Gold(24)

Why was she in her thirties and only just experiencing it?

“I like romance, and I’m not ashamed!” he shouted, jogging over to her bags and hefting them up to head to the stairway. The men behind him laughed uproariously, and Ella had no choice but to follow her ridiculous suitor upstairs.

When they were in the bedroom with the door shut behind them, Dante looked curiously at the bags. “What’s in these?”

“I got you something,” she said, pulling out the two outfits she’d bought him.

“Ooh, outdoor wear. Perfect because I want to go for a row on the lake with you.”

“The pond?” she asked dubiously.

“Yes. There’s a rowboat out there. Ron said I could use it.”

She sighed. “Really?” Her sister had gone out on the lake countless times on dates with boys, but she’d never had the chance to. Now it seemed a little too late.

“Come on,” he said. “Okay, of these two, do you like the blue or the green one?” He pointed to the flannel shirts she’d paired with jeans.

“Blue,” she said, knowing she’d picked both to match his skin tone. Her way of showing care was doing things. She wasn’t as good with words as Dante, but she still wanted to make him smile as a thank-you for all he’d done for her.

“Great,” he said, picking up the shirt and going in the bathroom to change.

She opened the bags and pulled out a soft, hooded, formfitting sweater made of thick material that would nonetheless show her curves. And a pair of plus-sized skinny jeans.

“I’m changing, too. Don’t come out,” she said, squeezing into her new clothing. When she was done, she looked in the mirror on her dresser and felt herself flush. If she were able to show a blush, she’d be a tomato right now.

Luckily, her embarrassment was mostly incognito, and as she pulled her hair from its ponytail and smoothed it over her shoulders, she took a deep breath.

“I’m done,” she called out.

Dante stepped out of the bathroom, looking as handsome as ever in the blue button-up flannel and jeans that emphasized heavy quads and impressive calves. She gulped.

Then his eyes lit on her. His face went blank as his eyes quickly darted everywhere, taking her in.

“Hot,” he said, his voice sounding dry.

“Thanks,” she said, opening the door. “Should we go?”

That snapped him out of it. “Oh. Yeah.” He put an arm out for her, and she took it, feeling every bit a lady.

As they went downstairs, she heard her dad let out a wolf whistle. “Looking great, honey.”

Dante winked at her, then directed a glare at Ben, as if daring him to say something. How did she always feel so protected at his side?





Seven





Dante felt it was more than one could ask of a man to focus on rowing a boat while he had such a beautiful, curvy goddess sitting across from him.

Yes, he had imagined that Ella had an amazing body, but seeing the real thing in person, curves outlined perfectly by her tighter clothing, was almost too much for a dragon to take.

When they were in the middle of the lake, he dropped the oars and looked around them, trying not to openly gawk like some youth.

“You know,” she said, pushing her hair back with one hand, letting it wave behind her in the wind, “my sister always used to come out here with dates, but this is my first time.”

“The men you grew up with were losers,” Dante said.

“Thanks.” She laughed, and he caught his breath at her beauty, looking so free and open out here on the water with the wilderness all around them.

An unexpected ripple hit the boat, and they both leaned forward to catch each other on the shoulders, trying to steady themselves. When they looked up, they caught each other’s eyes, and the moment seemed to slow as if time itself stopped.

Her eyes closed as if she wanted him to kiss her, and Dante was happy to oblige. For a moment, she clung to him, letting the wind whip around them as she held the kiss, but then she pushed back, looking ashamed.

“I need to stop this. I’m not in some fairy tale. I’m going to get tricked.”

He caught her face in his hands, trailing one down to her waist, cupping her gently, making sure she wasn’t afraid. To his surprise, she didn’t pull away from him, just averted her eyes.

“Look at me,” he said. She did. “Ella, I meant what I said about wanting to win you over.”

“But how am I supposed to believe you? I’ve been tricked before.”

“Is that what Cliff did?”

She hesitated and then nodded, and the pain in her big brown eyes was too much for him to stand. He held her against him, his hand running lightly over her hair as she rested against his chest. Then she pulled back, tucking a curl behind her ear as the rest streamed free in an unruly mass. “Trust isn’t easy for me.”