Page 98 of Between Love & Ruin

“How did it go?” I ask him, trying to distract myself

“Boring,” he tells me, walking side by side with me. “Like always. I am not really fond of these, but they’re good for business. I am glad you were here with me—it made me be at ease.”

“Makes sense,” I say as he leads me to his car. “Are we not waiting for Roy?”

“No,” he tells me. “I can’t handle him anymore. Besides, he got something to keep himself busy with for the rest of the night.”

My eyes widen in surprise at the meaning behind his words. I never took him to be one for the casual things, but I guess we learn something new every day.

He opens the car door for me and makes sure I am buckled in before sitting in the driver seat.

“Ready?” he asks, and I look at him then.

He looks like all of my answered prayers.

“Dom,” I say, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “We will be okay, right?”

He smiles at me, taking my hand in his and warms my heart by kissing the inside of my palm.

“Of course. As long as I live, we will be. I will make sure of it.”

I smile, letting my heart believe in his words.

At least for tonight.

Dominic Wolfe

Sienna doesn’t realize this. But I am attuned to her behavior and her needs in a way that I am not even for myself.

So when she tries to retreat into herself, into her mind, I can catch it almost instantly.

I don’t know why, but I still feel this wall between us. Like she’s trying to hide away from me.

I know she loves me. I know that maybe I’m the only man she has ever truly loved. Her ex or the people before that were just flukes before we met.

And I take a lot of pride in that.

But even while knowing the entire truth in every fiber of my being, in every single nerve of my body, I still wake up every morning with this gnawing feeling in my chest that all of this is going to crumble soon.

That she is going to leave me and run away.

And tonight as she lies down beside me, her Kindle in her hand and her eyes focused on the book open in front of her, yet not a single movement of her body or her eyes and that tells me she’s overthinking something.

I drop my phone on the side table and pull her toward me.

The Kindle slips out of her hand, and she lets out a small shriek when I bury my face in her neck. I pepper kisses on her neck, her jaw, and everywhere I can reach.

She sighs and buries her fingers in my hair, softly caressing me.

“You okay?” I ask, my eyes focused on her. For a while she looks at anywhere but me. But when she feels my gaze not moving away from hers, she finally looks at me.

“I am okay,” she says, sinking deep into the sheets and holding me close. I smile, the familiar warmth filling my chest. “Just tired.”

I kiss her forehead. One time. Then a second time. And then for every moment I couldn’t reach her

Due to physical distance or emotional distance.

“You know, I have always been great at observing things,” I whisper in the dark, my lips casually brushing against her skin. “It’s one of the few things that make me great at what I do.”