Rylee and Dante's story continues here but I am not done yet. I have a few ideas of where I want this story to go but feedback and ideas are always appreciated!
Rylee spent the next several days considering Dante's proposal. She had her dad's blessing for her to live with Dante and "rent" a room from him while she completed her internship but she wasn't sure she had convinced herself. The more time she spent around Dante, the more her feelings for him grew beyond what she should feel for her father's best friend and a man who had helped raise her. A week had gone by since the last time they had spoken. Dante had gone back home after spending the night in her father's house and she hadn't seen him since. He had arranged for her to come spend a day in the city though to check his place out and hopefully get more comfortable with the idea.
Her GPS alerted her that she had reached her destination. In all the years Rylee had known Dante, she had surprisingly never been to his place. He had bought it a few years back when his business had started to grow but it was right around the time she was starting college and she hadn't been able to find the time to come see it.
Now that she was here, she found herself surprised at his home. Rylee had always pictured something modern and sleek. Dante was a business man after all and wasn't that the type of house all her romance novel characters lived in? Instead, she found his place fit much more into the category of white picket fence, 2.5 kids and a dog. The house was a 2 story colonial home, white with a big red door. Granted, there was no actual white picket fence but there easily could have been. There was an adorable porch on the front of the house with a hanging swing and a few potted plants. The yard was nicely manicured with simple landscaping wrapping around. Rylee felt immediately at home and she hadn't even stepped inside the house.
At the sound of Rylee's car door closing, Dante headed outside to meet her. He was nervous for her to see his home even though he had no idea why. She walked towards him wearing a pair of denim shorts that hugged her body and showed off her tan, toned legs and a simple baseball shirt. Her hair swung in a high pony tail and she wasn't wearing any makeup. She looked fucking perfect. Casual Rylee was his favorite version. Sure she looked sexy all dolled up in a nice dress and her hair curled but he preferred this more natural look. It suited her better.
"Hey sweetheart. How was the drive? Did you find the place okay?"
Rylee smiled brightly back at him. "Yep, it was easy enough. Your home is beautiful. Not what I was expecting at all, but I love it!"
"What exactly were you expecting?" His question, despite being extremely innocent, made her blush which peeked his interest much more.
"Oh um, I hadn't thought about it a lot or anything. I guess I just pictured something more modern and like...Christian Gray like." Her answer was so quiet, Dante had to struggle to hear. Clearly she was embarrassed which stirred something deep inside him. He couldn't help but chuckle at her.
"Christian Gray huh? Is that how you think of me?" His question clearly shocked her. Her eyes went wide and her mouth hung open gapping back at him.
"No! I mean, I didn't mean it like that. Well, not really." She stumbled over her words wishing she had just kept her damn mouth shut all the while Dante grinned back at her fighting a laugh. Dante couldn't help but wonder if that's what she was into? If it was a good spanking she needed, he would be happy to oblige. He had to take a deep breathe to compose himself thinking it was time to change the topic. Any more of this conversation and his dick would be leading this tour.
"Come on, let me show you around the place a little. It's nothing crazy but it's home and I am pretty fond of it." Rylee followed his lead and stepped into the foyer behind him. The main floor was all open with the exception of a beautiful staircase in the center of the room. The floors were a deep cherry hardwood. The same wood was found throughout the home in the cabinets and all the woodworking on the doors. To her right was a simple living room. He had a big, extremely comfortable looking sectional couch and a tv mounted above an old brick fireplace. She pictured herself curled up with a good book and a steaming cup of coffee during the winter while the fireplace warmed the room.
To her left was a formal dinning room with a huge wood table and tan fabric covered chairs. She followed Dante through the dining room and into the kitchen. Dante watched her face light up at the sight. Rylee loved to cook and was extremely good at it too. He imagined waking up to find her down here, an apron tied around her waist cooking pancakes and dancing along to the radio. He quickly pushed the thought away. He couldn't allow himself to think like that or he would go crazy if or when she moved in here. He had to remind himself that she was Hank's daughter. His best fucking friend, who would kill him if he knew all of the things he wanted to do to his little girl.
They continued their tour through the main floor. He showed her the small bathroom off of the living room and another small bedroom that was currently being used as his office. Upstairs, he debated showing her his own bedroom. Would that be weird? Are you supposed to show somebody your own bedroom on a tour like this? Dante wasn't sure but on a whim, he opened the door and stepped just inside.
