Behind the Secrets (Behind the Lives #4) (28 page)

21

Dante

Dante
felt hands massaging his shoulders, kneading his tight muscles. Half-asleep, he
tilted his head back, enjoying the massage, his shoulders needing it.

“You’re so tense,” Jade said. “You
should go lie down on your bed and I’ll give you a full massage.”

Dante’s eyes shot open. He glanced back,
finding Jade standing behind the couch, massaging his shoulders. Dante bolted
off the couch, angry that Jade was touching him again. “Why can’t you keep your
bloody hands offa me?” he snapped, glaring at him. When he’d sat down to watch
the porno, no one else had been home, both Jade and L saying they wouldn’t be
back until late. His eyes moved to the TV, which was now off, Jade obviously not
appreciating the girl-on-girl action.

“I was just massaging you,” Jade said. “You
looked stiff.”

“My cock ain’t stiff for you, so fuck
off,” Dante spat, heading around the couch.

Jade followed him out of the lounge. “You
know I didn’t mean that. Why do you have to be so rude?”

Ignoring him, Dante took to the
staircase.

“Dante!”

Dante stopped at the top and glared down
at Jade. “What?!”

“I wish you wouldn’t act like this
around me, making out that my touch is repulsive. It hurts me.”

“Then you shouldn’t touch me without
permission.”

“I can’t help it, I care for you; you’re
not just an employee to me, you’re so much more, and I didn’t cross any
boundaries, you were fully clothed and it was only a massage.”

“Maybe I’d believe you if you didn’t
tell everyone I wuz your bloody boyfriend. Don’t go speaking shit ’bout me, or
I
will
move out.”

Jade grimaced. “You don’t have to be so cruel.”

“I’m not bein’ cruel, I’m tellin’ ya
like it us. Just move onto someone who wants your small dick.”

“Dante!”

“And tight arse. There you go, I can be
nice.”

A slight smile broke through Jade’s
upset expression. “You think I have a tight arse?”

“Yeah, it’s just not my taste since
there’s a cock in front of it.”

“But you came.”

“I wuz drunk, you paid me, I did the
job, now stop talkin’ ’bout it, you’ll scar me.”

“Why do you have to make out it was
terrible. People say I’m beautiful, why can’t you see that too?”

“Cos I’m only attracted to females.”

“Llewellyn’s not a female, yet you keep
staring at him.”

“She looks like one.”

“What if I dress up like a female? I can
stuff a bra and wear a wig, along with some makeup.”

“You told me you didn’t like doin’ that
shit.”

“I’ll try anything for you. I’ll even
strap myself up down below so you’ll see nothing.”

“I still can’t have a relationship with
a man, it won’t work out.”

“You could at least try.”

“Why? I’m not attracted to you. I really
should move out, cos this isn’t doin’ either of us any good.”

“No! I’ll back off, I won’t bug you
again.”

“Good, cos I do like you as a mate. If
we can keep shit platonic, we’ll have no problems.”

Jade nodded, although his eyes said
differently, the dude obviously not able to let things go. Sighing, Dante
turned to his room, stopping as the neighbouring door opened. L stepped out,
wearing black leggings and a flouncy blouse, which was obviously not warm
enough, because her nipples could poke out his eyeballs if he got too close.
Dante’s cock twitched, finding L a hundred times more arousing than the lame
porn he’d fallen asleep to.

L made a coughing sound.

Dante’s gaze rose to her face, which was
flushed red. Dante grimaced, realising he’d checked her out unintentionally.
But it was hard not to, the chick was so fucking fine.

“Sorry,” he said, thinking he was living
in a freak show, where guys looked like hot chicks and gay dudes wanted his
cock in places the sun didn’t shine.

He slipped inside his room and locked
the door. His gaze dropped to his cock, which was now hard, L to blame. He
swore, needing the opposite of Viagra, because he was sick of always being
horny. The psychiatrist had told him his out of control sex drive was largely due
to his bipolar disorder. She’d given him something to keep it in check, but the
damn pills had made him too sleepy, so he’d stopped taking them. Then bam, he
was fucking horny all the time again, like a crazed dog in heat.

