Chapter 37
say it, baby
DOMINIC
September
As morning light filters in, I stretch slowly, my muscles sore from sleeping on the floor. I stand silently in an effort not to wake her, but as I pull up to my full height, I realize it was all for nothing. Her bed is already empty.
After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I pull on a tee and head downstairs. The house is quiet, though it smells like coffee and bacon and something sweet.
I find Mia exactly where I knew she’d be: at the stove, flipping pancakes. Her hair is in a messy bun, and an oversized tee slips off her shoulder. The tiny shorts she slept in give me a great view of her bare legs. She’s completely at ease, in her element.
She flips the bacon, and as she sets the tongs down, she looks up, catching me staring. “You survived the floor?”
I rub the back of my neck and wince, playing it up a little.
“Barely. Two more nights of that, and I’ll need a massage as soon as we get back to Monterey.
” I step up beside her and take the spatula out of her hand.
She lets me and picks up the tongs again.
Side by side, we work, me flipping pancakes and her checking the bacon.
My heart is full, my skin humming. I’d spend a thousand nights on the floor if it allowed me to be this close to her.
“You said you’re coaching now, right? Do you like it?”
“I do. At first, I had my doubts. I think everyone did. But it’s all good now. The kids like me.”
“Or maybe they’re just afraid of you and are scared to speak up. You can be very intimidating.”
I chuckle. “Really?” I tease. “Never heard that before.”
“Your cockiness will be your downfall one day,” she mutters.
I nudge her with my hip. “If you still read romance novels, you don’t get to complain about how cocky I am.” She opens her mouth, but I shut her down before she can argue. “I remember the type of characters you liked. The cocky hero was definitely in the top five.”
She smiles openly. “More like top three.”
Encouraged by the easy air between us, I use the moment to find out more about this new Mia.
“Do you still illustrate for authors?” I remove the pancakes from the pan and stack them on a plate.
She adds batter to the pan, and as it sizzles, she assesses me. “Of course. I don’t take on as many projects as I used to, but it brings me joy, so I don’t think I’ll ever give up on it.”
“My favorite was the couple standing on the frozen lake. He was blond, and her hair was dark…” I twist my lips, as if I’m only just now remembering the image, as if it isn’t seared into my brain. “I think it was a lot like yours.”
In truth, that piece rewired my brain. She drew me and her on this very lake. She can deny it all she wants, but I know I’m right.
The corners of her mouth tremble, and a beautiful smile blooms on her lips. “I’m sorry about that. That one was for one of my long-term authors, and it wasn’t until I sent her the proof that I realized it was us.”
My chest expands. “That’s okay,” I say, playing it cool. “I really loved it. Not only because it was us, but because your work is impeccable.”
Turning back to the stove, she murmurs, “You’re such a kiss ass.”
Smiling, I lean in close and inhale the scent of her shampoo.
When I pull back and dare to look at her, I know I’m a goner.
On instinct, my hand makes its way to her cheek, tilting her face up to me.
Pulled by the invisible thread that’s kept us connected all these years, I inch closer.
I can feel her breath on my face when the sound of footsteps has us jumping apart.
With a frustrated sigh, I flip the pancakes then step back and let her do her thing.
All day, I’ve been replaying that moment in the kitchen. While we ate, played board games, and broke out Mortal Kombat, I was lost in the memory of being so close to Mia again. And fuck, if I’m not desperate to kiss her.
In the early evening, when the sun is still shining but the heat has let up, I slip into the hot tub.
Matt and Luna join me next, then Chiara.
I can’t help but glance at the door every minute or two, waiting for her to show up.
But when she finally steps outside in a black bikini, I really want to send her back into the house.
There’s no way I can focus on anything else with her dressed like sin.
When she slides between Chiara and me, her knee brushes mine. The touch is casual, fleeting, yet it brings my whole body to life. I’m desperate for more. I haven’t felt this way in years, not since my last moment with her, before I fucked up and destroyed our relationship.
When Miles slides in on Chiara’s other side, we all shift to make room.
It’s crowded now, and with Mia’s leg pressed against mine, I have to will my dick to stand down.
