Dante Inferno Read online

  “I’m so sorry,” she apologized. She didn’t make any attempt to move, and he continued to hold her tight against him. People continued to walk pass them, the two of them oblivious to everything around them.

  “Don’t be,” he answered as he moved his face even closer to hers. He kissed her on the lips, soft and tender but full of passion.

  Millie kissed him back, dropping her broken sandal so she could wrap her arms around Dante’s neck. His tongue brushed her lips, and she opened her mouth to him. When his tongue touched hers, Millie felt flames consume her entire body. She never wanted to stop kissing him. Soon though he pulled away from her, moving his hands down to hold her waist.

  “Millie, may I ask you something?”

  Millie thought that he could ask her anything at all as long as he didn’t let her go. She nodded. He leaned so close to her, she could feel his breath on her cheek.

  “You really aren’t going to see friends, are you?” he whispered into her ear, then leaned away from her again.

  Millie’s eyebrows furrowed at his words. When she had told him she was going to meet some friends, he hadn't seemed like he didn’t believe her.

  “What?” she asked, surprised he had caught her lie to him. “Of course I have friends I’m going to see,” she told him as she removed her arms from around his neck, taking a step back from him. He still had his hands on her waist so she moved them from her as she took yet another step back. She bent down to pick up the sandal she had dropped. Dante bent down at the same time to keep talking to her.

  “Come on, you can tell me the truth. There are no friends.” he said as he brushed some of her blonde hair from her face.

  When she looked into his eyes she knew she couldn’t lie to him. Especially after that stellar kiss they had just shared. She shook her head feeling terrible he knew she had lied to him.

  “You’re right; there are no friends. I actually have no where to go, if you want to know the truth,” she confessed to him.

  “Oh, Millie, why didn’t you tell me?” he asked her, his voice filled with concern. He suddenly stood up. “Come on,” he said. “Come with me,” and offered her his hand.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as she put her hand in his again. Their holding hands were becoming a habit, not that she minded . She liked the way he gripped her hand in his as if he didn’t intend to let her go. It felt comforting to her.

  Dante started walking with her down the street. After a few streets, he took her into a store that sold different types of clothing and shoes.

  “Oh no, Dante,” she started, “I can’t let you buy me new sandals.” He had told her he was a baker. She was sure he couldn’t afford the cost of new sandals for her. While it was a sweet gesture, she didn’t want him to spend his money on her.

  Dante merely smiled, shaking his head as he took her broken sandal from her hand. “You’re getting new sandals,” he told her in a tone of voice that told her it was pointless to argue because she would not win. A man appeared who, she assumed, to be the owner.

  He and Dante spoke back and forth like old friends. Occasionally they would look at Millie, and then nod as if agreeing with each other. She had no idea why they kept looking at her up and down. It made her uneasy. The man left to go into another room, Dante came back to stand next to her.

  “He’ll be right back; we’re old friends, Lucius and I. He’s had this shop for as long as I can remember. He’s going to see if he has a sandal that will fit you.”

  Millie felt terrible. Even though it was incredibly sweet he wanted to help her, she didn’t want him spending his hard-earned money on her. Especially, since she probably was not going to be there that long.

  “Listen, you really don’t have to do this,” she told him, hoping to change his mind.

  Lucius returned with a new pair of sandals and some rose colored material folded in his arms. Dante went over to Lucius, who handed both to Dante. They spoke for a moment, then Dante turned back to Millie.

  “Can you hold this for me?” he asked as he handed her the rose-colored material.

  “This is a beautiful color,” she told him as she looked at the cloth in her hands.

  “I’m glad you like it…it’s for you to wear,” he explained with a sideways smile.

  “What?” she asked. She knew they had come for the sandals but she had no idea he planned to get her new clothes as well. His generosity shocked her.

  “Millie,” Dante said kneeling in front of her.

  “What?” she asked. She hadn’t noticed that he had knelt down in front of her; she had been staring at her new dress.

  “Your foot,” he said nodding down to her feet. He was trying to put her new sandals on her.

  “This is too much, really,” she said as she lifted her foot for him. He was being way too generous, she thought.

  “No, it’s nothing, trust me,” he said as he finished putting her new sandals on her. Dante stood up in front of her again. They were so close to each other she could feel his breath on her face. She had the urge to kiss him again but she knew they were being watched.

  Millie looked to her left to see Lucius watching them with interest. She then looked at Dante who had also noticed they were being watched.

  He nodded his head towards the door. “Come on,” he told her, waving goodbye to Lucius before they exited the shop.

  Standing on the street, Millie noticed the people pass by around them. The sun had started to set while they were in the shop. Now the world outside was bright orange.

  “So why don’t we go back to my house?” Dante asked Millie. “You can spend the night. And I’m not inviting you because I’m expecting you to pay me back. Just so we're clear, that’s not why I’m inviting you. I’m inviting you as a friend. You seem to be a nice woman who is in a bad situation. I just want to help, that’s all.”

  She looked at him with utter amazement.

