
“Maybe I want to see you sweat a little.” Unbuttoning my pants, I shifted them down my legs and kicked them off. “It's fun to watch you beg for me.”
A soft giggle played off her tongue. “You're so bad,” she said, licking her lips as she moaned.
Digging my fingers into her ass, I leaned over and spoke firmly into her ear. “My bad behavior is what you love most . . . Isn't it?”
“Dante, your bad behavior is what makes my toes curl, it makes my head spin, and my heart skip.” Drawing her tongue across my jaw, she bit the side of my neck. “It makes me love you.”
Growling deep, I raked my nails into her skin, leaving long thick tracks. Licking my palm, I wet the tip of my dick and placed the head of my cock against her tight hole. Thumbing her clit, I rolled the pad against her swelling button.
Her moan was euphoric, sending prickles over my body. Lifting her ass higher, Ivy pressed back, the tip of my cock popping into her ass. I let her take the lead, she was so fucking hot that her body was moving and I wasn't sure she even realized it.
Rocking back, she slowly took my length, her head dropping to the mattress as it disappeared inside her. Every move she made was begging me to push her harder and faster.
Keeping my thumb against her clit, I let her ride my cock at the pace she desired. Her ass was tight, squeezing around my di
ck. Slipping some of her wetness over my shaft, she glided easily up and down as she bounced gently.
Her moans were growing louder, eyes locking shut as she let her chest fall forward, fingers twining around the sheet.
“Mm, Dante, fuck, I'm so close.”
Swirling my thumb faster and faster, I bucked my hips and fucked her ass. I felt my lower belly start to tingle, the sensation riding my muscles and turning my dick into steel. My balls tightened, pulling in as I felt the load move through my cock.
Hitting the tip, I let my juice explode into her ass. Ivy screamed, pushing her face deeper into the bed, her knuckles turning white as her body rushed with electric sparks. I watched the goosebumps jump off her skin, sweat dripping down the trench of her arched back and pooling at the base of her back.
The two dimples over her ass filled, resembling tiny ponds, and making me laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” she asked, flattening her body against the sheet.
My cock slipped free with a wet slurp as I lowered beside her. “Your ass.”
“My ass? Thanks, thanks for the confidence boost there.”
Patting the tip of my finger in one of the tiny pools, I flicked the sweat with a quick tap. “Your ass would make a perfect still if we were ever trapped and needed water.”
Giggling, Ivy rolled to her back and rubbed her backside. “Good to know. Let's hope we never have to do that.”
“Hey, we're on the run, life can throw you curve balls.”
Rolling her eyes, Ivy pushed herself up on the bed. “I think I've had enough curve balls in my life.”
Laying down next her, Ivy lifted the book off the nightstand and flipped it open. I couldn't stop staring at her, she was so beautiful. She was the most fragile and gorgeous thing I had ever laid eyes on.
And she was mine.
Peering at me from the corner of her eye, Ivy said, “What?”
