Aria Blue POV:
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It's been a week. A complete week and I'm currently getting ready to go to this dinner at Dante's mom's house that he's forcing me to go to.
He said 'My mom wants you there so I'll be damned if I show up without you.' But I know he secretly wants me there to.
Our bond has been slowly growing. He took care of me while I was on my period -which was actual hell- and every night when he comes up from work, he'll take a shower then ask me to read to him. I would fall asleep in his arms but I would wake up with only Stormy in bed.
Domenico hasn't been around as much and when I asked Dante why, he said 'Matteo is out dealing with personal business so Domenico is taking over for him'.
Kinda sucks because I miss my bully.
I've been working on finding the murderer without him and I've yet to tell Dante about it. It's been progressing slower then I would've liked but, I'll get there.
Crew and Enzo are coming back next Saturday and to say I'm excited would be a understatement.
Crew has been calling me every late afternoon and has been filling me in on what's going on over there and has been asking about how I'm doing.
I ended up telling him that I was currently staying with a friend which, technically, is true.
He gave me a whole lecture on, in his words, 'not doing the naughty'. I almost choked on the water I was drinking when he said that.
"Amore we have to leave in 5-" Dante says as he walks into the room but stops short when he sees me.
His eyes trail up and down my body and he licks his lips as his eyes slightly darken.
"Don't just stand there. Help me." I say gesturing to the necklace I'm having difficulties putting on.
I have on a black long sleeve shirt with a white skirt that Dante picked out when he took me shopping and some black boots.
Going shopping with Dante was not fun at all.
He chuckles and makes his way over to me. Handing him the necklace, I pick up my curled hair that way he could clasps it on.
His cold hands brush over my neck causing a shiver to run down my spine. Looking at him through the mirror, I ask "Why the hell are your hands so cold?"
He clips on the necklace and takes my hair from my hands. "I was dumping a body into a freezer." he says but I hear the playfulness in his voice.
I roll my eyes. "Next time it's going to be yours."
He fake glares at me through the mirror before his eyes roam my body ones more. They land on my skirt and I watch as his eyes harden. "Your skirt is to short." he says as he grabs the ends of my skirt and tugs it downward.
I roll my eyes and slap his hands away. "Don't start Dante. You picked it out."
He goes to tug it down again and when I go to slap his hands away, he grabs them and pins them against my lower stomach. "Don't." he warns and uses his free hand to tug my skirt down a bit.
I'd be lying if I said that wasn't hot.
Once he realizes that if he tugs it down more it will show my underwear, he sighs and drops his head down. "If any many so as much looks at you, their getting a bullet in between their eyes." he says as he looks back up to me.
I smirk. "What if I want them to look at me?" I tease and I watch as he glares at me and tightens his hold on my hands while pushing me flush against his back.
He drops his head down to my ear. "Then I will tie you to the bed and make you watch as I fuck the shit out of you all night."
My stomach erupts into butterflies and a pit of warmth is felt in between my legs. Squeezing myself thighs together, I begin feeling my cheeks burn up and that's when I look away from his gaze in the mirror.
His hand lets go of mines and roams up the side of my body. Stopping at my neck, he gently turns my chin back to the mirror and says "Is that what you want Amore?"
Fuck me.
I move away from him and grab my purse from the bed. "We have to leave." I say as I begin walking out of the room.
I hear him chuckle before footsteps follow behind me.
Asshole.
We reach downstairs and Dante goes and grabs my coat from the rack. Holding it out for me, he helps me into it just as Domenico comes out from the hallway.
"I thought you were going to leave before us." I say as Dante fixes my hair.
"Sandro said they found the crates so I went to the wearhouse to make sure everything was there." he says as he comes to a stop in front of me.
Dante's hand falls to my waist and he walks up to my back. "Did they find out who took them?"
Domenico shakes his head. "They're working on that right not. I'm hungry so unless you want a knife in your throat for continuing this conversation, I suggest we start heading over to Adreanna's that way I can get some food in me."
I let out a light laugh and shake my head. Turning to the door, I feel Dante's hand shift to the small of my back as he leads us out to the SUV that is waiting for us.
Domenico heads to the second SUV while Dante leads me to the first.
Opening the door for me, he holds out his hand and helps me in.
Closing the door behind him, he places his hand on my arm and starts placing with the bracelet I have there.
Which I find adorable when he does.
My phone begins ringing in my purse and considering it is 5:30, I know it's Crew.
Taking it out, I answer just as the SUV starts moving. "Hi bitch." I say and Dante chuckles at my greeting.
