Skating Towards Danger: A Mafia Hockey Romance – Dante’s Book (Mafia Hockey Series 2)

I smile as I walk towards the arena from the subway, enjoying the sun beaming down on me while the cold air surrounds me.

I feel happy, and ever since I opened up to Dante, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders, and my chest feels light, lighter than I have ever felt before.

I think of my parents and don’t want to curl up in a ball or jump in front of a bus, instead I smile. When I gently traced my finger over my old toys from my parents, memories hit me, and they hit me hard but instead of sadness, all I heard was my giggles from back when I made up stories and did shows for my parents like Emma now does when she apparently plays with them and it makes me cherish them instead of trying to squash them.

Dante has brought happiness within me. Don’t get me wrong, the guilt still consumes me, but he helps ease it because, to be fair, he was right. Uncle Rocco and Aunt Tyra were both right, and Ellen.

It wasn’t my fault, it was fate being a bitch.

I was eight years old, a kid, and I lost my whole world that day and now, Dante is becoming my world.

Smiling to myself, I open the door to the arena and walk inside but pause when I look near the reception desk and see Dante, and my smile instantly widens. It soon slowly falls when I notice Caz standing before him, twirling her finger in her hair as she unbuttons a few buttons on her tight white top.

A sick feeling begins to swirl, and my stomach tightens as I watch her take a step closer to him. She unbuttons some more of the buttons on her blouse, ensuring her bright pink bra is noticeable, but I don’t move, I don’t run, I wait.

We’ve only technically been together for five, maybe six weeks, but he’s given me no reason to doubt him, even after trying to mess with my schedule to piss me off before we slept together, he hasn’t given me a reason that he’ll stray.

Dante is a straight forward guy who says it like it is and I’m not going to be one of those girls who see something bad and run away thinking the wrong thing. I’d rather watch first then react later.

Dante narrows his eyes at her, and I watch her head moves to his lips before she quickly moves forward, but before any part of her can touch him, Dante steps to the side and growls, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

Caz sighs and replies, “You didn’t mind when you bent me over in the locker room and fucked my ass.”

I scrunch my nose up in disgust. He screwed her ass seriously and she’s proud of that?

Dante fists his hands and snaps, “I fucked you once six weeks ago when I didn’t want to give into my feeling for my girl, and I fucked your ass because I refused to fuck pussy when someone tried to claim I knocked them up in college so back the fuck up. You’re not that fucking special, Caz, you were a means to an end, and we both know you have fucked five of the players on my fucking team since we had a blip, so stop trying to make us into something we never were!”

My bottom lip wobbles at his confession and oddly it was sweet because well, he’s never screwed my ass although I am now wondering what that would feel like…

Hmmm….

I shake my head to get my lusty thoughts out of the way while my heart flutters knowing this man just continues to prove himself in our relationship. And yeah, we’re in a relationship. We’ve both declared our love, he took me to the hospital where his family was, and he’s just called me his girl.

We’re in a relationship.

“Wow,” I say, getting their attention. Dante’s head swings my way, and his face pales while Caz glares at me.

“Do you mind, we’re trying to have a private conversation?!” she sneers, and I tilt my head while Dante, well, he looks like the Dante that beat the crap out of Andrew who apparently left town as he glares at Caz.

And there goes my clit again.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were having a private conversation with my boyfriend, who apparently fucked your ass a few days before he screwed me,” I say, and Dante’s head swings my way in shock.

“What the hell are you talking about? You are so delusional. You have another man’s name tattooed on your arm, and you’re claiming the highest-wanted player in the league. Get lost bitch!” Caz snaps causing Dante to growl and take a menacing step towards her which she doesn’t notice, her focus fully on me, and I snort.

“Okay one, I have my deceased four-month-old little brother’s name tattooed on my arm. He was in the car that killed my parents, you know the reason why I’m in the arena to begin with,” I state candidly, and her face pales, and I continue, “And secondly, Dante and I have been seeing each other for over a month after he took me up against the wall in the rink and not in my ass either although come to think of it, finding out he screwed you before we started something explains why you came to my place of work and threatened me to stop fraternizing with the players or I’ll be banned from here.”

Caz swallows hard as Dante growls, “You did fucking what!?”

“I-I,” she stutters, and I walk over to them. Dante looks my way and watches me to see what I’ll do, and I know he’s expecting me to lose it for sleeping with her right before me, and even though it hurts, it’s not my business what he did before me, but it is what he does after.

He lifts his arm when he sees I’m walking right into him and wraps it around my waist. I press my nose against his top and inhale as I wrap my arms around him.

The man overrides my senses, and instantly, being in his embrace, all my fears and worries disappear.

“Caz, you have five seconds to get the fuck outta this arena before I make an official complaint with HR who let’s face it would love to use this to fire you,” Dante growls coming to the realization why she’s banned from the rink, and I close my eyes as his voice vibrates through me.

I hear Caz sniffle before the clicks of her shoes echo on the flooring. The door opens and then closes, and Dante sighs. He wraps his other arm around me, holding me tight, and I hum in contentment.

“I honestly thought I was going to have to run after you for a minute,” Dante mumbles and I chuckle lightly.noveldrama

“What you did before me is your business, Dante. It’s what you do now that I care about,” I admit, and he squeezes me tighter.

“I love you, Paige,” he whispers, and I smile and reply, “I love you too.”

He kisses the top of my head, then pulls back, holds up a piece of paper, and says, “Coach wanted your autograph. Apparently, he has your mother’s, and now he wants yours, something about legacy and needing that on his wall.”

I tense and not missing it, he gently cups my cheek and rubs it with his thumb. Again, everything but him fades as he mumbles, “How about I hold the pen in your hand where he wants the signature, and you just look at me as you sign?”

I nod once, liking that idea because, knowing Coach, he’ll want it underneath my mother, and I can’t say no to him. I remember Momma talking about Coach Paul when I was younger and how he always ensured she got her time on the ice.

Smiling and putting all my trust into him, Dante guides me over to the desk. Just as he said, he stands behind me when I grab the pen and holds my hand while gently cupping my jaw with his other hand so I look at him and then he guides me where I need to sign before I put pen to paper, and he grins wide when I’ve finished, making me chuckle.

Shaking my head, I move away from him and twist so I’m walking backward, and I demand, “Skate with me, player.”

I stand in the middle of the ice rink, my eyes solely on Dante as he jumps over the boards and glides towards me. When he is close, he takes me by my hips and pushes me backward.

I place my hands on his chest, fisting his shirt, pulling his body closer as we lock eyes and skate around the rink or more like, he skates and I just glide, not needing to move my legs.

“You only screw ass, huh?” I ask, and he grins as he pushes me slightly, grabs my hand, and then twirls me, making me giggle before bringing me back to him and not once breaking his stride around the rink.

“Not yours,” he admits, and I hum, allowing him to spin me again making me grin as happiness fills me before he pulls me into him again and slows our speed, “unless you want me to…”

He raises a brow at me, and I know my cheeks are heated by his grin. He mumbles, “Well, looks like I know what I’m doing soon.”

I laugh as he wiggles his brows, and I wrap my arms around his neck as he picks up his speed, and everything in my world feels right. No pain, no guilt, just pure happiness, and I never want this feeling to end.

Shame in my world fate is always the bitch.