Chapter 18
i’m into everything about you
DOMINIC
September
The sun is barely up when I walk into the kitchen, desperate for coffee. I find Mia sitting on a stool at the breakfast bar, poring over a notebook, a steaming mug of something perched in front of her.
I move closer and stop, drawing her attention to me. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” She barely glances up before going back to her notes.
Fuck. The reaction stings, but I deserve it. It’s been six days since our kiss at the Cove, and we still haven’t talked. She stayed at Chiara’s all weekend, only coming home after classes on Monday, and since then, I’ve been busting my ass at work so I can get Clay’s car done by Friday.
“I was thinking—”
“There’s fresh coffee if you want some.”
“Yeah, thanks.” I fill a mug and heave myself onto the stool beside hers. “How are you?”
She looks up. “I have a calculus test today, and considering it’s my least favorite subject, I’m nervous.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great.”
She rolls her eyes. “Right. Because you know so much about me.”
I lower my mug to the table and dip my chin. “I deserve that.”
She doesn’t say anything in return; she just keeps studying. She isn’t running away, so I might as well use this moment alone to my advantage.
“I haven’t been avoiding you.”
No reaction.
“I’ve been working overtime on a project for a friend. Remember the guy I was talking to when you stopped by the shop on Friday?”
“Do you mean Clay Rodgers?” She peers at me.
I sit back and assess her. “You know who he is?”
“Of course. I used to watch hockey with my dad.”
“I didn’t know you were into sports.”
She closes her notebook and rests her hands on top of it, fingers laced. “Pretty sure I once told you I love any game if it’s good. And hockey? Elite.”
“You’re something else.” I laugh. “What else don’t I know about you?”
Her lips curl up on one side, and I feel a desperate urge to kiss the smirk off her face. “Lots of stuff.”
Instead, I cup her cheek. “I want to get to know you.”
She pulls back. “Seriously? Because your actions contradict your words, Dom.”
I stand and sidle up close to her. When her eyes find mine, I stroke her cheek with my thumb, tilting her face up to me. Jesus, her skin feels like velvet under my callused hand, soft and warm. This close to her, my body heats, fire coursing through my veins.
“Are you and Remi together?” she whispers, pain swimming in the depths of her blue irises.
“No. She’s not my girlfriend, and I haven’t touched her since I broke up with her five months ago.”
She lets out a sardonic laugh. “That’s hard to believe, considering she spent the night in your room last week. She came out wearing your T-shirt.”
A knot of dread forms in my gut. “She showed up at the Cove that night, got drunk, and tried to drive herself home. She was so drunk, I let her sleep in my bed, yeah, but I crashed on the floor.” I dip lower, hoping she can sense my honesty, and explain how Remi threw up that night, how I gave her my tee afterward because I didn’t want her to sleep in my bed in dirty clothes. “That’s all, I swear.”
I move in close and press my lips to hers gently. This kiss is nothing like the one we shared at the club. This one is tender and slow.
She parts her lips, giving me access, and I push my tongue inside, curling it around hers. She tastes like coffee and sugar. I breathe her in without pulling back, relishing her scent. It’s floral with vanilla notes, and it’s deliciously intoxicating. My head spins.
Only when my jeans are so tight, I risk cutting off circulation do I stop. It’s a good thing too. Anyone could walk in on us, and I’m not sure I want them to find out about us just yet, and definitely not like this.
I press my forehead to hers and cup her face, brushing my thumbs over her cheeks.
“I have to drive Clay’s car to him tomorrow,” I tell her quietly. “Come with me? It’ll give us time to talk.”
“I have classes.”
“Please? For me, just this once.” My mouth is an inch from hers.
All I want to do is kiss her again. “Come with me to Santa Clara. Let’s take the time to get to know each other.
I don’t want to delay this any longer. I promise you lots of talking.
” I steal a quick kiss. “And lots of kissing, if that’s what you’re into. ”
She pulls away, eyebrows pinched together, and yet she fists my tee, keeping me close. “And you’re not? Into kissing me?”
“I’m into you, Little Mayhem. I’m into everything about you.”
A door shuts upstairs, and we both look up.
Fuck. Our time is up. “Please, Mia.”
She studies me, then nods. “Okay. What time?”
“Meet me out front at 6:20.” I press one more kiss to her lips then chug the rest of my coffee and head out.
“So, what’s the story with your ex?” I ask once we’re on the highway. “How come you stayed friends?”
She shifts in her seat, arching a brow. “That’s the first thing you want to know?”
“I’ve been curious since the night he came over for dinner.” I wink at her.
Facing forward again, she rakes her fingers through her hair and separates it into three parts. I wait patiently, focusing my attention on the road while she braids. She’s too distracting, and her safety is too important to me. I can ogle her later. Hopefully. But first, we need to talk.