"Hey dickhead. What you up to?" Crew says from the other side of the phone.
"I'm heading out to dinner. How's everything going?"
He sighs. "As good as it's going to get. Enzo completely locked himself away leaving me to deal with his annoying ass nephews and nieces. I swear Aria I'm going to throw one of them against the wall."
I let out a light laugh. "Just kick it in the head. I'm sure that'll knock some sense into it."
He chuckles but it quickly dies down and I know he's thinking about Enzo. "Has he eaten anything?" I ask, my tone soft.
"I brought him his favorite food from Chipotle this morning but he hasn't eaten. He eats once every two to three days and that's only because I force it down his throat. I'm getting worried."
I sigh. "Give him some time Crew. The only thing you can do is be there for him. How are you handling everything?"
He stays quiet for a minute before saying "It hurts like hell knowing she isn't here anymore but I came to terms with it. I'm just trying to get Enzo back on his feet before we leave."
I nod my head but forget he can't see me. "Alright. Call me if you need anything and if you want me down there don't be afraid to ask. Love you."
"Love you too fucker." he says and cuts the line.
Shaking my head, I place my phone back into my purse and lean my head against the seat.
"You okay?" Dante asks looking at me with concern.
I give him a small smile and nod my head. Resting my head against his shoulders, I let my eyes drift close and allow my mind wonder off to all that's happened.
"So I was wondering if you'd want..." he starts but trails off.
Looking up at him, I find him looking at me with what that looks like nervousness in his eyes. "Want what?"
He sighs. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the book store tomorrow and then to this indoor garden I know that's not that far from here. I know how much you love reading and how much you love the sunsets so we could pack a bag of food, get you some more books since your almost done with End of Days, then we could go to the garden and hangout till sunset."
I keep my face void of any emotion when on the inside, my heart is dancing around.
He searches my eyes for something and a slight frown settles on his face. "If you don't want to go that's okay. It was just an-"
I cut him off by pressing my lips to his. He's shocked for a moment -and if I'm not lying, I am too- but then his lips then fall into sync with mine and he pulls me onto his lap.
After a minute, I pull away with the biggest smile on my face. "I'd love to." I say as I watch a small smile settle on his face and his eyes begin to sparkle.
"So it's a date." he says as he leans back against his seat.
I nod my head and I watch as his smile turns into a full grin displaying his perfect white teeth.
He should smile like that more. It looks good on him.
He's about to lean up and place another kiss to my lips when the car stops and the screen between us and the driver is brought down.
"Boss we're here." he says.
Dante's smile disappears in a instant and he nods his head.
I lean down and hover my lips over his. "You should smile more." I say then press a quick peck on his lips.
I pull back and begin getting off his lap when his grip on my hips keep me there. "I want another kiss, not a peck on the lips."
I roll my eyes. "Dante, your family is waiting for us so let me go and get your ass out. You know Domenico is not a pleasant man when he's hungry."
After much of my glaring, he lets me go and I get off his lap. While he gets out the car he mumbles "He's not a very pleasant man either way."
I let out a light laugh and take his hand that he held out for me. Stepping out of the car, I see Domenico a couple feet in front of us with Aurora in his arms.
He hasn't seen that little girl all week.
Dante wraps his arm protectively around my waist and we make our way to Domenico just as they pull away from their hug.
He puts her down and she walks behind him.
"Bubba!" she says while Dante bends down and picks her up.
"Ciao princess." he says as he places a kiss to her cheek.
Dante puts her down and pulls me back to his side. She looks up at me and I introduce myself. "I'm Aria." I say with a warm smile.
A big smile graces her lips and she jumps on me. Catching her before she can fall, she wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes the life out of me.
Jesus, what the hell do they feed this little girl?
She pulls away and looks me in the eye. "Your the one that brought Nico home."
I look over her shoulder at Dom who just nods his head. Nodding my head, I watch as her eyes roam over my face, then my hair, and a smile bigger then her last one takes place on her face. "You're pretty."
My smile grows but before I can say anything, Dom does. "Be careful bear, Angelo might get jealous."
I let out a light laugh and Aurora shifts in my arms so she can look at her brother. "She's mine." she says her tone unwavering but I can see the laughter threatening to escape her lips.
Dante narrows his eyes playfully at her and grabs my free hand. Bringing it up to his lips, he places a soft kiss against my knuckles and says "Mine."
He then looks up at me and I know what he said was for me just as much as it was for her and something about that makes the butterflies reawaken.
