Pieces of his ink had been clearly rushed when he first began the process, likely when he was younger. I never asked. Instead, I admired the other images intermixed. A classic dagger and skull were shaded black and white, as if they were right there, ripe for the taking. Tarot cards on his forearm stunned me when I first saw them as well. The Two of Cups and the edge of The Fool looked like they could’ve only been done by someone who knew what an amazing canvas he was for just as beautiful art.
That arm connected to even more beautiful hands that often liked to trail over my middle all night long once—from behind my hips to softly massaging the back of my neck when I rolled over into him.
I could still imagine breathing in the scent of charcoal and cool mint.
I shook myself out of it. Dom remained focused on me as he unbuttoned his pants in the middle of the room. I forced myself not to look away from his face as he yanked down his dark jeans and stepped out of them.
“Sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable. I have more clothes out in my car, but I figured you didn’t want your couch getting wet,” said Dom.
I didn’t take the bait as he leaned forward and draped his clothes over the kitchen chair.
My eyes held on his. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“Right.” He pressed his lips together again, but this time, he seemed much more amused than ever as he moved around the space without hesitance. He smoothed the other side of the towel down over my tiny couch, which was more of a love seat. He acted like the perfect guest.
It made no sense. A few hours ago, he had been screaming at me, and now, he was grinning as much as he ever did, making sure to take care of my thrifted upholstery.
“What?” I asked. “Really going back to your ways here in Barnett, living in your car again?”
He huffed what sounded like a laugh. I flinched at the sound.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I’d find you right away,” Dom admitted.
“You really thought I wasn’t here? Right where you’d left me?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I told you, I never thought I had that decent of luck. Especially recently.”
That made two of us.
“I made sure to pack at least a few changes of clothes with me after I let everyone in my life know that I had to take some time off. I had to even tell my work that I’d be taking my latest round of data-input junk for some very major company on the road again. Not that they minded. As you can imagine, I haven’t been much help to anyone recently, remote or not. They were surprised, however, when they found out I was taking time off for an unplanned visit to the one small town I’d promised I’d never return to.”
“Was I really that awful here to you?” I asked, the question coming out more softly than intended.
I was supposed to stand here strong and confident while the two of us stood, half clothed, listening to the howl of the wind and the storm pound another layer of rain against the windows.
But nothing was going to plan. Why would it? We were cursed.
I cursed us.
“Ana,” Dom began.
I cut him off, starting to walk from one end of the apartment to the other, which was really only a few large steps. “No. I shouldn’t have asked that. Look, I let you back in here for a reason, and it wasn’t to watch you strip.”
“Not at all?”
I glared at him as he sat with his hands on his lap. His damp lap with a large outline against his one thigh.
I shut my eyes and continued, “Stop being funny.”
“I’m not sure what else we have left to do,” he muttered solemnly. “Since we are here after all and I really don’t want to be thrown out into the hall again.”
Oh, imagine the gossip around town tomorrow if my old neighbors walked out for their morning newspaper and saw a nearly naked Dom on my doorstep. I didn’t know whether I’d laugh or cry at this point.
He looked around. “Even if I wasn’t sure you’d still be here, I am sort of glad you are.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s just how I remembered it in my head.”
