Page 26 of Dante
“What do you mean?”
Banner gave me a look. “Do you not watch movies or anything?” I shook my head. “Huh. Yeah, well, I guess my dad had a thing for that certain comic, and my mom just said sure.”
I placed my arm around Banner’s shoulders. I had no clue what he was talking about, but I was going to search at my earliest chance. “You don’t talk about them. Do you want to go see them?”
Banner shook his head. “No. They…” Banner sighed. “I’m a disappointment to them that I didn’t jump right back into college after I was rescued.” Banner looked up at me, then leaned in a bit. I felt his arm around my waist, but he dropped it as soon as the festival came into view. I was torn about whether I should keep mine on his shoulder or drop it. I chose to keep it there, and Banner looked up at me again and smiled.
“I’m sorry they have taken that stance.”
“Eh. It’s all right. They were already pushing me to be something that I didn’t want. It’s not like it’s anything different. They weren’t terrible parents, but they did want a lot from me.” Banner pointed, and I saw what he was indicating.
“There are your cupcakes. And they are right next to the cocoa. Shall we?”
I would have gotten him cocoa anytime he wanted, and would in the future—all he had to do was ask. But I also understood it was part of the charm of the night. It was the winter solstice, and we were here to celebrate it. That and ithelped to bring a bit of unity to everyone. We all got together and hung out in a non-work-type situation.
“Isn’t that one of your pack?” Banner asked. I looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded.
“Yes. That’s Atticus. The blond with him is his mate, Brice. The tall, dark-haired teenager behind them is Ansel. He’s also a hellhound. They adopted him after he returned from our realm with them.”
Banner nodded. “I’ve heard about him from Sean.”
“Probably. Ansel hangs out with Sean and Longwei from time to time. He spends a lot of time at home though. Atticus and Brice live off of the mountain, and he’s not up here a whole lot outside of pack runs.”
“He was the smaller hellhound, then?”
I looked down at Banner and nodded. He smiled up at me, and I couldn’t resist my mate any longer. I knew that tonight would be a turning point for us in some way. I leaned down and kissed his forehead. I held myself close for a moment and heard Banner’s sharp intake of breath. “I want this to work, Banner,” I whispered. “I’m afraid I’m messing everything up, but I’m going to try to be the mate you deserve if you’ll give me the chance,” I told him before I stood up.
When I looked down at Banner, he was still smiling up at me, and I could sense the happiness he was feeling. He moved closer, placing his arm around my waist again. “I want that,” Banner said quietly. “I’ve been waiting for that and more. For all of it.”
I tried my best to grin back at my mate, and when I couldn’t stop myself, I leaned down and gently touched my lips to his. Where mine were warm, his were cool from the air, and I wanted nothing more than to ensure he was always warm and safe.
I kept the kiss short and didn’t take it any further, and when I pulled away, Banner looked as if he’d just experienced something…wonderful. I vowed then to never deny himanything ever again if possible. I meant it when I said I wanted to give him everything, and I would. Starting now.
Chapter 10
Banner
My mate was kissing me! He’d actually…I don’t know, because my brain was certainly short-circuiting. Dante was kissing me, and it was the best thing ever. When he pulled away, I could only smile up at him. And then my brain finally kicked in.
“Can we go?” I asked. Dante looked confused. “Seriously, Dante. You’ve been amazing and absolutely wonderful for weeks, but it’s been weeks. And you just kissed me for the first time ever, and it was wonderful, but now I don’t want to be here. I want to be home, alone with you. Your place is closer, and we don’t have to do more than just…I don’t know. I’m not saying I think you’re going to claim me or anything, but—” Dante stopped me with another kiss. This one with a bit more pressure, but still just as innocent as the first.
“We can go home and see where things go.”
I was all for it. I was ready to go, and I took a step toward the direction to leave. Dante redirected me, taking me farther into the festival but keeping toward the side. It was when we finally made a right turn that I realized where he was leading me. We were going to his place. I should have picked up on that before.
“Oh, wow. You’re going to have to hear everything from the festival all night.”
Dante chuckled. “No. The festival will only go until ten. But it will be very quiet in the house regardless.”
That’s right. The houses were soundproofed because they shared a wall with the neighbor. Nobody wanted to hear when their fellow enforcer might get lucky and have a hookup at their place for the night.
I glanced up at my mate, able to see him just a bit in the dim light. “Can I ask why you have been so hesitant? Is it because of what happened to me?”
Dante hesitated for a moment before he continued walking. “I’ll answer that question as soon as we’re inside. But no, it is not because of what you most likely think.”
I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. All along, I had thought he didn’t want me because of what had happened to me in the jungle. Maybe it was my harsh words after all.
“Stop,” Dante said. Except he didn’t stop walking. “Your mind is going places it shouldn’t. We will talk once we get back to mine. Until then, don’t make assumptions.”
