DOMINIC FELL OVER ME, sweaty and panting. His full weight crushed me into the bed, and I wrapped my legs around his waist to keep him there. Not that he seemed to be going anywhere. His arms were banded around my shoulders, and his cock was still firmly planted inside me. We were both shaking. He tried to catch his breath while I tried to catch reality.
But this was real.
We’d arrived at our Salt Lake City hotel an hour ago. It took five minutes for Dominic to barge into my room. Another couple for him to rid me of my clothes. And a few after that for me to come.
“Jesus.” He groaned, lifting his head from my neck to peer down at me. “Pretty sure you’re going to kill me.” His hand came up to my jaw, cupping me roughly. “How is my dick still hard when I just came? What magic spell do you have inside you?”
I grinned, clenching around him. The smile was wiped from my lips when he thrust forward, swelling against my sensitive walls.
“Claire…” He smacked the side of my thigh. “No more.”
With a sigh, I let my legs fall to the mattress so Dominic could pull out. He stayed for another half a minute longer, dragging his teeth over the bite marks he’d left around my nipples, then he shifted to lay beside me. He took care of the condom, tying it off in a tight knot and wrapping it in a tissue, then he captured my jaw in his hand, his mouth coming down hard on mine. His tongue swept into my mouth, tasting me until I couldn’t breathe, but I didn’t give a damn.
He yanked his lips from mine and looked like he was angry at me for making him kiss me again. His eyebrows pinched tight over inky black pools. Fingers curled in my hair. Breath grazed my cheek.
“Let’s go to dinner.”
My lips parted, but no words came out. He’d surprised me. Having dinner together was the last thing I’d expected him to suggest.
“Come on. There’s a place I want to go that I think you’ll like. I’ll have my security make the arrangements.” Dominic squeezed my breast, dipping his head to suck my nipple into his mouth. “Or I could fuck you again.”
Heat throbbed between my legs. “We should probably eat first.” The anticipation of what would happen when we returned to the hotel would be so crazy hot, I was willing to press pause. “But wait. Can you go out to dinner? At a regular restaurant?”
He chuckled against my skin. “Yes, Claire. I’m able to go to dinner.”
I slapped his shoulder. “Fuck you, Dominic.” The growl he emitted had me laughing. “I meant, won’t you be mobbed? Your fans know you’re in town…”
“Don’t worry about it. My guys will handle it. People might show up, take some pictures if they get a chance, but the place I want to take you is pretty private.”
“All right.” I scratched the skin under his beard, then tugged him down for another quick kiss. “I’m convinced.”
His hand came down on my thigh again. “Good girl. I’m gonna head to my room and clean up. Is an hour enough time for you to get ready?”
In my past life, I would have needed more than that. Derrick only liked my hair straight, but I embraced the curls these days, my makeup routine had been pared down, and my clothes were simple. Still, it was sort of sweet for Dominic to think I put a lot of time into getting ready.
“That’s plenty,” I answered.
I saw him on his way, took a quick shower since I smelled too much like sex to be fit for the public, then dug through my clothes, settling on a kelly green jersey dress that nipped my waist so tight, I actually found myself hot, which wasn’t a common occurrence.
Only a half hour had gone by when there was a knock on the door. I opened it with bare feet and no lipstick, but otherwise ready. It wasn’t Dominic standing on the other side, though.
“Look at you, C.” Marta gave me an exaggerated once-over. “Pretty, pretty.”
“Well, thanks, M. With the shape this dress gives me, I should have bought fifty of them.”
She reached out and gave my waist a pinch. “I’ve seen you in a bikini, woman. Don’t be shy.”
I should have invited her in, but even though I’d made the bed, there had to be sex pheromones in the air. I wasn’t at all prepared to answer any questions—especially not from Marta.
“You’re making me blush. Stop it.” One foot pressed on top of the other, and I leaned my head on the edge of the door. “What’s up?”
“I wanted to see if you wanted to go grab dinner. Did I send you a psychic message that I was going to ask so you got dressed up for me?”
“Actually,” I glanced down at my bare toes, “Dominic and I are going to grab a bite.”
“Oh.” Marta’s slitted brow rose, then she backed up a step. “I see.”
I reached for her arm, but she backed up another step. “It’s not like that. Please. He just wanted company, and I happened to be the first person he saw.”
“I got it. I’ll just go check in with Iris and friends. One of them is bound to be hungry.” She slinked off down the hall before I could say another word, which made me feel sick.
I should have known this would happen. We didn’t live in a vacuum where only Dominic and I existed. We were traveling in close quarters with a lot of people who would notice us hanging out…if that was what we were doing.
I texted Marta, hoping she’d forgive me.
