Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122206 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 611(@200wpm)___ 489(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Dante’s mouth dropped open. “Marry me, woman.”
Butterflies filled my stomach as I laughed.
“Ye like it, then. Sit down. I’ll cut it up into toasties and dish ye up a big servin’ of lasagne.”
Dante was seated at my kitchen table before I finished speaking. It took only a minute or so, but I joined him with two plates filled with food.
“What’re ye gonna do with the rest? Ye’ve got a lot left in that dish.”
He eyed the dish like he wanted to run away with it.
“I was gonna meal prep and pack it for lunch for the next few days, but I’m thinkin’ I should send ye home with a doggy bag.”
“The gentleman in me wants to insist that ye keep all your leftovers for your meal preppin’, but the selfish bastard in me is gonna take ye up on your offer because, God almighty, this smells divine.”
I flushed with pleasure. “Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to give ye some to take home. I can always make more. It’s a favourite dish of mine, so I make it a few times a month.”
“Can I come callin’ on those days? ’Cause I do not want to miss out on this spread.”
His hungry eyes were devouring the food as he licked his pink lips.
“Sure ye can. I’ll let ye know in advance when I make it.”
Dante picked up his cutlery at the same time as I reached for his hand. He looked at my outstretched hand, then at my face, and I shrugged. “I pray before meals.”
I wasn’t an overly religious person, but I did try to attend church as much as I could, and I always prayed. I had spent most of my Sunday morning visiting with the parish priest, and he welcomed me into his church with open arms. My faith was all I had back in Carlow. It had gotten me through some very dark times—from Daddy’s beatings to Finn's beratings.
“Oh.” Dante set down his knife and fork. “Sorry.”
He took my hand in his, and it shouldn’t have been anything other than simple hand holding whilst speaking to God, but it was more than that. It was intimate. Dante’s hand was large, slightly calloused, and enveloped my tiny one. I flicked my eyes from his hand to his body, and I couldn’t stop myself from comparing Dante to my ex-boyfriend. Finn was as tall as Dante, but their similarities ended there. My ex was skinny, and Dante was thick with muscle from his job at the garage. I had never known a mechanic’s job was so physically demanding, but it was, and Dante’s body reaped the benefits of it.
Where Finn was fair, Dante was dark.
His dark chocolate-brown hair had my fingers twitching to run through the thick locks. My eyes moved to his fair-skinned face. His blue eyes could bring me to my knees with a wink. He had a beard, but it was trimmed tightly to his face and well maintained. He was so masculine, so primal, and I felt time stop when I realised that I was incredibly attracted to Dante. Not only did I think he was sexy, handsome, and everything in-between but I liked him too. He was a good man who had helped me get a job, and he was sitting in my kitchen at that very moment because he was checking on me to see how my first day at work went. I realised all of this just by holding his hand.
I fancied Dante Collins.
Mr Collins would sack me on the spot if he knew what my impure thoughts were regarding his son. I quickly decided then that just because I was attracted to Dante and thought he was incredibly sweet did not mean anything for many reasons. The main reason was that I was not allowed to mess around with Mr Collins’ sons, not if I wanted to keep my job. And I definitely wanted, and needed, to keep my job. Another reason was I was fresh out of a toxic nine-year relationship and was still healing from it. I didn’t need to think of getting close to a man, not right now ... Besides, all of this thinking was irrelevant because Dante wasn’t interested in me.
He was way too much for me. I wasn’t on his level, and that was okay.
“Ina?”
I blinked. “Yeah.”
“Ye zoned out. Ye were about to pray.”
“Right.” I shifted. “Pray.”
I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for this meal and for our health and well-being. Thank you for bringin’ Dante into me life and for allowin’ Mr Collins to give me a chance at the garage. I ask you to watch over them and keep them safe. We ask this in Jesus’s name, amen.”
“Amen.”
I opened my eyes and looked up at Dante when he squeezed my hand.