She wiggles a little, getting comfortable, and when she presses a hand to my thigh to steady herself, my heart hammers in my chest, making it hard to hear what my friends are saying.
“It’s too hot in here,” Mia mutters after a while. Cheeks flushed, she climbs out, grabs a towel, and heads down the stairs to the private deck. I give her a minute then get up and follow her. No one stops me; no one says anything. Only Miles catches my eye and winks.
I find her by the railing, a towel wrapped around her body, breathing in the steadily cooling night air.
“You okay?” I ask her.
“Yeah.” She smiles at me softly. “Just needed a little breather.”
As I step up to the railing, careful not to touch her, the air between us is charged. This close, I can’t resist drinking her in. Though she’s looking out over the forest, her pulse flutters wildly in her neck, like her heart is racing as violently as mine is.
Mia turns to face me, her eyes a midnight blue in the fading light.
I swallow thickly, my nerve endings lighting up as she scrutinizes me. Her eyes flicker to my mouth, and her lips part. Her chest is rising and falling rapidly.
She exhales a shaky breath. “You need to stop looking at me like that.”
I smirk. “Like what?”
She reaches up, her fingers slipping into my damp hair, nails scraping against my scalp.
I exhale loudly, the sound practically a groan.
And then, she kisses me.
She cups the back of my neck and tilts my head toward her, deepening the kiss. She’s in control, her tongue tangling with mine, her teeth nipping my lip. When I loop an arm around her waist, she pushes me away until my spine meets the wooden railing.
But she doesn’t break the kiss.
I groan into her mouth, losing myself in her taste, in the warmth of her mouth. She sucks on my bottom lip then bites, sinking her teeth into it. It feels too perfect.
Suddenly, the moment is gone. She pulls back, eyes hooded, cheeks flaming.
“You miss that, don’t you?” she murmurs, breathless.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, baby,” I tell her quietly. “Better not start something you won’t finish.”
She smiles. “I’ll take that risk.”
And with that, she sashays back up to the hot tub, leaving me alone on the deck with a raging hard-on.
At midnight, we’re all gathered in the living room, playing Truth or Shot. So far, it’s been lighthearted, but the drunker we get, the more risqué the questions.
Chiara and Miles have already admitted they had a threesome. Matt and Luna’s reactions were hilarious. Mia, who only smiled in response, clearly already knew.
She watches me as often as I watch her, the tension between us thick.
I’m on the edge of my seat, eager for the moment we all turn in for the night and Mia and I are shut in that room together.
I just want her. Even if we don’t do anything, even if she pushes me away again, all I want is to be by her side.
Chiara points at Mia, grinning. “What’s the best sex you’ve ever had?” Her gaze flicks to me then back to Mia. “And with who?”
I watch her, eyes narrowed. Yeah, I’m a smug asshole, because I know it was with me. Nothing has ever felt as incredible as having her in my arms. There’s no way anyone has fucked her like I did.
With a glance at me, she picks up a shot and downs it.
I smirk. That’s clear confirmation.
“Coward,” I tell her.
She shrugs then turns to Luna and challenges her to tell us about the most daring thing she’s ever done. A few rounds later, Miles focuses his glassy eyes on me. That alone tells me to be on guard for what he’s about to say.
“Do you ever regret breaking up with someone?”
It’s not fair in the slightest, but I still answer.
I fix my focus on Mia. “Every single day.”
She doesn’t look away, and she doesn’t speak, but the way her eyes flare tells me more than any words can.
Mia goes to our bedroom first, and I linger behind, giving her time to change. I help Matt clean up, and when it no longer looks like we threw a rager in the living room, I turn in too.
She’s already in bed, lying on her back, her phone held aloft and her face lit up. I watch her for a moment, and then I slowly strip and slide under the covers beside her. She doesn’t react; her eyes stay glued to her phone.
I lie on my right side, taking her in. Silence stretches between us, and the air grows thick. Finally, she sighs, locks her phone, and puts it on the nightstand. Then, she turns onto her left side and peers at me.
My brain wars with itself, with my heart. My mind says I shouldn’t touch her, but my heart is begging me to make a move, to gauge her reaction.
Her lips part, and she sighs. “You really mean it?”
