Dirty Boy by Nichole Rose

 

Chapter Six

Dante

 

"No! No way!" Ella shouts, stomping down the beach toward me with her hands on her wide hips and a scowl on her face. "You get out of the water right now, Dante Duncan!"

"Busted," Emmitt, the same little boy from yesterday, whispers from beside me.

"This is all part of my plan," I whisper back.

He glances at Ella and then back to me, his face scrunched up in patent disbelief. "It's not a very good plan then."

I chuckle and ruffle his hair. Riling Ella up just to calm her with kisses is the best part of my day. "You've got a lot to learn about women, my dude." Lucky for him, he still has a dozen or so years before he needs to worry about it. "You better go before she busts you too."

"Okay. See ya tomorrow." Emmitt waves at Ella and then takes off running down the beach toward his dad. Alex is a local, a marine biologist. Emmitt's mom ran off when Emmitt was a baby, so he spends a lot of time out here with his dad when he's working. He's only five, but he probably knows more about the beach and marine wildlife than most adults.

Ella draws to a stop in front of me, her hands on her hips and an adorable scowl on her face. "I already agreed to have dinner with you tonight, Dante."

"That's true, but you didn't agree to go out with me tomorrow."

"You didn't ask me to go out with you tomorrow."

"Oh, well, in that case," I say, grabbing her around the waist and reeling her in toward me. Once she's in my arms, I wrap them around her, burying my face in her hair. "You're going out with me again tomorrow, Ella."

"That's not a question."

"Questions are too risky."

"They are?" She tips her head back to meet my gaze. Somehow, she keeps getting more beautiful every time I see her. Her expression is soft, humor dancing in her eyes. The tip of her nose is a little pink. I don't think she put on enough sunscreen.

"Mmhmm. A question elicits a response, and that response could be a no." I feather kisses across her cheek before nibbling on her lips. She melts like a Popsicle, every ounce of tension draining from her. Her tits press up against my chest, causing my dick to hoist the sail. I can't help but try to peek down her bathing suit. I'm dying to get my mouth on her tits. "I can't risk you saying no, baby girl."

"Dante," she whispers, swaying in my arms.

"Tyson is giving you the day off tomorrow."

She freezes in my arms, and then pulls back slowly. As soon as I catch sight of her expression, I know I'm in trouble. My sweet little angel is gone, replaced by a fiery, pissed off goddess. Her eyes practically shoot fire at me. "You asked Tyson to give me the day off? I just started this job, Dante. You can't just ask my boss to let me have the day off to go out with you."

"Baby girl, that's not–"

"It's presumptuous and rude. Just because people treat you like a big star around here doesn't mean you should take advantage of them or use your reputation to get what you want. My dad does that and I hate it."

"Your dad?" I ask, frowning. What the fuck does he have to do with this?

"You may not need a summer job to get by, but I do."

"Ella–"

"I'm not kidding, Dante. You don't have the right to speak to my boss on my behalf," she growls, gaining steam. "I'm the only one who decides when I want to ask for time off. You aren't the boss of me or my life."

"It's not like that," I say before she really gets going and kicks my ass. "It's supposed to storm all day tomorrow. I called Tyson to find out if you needed to be here so I could make plans to get you here and back without you having to spend the money on an Uber since your car will be in the shop. He was planning to tell you himself that the beach is going to be closed tomorrow but I told him I would let you know."

That draws her up short.

"The beach is closed tomorrow?" she asks, her gaze flitting across my face.

"Yeah," I murmur. "He'll only have enough people on duty to cover the main beaches. Everyone else gets a rain day. I know how important this job is to you. I wouldn't do anything to fuck that up. I was just trying to make sure you didn't have to stress about finding a ride since I won't be here."

"I'm sorry. Now I feel like a jerk," she whispers, the indignation draining out of her.

"Don't." I grab her hand, pulling her closer again. "You thought I asked your boss to let you off work. You had every right to be upset about that. It's not my place to make that call for you. Besides, I hit your car and then accused you of stealing it, so who's really the jerk here?"

"Still me," she mumbles, making me smile.

"You're a beautiful jerk then, baby girl."

This time, she rolls her eyes at me. "Um, you said you won't be here tomorrow."

"Every summer, I take Chelsea to an arcade in Savannah. She asked if we could go tomorrow since it'll be storming," I explain.

"You really love your sister, don't you?" Ella asks, her expression softening. She reaches up to brush sand off my forehead, a sweet smile playing at her lips.

