I watch as Nate stalks away and Dante returns to the group. He doesn’t even seem flustered.
“Where were we?” he asks smoothly as he pours a glass of lemonade and offers it to me. It actually has mint leaves floating in it. Fancy.
“You were getting ready to tell us that you are bringing Reece to the bonfire tonight,” Gavin answers fluidly without missing a beat.
Gavin turns to me and takes my arm, speaking conspiratorially.
“There will be fresh crab legs, oysters- and you know what those are good for- and clams. And all the fresh melted butter that any girl could ask for. Plus, of course, the fruity drinks with umbrellas that all females appear to worship.” He bats his eyes in exaggeration. “Please say you’ll come. I will die a slow, painful, horrible death if you don’t.”
“What are oysters good for?” I ask him innocently with a straight face. He stares at me as Mia hides a giggle.
“Seriously? You haven’t heard this?” he asks. I shake my head even though I know dang good and well what they are good for.
“They’re aphrodisiacs. Tried and proven,” he thumps his chest proudly. “I’ll make sure they have extras for you tonight, my lovely.”
Gavin grins at me and I have to laugh. He’s ridiculous. But I find that I like it. Charm, cockiness and an inflated sense of ego. What’s not to like? The charm is the key. Without it, he’d just be an ass.
I grin. “Alright. I’ll be there.” But then I look at Dante. “I mean, will we?”
He smiles patiently. “Anything you’d like. You’re a guest in my home. Your wish is my command.”
Gavin looks at him, then at me. “You’d better study your list of commands,” he advises me. “Ask for something good.”
I laugh at his ridiculous expression, then turn to find Dante watching me.
His blue eyes are solemn and I wonder what he is thinking.
Laughingly, I ask, “I can ask for anything?”
Dante leans in, his lips so close to my cheek that I can feel his warm breath.
“Just say the word and it’s yours.”
I suck my breath in and stare at him. He’s seems so serious all of a sudden and my heart starts skipping beats. His nearness is making me crazy. He smells delicious, like the earth, the sea, the sun and the woods. I have to literally bite my lip from replying, You. I want you.
And I realize with a start, that I do.
I do want him.
I’ve known him all of two days and I want him completely, utterly and absolutely.
OhMyWord.
Chapter Eight
The sea here in Caberra is amazing.
During the day, it’s turquoise and clear and smells like salt.
At night, right now, it is massive and black and mysterious. And smells like salt.
I guess that’s the case with the sea anywhere, but it seems especially amazing here. So clean and huge and romantic. Maybe because this is Dante’s home. Or maybe it’s because I’m walking with him right now.
Next to the sea.
In the dark.
Under the stars.
Be still my heart.
“So, what do you think of my home?” Dante asks conversationally as we navigate our way over driftwood that has washed ashore. He gently guides my elbow and I feel my stomach tighten with warm and trembly feelings. He’s just so…perfect. Too good to be true, almost.
“I think it’s beautiful,” I tell him honestly. “It seems so ancient and perfect.”
He smiles in response. “Thank you. It is pretty ancient. Not perfect, though, but it’s close. Tell me more about your home. You haven’t said that much. What would you be doing right now if you were home in Kansas?”
I try to stare at him in the night, but it’s hard because it’s dark. He senses my gaze though and laughs. “Come on. It can’t be that bad.”
I glance again at the sea next to us.
“Coming from here, you can’t begin to imagine a place where there isn’t much natural beauty,” I tell him. “Picture a place where pioneers used to work themselves into an early grave in the sun and dust. And that’s Kansas.”
Dante laughs again.
“But it’s not pioneer days anymore,” he reminds me. “Seriously. I want to picture where you come from. Tell me about it.”
“Okay.” I think on it for a second. “Right now, it is stiflingly hot there. I’m talking hell’s kitchen hot, and not the cool New York City Hell’s Kitchen. I’m talking suck-your-breath-right-out-of-your-body hot. And right now, I’d either be lying on my bed writing in my journal or on my phone with my best friend, Becca. Or I’d be sleeping over at her house. And we might be sneaking out of her window to hang out with our friends. We can’t sneak out of mine- my bedroom is too high up.”
“So, you’re a rule-breaker, then. Noted,” he says. I’m sure his eyes are twinkling again, although I can’t see them to make sure.
“No, I’m really not,” I answer. “We don’t do anything bad. We just meet up with our friends down by the river. We light a little bonfire. Sometimes there’s beer, although I’m not a beer drinker. Sometimes, we float down the river on innertubes, which is pretty cool under the stars. Although, we do have to watch out for Water Moccasins.”
“Water moccasins?”
“Poisonous water snakes. They’re black and look harmless, like a stick floating in the water almost, but when they open up their mouths, the inside is cotton white. That’s why they are also called Cotton Mouths. And they can kill you in the time it takes for you to drive to the hospital.”
Dante winces. “Sounds interesting. Tell me about Becca. How long have you known her?”
We climb a small sand dune and I find that we are really out in the middle of nowhere. Apparently, they come this far out so that Dante can have some privacy as he hangs out with his friends. I think it’s nice that his friends are so understanding.
“Becca is…Becca.”
I try to think of how to describe her.
“She’s wild and crazy and funny. She’s been my best friend since kindergarten. She lives about five minutes from me so we can walk to and fro if we like. She lives on a farm, too. She’s got an older brother, Connor, who is a bull-rider. We go see him ride on Saturdays.”