Rylee's breath hitched slightly when she entered Dante's room. It was beautiful like the rest of the home of course, but she was more transfixed on the idea of actually being here than anything else. She pictured him naked, sleeping softly in the huge king sized bed. For a moment she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to be wrapped up next to him, equally naked, their limbs entwined after a night of hot sweaty sex. She felt herself blush again and hoped Dante wouldn't notice.
The look on Rylee's face followed by the intense redness of her cheeks confused Dante. What the hell could she be thinking. Had he embarrassed her by showing her this room? Was she thinking he was a pervert? Maybe, just maybe, she was thinking the same things he was about having her naked in that damn bed. When he couldn't stand seeing her in here any longer, he ushered her down the hall showing her a few of the other bedrooms as well as the upstairs bathroom.
"You can leave all your shower stuff in here. I have a bathroom attached to my room so this one really doesn't get used a whole lot. Feel free to consider it your own. Fill the drawers with your girl crap and all that. As far as bedrooms, there are 3 up here not including mine. You can pick whichever one you like. Personally I like the one at the end of the hall next to mine. It has that cute little window seat overlooking the backyard, but that's just me. You take whichever you like."
Rylee had been hoping that he would say she could use the bedroom he spoke of as soon as she had seen it. The little nook he referred to was adorable and she could easily see herself sitting there working on her designs for hours at a time.
"That is, if you decide to stay here. Your dad has mentioned that you seem hesitant about it. Do you mind me asking why? Is there something I could do to make it more comfortable for you? I won't expect you to hang out with me all the time or anything. I know that you're young and have your own life and don't wanna spend all your free time with an old fart like me. And if it's the cleaning and cooking stuff you're worried about, well, that was just a suggestion to make you feel more comfortable about not paying me. You really don't have to. I can still hire somebody."
"Dante, that's not it, seriously. Of course I would help out and do that stuff if I move in. I told you I want to earn my keep. I just don't want to invade your house and your privacy. I don't want you feeling obligated just because of my dad."
Dante reached out and grasped Rylee's shoulders, turning her body so she was facing him, forcing her to look him in the eye. "Rylee, baby, I want you here. I don't feel obligated one bit. If I didn't want to do this for you, I would not have offered. You know I am not to type of person to do something I don't want to or haven't thought through. You are literally one of the most important people in my life. It would be my pleasure to have you move in with me."
Rylee had to stop herself from swooning at his words. He stared at her intensely, begging her with his eyes to believe him. He was right about not doing things he didn't want to. Dante was never the type to get forced or cornered into something. He'd always had a polite way of turning people down without seeming like an ass. His proximity to her was making her head cloudy. She suddenly couldn't remember why she hadn't said yes right off the bat. What was holding her back? When she swore she saw Dante's eyes flick down to her lips, her memory cleared up quickly. She couldn't stay here because of him. This man made her feel things that she didn't think she could control if she saw him day in and day out.
Despite those reservations and her mind screaming no, one more look in his eyes and she found herself saying yes, she would move in. Dante's eye lit up and she knew she had made the right choice. He pulled her into a huge hug. She let her body melt into his embrace, wrapping around his solid frame and breathing in that scent she loved so much. Dante rested his chin on her head holding her close. The smell of her vanilla shampoo filled his nose and overwhelmed him. He found he couldn't let her go. In turn, Rylee made no move to pull away. Their hugs had always been brief in the past. A quick squeeze to say hello or goodbye but never more than a few seconds. When Dante finally went to pull away, he sensed a reluctance to let go that mirrored his own. He wanted to kiss her so bad in that moment. Instead, he pulled away quickly and walked away without a word, heading downstairs.
Rylee stood watching him walk away, a little hurt and a little confused. She had felt like they had shared a moment. Surely that hug was different than anything than they had had before. It was innocent enough. It was not as if they had been making out or feeling each other up but still, she thought it had meant more than just a hug between friends. She had even allowed herself to think that maybe his feelings for her were not as daughterly as she had always thought. As he walked away from her though, she found herself confused all over again. She took a moment at the top of the stairs to compose herself. A few deep breaths later, she followed Dante down the stairs to find him staring out his front window. "Hey" she said simply, moving to stand next to him.
"Hey."
They stood there side by side, both lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes. Dante was struggling with the idea of recanting his offer for her to move in. Maybe she had been right and this was a bad idea after all. She hadn't even been here an hour and he already was having trouble keeping his hands off her. His mind wrestled back and fourth over the idea. She still had a few weeks before her internship started and before she would need to move in. He decided to drop the topic for now and they could decide what was best when the time came closer.
"Would you like to get some dinner with me while you are in town?"