"Yeah, I do. She wants you to go with us."

"Really?" Her brows furrow. "I don't mind sitting it out so you can spend time with her, Dante. I don't want to intrude on a family tradition."

"It's not intruding if you're invited," I remind her, trying to remember to keep my hands on her waist instead of grabbing her ass like I really want to do. Actually, what I really want to do is spank her round cheeks. They look fucking amazing in her bathing suit.

"Counteroffer."

"What's your counteroffer?" I ask, grinning at her.

"If she still wants me to go after meeting me tonight, I'll go. But if she'd rather spend the time with you, then I'll stay at home and read a book while you guys hit up the arcade."

"Deal." I press my lips to hers to seal the deal and then pull her into my arms to cuddle the shit out of her for a minute. Holding her is almost as good as kissing her. She's so damn easy to cuddle. Every time I hold her, she melts into me almost like she's starving to be held.

She does the same thing this time, her arms going around my waist as she nestles her face into the side of my throat. Her little sigh of contentment hits me right in the heart, cracking it wide open. She sweeps into every available inch of space, claiming it as her own.

That's all right though. I'm pretty sure it was meant to be hers anyway.

I've never felt this way about anyone before and I instinctively know I never will again. Since I met her, she's the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thought on my mind at night. All I want to do is find reasons to make her give me that sweet smile.

My heart is in her hands, exactly where it belongs.

Even though I'm wearing a shirt, the heat of her hand on my lower back goes right to my dick. He's hard as a rock, begging for relief. There are a good thirty or forty people on the beach, but he doesn't care. He knows Ella is close and he wants in.

He's not the only one. Making her come for me last night was, hands down, one of the best moments of my life. Next time, I want her naked and coming on my tongue. But now is not the time and this is definitely not the place. I don't think getting arrested for public indecency would win over any of the scouts. Or her, for that matter.

"You're going to have to unban me from the water, baby girl," I murmur in her ear. "Otherwise, I'm going to offend a helluva lot of people when you let me go."

"Wha–? Oh," she whispers when I tilt my hips, allowing my dick to nudge her lower belly. She's quiet for a moment and then she tips her head back to look at me, her eyes glinting with what can only be described as a powerful desire to have her gorgeous ass spanked right here on this beach. Because that's exactly what I'm going to do if she–

Fuck. She's doing it.

She slips out of my arms like a slippery little eel, flashing me a smile so full of sass it ruins any hope I have of not totally embarrassing myself on this beach.

"See you later, handsome," she says. And then she's gone, running down the beach with her laughter ringing out around her.

I cover my junk with both hands and make a run for the water, smiling like a crazy man.

We are so getting married.

 

 

"Is this you as a little boy?" Ella asks.

I glance up from wrapping our leftovers in foil to see her holding up a photo of me, Chelsea, and Gia on the beach when we were younger. We're posed next to a giant sandcastle. Gia and I are covered in sand. Not even the old football helmet on my head covers my proud smile. Chelsea, who was around three at the time, is seated beside us on a blanket, laughing at something.

"Yeah, that's me," I say.

"You were adorable," Ella says, smiling.

"He was annoying." Chelsea giggles. "He always wore a stinky football helmet. Even to bed sometimes!"

Ella's smile grows.

I narrow my eyes on Chelsea, which makes her laugh again. "You're really just going to do me like that?" I ask, shaking my head at her. "What happened to loyalty?"

"Hoes before bros."

"Chelsea Elise Duncan!" Nan says as Ella and I both crack up.

"What?" Chelsea frowns at Nan. "It's a saying, Nan. It means girls before boys."

"Calling Ella a hoe is rude."

"Oh." Chelsea looks at Ella, her cheeks pink. She doesn't always understand what things mean sometimes and blurts out things she shouldn't. "Sorry. I heard it at school."

"It's okay," Ella promises, smiling at her. "I like girl code."

They've been ganging up on me all night, but I don't mind. Seeing Chelsea so happy is worth whatever they want to put me through. She's loving having another girl here. I think Ella is loving it too. She and Chelsea have been whispering back and forth across the kitchen table all night.

Every time I catch them, she just smiles at me. She's so damn sweet. If I didn't already love her, watching her interact with my sister would have sealed the deal. She doesn't treat Chelsea like she's different or talk down to her. She treats her like an equal, like a friend.

Chelsea hasn't stopped smiling all night. Neither has Nan.

They already love my girl, which is good since she isn't going anywhere.