He removed his shirt and kicked off his
pants, stripping bare. Grabbing the used towel off the floor, he lay down on
his bed and started jacking off. Wanting to get rid of his hard-on faster, he
imagined fucking L’s tits, sliding his cock between her pert mounds. He
grimaced, his hand not convincing enough, his bastard cock wanting the real
deal, or even better, red hot pussy, like he imagined L would have.

Closing his eyes, he imagined spreading
her legs and fucking her ginger cunt, taking her hard. Then he would push her
tits together, sucking on both, before biting down on her nipples, making her
scream out his name. He yelled out, coming at the thought, his cum shooting over
his chest and stomach, even hitting his fucking neck, the orgasm more intense
than normal—just short-lived, like someone had flicked the switch off without
consulting his cock.

Scowling, he wiped himself off, the
aftermath a right bitch lately. Although his orgasms were getting stronger,
once they were finished it felt like he hadn’t come. Even worse, that was when the
guilt kicked him in the nuts, since he was usually thinking about another
chick. But he was getting nothing from Beth, not even a blowjob, and it wasn’t
like he was fucking L for real, which would never happen, because the chick was
a bona fide prude. Not only that, he didn’t love her, like he did Beth ... and Kara.
He swore, wishing he could fucking stop thinking about that bunny-boiler. But
what he wanted was never what he got, which was Kara, because in all truth, he knew
he wanted her more than Beth.

Swinging his legs out of bed, he swiped his
phone off the side cabinet, needing to find out where Kara had disappeared to.
He’d heard that the police had released her; he just didn’t know where she’d
gone to... He swore again, realising he was thinking about Kara when he should
be thinking about the mother of his child.

Needing to focus on Beth, he dialled her
number, getting an automated message saying it was no longer in use. He phoned
again, thinking he’d dialled the wrong number, but again, he got the same
message. He tried her landline, getting the answer phone. He left a message,
telling her to call him back, and that there was something wrong with her
mobile, then headed for the shower. After a quick rinse off, he grabbed the
towel hanging over the shower and got out, freezing at the sight of Kara. She
was sitting on the floor, in the far corner of the bathroom, with her knees to
her chest, watching him.

“What the fuck?!” he snapped, freaked
out. “How’d you get in ’ere?”

She dropped her head, hiding her face in
her knees.

Wrapping the towel around his hips, he
walked over to her. “You’re acting like a stalker again.”

Her head whipped up. “I am not! All I
want are answers.” She pushed to her feet. “You say you love me and that you want
to be with me, then you leave me high and dry, disappearing without even giving
me a reason why.”

“You already know I wuz in the loony
bin. I lost it after Beth told me she wuz pregnant, and don’t you dare attack
me again. You almost fuckin’ killed me, you psycho bitch.”

She covered her face, her hands shaking.

“Fuck! Why are you cryin’?
You
attacked me; I have a right to be pissed.”

She continued crying, which was unlike
Kara, the woman usually tough.

He grimaced, feeling guilty in spite of
what she’d done to him. “Okay, I admit I shouldn’t have dumped you, and if
things went the way I’d planned, I wouldn’t have. But Beth’s pregnant with my
kid. For once in my damn life, I hafta do the right thing.”

She dropped her hands. “You’re not doing
the right thing. You just said if she wasn’t pregnant you’d be with me.”

“Regardless, I still love her.”

Kara screwed up her face, her expression
anguished. “But you’re still choosing her because of the child.”

He breathed out, nodding a second later.

“So, if I was pregnant you’d choose me
over her?”

He nodded again, feeling like shit for
hurting her.

“I wish I’d told you I was pregnant when
Beth did.”

“There would’ve been no use in lying, I
would’ve found out the truth eventually.”