I slide my hand under the sheets until it reaches her bare thigh. “Yes,” I reply. “Every single day.”
She doesn’t say anything, and she doesn’t tell me to stop. So, I glide my hand up to the waistband of her shorts and skim my fingers over her skin. All the while, I watch how her chest heaves, how her breath turns shallow.
And that’s when I retract my hand, splaying it on the mattress between us.
“Why did you stop?” she asks, her voice shaking.
“Because I need you to say it,” I murmur. “I need you to tell me it’s what you want.”
She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip, brow furrowed as she searches my face. It’s like she’s waiting for me to change my mind.
I don’t. I just smirk and move my hand away from her body.
“I can’t,” she says.
“Then go to sleep, Little Mayhem.”
I roll onto my back, eyes fixed on the ceiling, and count. One, two, three, four, five…
The sheets rustle softly as she slips closer to me. And then she’s straddling me.
Our eyes hook on each other, and the already thick air sparks with electricity.
Such a needy girl…
I grip her hips, the sensation so familiar yet so brand new. “I’ll give you anything you want; just say it.” I dig my fingers into her thighs, adding more pressure. “Say it, baby.”
She swallows thickly, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Please.”
Good enough. I cup the back of her neck and pull her to me. Our mouths connect in a passionate, languid kiss.
She grinds her center over my thighs, and I snap, flipping us over so she’s on her back. She gasps when I yank her shorts off and whimpers when I drag her tee over her head.
Fully naked and not the least bit shy, Mia props herself on her elbows.
I hover over her, drinking her in. My fingers are trembling with the desire to touch her, to take everything she’ll give, but I don’t want to rush. Not tonight.
So, I flop onto my back and pull her over me, twisting her around until her pussy is right where I want it to be—over my mouth.
She gasps, bracing herself with her hands on my thighs.
This position might be one of my favorites, but I chose it because it leaves her room to decide whether she wants to do more than let me take care of her.
The moment my tongue makes contact with her center, she whimpers. I suck her clit into my mouth and release it again and again as she moans softly, not moving, relishing in the sensation.
“God, you taste so good.” I lap her up to drive my point home.
When she drags her nails down my stomach to the waistband of my sweatpants, my cock jolts. And when she slips a hand inside and grasps my shaft, slowly pumping me, I groan and suck her clit harder.
She claws at my skin, whimpering when she can’t get my sweats past my hips. I lift them, and she quickly strips me down to nothing. When her warm mouth closes around my cock, my vision blurs. The sensation is even better than a ride on my motorcycle.
While I lick and suck, moving my tongue all over her sweet pussy, she works me over, gasping for air anytime she takes my cock too deep.
“Just like that, baby,” I coo when she gags on my dick again.
I find the rhythm she used to love, and when she starts twerking her ass, I know she’s chasing her orgasm. She rides my face as I double my efforts, fucking her with my tongue and my lips.
“Oh…God…” She moans, her breathing ragged. “I’m so close…”
My grip on her hips tightens; my tongue is relentless. The way she rides my face makes me want to do it again and again and again.
“Fuck, I’m coming,” she moans, and then her mouth is back on my dick.
She comes like that, and I let her ride out her orgasm, keeping with the pace I’ve set. With one hand on my shaft, she swirls her tongue around my crown. I come too, spilling myself inside her mouth. It’s even more perfect than I remember, a thousand times better than it was in my dreams.
She is a dream. My every fucking fantasy.
Her legs shake as she climbs off me and heads to the bathroom.
When she returns, she slips beneath the sheet on her side of the bed.
I throw an arm around her waist and haul her to my chest. Rather than pull away like I expect, she snuggles closer to me.
So, I pull the comforter up and bury my face in her hair.
As her breathing slows and my heart rate settles, I trace lazy patterns on her hip with my fingers.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” she stutters. “I know nothing about you anymore, other than we still have chemistry. That’s all this is. Just a result of being in close quarters.”
I exhale and tighten my grip around her. “Okay.”
Her words hurt, but they aren’t unexpected. They’re absolutely deserved. So I close my eyes, press her even tighter against my chest, and drift off to sleep.