"I still have that old helmet," Nan says, sliding past me to put the roast in the fridge. Despite how small she is, there isn't a whole lot of room on this side of the wide island. She moved it over so Chelsea could get herself around in the house in her wheelchair. "It's in the attic. I saw it a month or two ago."

"You kept it?"

"Of course, dear." Nan's head emerges from the fridge, the laugh lines around her eyes prominent. "I'm going to sell it and buy myself a boat when you're rich and famous."

"You hate boats."

Nan winks at me.

"You're shameless," I say, chuckling at her. Nan could afford to buy herself a boat big enough to keep her occupied for the rest of her life if she wanted one. But she's been giving me as much shit tonight as Chelsea and Ella have. I don't mind though. Ella was nervous when we first got here, but Nan and Chelsea didn't waste any time welcoming her to the family. "Besides, I haven't been drafted yet."

"You will be," Ella says, her voice soft.

"Yeah? You think so?" I prowl across the kitchen toward her before dropping a kiss on her forehead. "From your mouth to God's ears, baby girl."

"You'll make it," she whispers.

"Have you ever seen him play?" Chelsea asks.

"No."

"He's kind of mean!" Chelsea says with a laugh. "He throws everyone around on the field and gets all grumpy. They call him a wrecking ball."

"They do?" Ella looks up at me, smiling like she finds this knowledge amusing.

"Yep. Because he has a hard head."

Ella laughs quietly. "Maybe I'll get to see him play sometime."

"Dante mentioned that you'll be leaving for school soon," Nan says, up to her elbows in soapy water at the sink. "Where are you attending, dear?"

Ella freezes as soon as the question leaves Nan's lips. One second, she's laughing and smiling. The next, she's completely still. Her wide eyes meet mine, full of guilt.

My stomach churns seeing it there.

"Um, I'm going to Vanderbilt," she whispers, her eyes locked on mine.

"You're going to Vanderbilt?" I ask, not sure I heard her right.

She bobs her head in a nod, swallowing hard.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Her gaze slides from mine.

What the fuck?

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Nan says. "You and Dante will be at the same school."

Ella murmurs a thank you, dropping her gaze to the wooden tabletop. I watch her for a long moment, trying to put the pieces together and understand why she didn't tell me, but I come up with nothing. Nothing good, at least. She didn't want me to know for some reason.

I don't have to look far to figure out that reason.

All roads lead back to whatever she's running from. And even though I promised to give her time…I'm not sure I can do that right now because I see the fear and guilt in her eyes. She didn't keep this from me because she wanted to keep it from me. She kept it from me because she's, literally, terrified to tell me what sent her running.

And that worries the fuck out of me. The only thing this girl should ever feel is safe. The fact that she doesn't feel that way right now—that she hasn't felt that way since I met her—is intolerable. Whatever happened, whoever has her so afraid…it's not just her problem anymore. I'm officially making it mine too.

"Are you ready to go?" I ask her, breaking into her conversation with Chelsea and Nan.

She looks up at me and then quickly away. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"No!" Chelsea cries.

"It's getting late," Ella says, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "But I'll see you tomorrow, remember?"

Chelsea pouts for a minute before she perks up again. "Promise you'll go with us?"

"Promise," Ella says, rising to her feet. "Thank you so much for dinner, Ms. Duncan."

"You're welcome anytime, sweetheart," Nan says, smiling ear to ear before she sends a knowing look in my direction. "I'll leave the porch light on for you, Dante."

"I'll be back," I mutter to Chelsea before placing a hand on Ella's back to lead her to the front door. Neither of us speaks until the door closes behind us.

"You're going to Vanderbilt."

"Yes," Ella says, her voice whisper quiet.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"I…" The guilty look on her face confirms what I already figured out myself.

She wasn't going to tell me.

Well, too bad. I'm not going to let her disappear from my life when the summer ends. I won't have her on the same campus as me, trying to hide from me to protect me or whatever crazy notion she has in her head. She needs help with whatever she's facing.

"Talk to me, Ella," I say. "Tell me what you're running from."

"I'm not…I'm not running," she says, her gaze fixed firmly on the ground.

"You are," I disagree, "and whatever you're running from has you so fucking scared you'd rather let me go than let me in."

This time, she doesn't say anything. She looks so fucking small and afraid it kills me a little. It kills me even more that she doesn't trust me to help her out of whatever she's gotten herself into. She's the one person on this planet with the power to rip my heart out of my chest. I just never considered until right this moment that she might actually do it.

"I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Me too," I sigh.