Lulu unlocked the door to her apartment and held it open for Dante. A part of her wondered what she was doing. Why did she continue to fall for men who would only end up hurting her? Dante was a good person, she truly believed that. But Johnny was too, and his lifestyle drove them apart anyway. Okay, Lulu, no comparisons, she chided herself. Completely different men, remember?

She shook her head and flipped the light switch. When nothing happened, she watched incredulously as Dante pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on. She raised an eyebrow at him. Since when did men start carrying flashlights around? He shrugged and grinned at her, pulling off his coat and tugging off his black ski hat.

Lulu made her way across the room to the whiskey decanter. After realizing that space was going to be a bit of an issue, she and Maxie had decided to be creative with their apartment. They used the fireplace mantle as a bar. It was wide and made of stone, so the bottles and glasses never got hot. She reached up, smiling at Dante when he shined the beam of the flashlight in her direction. As she poured, she suddenly felt nervous. After Dante had caught her from falling on the docks, she had seen a look on his face that made her shudder to remember. He'd seemed so angry, and while she was a big fan of expressing emotions, he had actually frightened her a little. Now they were alone in her dark apartment, and she had absolutely no idea what to do next.

Dante had barely spoken since agreeing to come home with her for the night, knowing there was no way he was getting anywhere in the middle of a blizzard. She knew he was planning on leaving town, but so far, she had no idea what was going on. That's going to change right now, she thought grimly, taking a deep drink. It was time for her to make a choice. She realized with dismay that it seemed she had already made it. After all, he was here, wasn't he?

She jumped slightly when Dante nudged her aside, not realizing how close he'd gotten. He reached for his own glass, and knocked back the whiskey with a quick shudder. In the darkness, she could barely make out his features, but his eyes flashed as they met hers. He slowly put the glass down and slid a hand down her arm down to her wrist. In her heeled boots, they were almost the same height. She felt her entire body hum, standing there with him in the darkness, eye level, thighs brushing, his thumb making lazy circles.

Lulu cleared her throat. "Um, I guess the power's out," she said, unable to break his eye contact.

Dante's smile grew and he replied, "Unless you forgot to pay your bill. Which is fine by me. I mean, 'damn the man', right?" He tugged her closer. "We don't need electricity anyway," he murmured in her ear. "Most of my favorite things happen in the dark."

Lulu tried to regain some control. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" she asked sarcastically.

Dante put a shocked look on his face. "Lulu, I happen to be talking about very innocent things here." He wondered if she had any idea how sexy she was, fighting her attraction, her hands on her hips, the coat still wrapped snugly around her waist, her long blonde hair wet and curling madly. God, she even smelled sexy, the snow and cold mixing with what he recognized as her usual perfume. As she glowered at him, he laughed, and raised his hands in surrender. "You know, fires, board games by candlelight, raiding the freezer before the ice cream melts…"

Lulu couldn't stop the laugh. He seemed more peaceful now, and the personality she'd grown so used to had returned. This was the man who teased her with cheesy pickup lines, and who could always make her laugh, no matter what kind of mood she was in. The man she'd run into on the docks had been a stranger. For the first time, she'd been afraid of him. And excited by him. She admitted to herself, cursing the part of her that was attracted to dangerous men. She grimaced, knowing full well which part of her body was to blame. It was time to find out exactly what Dante was up to. And it was time to give him some answers. She knew he'd wondered at her concern for Sonny and Jason. He'd made it clear that he didn't understand how she could see past the life of crime that her friends had chosen. She supposed it was time to give him some answers as well. Taking a deep breath, she decided the first order of business would be to get some light in the room. She looked into his eyes, and they laughed at her. She scowled to hide the smile that threatened to stretch across her face. She pulled her hand from his and pointed to the couch. "Okay hotshot – sit. I will be right back with candles," Lulu said, tugging her boots off as she walked down the short hallway to the kitchen.