“I wouldn’t have been lying.”

Dante jerked his head back. “What?”

“I only just found out.”

His stomach dropped. “You’re pregnant
too?”

“
Was
. I had a miscarriage this
morning.” She covered her face again, sobbing into her hands.

“Jesus, I’m so sorry.” He moved forward
and wrapped his arms around her.

She leaned her head against his chest. “I
wanted your baby so bad. I used to dream of having mini versions of you and me
running around the house.” She let out a pained laugh. “They would’ve been
little devils, causing us so much trouble, and I would’ve loved every minute of
it.”

Without warning, her legs gave out, Kara
almost slipping out of his grasp. Dante picked her up and carried her to his
bed. He lay her down and covered her with a blanket, where she curled up into a
ball, crying into his pillow.

He snatched up his pants and jumped into
them. “You stay here,” he said, zipping himself up. “Get some sleep while I go
sort things out for you.”

She didn’t reply, only her sobs leaving
her lips.

He bent down and kissed her head. “I
love you.” Without another word, he headed out of the room, quickly descending
the staircase, needing to tell Jade that Kara was staying for the time being.
He went into the lounge, finding Jade talking to L on the couch.

Dante zeroed in on Jade. “Kara’s in my
bed.”

Looking horrified, Jade jumped up and
pulled out his phone. “I’ll call the police.”

Dante snatched the phone out of Jade’s
hand. “No, she stays.”

“Like hell she will! She assaulted you.”

“I don’t fuckin’ care what she did to
me! She stays!”

“But Dante—”

Dante pointed a finger at him. “Don’t
say another fuckin’ word, or I’ll go upstairs and pick her up and walk outta
here. And if I do that, you’ll never see me again. I’ll be done with you and
that contract you think gives you a right over me.”

Jade’s face dropped. “But you’re with
Beth.”

“All I care ’bout right now is the grief
stricken woman in my bed. She just lost a child, so don’t you dare go near
her.”

“She had a child?”

“She miscarried it.”

“I didn’t know she was pregnant.”

“She didn’t either until this morning—after
she’d lost it. So, have some compassion and leave her be.”

“I wouldn’t put it past that woman to
lie.”

Dante grabbed Jade by the shirt and
yanked him to him. “She didn’t lie! And don’t you fuckin’ dare say that again.”
He shoved him back.

Jade straightened himself, looking
flustered and lost for words. Dante’s eyes moved to L, as the chick went to
Jade. She pulled Jade to her, her green eyes hard on Dante. “Don’t touch him
like that again,” she said, her voice soft, but firm. “All he’s done is try to
help you. If you’re not happy with things, go elsewhere.”

“Maybe I will.”

“No!” Jade said, pulling free from L. “I
promise I won’t go near Kara.”

L turned to Jade. “I know how much you
care for him, I understand that, I feel the same way about his brother, but I
also know Ash doesn’t want me. He will never want me, and Dante’s the same with
you. You need to accept that, like I’ve accepted my lot.”

“But I love him.”

“Like I love Ash. But if you love
somebody, you need to let them choose who they want to be with, no matter how
much it hurts.”

Dante blinked at L, not realising the
chick loved his bro.

L turned her glare back on Dante. “And
you need to show some compassion for Jade’s feelings. Of course you have to
tell him you’re not interested, but stop doing it so cruelly. If you expect
compassion, you need to give it in return, because right now, I’m getting
rather sick and tired of seeing Jade look heartbroken every time you put him
down.”

Dante blinked at the chick again,
thinking she had bigger balls than he’d given her credit for.

“So, are you going to be nicer to Jade
now?” she asked.

Dante’s gaze moved to Jade, who had
watery eyes and a heartbroken expression. Dante grimaced, not realising how
much he was hurting Jade, the man having done a lot for him. “I’m sorry; I fuck
up all the time, I’m a straight-up cunt. You’re not. Just let Kara be and I’ll
try to tone down my bastard ways and be nicer to you.”