I look over my shoulder to meet his steady gaze. “Yeah, but is the best I can do good enough? I’m not so sure.”
Dom’s eyes search mine for a long moment before his hands find my hips and turn me to face him. The shift is electrifying. He holds the connection and moves his body so close to mine that I can feel the warmth of his breath on my skin.
“You’ve created a safe and loving environment for your mom and taken on responsibilities that I couldn’t even imagine facing at twenty-five. Hannah, itisgood enough. Sure, there might be some holes in the security right now, but you’re going to figure them out, and if you can’t, I’ll help you.”
“But is this it?” I ask softly. “Is this really the future? Tight security and never-ending marathons ofNCISas a crutch? Is this what I have to offer my mom for the rest of her life?” I shake my head. I’m just ...fucked.
I want to give her more. I want more for myself, of course, but I really want more for her. She’s more than a show, even if her mind isn’t what it used to be.
“Hannah, you know what I see when I look at your mom?”
I search his eyes.
“I see a woman who is loved unconditionally by her daughter,” he whispers. “I see an incredibly happy woman who is able to live her mind’s version of life to its fullest because of everything her daughter has done and sacrificed for her.”
Tears prick my eyes. “Yeah?”
“Yeah, Hannah. Every day, you’re giving your mother the best quality of life that’s possible for her.”
“Thank you for saying that,” I whisper, my lip quivering a little.
“You deserved to hear it.”
My gaze flits from his eyes to his lips, and Dom’s body sways toward mine just slightly. His space becomes mine as we sink into the emotion together. My heart thrums and my throat gets thick as my mouth becomes more and more desperate for his kiss.
I wanted to kiss him last night in his car.Badly.But I forced myself to go into my house before I gave in to it. And that feeling hasn’t waned. If anything, it’s grown stronger.
I know it’s not going to help. I know it’s inappropriate for what we are to each other, and I know it crosses lines that can’t be uncrossed, and still ... I want it anyway.
I hold my breath and wait, giving him the space to make the move or put on the brakes, but desperately hoping for the former. I need the connection, I need the hope, and I need him.
As his hand comes up, I feel time slow to a crawl. His fingers sink into the strands of my hair at the side of my head. He leans forward and so do I, our lips skimming the surface, and just at the feel of his mouth on mine, a zap of lightning jolts down my spine and forces my eyes shut.
The pressure is soft, and the slow pace is excruciating, but when his lips finally settle onto mine, it feels like my very soul is flipping inside out, yearning to merge with his.
Time stops. The room disappears. And all my senses are focused on how it feels to kiss Dominic. It’s magic, this kiss, something like I’ve never experienced. It’s tender, but there’s a passionate tension within each swipe of our tongues.
His mouth is firm and soft, and his tongue might as well be silk. The way he guides the kiss, takes control in the best kind of way, has my body feeling so incredibly relaxed even as my heart pounds furiously inside my chest.
I could live inside this kiss for an eternity and still want more time.
I could crawl up his body and wrap my thighs around his hips and press myself into him, and it would still not feel like enough.
I could—
A gunshot goes off on the TV, startling us both, and it’s followed by a scream from Sherry as she covers her eyes, somehow still surprised even with all the times she’s seen it. The sound jolts us out of the moment, snapping the invisible thread pulling us together. Dom takes a step back, his hands falling to his sides, and I feel the loss of his warmth like a physical ache.
We move to opposite counters, our eyes wide as we try to make sense of what we’ve just done.
But there isn’t an easy answer, and there’s no going back. Something shifted between us, and I know we both felt it. It’s a line crossed, a boundary broken, and the scariest part of all is that I don’t want to stop.
I expect Dom to storm out or put up a wall himself, but he catches me off guard completely, his face breaking into a smile.
That smile—it’s not just charming; it’s warm and knowing. It’s the kind of smile that makes me feel like he’s seeing all of me, even the parts I try to hide, and he likes what he sees. It sends a rush of heat through me, and I have to grip the counter to steady myself.
“Want to go somewhere today?”
“Go somewhere?” I ask, tilting my head to the side in surprise. “Lovie’s off today and tomorrow. I have my mom by myself.”