"Your family is kind of waiting at the door for us." Dom says looking at Dante.
Dante turns around and nods his head to the men that came with us and they go and scatter around the house.
Interlacing his fingers with mine, we begin making our way to the entrance of the house with Aurora in my arms.
She looks over to Dante with a slight frown. "Is Uncle M not with you?"
Dante shakes his head. "He's dealing with some stuff right now. He'll be back in a couple days."
She nods her head just as we come to a stop in front of Dante's parents. His mom's eyes goes immediately look down to our interlocked hands and her smile grows bigger.
When I look behind her to his father, I see him looking at me with an emotionless face.
Like father like son.
"I'm so glad you came." she says and brings Dante into a hug. His hand never leaving mine.
He wraps his free arm around her waist and says something to hear that I could quite catch, but it just makes her smile grow.
They pull away and she turns to me. "I see you already met Aurora." she says as she begins taking Aurora from my arms.
Aurora grips my neck tighter. "No mommy. I stay with Aria."
I let out a light laugh and readjust her. Looking at her mom, I give her a warm smile. "It's okay."
She nods her head and steps back to her husband. "It's nice to see you again. I hope I'll be seeing you more often." she says and looks to Dante at the last part.
She looks behind me and her eyes widen. "Domenico, get your ass over her and come greet me." she says causing me and Aurora to giggle.
Dante pulls me closer to his side while Dom goes up to Adreanna. They hug for a while before he pulls away and turns to Enrico.
They nod their heads to each other and Dom comes back to stand beside me.
Enrico wraps a arm around Adreanna's waist and she looks at Dante. "Your brother and sister are inside."
He has a brother?
Dante goes stiff behind me and his grip tightens on my hand while Dom slightly walks in front of me. "I thought they went back to Milan." Dante says.
His mom shakes her head. "They're going to be staying here for a couple weeks. Cecilia has been through a lot and she needs the support of her family."
I look over to Dante and I can tell he wants to argue but he nods his head nonetheless and Enrico and Adreanna lead us inside.
Dante bends down so his lips are right next to my ear. "You stay by me or Domenico the entire time understand?"
I nod my head just as we come to a stop in front if the same girl I saw last week and a boy who looks younger then me.
Both their eyes land on me and I watch as Cecilia's face turns into a scowl while the boy's eyes darken as the roam up and down my body.
Dante pulls me closer to his side while Dom hides me from his view. "Lorenzo." he says as greeting but I hear the slight warning in it.
They shake hands and Lorenzo walks over to Dante. "Brother." he says as he holds out his hand.
Dante just nods his head which causes Lorenzo to drop his hand and make his way over to me.
"You must be the famous Aria my mother keeps talking about." he says as he holds out his hand but both of mines are occupied and I have a good feeling Dante isn't going to let go.
I would be flattered that his mother talks about me but the way he looks at me causes a wave of discomfort to wash over me.
Aurora slaps his hand away. "Don't touch her." she says her voice strong and determined.
I see that runs in the family.
Lorenzo sends a glare to his little sister before looking me up and down one last time and walking away.
"Dinner's ready." Adreanna says as she sees the tension in the room.
I carry Aurora to the dinning room that Dante and Dom lead us to.
Placing her on the floor, she walks to the other side of the table as Dante pulls out a chair for me.
I take my seat as Dom sits to my right and Dante takes a seat to my left. He places his hand on my bracelet under the table as usual and begins playing with it.
Adreanna takes her seat beside Dante and to the left of the head of the table while Aurora takes her seat opposite her and Lorenzo sits in front if me with Cecilia beside him.
Everybody passes the plates of food around the table and takes their fair share. We all start eating in silence when Dante's father breaks it.
"Where's Matteo, son." his deep voice fills up the dining room and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't startled when he spoke.
Dante takes a sip of his wine before saying "Personal leave."
"Well I could come by your house when he comes back. It's been a while since I seen him." Lorenzo says with a smirk on his face.
Dante places down his fork while his right hand grabs mind and he begins rubbing circles on my thumb.
Wait, this man is left handed?
Sending Lorenzo a glare, he says "No need. You weren't missed as much as you think."
From the corner of my eye, I see Dom smirk under his hood but tries to hide it by bringing his wine glass up to his lips.
Before Lorenzo can say anything, Cecilia speaks. "Aria is it?"
I look over to her to find her glaring at me with a smile on her face.
Bitch, choose a mood.
I nod my head and she continues. "When did you meet my brother? Last time I heard, he was fucking with a girl named Becca."
