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Chapter 27
Hedidn’tturntolook at me as he strode out into the lobby, past the bar, and toward the doors leading to the ballroom. He merely extended his hand, motioning for me to take it. My stomach twisted in knots below me. I had no clue what his purpose was with the way he was acting, and I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Waiting for my own heartbreak.
But in my self-destructive nature, I couldn’t help but hold on as long as possible, regardless of how much it’d hurt me later. So I took his hand and let him lead me back to the party. A slow song was playing as we walked back into the ballroom, and dancing couples littered the middle of the room. Dom glanced at me, a lazy grin on his lips as he nodded toward the dance floor.
His grip on my hand tightened as he pulled toward the crowd, but I held up short, planting my feet to the ground. Despite how much I wanted to hang on, I couldn’t fake it out there while I danced with him.
“Dom, I can’t keep pretending.”
He turned to face me, taking my freehand in his, and gripping both of my forearms as he tugged me closer to him. “Then stop pretending,” he said. That pained look was back in his eyes as they searched my face. I could only shake my head. “Give me until midnight.”
“Give you until midnight to do what?”
“To convince you, one last time, to take that fucking mask off.”
I blinked at him in confusion. He only shook his head as he grabbed my waist and spun me around, lightly pushing me in front of him and guiding me, his hand at the small of my back as we navigated through the crowd. We made it to the edge of the dance floor, and he spun me once again, snaking his arm around my waist and tugging me flush against him. His other hand grasped my own as we began to sway to the music.
“You knew that guy at the bar,” I found myself saying.
“His name is Richard. He’s a client.” He shrugged. “And a piece of shit.”
I sighed. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea or I wouldn’t have said any of that.” I dropped my eyes to our feet. “He’s going to complain about you.”
“Russell will support me. If anything, I’ll just explain the situation to his wife.” He chuckled under his breath, but stopped when he realized I wasn’t joining it. “He won’t say shit. Don’t worry, Mace.”
“You could lose your job because of me,” I murmured.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Look at me.” I let my eyes flutter upward, but didn’t lift my head. “Don’t ever apologize for standing up for yourself. Nothing is as important as you being respected. If you hadn’t said what you did, I would’ve said it for you. I’ll always defend you. I could give a shit about anything else.” He removed his hand from mine and brought it to my cheek. “And if I’m working somewhere that doesn’t support that, then fuck them too.” He smiled softly, and something about it made me give him one of my own. “Talk to me, Mace.”
“I’m just sorry.”
“No. Talk to me.”
I brought my eyes to his, and only that shining sincerity remained in his features. For the first time with anyone, I wanted to tell him what I was thinking. Why I was so scared. For the first time with anyone, I felt that even if he couldn’t give me what I wanted—even if he didn’t feel the same— he’d understand. As if he’d still be my friend at the end of it all.
“Carina was acting…. weird. Like she was flirting with you. I got the feeling you two may have hooked up before. It made me uncomfortable, and then I was telling myself I had no reason to be. Because we’re just supposed to be friends. And then I thought…What if this is the person he falls in love with? What if she’s the one he ends the arrangement for?” I blew out a long breath. “And that scared me more than I was willing to admit. More than I’m willing to admit even now.”
His face lit up, partially with amusement, and then with something else I couldn’t quite read. “First of all,” he nodded to something behind me, “Carina is very happy with hergirlfriend, Tessa.” I looked back, and sure enough, the beautiful brunette was swaying in the arms of a tall, short-haired blonde across the room. When I looked back at Dom, he was grinning. “Carina and I are playful. Maybe,” he drawled, “she hyped up the flirtation– probably because she’s tired of hearing me complain about the beautiful, funny, smart-ass blonde who won’t give me the time of day.”
My brow furrowed.He talks about me? Toher?
He smiled. “I shouldn’t have played into it too. That was immature of me and I’ll own that. But I’m getting desperate here, Mace. I hoped making you jealous would help you realize…” He chuckled before his features straightened. “The arrangement is bullshit, Macie.” I could only blink at him. “I gave you whatever you needed to make you comfortable, but I wasn’t lying before. Every single piece of me has belonged to you for a while now. I don’t just mean my body, or my focus, or my attention. I mean everything. All of it. I’ve been stuck on you for a long time.”
My heart leaped into my throat.
“Since when?” was all I could respond with.
“Since the night I met you.”
I swallowed back emotion, feeling those words in every part of my being.
“I’ve told you that. I’ve made it clear. I knew from the moment I met you that you were the woman of my dreams.”
I shook my head. He’d said he wanted me. Said he thought about fucking me. I never thought it went beyond that. I never… “I never thought that went beyond my body.”
“When I found you on that dance floor I felt this pull. This unexplainable tug. Like, for the first time in a long time, I was exactly where I was meant to be. Like there was a reason I was there, a reason you were there. Something that connected us. I’d never felt a pull to someone like that before, let alone someone I didn’t even know.” We continued swaying in the middle of the room, though the song playing was no longer slow. “I’m not going to say I believe in love at first sight because I think that’s lame.”
