I went to check Dominic’s old room while he was talking with Bones in his office because I was sure I'd left one of his t-shirts there. I counted five initially, but when we unpacked, there were only four.
We’ll be using the tiny cabin for overnights now, not his old room, but I didn’t know that the room had already been claimed! By none other than Domino. The same Domino who was in the middle of a full-blown orgy with half the women from my book club when I innocently opened the door and walked in.
So many asses. Vaginas. Boobs. And just one dick.
I shudder.
I didn’t think to knock. But he didn’t think to lock the door either. Who doesn’t lock the door when they’re having a fucking orgy?!
I’m pouring a generous amount of tequila into my glass when my body is suddenly caged between two strong arms and pressed into the bar.
“Fifteen years and some months ago, we were doing something really fun behind a bar just like this one,” Dominic murmurs in my ear, his breath hot, his beard brushing my neck. “Want to do it again?”
Goosebumps spread across my skin.
“I’m not wearing a dress this time,” I whisper, leaning back into his chest.
The irony of me being shocked by the upstairs orgy while also being fully ready to fuck behind the bar is not lost on me.
“I can make it work,” he growls, low and deep, igniting fire in my belly.
The bloody figure of Luca Romano drops into a chair on the other side of the bar just as I’m about to drag Dominic under it and have my way with him. It startles me so much I jerk back into him, his arm wrapping around my chest to steady me.
Luca’s usually crisp white shirt is torn, covered in dirt and blood. His leather cut sits over it, just as ruined. Three ugly scratches mark his cheek and his hair is a mess. I don’t think this man’s hair was ever out of place. It looks eerie.
“I need something strong,” he murmurs, clearly speaking to one of us but not looking at either of us. His eyes stay fixed ahead as he taps his fingers twice on the bar, leaving bloody prints behind.
I glance at the tequila bottle still in my hand, top off the glass, and slide it toward him. Then I push the bottle after it. He looks like he needs the whole thing.
“What the fuck happened to you?” Dominic asks, his voice hard.
Luca doesn’t move. He just looks at him from the corner of his eye.
“Love, Ghost,” he says after a beat. “Love fucking happened.”
Then he downs the shot, grabs the bottle, and spins in his seat. Theresa watches him from across the room, a wicked smirk on her face. Her arms lift slowly, both middle fingers aimed straight at him.
For the rest of the night, he doesn’t leave his seat. And his eyes never leave Theresa.
Epilogue 2
Ten years later
Ghost
The soft brush of fur against my beard doesn’t come as a surprise. But the spiky tongue licking my shoulder does. That’s new. Did this furry asshole break something else of mine and now he’s trying to butter me up before I even get out of bed?
I huff silently through my nose and open my eyes slowly. Gary’s partner in crime has been giggling at the side of the bed for a good minute now. But it doesn’t look like she’s planning to make any moves.
Time to wake up.
With a roll of my shoulder, I push Gary away, then carefully slide my arms from around Adora.
In one swift motion, I’m out of bed and crouching beside it, looking right into the dark brown, almost black, eyes of Riley — my seven-year-old daughter and also the reason theno clothes in bed rulehad to be abolished. This kid looks frighteningly similar to me, but her soul is all Adora. If anyone is ever going to give me a heart attack, it’ll be her.
“Good morning, daddysaurus,” she whispers through a toothy smile. The two missing teeth make her look completely innocent, but I know better.
“Good morning, T-Rex,” I murmur, unable to stop myself from smiling at the act. “What did we agree on about letting Gary into Mommy and Daddy’s bedroom in the morning?”