Adreanna puts her glass down. "Cecilia." she warns but her daughter just gives her a warm smile.
"I'm just curious mother."
She turns back to me and I give her a innocent smile. "Well your curiosity is getting into my business so how about you keep it to yourself, yeah?"
She scowls at me as Dante hides a proud smile behind his wine glass.
"Have you ever shot a gun?" Lorenzo asks causing my gaze to shift to him.
I nod my head and Cecilia lets out a humorless chuckle. "I doubt that."
I look back to her. "If you want to be my target, I'll be more than happy to show you."
Dante hides his chuckle behind a cough while his father nearly chokes on his wine. "I like this one, son." he says looking to Dante.
"So do I." Lorenzo murmurs but by the way Dom clenches his knife and Dante's grip tightens on my hand, I know they both heard as well.
Cecilia takes a sip of her wine. "She'll be gone before you know it. When have you guys ever known Dante to date?"
Dante turns his glare to her. "You still don't know how to shut your mouth huh? Don't you remember what happened last time you didn't?"
Somebody get me a bowl of popcorn.
Cecilia's smile drops and Adreanna lets out a small gasps. "Dante Angelo Romano, you know better."
Dante looks over to his mother. "She can't continue to shoot daggers at Aria and expect to her away unscathed."
His mom is about to speak again but Enrico places his hand on her's and turns to his eldest daughter. "He's right Cecilia. Don't think I haven't seen the way you've been looking at Aria all evening."
Cecilia's gaze shifts down to her food and she stays quiet.
We continue eating in silence when Adreanna speaks again. "So hunny, are you in college?"
I finish the food in my mouth and looks over to her. "Back in New York I was studying for business but I moved over her not to long ago and I haven't return back to college."
She nods her head. "Do you want to go back to college?"
I nod my head. "Yeah. I'm actually going to start applying to some to see if I can get in and continue my major."
She nods her head again with a warm smile. "How many years did you have back in New York?"
"This year would've been my third year. I graduated high school early."
Her smile grows and the whole time, I feel Dante's gaze on the side of my head.
I continue talking with his mother, Enrico will chip in at times, until my social battery starts draining and I get more quiet.
Dante seems to notice this because he squeezes my hand and looks to his parents. "We're going to get going."
They nod their head and Dante gets out of his seat just as Aurora jumps off of hers. He helps me out of my chair and once I'm up, Aurora jumps into my arms causing me to almost fall back.
I regain my balance and let out a light laugh. "Don't worry, I'll see you sometime soon."
She brings her head out of my neck and looks into my eyes. "Promise?"
I nod my head. "I promise."
She smiles then turns to Dom and holds out her arms for him to grab her.
Once she's out of my arms, we all walk to the entrance and Dante grabs my jacket from the coat rack and helps me into it.
I turn around to find his parents and brother and sister standing there.
Adreanna walks up to me and brings me into her arms. "It was nice seeing you. Thank you for coming with him."
I pull away with a genuine smile. "Thank you for welcoming into your home. The food was amazing."
She grabs my hands. "You're welcomed anytime and maybe you can force Dante to come visit more often."
I let out a light laugh and nod my head as Dante comes to stand behind me.
Turning my attention to Enrico, he steps forward and grabs my hand. Placing a kiss on the back of it, he looks up to me and says "It was a pleasure having you here."
I smile and nod my head. He lets go of my hand just as Dante grabs my other and begins pulling me away.
I say one last goodbye to Aurora before Dante is dragging me out of the door with Domenico behind.
He walks us to our SUV while Domenico goes to his.
Once he sits down next to me, I rest my head against his shoulder and the car begins moving.
He grabs my hand and I look up at him. "You have a lovely family."
He rolls his eyes. "Most of them are."
I smile. "I think your parents like me."
A small smile takes place on his face as he nods his head. "Aurora is going to be bothering me now to take you to see her."
I let out a light laugh but it's cut off by a yawn.
He chuckles and wraps his arm around my waist. Pulling my onto his lap, I snuggle my head into his neck when he pulls it out.
I look at him in confusion when he just smirks and places his lips to mine.
I immediately melt into the kiss and after a second, he pulls away and my head falls to his neck.
"Go to sleep Amore." he says as his hand moves slightly underneath my skirt and he begins drawing patterns under my thigh.
I nod my head and take in the scent I love so much before letting myself drift into the darkness.
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Dante is getting touchy touchy🦋.
Any thoughts on chapter 16?
Love you all!!