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The last thing I see before I slip out of the door is the devilish smirk on Dominic’s face and his hand still in his pants, palming an impressive hard-on I can’t wait to see in person.
* * *
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything?”
Ash’s concern is palpable as we stand on my front porch underneath the moonlit sky. Getting him out of the club was a major feat, Kristen was clinging to him with a wild determination that made no sense because he was there with me and she’s still very clearly into Dominic.
In the end, Mal ended up physically removing her hand from Ash’s arm, so we could leave. By the time Ash and I cleared the second floor, Dominic still hadn’t made it back with the drinks. If it struck anyone as weird that he and I were missing from the group at the same time, they didn’t let on, which was good because I don’t want anyone knowing about this arrangement between us yet. Or at all.
I guess that’s something else Dominic and I will have to talk about at dinner tomorrow. Dinner. I’m going on an actual date with Dominic Alexander. But first, I have to politely dismiss the handsome and kind man currently regaling me with a list of his many care-taking skills. None of which I need at the moment.
To say I feel bad about flaking out on this sweet man would be an insult to the ball of dread chilling my stomach. I meant what I said to Dominic in the bathroom: Ash is a nice man, and he deserves better than a date who can’t bring herself to kiss him but jumps at the chance to make out with someone else.
Well, not just someone else. It couldn’t have been any other man in that bathroom with me. Even if I don’t understand it, I know it’s true. Dominic is the only man who can arouse and infuriate me in the space of a heartbeat, and I’m fairly certain he’s the only one who can satisfy the demanding need thrumming underneath my skin.
“Ash.” I place a light hand on his forearm. “I’m fine. I think I just got a little overheated in the club.”
Understatement of the year.
Ash gives me a small smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He doesn’t believe me, but he’s too polite to say so. “Okay. I’ll let you get some rest then. Have a good night, Sloane.”
He leans in close and places a chaste kiss on my cheek. I offer him a tight smile when he pulls back and starts down the steps. “Thank you for dinner and the almost nightcap.”
A small smile full of regret ghosts over his lips. “One day, when you feel ready—really ready—we’ll have that nightcap, and maybe something more.” Then he’s gone. Shoulders back and head held high as he climbs into his car and pulls off.
The smallest bit of insidious doubt trickles through my mind as I unlock my front door and step into the house. Being with a man like Ash would be simple, uncomplicated, because anything that happened with him—good or bad—wouldn’t pose a threat to the most important relationships in my life.
The same can’t be said for this thing with Dominic, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s worth it. If giving in to the attraction blooming between us is worth hurting the people who mean the most to us. People that are only in our lives because of Eric. People I can’t imagine losing.
My gut clenches at the thought, and my pulse leaps as panic tries to set in. But I’m determined not to let it. This thing with me and Dominic can be good, and it doesn’t have to destroy everything. Not if we’re smart about it. We could lay out some ground rules, put a date on this thing, so we aren’t lying to the people we love for an indefinite amount of time. I mean how long should it take to sate my touch starved skin?
Leaning my head against the cool wood of my front door, I pull in slow, soothing breaths until my heart is no longer trying to leap out of my chest. And all of that work flies out the window when three hard knocks sound on the other side of the door making me jump back. I clasp my hand over my mouth to keep the scream clawing its way out of my chest from hitting the air.
A faint buzz rings out from my purse, which is clutched in my hand, and I dig it out quickly to silence it. Only pausing to see that my screen is lit with a text notification from Dominic.
Dominic: I’m at your door. Open up.
A wild fluttering of butterfly wings starts up in my belly, and my poor heart starts a rapid tattoo it can’t possibly sustain. If it keeps going at this pace, I’ll go into cardiac arrest before I get to see Dominic without his clothes. And I’ll be one angry dead woman if that happens.
I unlatch the lock with shaky hands and lose my breath altogether when the door swings open and reveals Dominic standing on the other side. He’s unfastened several of the buttons on his shirt, and I catch a glimpse of the exquisite pectorals I ran my hands across less than an hour ago. Raw, masculine energy vibrates off of him as we stare at each other. Me, breathing in his scent and trying desperately not to fall headfirst into the pools of liquid heat that are his eyes. Him, doing nothing to hide the desire pouring off of him.
“What are you doing here?” I breathe.
Dominic pushes past me, and I step back to allow him through the doorway. Electricity arcs between us as his shoulder brushes mine. I push the door closed again and turn to find him mere inches away from me. Both of his palms pressed flat against the door on either side of my head, caging me in. For the first time, I don’t mind that he’s the wolf and I’m the prey because I want more than anything to be devoured by him.
My breasts brush against his chest with every breath I take, nipples hardening at the delicious friction I’m desperate to have more of. Dominic brings his forehead to mine, his lips brushing over my mouth.
“You let him kiss you.” He growls, nipping at my lips before raining kisses along my jaw and down my neck.
“On the cheek.”
I tilt my head to give him better access, and he uses his new vantage point to bite down on the exposed tendon. It’s a light bite, more pleasure than pain, but the scrape of his teeth on the sensitive flesh has me arching into him. Both of his hands come down, abandoning their post on the door to cup my breasts. He runs a rough thumb across each of my nipples through the fabric, and I cry out.
Then his fingers are dipping into the cups of my bra, freeing the swollen flesh from the restraints of satin and lace. Cool air whooshes across my skin, making my nipples tighten into peaks that are so hard it’s almost painful when Dominic rolls one between his deft fingers.
“It doesn’t matter.” He dips his head down to take the bud into the wet heat of his mouth. My head falls back against the door with a moan. “I own your kisses now, which means you don’t give them to anyone but me. You got that?”
His words send a shiver of satisfaction rippling through me. The most primal part of me responding to the claim he speaks against my skin. It’s a declaration, a promise of possession and passion I thought was lost to me forever, that speaks the darkest parts of me. I’m ready to give in to him completely, but the idea of crossing this line with him before we’ve hammered out the details of our agreement is nagging at me.