  “Dante, you’ve already done so much for me,” she said, “I couldn’t possibly let you do anything else.” She was already indebted to him, as it was, for the sandals and the dress.

  “Millie, what do you plan on doing? It isn’t safe for you to be out by yourself. Please, spend the night at my house and tomorrow we can figure out something else.”

  Millie looked at him contemplating what he had said. He was right of course. She was eventually going to have to get some sleep. Going back with him to his place actually made the most sense. She felt safe with him and decided she could trust him. She nodded in resignation, letting him know he had won.

  “Ok, I’ll go with you, but only for tonight,” she agreed reluctantly.

  Dante smiled because he didn’t want to say good-bye to Millie yet. There was something about her he found intriguing. He also thought she was exceptionally beautiful. Moreover, while it was true he didn't expect her to pay him for his generosity, if she decided she wanted to kiss him again, he would not refuse. He took her free hand leading her through the streets towards his house.

  Chapter Two

  They arrived at Dante’s house just before the sun had completely set. As they approached, she could see it was enormous. When they entered, Dante had taken her new dress to have it put in her room, then excused himself to tell the kitchen servants to start preparing their dinner.

  She now stood alone in a large atrium with murals painted on the walls and a tiled floor that had an intricate mosaic pattern. Millie looked up to see an opening in the roof, and then looked down to the floor where there was a rectangular basin under the opening. She guessed it was to collect rainwater.

  Dante returned shortly to the atrium and to Millie.

  “This is your house?” Millie asked Dante in disbelief. “I thought you said you were a baker earlier,” she said. She didn’t understand how a baker could afford such a luxurious home.

  “Well, I am a baker,” he stated, “but actually I own over half of the bakeries in the city,” he explained with a grin. Even though he was one of the most successfu
l men in the city, it was not his style to brag about his success.

  Millie nodded, now understanding how he was able to buy her the new sandals and dress without caring about the cost.

  “I have to admit I wasn’t expecting a house like this,” Millie confessed to Dante with a laugh, “It’s beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Dante told her, “I’ll admit it’s too large for just me, but I’m hoping someday to have a wife and children to fill the rooms.”

  His stare went right through her as he spoke in a serious tone. Millie tallied up all of Dante’s positive attributes. He was extremely good looking, friendly, generous; in addition, he wanted a family. He was a woman’s dream. Too bad she would only be with him for a day or two. He was definitely the type of man she could easily fall for.

  “Is there something wrong, Millie?” Dante asked with concern in his voice.

  “What?” Millie asked. She had been thinking about Dante so she missed what he had asked.

  “I asked if you wanted to eat now,” he said still looking at her with a slight frown. She seemed as if her mind was far away in another place.

  “Ahhh…sorry. Food sounds great,” she confessed to him. She hadn’t realized it, but she was starving.

  Dante led her from the atrium to the dining area. The room had a low table in the center surrounded by couches. Millie watched Dante recline on one of them. Millie chose the couch across from him and sat the same way he did. In all her time travels, she had learned when in Rome…

  “Help yourself,” he invited her, pointing to the table covered with various types of food. Millie recognized grapes and cheese. She saw a round loaf of bread cut in triangular pieces, as well as meat in a sauce. It all looked delicious.

  When their meal was finished, there was a silence between them.

  Feeling the need to break that silence, Millie said, “Thank you again for letting me stay here.” Inside she cringed at her own words, wishing she could have thought of something better to say.

  “It’s not a problem,” Dante told her, “in fact if you like, you can stay longer, especially if you have no where else to go...” he trailed off. “ It would make me very happy if you’d stay.”

  Millie thought about what he said. She would really like to stay with Dante, but not just because she had nowhere else to go. He was incredibly handsome and such a genuinely nice guy. She felt such an incredible attraction to him when he kissed her earlier on the street.

  The bad thing with time jumping though was she never knew when she was going to be sent back. She had learned to guard her heart; otherwise, it would have been broken too many times to count. Whenever she found herself with someone in another time, she could only think of that day. She could never plan too far ahead because she knew she would be leaving.

  “Millie,” Dante said, waving his hand in front of her face, trying to get her attention.

  She blinked from her daydream, seeing Dante standing in front of her. She hadn't noticed he had gotten up from his seat. “I’m sorry,” Millie apologized. She missed what he said again. He distracted her so easily.

  “I told you the truth. I don’t want you to leave. I’m attracted to you, Millie. When we kissed before, I didn’t want to stop,” he told her.

  Millie looked into Dante’s eyes where she could see his vulnerability. It moved her almost to the point of tears.

  “I didn’t want to stop either,” she told him as she rose from the couch. Millie wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She was concerned he might think they would have some sort of future together though, but wanted him to understand that was not going to happen. She didn’t want him hurt when she left.

  “Dante, I want to stay with you… but I’m still going to have to leave in the morning,” she explained.

  Dante started to argue with her, but changed his mind.

  “I won’t lie; I’d love for you to stay longer. But if you have to leave, I’d rather have one night with you than none at all. There’s something about you that makes me want to touch you. I can’t explain it,” he told her, honesty blatantly showing in his eyes.