Dante sat on the loveseat, and listened to Lulu move around the apartment. He choked back a laugh as he heard her swearing under her breath. From the sound of things, she wasn't having much luck finding candles. Dante got up, stretched lazily, and decided to ignore Lulu's request that he wait there for her.

He found her shoes in the hallway, and followed the sound of her voice to the kitchen, where she stood, banging a flashlight against the counter. "I just put batteries in you, you stupid son of a bi-". She broke off as she heard Dante come in. Sighing, she turned around, tapping the flashlight against her palm as she faced him. "I thought I told you to wait," she said sternly. Dante could only stare. She had taken her shoes off, and was barefoot. Her toes were painted a bright pink. Why was that so sexy? She still wore a knee length black wool coat, tied at the waist, and her long hair fell over her shoulders in waves. He said nothing, just walked slowly toward her, and Lulu could only swallow as she saw the desire evident in his eyes. The shirt he wore was wet, and clung to his chest. His sleeves were pushed up, and she saw the muscles in his forearms slightly flex. She remembered how tightly those arms had wrapped around her on the docks and swallowed hard.

Dante stopped and looked at her, amused. He would have bet an entire paycheck that she was having the same reaction to him as he was having to her. He fingered the ends of her hair as they stood once again in the dark, facing each other. He let his fingers trail up, stopping just before her neck. When he fisted his hand in her hair and tugged, she couldn't help but gasp. He bent low with purpose and as his lips met hers, he could feel her racing heartbeat. He let his lips trail to her neck, and slowly kissed his way up, stopping just before her ear. He nipped at an earlobe and Lulu shuddered. Dante pulled away slightly, but kept his hand in her hair. Breathing heavily, they stared at each other.

She moved first.

Lulu reached up, pulling Dante to her. She pressed her lips to his, winding her arms around his neck. He shifted, changing the angle of the kiss, pressing her back against the counter, both hands caught in her hair. He felt surrounded by her. The lack of light seemed to make his other senses stronger, and he breathed her in, feeling dizzy as he felt her moan against his lips. With something close to a growl, his control snapped. Reaching down between them, he yanked the belt from Lulu's jacket. Shoving open her still wet coat, he gripped her waist tightly.

Lulu's mind was reeling, and a part of her realized that this was probably not the best idea, not when he knew so little about her. She'd meant to explain things to him, but as he moved against her, her body overruled her head. Dante's mouth was persistent against hers, and she could taste the heat of the whiskey he'd had earlier. She felt drunk, but knew it was only from desire. As his tongue danced with hers, she made a small sound in the back of her throat. He was so…strong, so passionate. Dante's hands slid under her blouse, his fingers brushing against her stomach, around to her lower back. She shivered and he laughed softly against her mouth, breaking their kiss. He stared into her eyes, and she saw the smile in his eyes, the warmth that had drawn her to him from the beginning. But this time there was more. There was an intensity about him that she had never seen. He never took his eyes from hers as he moved his hands to her shoulders to tug the jacket off. It slid to the floor and pooled at Lulu's feet. He looked down at her and felt his stomach muscles clench. She was wearing a short black skirt, and a silk blouse that clung to every curve. He could see the lace of her camisole beneath the top. He turned his face back up to her. She was watching him watch her, and he almost fell into her eyes. They were full of desire, and her hair waved around her, tousled from his hands. He felt his gaze lock on her slightly parted lips. With a groan, he dragged her closer. He began unbuttoning her shirt, and he heard her giggle as he struggled with the delicate material. Frustrated, he ripped the shirt open, and she gasped as buttons scattered across the floor. His hands streaked up her body roughly, dragging the slinky camisole over her head. In the next heartbeat he was at her hips, tugging the skirt down her body. He got to his feet slowly, trailing his hands slowly up her legs.

She stood before him, confident in her power. Dante's eyes roamed over her body, taking in the lacy black bra barely concealing full, tempting breasts. His gaze wandered down, and Lulu watched his pupils dilate when he saw the matching low cut panties. Lulu tilted her head and slowly smiled. "Everything okay?" she asked innocently.

