A Fool's Gold Christmas (Fool's Gold #9.5)(33)

“That sounds interesting.”

He watched her nibble on the toast, then grabbed a piece for himself. “So why isn’t there a guy?” he asked between bites. “A husband or a boyfriend?”

“I haven’t met anyone I can imagine falling in love with. Not in a forever kind of way.” She shrugged. “I’ve gotten close a couple of times, but somehow my heart never quite flung itself over the cliff.”

“Interesting visual.”

She grinned. “You know what I mean.”

“I do.”

She finished her toast and tied her robe more tightly around her midsection. “What’s your story? Why isn’t there a Mrs. Jefferson waiting in a suburban paradise somewhere?”

“I’m not that guy,” he said with a shrug.

“Don’t believe in love?”

“Love is too dangerous.” Dante put down his mug of coffee on the nightstand and looked at her. “I was in a gang when I was a kid. I got in early. It was a way to be safe on the streets. My mom didn’t like it, but she was working all the time, so she couldn’t stop me. Plus I was a kid and pissing her off didn’t matter.”

He took her hand in his and stared at their linked fingers. “When I was fifteen, I met a girl. She belonged to a rival gang leader, but we didn’t care. We were in love. And stupid. When he found out, he went after my mom.”

Dante raised his head and looked into her eyes. “She was killed in a drive-by shooting. To teach me a lesson.”

If Evie had been standing, she would have fallen. She could feel her legs giving way and her breathing stop.

“I stole a car to go after him,” he continued. “I was caught and instead of being put into jail, I went into a trial program that pulled younger teens out of the gang world and put them in a completely different environment. For me, that was a military school in Texas.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered and reached for him. She put her hands on his shoulders and lightly kissed him. “I’m so sorry.”

“Thanks. I don’t talk about her much. It was a long time ago, but I still miss her.”

“Of course you do.”

She couldn’t comprehend what he’d told her. The words all made sense, but the images were painful, and she was picturing them from a distance.

“I would give anything to have her back,” he said quietly. “She was so good to me, and I was a typical teenager. She never got to see me grow up.”

“She would have been really proud of you.”

“I know.” He glanced at her. “I’m not prepared to put my heart in someone else’s hands again, but she’s the main reason I’ve pushed you about May. I would give anything for a second chance with my mom.”

The situations were different, but she understood how he would think that. “I can see how you’d want to ride to the rescue. You do that a lot.”

“Me? Never.”

“You, always.”

He kissed her. “Don’t make me too much of the good guy.” He paused. “I meant what I said before. I don’t talk about this. Rafe doesn’t know.” He hesitated.

She squeezed his hand. “I won’t say anything to anyone.”

“Thanks.”

He drew her down next to him and kissed the side of her neck. “Enough with the serious topics. What are your plans for today?”

She snuggled close, thinking she would happily give up all her plans to spend more time with him. But she wasn’t going to push or assume.

“I have laundry,” she said. “I might go buy a Christmas tree later, and I have nothing to eat in the house but a loaf of bread and coffee.”

“Sounds like a full day,” he said, leaning over her. His blue eyes sparkled with something she would like to think was passion and maybe a little anticipation. “Any room for me in it?”

“What did you have in mind?” she asked, her voice breathless.

“A lot of things.” He brushed his mouth against hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave herself over to the sensations washing through her. His hand fumbled with the tie on her robe, then the silky fabric fell free. His fingers caressed her belly before moving higher and—

She stiffened, sure she’d heard something from downstairs.

“What was that?” she asked.

Dante raised his head. “It sounded like voices.”

“And footsteps.”

She wasn’t the type to hear bumps in the night. Besides, it was practically midmorning on a weekend. The sun was out and people were around.

“I’ll go investigate,” Dante said, sitting up. He reached for his jeans, but before he could pull them on, the bedroom door was pushed open and her brothers rushed inside.

“Are you all—”

Rafe had been speaking. Now his mouth fell open as he stared. Three pairs of eyes widened in identical expressions of astonishment. Evie had a feeling she looked just as shocked.

“You’re naked,” Clay said at last, obviously horrified by the realization.

All Evie had needed to do was hold her robe closed, but Dante had no such luck. He was caught, sitting on the edge of her bed, jeans in one hand, and that was it.

Rafe’s gaze narrowed. “You’re sleeping with my sister? We talked about that.”