Wrong for Me

38|leaving

DANTE MANCINI—OCTOBER

I BURIED MY FACE in Naomi's neck, pressing kisses there that had her squirming and giggling in my arms. Just the sound of her laughing—the pure joy that was so evident in her eyes as she did it—was enough to make my day, even so early in the morning.

"Happy birthday, Sweetheart," I whispered softly in her ear, feeling as she shivered in my hold while she turned to look at me with doe eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly, following it up with a yawn as she wrapped her entire body around mine.

While the guilt over the video of Danielle and I as well as the disagreements we had shared in the past few weeks loomed over me, it was beginning to ease as I felt myself once again becoming the Dante that Naomi brought out of me. The affectionate, expressive Dante that I hadn't known was there before her, but also the Dante I never wanted to lose.

"We have a lot to do today. I'll make you some coffee," I spoke softly to her, pressing a kiss to her temple. The night before, Daisy, Lauren, and Victoria had dragged her out to celebrate and she had come home quite sober, but unbelievably exhausted.

When I attempted to move out of her grip, she only held on tighter and let out a groan in defiance. A chuckle erupted from my chest that had her pulling her head away from where it rested over my heart so that she was gazing up at me.

"The sound of you laughing just...it does something to me."

"A good something, I hope."

She nodded, a devilish smirk taking over her face as she moved to place kisses along the length of my neck. As she did so, I felt as she loosened one of her hands from around me and brought it under the comforter, stroking me over the sweatpants I was wearing.

"Can you make this the best birthday ever and fuck me?" She whispered against my lips, her gaze flickering between my mouth and eyes as if she couldn't decide where she wanted to focus her attention.

"I was already planning on that."

Flipping her over so that she was on her back, I crawled down her body and practically growled when I saw that she had already kicked off the panties she had worn to sleep the night before. As if she could read my mind before the words left my mouth, she spread her legs for me and watched intently as my mouth met her core.

"Oh my God," she moaned out shakily as I continued lapping at her, her hands alternating between gripping my hair and the bedsheets. "R...Right there."

I took my time with her, pulling away to tease her each time I could tell she was getting close and relishing in each groan of disappointment she let out. Just as she almost reached her climax, I pulled away and climbed back up her body, pulling her into a passionate kiss.

"Take them off. Please," she rushed out, her chest rising and falling as she reached out to pull my sweatpants off.

"Take your time, Naomi," I chuckled, pulling them down nonetheless and I watched her rip her shirt off and toss it to the floor.

Pulling my length out, I rubbed myself against her core and watched as breathy moans left her mouth each time I slightly pushed into her combined with her eagerness.

Finally, I pushed all the way into her slowly until I filled her with all my length. I watched as her back arched off the bed as a strained sound left her. My strokes into her were slow and deliberate, hitting her spot while making sure she took notice of the tenderness and passion I was doing this with. So many times, we had been in bed together like this, but this was the first time I made love to her like this. Because for the first time, I was sure that love was what I felt for her.

***
WITH MY HAND INTERLOCKED with Naomi's, we entered one of the top restaurants in the city. While I had never ate there before, I had heard nothing but stunning reviews and knew that both the atmosphere and menu would fit Naomi's taste.

We spent much of the day lying in my bed watching movies, reading, or simply talking while lying in one another's arms, once I had given her the choice as to how the day went. As long as this was where we ended up.

"I knew you would love it here," I spoke softly in her ear as she lowered herself into the chair that I had pulled out for her. "I'm starting to get to know you a little too much."

Taking my seat on the other side of the table, I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face as I stared at the beautiful woman on the other side. Watching as she raised the glass of champagne in front of her to her lips—the most mundane of tasks—had me fixated on her every move.

"Any word from Mrs. Dupree about the internship?"

She shook her head, though her eyes shined with confidence, like she was sure she would get it. And in all honesty, I was sure she would because I had the chance of seeing her work first hand.

"No. I'm hoping I find out tomorrow."

"So you'll be leaving as soon as you graduate?" I questioned, a sour taste in my mouth that felt impossible to eliminate, even as I took a sip of water.

"The day after," she replied dryly, adverting her gaze from me and leaving me to wonder what I had done this time. It seemed that each time Naomi and I seemed to be making progress, one of us found another fault in the other that would inevitably lead to an argument.

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" I questioned, leaning over to take her hand into mine and rubbing my thumb against her skin.

"Just...thinking about everything. What are we going to do when I go away? We only have like...six months until then," she rushed out worriedly, biting down on her bottom lip as she searched my eyes for a reaction.

"I don't want you to be worrying about that just yet. Like you just said, that's six months away. We have time."

She smiled at me, forcing me to replicate one against my control. For me, I had never imagined ever having someone else in my life who I was willing to let myself go for, to give up my need for control for.

As we finished our dinner for the evening, I relished in each laugh she let out, each delightful sigh at the food we ate, and each time her gaze met mine. Even though I had assured her that we had much more time to spend together before she left for Paris, I couldn't help but to already feel an ache in my chest—almost as if she were already slipping out of my grasp.

a/n: okay...so i hated this book yesterday and for the past couple of weeks, but i'm beginning to see the vision!!

i seriously cannot wait for the sequel...which will be about two years in the future—dante will be 41 and naomi will be 26. that's the ONLY hint i'll give.

anyways, i hope you all enjoyed and thank you for reading!!