Chapter 60: Garden Romance
Dora soon found herself relaxing, letting go of the stiffness that had embedded itself in her bones the second she had put her arm around Dante’s own. The warmth of his body beside hers and the steady pace of their walk through the quiet garden eased something inside her that had felt wound too tightly for too long. It was soothing enough to make her forget, if only for a while, what had happened with her father—and what she was convinced her father was hiding from her.
At first, they walked together in complete silence, which Dora was more than fine with. The sound of gravel crunching under their feet mixed with the faint rustle of leaves above. But she was even more surprised when Dante began to speak to her, asking her small questions that made the atmosphere between them even more harmonious.
Soon, she found herself speaking with a smile on her face, telling him all about her likes, the simple joys that shaped her, and why she had studied horticulture in the first place. She spoke of her dream to one day open a flower shop of her own.
"I know it’s silly, but that was what I wanted!" she told him, her cheeks flushing red even as Dante lightly shook his head, stopping at the center of the garden where they had gotten to.
Turning to face her, he spoke, "Stupid? It’s not," he told her, even as the wind slightly ruffled the tall tree they stood under. Right beside it stood one of the benches placed at different parts of the garden where one could sit and enjoy the evening breeze amongst the scent of flowers.
Dora raised her head to look up at his face, stunned to see that he seemed to truly mean what he said. His gaze was still mostly stoic, almost devoid of any emotion, but his eyes were sincere as he spoke.
"I think it’s a wonderful goal. Simple but wonderful," he said in a way that made Dora beam in response, nodding her head as she spoke in return.
"What about you? Apart from the company, what is it that you want to do? A dream?" she asked him, her eyes lighting up as she looked at him.
He was handsome in a heart-gripping way, and the way his white hair framed the front of his forehead made it even more bewitching to stare at as she focused her gaze on him.
Watching his lips part as he moved his mouth to respond, her eyes widened slightly as she heard the words he spoke.
"A dream? I’ve never really thought of it," he responded. "I live for Bellini Corp, which my parents founded. That—and one other thing," he said, his gaze shifting toward the tree they stood under in a way that showed he had no intention of going into more details about it.
Dora nodded her head, recalling the way his parents’ deaths had been described, aware that it was something he wouldn’t want to go into details about.
’It’s not like we’re actually lovers,’ she thought, though the thought was still slowly settling in her mind when she felt Dante turn to look at her. This time, she also felt his hand snake around her waist as he spoke.
"I know our relationship isn’t ideal, but I think it would be better if it wasn’t so stiff. I can be unconventional in my ways, but I still consider myself to be kind," he said, and Dora felt her heart slowly begin to race as the part where his hands touched—close to her back and on her waist—grew slightly warmer. She nodded her head while he spoke.
"We clearly have a sexual relationship, and I think it can be a good one. It would also ease any anxiety that could prevent you from being mentally prepared to conceive a baby," he said, but the way he said it made it seem like it was something he knew to be a fact.
"You sound like an expert. Any other person would think you’ve had a child before," she told him, only to watch a small smile spread across his face.
"I’ve been reading some books. I really would like you to give birth as soon as possible," he said. The words made a knot appear in her chest since it meant two different things—one was sex, and the other was the fact that she would then have to leave.
But before her mind could dwell on the details of what he said, she suddenly watched him lower his head right down to her face, his hand brushing the back of her neck in a way that sent goosebumps down her arms.
Her heart, which had been racing before, all of a sudden began to pound even faster as she realized what he was going to do.
He was going to kiss her.
Dora was surprised by how much she actually wanted him to, her lashes fluttering in anticipation as her body moved closer to his while he leaned in toward her.
Her lips parted as she felt him place his lips right over hers, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist as he passionately kissed her.
Their breaths mingled together, and their tongues slid against and over each other as their hearts beat in sync.
’It’s just sex,’ she thought to herself, even though she was aware deep inside that it wasn’t. Whatever feelings and emotions were brimming inside her wanted to unleash themselves in ways she couldn’t even describe.
Dante’s lips on hers only made it harder to suppress the soft moans rising in her throat as she felt his hands slide under her shirt and right across her back, undoing the straps of her bra. Her eyes flew open, startled, but Dante’s lips were still firmly on hers, nibbling at her lower lip as he pulled his body closer to hers.
Her body arched involuntarily as she felt him slowly move to unbutton her shirt.
Dora was just about to push him off, with no intention of actually having sex with him outside, even if they were in their home, when all of a sudden, the lights lining the garden went off, plunging everything into complete darkness.
Dora froze, her breath caught in her throat. She could feel Dante’s hands still on her body, his breath warm against her face, but beyond that was the certainty—the unshakable awareness—that they were going to have sex right there in the garden.
