Chapter 34 : Distraction

Honey

Dante wasn’t okay.

I didn’t care what happened or what he did. He carried it with him. It tortured him with guilt. I knew he couldn’t talk about this with his brothers. He had to be strong for them.

But I didn’t want him to be strong for me.

I straddled his lap, my thighs sandwiching his hips.

He needed gentleness. He needed tender. He needed someone to look into his eyes and tell him he wasn’t alone. I shouldn’t want to be that person. But my heart ached for him. My breath fanned over his lips as I stared into his stormy eyes.

His entire body was tense. Exhausted. Over-worked.

I could feel his heart racing under my hands, the thick bands of muscle straining the material of his button-down shirt. “Please, Dante,” I whispered. “I want to help you. I want to make it better.”

“I don’t understand you,” he replied.

His eyes shone with emotion. Desperation. The need for connection. I’d seen it in all the Lozano brothers. They wanted someone to care.