Come to dinner with us! Don’t be mad at me.
It took her a few minutes, but she finally texted me back.
It’s all good. I’m with Iris and Callum. Maybe we’ll both get laid tonight.
Me: It’s not like that, M.
Marta: C, please. It’s so like that. I know Dominic. He doesn’t take women out to dinner if he’s not banging them too. Just don’t let yourself get wrapped up. He won’t.
Me: Have fun tonight. Breakfast?
Marta: Yeah, let’s do that. But if I show up at your room and see Dominic’s naked ass, I won’t be thrilled.
Me: I will make sure no asses are naked. Xoxo
Marta: xxx *wink*
Dominic showed up just as I was dissolving into a pit of self-hatred. I tried not to show it, but he grabbed me by the jaw and examined my face like a soothsayer reading tea leaves.
“What’s wrong?” he demanded.
“Marta asked me to have dinner with her. She put two and two together pretty quickly when I told her you and I had plans.” I tapped his open lips. “And no, I am not quick enough on my feet to come up with a plausible lie. So, there you go. She knows.”
He took my finger between his teeth and growled, but not angrily. “Marta knows everything. There’s no sense in even attempting to hide from her.” He gave my butt a smack. “Let’s go.”
I shoved my feet into brown leather sandals that had a short heel and grabbed a small purse that only fit my phone and lipstick. Dominic’s two bodyguards accompanied us in the elevator. He didn’t touch me at all, but I didn’t mind. We weren’t a couple. We weren’t going to walk around holding hands while staring into each other’s eyes.
In the car, Dominic took his usual position across from me, and only then did he really take me in. My knees were tucked to the side, skirt flowing over them. Normally when I wore this dress, I put a camisole beneath, but not tonight. The deep V left the upper swells of my breasts exposed. In the hotel, I felt somewhat daring. In this car, I had become unsure.
Dominic said nothing. His expression remained stoic. He never stopped drinking me in, but he always did that.
My insecurity was a deep-rooted thing that had been carefully tended to over the years. My husband had complimented me, but only when I was absolutely perfect. If he were here, he would take one look at me and ask me if I wanted to be confused with trash, because that was what I looked like. I could almost hear his voice, but I shook it off.
I liked compliments as much as the next woman, and I’d gotten an epic one from Marta earlier, so I really didn’t need one from Dominic. I sure wouldn’t be telling him how sexy his arms were peeking out from the sleeves of his button-up shirt. Or how I wondered if the heavy silver watch on his wrist would feel cool on my heated skin if he touched me. No, I’d keep that to myself.
The car pulled up to the side of a nondescript restaurant, and we were escorted inside to a small, partitioned area near the back. The interior of the restaurant was just as plain as the outside, but the Mason jar of wildflowers surrounded by fairy lights in the middle of the table gave me a fuzzy feeling about the place.
“This is awfully cute for you.” I gestured to the lights and flowers and gauzy white fabric draping from the screen separating us from the rest of the restaurant. “I’m surprised this is your spot.”
Taking the seat beside me instead of across, he straightened his collar and arched a midnight brow. “This isn’t my spot. I’ve been here a few times and thought you might like it.”
“How thoughtful.” I picked up my menu, blocking my view of him. I hated that I was annoyed with him. It wasn’t entirely his fault. Marta finding out about us already had me on edge before he even showed up.
“Claire—” He pushed down the top of my menu, but whatever he had intended to say was interrupted by our waitress.
“Hi, I’m Layla. How are you tonight?”
Dominic murmured that he was fine, which made her beam pearly white teeth at him. His eyes flicked to her and held for a beat before returning to the menu.
“I’d love to answer any questions you have about the menu or make a drink suggestion if you’d like.” She placed her hand on the table directly beside where Dominic’s rested.
Layla was pretty, in a very obvious way. I didn’t have to study her or examine her features to find what made her special. One glance and—boom!—pretty. I didn’t fault her for that, since prettiness was mostly an accident of birth and she couldn’t help it any more than I could help that I sometimes blended into furniture until someone got to know me.
What I didn’t love about Layla was that she only addressed Dominic. I might as well have not been at the table. That made her both a shitty waitress and crappy human.
Dominic didn’t look at her again. His eyes found mine, and a flare of amusement lit in the black depths of his gaze. He knew exactly what she was doing, and he found it funny.
We ordered drinks, and then dinner when she returned minutes later. Dominic didn’t try to address me again until after she’d retreated a second time.
He leveled me with a heavy, black stare that read trouble. With no menu to hide behind, I had to face him. Taking a deep breath, I waited for him to say what he needed to, hoping it wasn’t more than I could handle.