  Millie felt a lump in her throat as she nodded to him. She would give him his one night, with pleasure. She wished deep in her heart she could give him more, but she knew that was impossible.

  “Kiss me again, Dante,” she told him, her voice husky and low.

  Dante placed his hands on her waist as he stepped closer to her, They were so close they almost touched. He leaned down and lightly brushed his lips against hers. Their kisses were gentle at first, until Dante slid his hands up her sides from her waist to her breasts.

  He cupped them in his hands as he ran his tongue across her lips. Millie opened her mouth to him and their tongues touched. Millie felt her nipples harden under Dante’s touch. She wore no undergarments so there was only the thin material separating Dante’s touch from her bare skin, his touch burning through the cloth.

  Millie felt her knees grow weak. Her entire body grew hot as if hot molten lava flowed through her body. Dante’s kisses became harder and more demanding, making Millie’s already racing heart beat faster. She stepped closer to him to rub her aching breasts against him. When she felt Dante’s arousal pressed against her, a low moan emitted from her throat. Her own arousal grew. She felt an ache for him and knew she was already wet in anticipation of making love with him. She wanted to give herself to him completely, feel his hardness deep inside of her.

  Without warning, Dante stepped back from Millie, separating their bodies from one another.

  “What?” Millie asked him confused. She knew she hadn’t imagined what she felt. There was this incredibly hot attraction between them. Stopping was the last thing on her mind.

  “Not here,” he told her. Dante scooped Millie into his muscular arms carrying her out of the dining room.

  Millie wrapped her arms around his neck, and then kissed him there, as well as nibbling on his earlobe. She couldn’t help herself.

  “I hope we make it back to your room,” he growled. He wanted to take her right there in the hall. He had to fight himself for control. He never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Millie tonight. It was all he could do to get to the privacy of her room.

  Once in her guest room, Dante slid Millie down the length of him until she was on her feet. She could feel her nipples erect, rubbing against the material of her dress. Deep in her core, a heat radiated outwards, the juncture between her legs throbbing and dripping with pure want of him. She wanted to lose herself with him and not worry about having to leave.

  Raising his hands to her shoulder, Dante undid her dress, letting it fall in a crumpled heap at her feet. She bit her lower lip as he stood staring at her now naked body. When his eyes met hers, there was unbridled desire so intense it made her tremble. He knelt down at her feet and undid her new sandals. Dante didn’t make any attempt to move, he just looked up at her while kneeling.

  “Can I touch you?” he asked her in a whisper.

  “Yes,” Millie whispered back, her desire making her breathless. There was nothing more she wanted than to feel his hands on her skin. She wanted him to touch her everywhere.

  Dante reached up to put his hands on her waist and bent forward to kiss her belly button. Millie could feel his warm breath on her stomach. She felt herself sway slightly. He was making her lightheaded. His mouth trailed down from her belly button to between her legs. She parted them for him, to give him easier access to where she wanted his mouth. Dante paused and looked up at Millie.

  “I want to taste you. I think you are sweet, like wine,” he said.

  Millie was breathless and could only nod her head yes to him. She watched him move to her wet sex. When she felt his tongue lap at her folds, her legs trembled uncontrollably. Millie moaned out loud when Dante used his hands to gently open her folds so he could lick her clit.

  She closed her eyes, running her fingers in his hair. She still didn’t know where she was, but she was starting to believe she ha
d ended up in heaven. Millie knew if he continued licking and sucking her clit, she would have an orgasm where she stood. While the sensations were wonderful, she didn’t want to finish until she had him inside. She was almost thankful when he stopped and stood up to undress.

  They were both silent. The only sound their breathing and the rustle of Dante’s clothes as he removed them. Millie pulled off her gold chain with the watch, placing it on top of her clothes at her feet.

  When Dante stood in front of her, Millie could not help but stare. She had no idea he was so muscular. His chest was well defined and his abdominal muscles chiseled. His thighs bulged from the muscles. In addition, when Millie looked at his erection, she felt herself blush. He was breathtakingly beautiful and for tonight, he was going to be all hers.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her as he closed the distance between them.

  Millie smiled at him a shy smile. “I was thinking the same thing about you,” she answered him back. It was always so strange to her that she could not find a boyfriend in her own time, but throw her in another country and time period, and the most incredible men almost landed at her feet.

  The negative side was these relationships never lasted more than a few days. It was a difficult thing to get used to, but she had to for the sake of her heart.

  Dante brought her hand to his lips, kissing gently across her knuckles. He didn’t let go of her hand as he started walking backwards towards the bed. It was low to the floor, reminding Millie of the futon in her living room. Dante never once turned away from her as he led her to the bed. He stepped up on the bed, followed by Millie. Dante knelt down in the center of the bed. Her heart pounding,

  He leaned in kissing her neck with hot kisses that worked their way down to her breastbone. His hands gently caressed her arms, and then slid around to caress her buttocks. Millie could literally feel her blood rushing through her veins. She was so aroused by him, so turned on, she could feel her own wetness dampening her thighs.