Dante grinned, and hooked a finger under the strap of her bra. It slid down her shoulder slowly, and he did the same to the other strap. She stood still, letting him do whatever he wanted. He stepped closer and slid a hand up her back, unhooking her bra easily. Lulu didn't move as it fell to the floor. "You're gorgeous," he murmured, taking her face in his hands and drawing her slowly to him. He was fully clothed, and the feel of his jeans and wet sweater against her skin aroused Lulu even more. She was practically naked, completely vulnerable, yet she knew he was as lost in her as she was in him. The kiss heated, and Dante yanked her hard against him. She wound her arms around his neck, threading her fingers through his hair. She pressed herself against him, and he spun her away from the counter and began walking with her until she bumped into the kitchen table. She inched backward until she was sitting on the table, their lips never parting, even as Dante spread her knees apart and stood between her legs. Her breath was hitching and he swallowed each gasp, drowning in her. Her skin felt as though it was on fire everywhere he touched it, yet she shivered as his hand stroked down to her breasts. He caught her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, and Lulu arched her back. Dante slid an arm around her, and Lulu seemed to melt around him. "Oh, no you don't," he muttered as she tried to lie back on the table. He jerked her upright, making her eyes go wide, his arm holding her tightly to him while the other hand slowly slid down, stopping at the lacy edge of her underwear. He felt the muscles in her stomach dance and he slid lower, cupping her in his hand. Her eyes began to close in pleasure, and he bent and nipped at her earlobe to get her attention. "Stay with me," he demanded, and she was helpless to do otherwise. She stared into his eyes as curved a finger around the lace, sliding into her. She was warm and wet, and Dante watched her eyes go blurry, wanting her, needing to be inside her. But he held back, slowly torturing her until she was moaning his name. He crushed his mouth to hers, still stroking up inside her, pushing away the barrier and adding a second finger. She moved against him, needing to be closer, and he lowered his head to take her mouth once more. He felt her small hands clutch his shoulders and he continued to play her, faster and harder. She was making small sounds in the back of her throat, her breath was hot against his neck, and he groaned as she pressed against him and shuddered around his hand. Unable to wait any longer, he gathered her to him and lifted her, never taking his lips from hers. He stumbled into the door of the kitchen and swore. Lulu laughed, and he thought it was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard. "Bedroom," he grunted.

"First door on the right," Lulu whispered. She felt loose, beautifully loose and free. They tumbled onto the bed and he bent over her, capturing her nipple in his mouth. She writhed under him as he sucked hard, forcing the nipple into a hardened point. His hand molded the shape of other breast as he pressed his body over hers. Lulu gently pushed him back and shook her head. "You're wearing too many clothes," she purred, sliding out from under him. He followed as she stood next to the bed, allowing her to pull his shirt over his head. She hummed in appreciation at his body, and trailed a hand along his chest as she circled him. He reached for her but she ducked out of his arms, dancing around to his back. She reached around and unzipped his jeans an inch at a time. He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath as her hand brushed against him. As he stepped out of the pants, she slowly walked around him. As soon as she was within his reach again, Dante pulled her against him. The air around them was a current of electricity; their movements became frantic and hurried. He pushed her to the bed once again and shoved her legs apart. She arched her back and gripped his hips as he entered her, and she almost wept at the pleasure of feeling him inside her, finally. He braced himself with his hands on either side of her, taking her mouth once more with a growl. Each thrust seemed to bring him deeper inside, and Lulu matched his frantic rhythm as though they'd been lovers for years instead of experiencing each other for the first time. Her hands were restless, grasping the sheets until she reached up and wrapped her arms around him. He lifted his head to look in her eyes, and held her gaze as her entire body quaked. He felt her clench around him and let himself follow, burying his face in her hair as he climaxed. Her hands clutched his back, and he knew, as part of him had known from the moment he met her, that he would die for this woman.