One Story Ends, Another Begins
By Misha
Disclaimer- Not mine. I’m just borrowing them for a little while and will return them when I am finished.
Author’s Notes- This is the next installment in “The Path Least Expected” which features by MC Eleanor Sloane and my original character, Dante Nevrakis. This is set after “Take You Away From Here”. This is in response to a request for a first kiss, .
Pairing- Dante/Eleanor
Rating- PG-13
Summary- Eleanor takes Dante up on his offer.
Words- 1218
Eleanor’s bags are packed before the sun comes up. She barely got any sleep the night before, which isn’t surprising, considering all that happened since she returned from the ball. Between Dante’s offer and her decision to accept it and then telling Liam…
She bites her lip as she remembers his anguish. She hates that she hurt him, but at the same time, she knows this is right for her. She can’t do this anymore, she needs her story to have a different ending.
As soon as the sun comes up, Eleanor makes her way to Dante’s room and knocks on the door. It takes a moment for him to answer and he’s obviously just gotten out of bed because his hair is rumpled from sleep and he’s wearing black cotton pants and a black t-shirt.
Eleanor can’t stop herself from staring, running her tongue across her lower lip as she takes in the sight of him like this. She briefly wonders what it would be like to wake up next to him and has to admit that she likes that idea. A lot more than she should, actually. But then, isn’t that one of the reasons she’s here?
He smirks at her expression but doesn’t comment, instead, he invites her in. “I’m guessing you have an answer for me,” he says once the door is shut behind her, looking at her expectantly.
“Yes,” Eleanor answers and then elaborates, “yes, I’ll go with you.”
She knows she could just go back to New York on her own and maybe it’s the safer option, but… She doesn’t want to do that. That feels lonely and sad; like she’s acknowledging her story is a tragedy. Going with Dante is different, it means choosing a different ending, not giving up on the first one. But it’s more than that, she knows that. It’s not just about not wanting to be alone, it’s about this man in particular.
His handsome face curves into a smile. “Good.” He reached out his hand and she takes it without hesitation, letting him lead her towards one of the couches. “Where we go from here is up to you,” he assures her, “I can help you find a place in London if that’s what you, or you can stay with me. Whatever you are comfortable with.”
“Thank you,” Eleanor says sincerely, taking a moment to think about what she wants.
It’s a complicated question, really. But then it’s a complicated situation. She didn’t choose to leave Liam for Dante. It’s not about suddenly falling out of love with Liam and being distracted by the first pretty face that came along. She and Liam have been falling apart for months and she’s reached her breaking point with the situation. They are running out of time, but more than that the stress and the uncertainty have taken its toll. It finally hit her that even if they could pull off a miracle, this isn’t what she wants anymore. She doesn’t want a life where she has to be constantly on-guard for scandal, or worse.
Eleanor thinks she can handle the pressure and the threat of scandal, it’s the fear that has pushed her to the edge. Not even fear for herself, but for Liam, for the family they might have one day. She can’t go through that kind of loss again. So, no, she didn’t leave Liam for Dante.
But, at the same time, she chose to leave with Dante, instead of going back to New York, for a reason. And that reason is that she’s spent the last few weeks getting to know him and finding herself drawn to him. She resisted it at first, because of Liam, but in the end, it was impossible to deny. She wants this man. She wants to get to know him better and she thinks there could be there between them, something she never expected to feel for anyone other than Liam.
Another sign that things had changed, she acknowledges.
“I want to be with you,” Eleanor tells him after a moment, “I mean, maybe…”
“We’ll take it slow,” He promises her, placing his hand on her cheek.
She smiles at him, her lip curving mischievously. “How slow?” She remembers him telling her that he wouldn’t kiss her until she was his, but she’s made her choice. So the question is, is he’s going to follow through or is he going to keep her waiting?
Dante smirks. “Not that slow.”
He bends his heads to hers, capturing her lips with his. His lips are soft but firm against hers, slowly deepening the kiss as she melts into his embrace, his hands threading through her hair, tugging her closer to him. Eleanor sighs as his tongue parts her lips, seeking entrance into her mouth, and she moves closer to him, shifting until she’s on his lap. She doesn’t know how long they stay like that, lost in the feel of each other’s hands and mouth, but when they finally do pull away they’re both flushed and gasping for breath.
“Does this mean I’m yours now?” Eleanor asks teasingly.
Dante stills, his expression serious. “If you want to be.”
It’s Eleanor’s turn to pause. A voice in her head is telling her that this is happening too fast, that she just ended things with Liam and it’s too soon to make promises to someone else. And yet, as she looks at Dante, she thinks how easy it would be to make those promises. To let him claim her.
“Maybe, if you play your cards right,” she says finally, trying to keep her tone light.
“Good thing I’m excellent at cards,” Dante tells her, leaning forward to brush his lips against hers, “and I always play to win.”
She’s sure that’s the truth, Dante isn’t a man who looks like he likes to lose, and she can see the challenge in his eyes. Maybe it should scare her, but it doesn’t. Maybe because there’s something a lot deeper there as well and she knows that this isn’t a game to him—he’s playing for keeps. Which is both terrifying and exhilarating.
There are a million thoughts running through her head, but she Eleanor voice any of them, she simply rests her forehead against his before she reluctantly, gets to her feet.
“I have people I need to talk to,” she reminds him, thinking of the cheque in her pocket. “Especially if I’m going to be leaving in a few hours.”
Eleanor knows she has to explain herself to Maxwell, Drake, and Hana, though she feels like only one of them will require an explanation. She’s sure Dante has already filled Olivia in and wonders, briefly, what the redhead thinks of the situation.
“Ok,” Dante tells her, “and then we can ready to leave.”
“Yeah,” Eleanor agrees, excited despite herself. She has a lot of mixed feelings about leaving her friends, about hurting Liam, but she has to admit she’s ready to end this chapter of her life, to leave the Cordonia court behind her and she’s eager to see what comes next.
This is the end of one part of her journey, but the next stage of the story is just about to begin and as she smiles down at Dante, it’s easy to feel optimistic.
- End
