for people. Small, he wasn't… larger than life had been right.
But still, the underlying sadness remained, never going away, buried down inside of him. Sorrow.
And the moment the apartment door opened and Dante walked in, Gabriella saw it again. He looked exhausted, and frazzled, and absolutely done with the world, but beyond that she sensed the sorrow. She saw it in his watery eyes. She saw it in his barely-there smile. She saw it, and she felt it.
God, it hurt.
It hurt to see him hurting.
"Dante," she whispered, wrapping her arms around him.
"I'm okay," he said, rubbing her back with one hand as he shut the door with the other.
She clung to him as he walked her over to the couch, plopping down on it and pulling her along. Her hands explored him, caressing his face as she kissed the corners of his mouth.
Reaching up, Dante grabbed her hands, pulling them away from him. "I told you… I'm okay."
He kissed her once, softly on the lips, before pulling away. Gabriella's eyes darted to his hands as he pinned hers in his lap, keeping her from touching him. Even in the dim lighting, she saw his knuckles swelling. "What happened to your hand?"
As soon as she asked that, he let go of her. "Gavin."
"Gavin?"
"Yeah, his face hurts about as much as you'd expect it to."
"His what?"
"I punched him," Dante said, grimacing as he flexed his hand. "Should know better than to hit that hard-headed bastard."
"You punched Gavin? Why?"
"Long story," Dante muttered. "Look, can we talk about this later? I need to take a shower and wash off this… whatever. It's been a long day."
"Sure," she whispered, although he didn't wait for her answer, disappearing to the bathroom. She stared down the darkened hallway as the water started running, the door open a crack. He hadn't even bothered to turn on the light. Gabriella took a few steps that direction, curious, when her phone rang in the kitchen.
Diverting that way, she pressed the button to answer. Gavin. "Hello?"
"Dante knows."
Two words. That was it. Two words that had the power to make her knees weak. "Knows what?"
"About his sister. I told him, and he clocked me right in the jaw for it."
"Oh God."
"It's been one hell of a night, and I can't get into it right now… it's not my place… but I just needed to let you know."
"Does he know that I knew?"
"I'm pretty sure he riddled it out. I mentioned that I should've let you tell him… I wasn't thinking, and well, point is, cat's out of the bag, and he's in a bad place right now—a weird place—so be careful, okay?"
"Okay," she whispered. "Thank you."
Gabriella hung up and stepped into the hallway, looking toward the bathroom. It was still dark, the water continuing to run. Gabriella edged that way, pausing at the door to push it open further. A faint noise, a sharp inhale and shuttering exhale, struck her like a punch to the chest. Crying.
Frowning, Gabriella undressed before pushing the flimsy curtain aside just enough to slip into the shower behind him. Dante stood in the darkness, under the hot spray, his forehead pressed against the white tile wall, his eyes closed and the water masking his tears.
Gabriella ran her hand up his back, her fingertips tracing his spine.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, "for whatever's making you feel this way."
Dante drew her to him as he reached over to shut off the water. He said not a word, pulling her out of the shower, dripping water all over everywhere as he led her to the bedroom. Right away, his mouth was on hers, his hands roaming as he dragged her onto the bed. Hitching her knees up to push inside, he nuzzled into her neck, nibbling on the skin near her shoulder, as he thrust hard, over and over.
"Dante," she moaned, wrapping her legs around him, lifting up to meet each stroke. Her hands ran through his hair, gripping the locks, holding onto him as he found comfort in her body. "Oh God, you feel so good…"
He groaned, increasing his pace, each thrust desperate, hands everywhere and mouth moving, tasting every inch of skin his tongue could reach. Pain nipped at her gut as he hit deep, so deep, every bit of him in every bit of her. She could barely handle it.
Tugging his head up, making him look at her, she whispered, "I'm so sorry… so, so sorry."
He thrust hard in response, making her breath hitch as he stared her