Page 67 of Between Love & Ruin

“You’re teasing,” I say. “I did not do any of that.”

“Oh, but you did. It’s okay, Sienna. I know you can’t resist me.”

“Shut up,” I say, rolling my eyes. Still not believing a word he says.

“As my lady wishes.”

He gets up to leave, and I try my best not to stare at him. It’s a remarkably difficult task, but then he stops midway.

“Can I be honest with you?” he asks, standing halfway out of the room.

“Always,” I say with a smile.

“I used to dream about this day, the day I would get to wake up next to you,” he says, making my heart skip a beat. “I never thought it would actually come so soon.”

He leaves me speechless as always.

“I will whip up some breakfast for you,” he says with a warm smile. “Freshen up and come downstairs.”

I sit in his bed for a while, soaking in the feeling of this new life. I know I can’t stay here forever. I can’t stay in NYC forever. I might have ended things with Mark, and not even a fiber of my being feels guilty for it. It was long overdue after all.

But a part of my life still exists in Chicago, and cutting ties from there will be harder than cutting Mark from my life.

I know what awaits me there is messy.

But for now I am in the comfort and safety of Mr. Wolfe.

And for now, that’s enough.

* * *

“How do you cook so well?” I ask Dominic, and he chuckles.

From the moment he plated my breakfast in front of me, I have been doing nothing but stuff my face with delicious food. I didn’t know he was such a good cook.

“I can cook but not this good,” I add.

He looks at me with a glint in his eyes. He is completely dressed in formals, with a crisp navy shirt with sleeves folded halfway and black trousers that fit him exceptionally well.

If I didn’t know any better, I would say he was trying to seduce me. But who am I kidding? He could be wearing torn clothes and I would still be a puddle right in front of him.

“I am a man of many talents, baby,” he says, and I scrunch up my nose. Partly because I don’t know how to feel about that nickname. Partly because it makes me all giddy inside.

“How many women have you called that before?” I question, teasing him, but I am also curious to know if he has had any past relationships.

I am not insecure or anything. But he is thirty. There’s no way he didn’t have at least one relationship before.

“You’re the only one I have given a nickname, cara mia,” he says, taking my chin in his hand.

“You’re telling me you haven’t called any other woman “baby”? That’s hard to believe. You are old. You must have had at least one relationship.”

“I am not old.” He narrows his eyes, and I feel so joyous knowing I found a nerve to hit. “And the only time I got slightly entangled with a girl was back in my teens. Even then I never felt this need to call them something other than their name. I didn’t feel that affectionate with them.”

“Aw, you don’t have to feel bad that you’re old,” I say with a smile, subtly ignoring the fact that he admitted not being affectionate with anyone else. It makes me feel way more special than intended. “Aging is natural.”

He shakes his head and gets up, towering over me. He cups my face in his hand, gently caressing my cheek. I force myself to not give in to his touch so easily.

But it’s so hard when his eyes look at me like I am the only one he sees.