I stop at a red light and study her from the corner of my eye. A spaghetti-strap black dress with tiny red flowers paired with white sneakers. She brought a leather jacket, but instead of wearing it, she set it on her lap. It’s a good thing too. It means I can’t check out her legs.
“I met Jeff not long after I moved to Phoenix. We went to school together. He was popular, a basketball player, and his family is pretty wealthy. Plus, he’s handsome.
” She breaks into a soft smile. “I noticed him, obviously, but I didn’t really pay attention to him until I walked into the drama club and he was there.
We hit it off right away. We had so many things in common, and we became inseparable.
Then, on my fifteenth birthday, he kissed me. ”
She ties off her braid and settles back in her seat, half turned to face me. She’s wearing mascara, but that’s it as far as makeup goes. Her thick lashes make the darker shades of blue in her eyes pop. Like a beacon, she pulls me in every time I look.
Clearing my throat, I focus on the road again to keep from losing control.
“We dated for three months, and when we broke up, our friendship picked right back up where we left it.” She shrugs. “Jeff and I love each other, but only as friends.”
Jealousy rears its head, but I choke it back and remind myself Jeff isn’t a threat. “Good to know. It’s impressive you two are so chill. Seems like for most people, it’s easier to cut all ties than it is to try and maintain a healthy relationship.”
“What’s your story with Remi then?”
A pit opens in my stomach, but I brought this on myself.
“And please, don’t say it’s complicated. That excuse was old last month. Now, it’s ancient history.”
Head thrown back, I laugh. It’s so fucking easy being in her presence. It blows my mind how comfortable this is, and it makes me want to tell her more than I should. I need to be very careful with my words.
“It is complicated.” I chuckle, though my mood sinks pretty quickly, because what Remi and I have been through isn’t funny.
“We dated on and off, starting our senior year of high school. After the accident junior year of college, I was in a very dark place. I pushed everyone away, but Remi kept coming back. She was there for every step of my recovery. She never wavered. I don’t love her.
I don’t think I ever did. But…she was there for me when no one else knew how to get through. For that, I’ll always be grateful.”
“I’m sorry about the accident.” Mia rests a hand on my shoulder, her fingers trailing down my tattoo. “I know how much you loved football.”
“Thanks.” I let out a long breath. “The fucked-up part is, my dreams died because of me, because I was reckless. I shouldn’t have been racing.
I should’ve listened to Remi when she begged me not to do it, should’ve listened to Miles, who had doubts.
Instead, I got in the car, and five minutes later…
everything was over. I lost my chance to go pro, and because Miles wouldn’t let me go alone, since he got into that car with me, he was kicked out of college. ”
“The important thing is, you and Miles are alive.”
Heat pricks the backs of my eyes, but I shake off the sensation.
“Hey.” She touches my arm, and I sneak a glance at her.
“As long as your heart is beating, there’s still hope.
Our dreams change; our plans evolve. Sure, life is unfair, but that doesn’t mean good doesn’t exist. Pivot.
Look for new opportunities, be open to meeting new people, to new experiences.
You’ll never know how much you can have if you continue living in the past. And you, Dominic Watson, have a very bright future ahead of you. ”
The pit in my stomach shrinks with every word, until all that’s left is a comforting sensation. Trying to ignore it, I use her own words against her. “Yeah, of course, because you know so much about me, right?”
With a laugh, she covers her eyes with one hand. The melodic sound hits me in the solar plexus, flooding me with heat and something way too close to happiness. It’s the Mia Ashton effect.
She angles my way and runs her fingers over the back of my neck, scraping at the short hairs there. The sensation relaxes my muscles and sends a comforting warmth curling through me.
“I think I was five the first time I heard you tell Matt that one day, you’d play in the NFL.
For years, I watched you run drills in the backyard before school.
You’d practice and practice until every move was perfect.
Your dedication taught me if I work hard enough, I can achieve anything.
” She smiles. “For as long as I can remember, you’ve been the most capable person I know.
When I was seven, maybe, you and your dad were over, working on our car, and when you rolled out from under it on that red creeper, I think I screamed.
You came out of nowhere and scared me, but even then, I was sure you knew how to fix anything. ”
How does she remember all that? I grip the steering wheel tighter, my stomach hardening.
The memories hit hard, rushing over me like an avalanche.
I’m not that kid anymore. Something in me died when the doctor said I’d never play again.
Bitterness took over, and it’s only grown, because the life I’m living now is not the one I dreamed of.
It’s the one I was forced to settle for.
I plaster a smirk and shrug. “Wow. You really kept tabs on me, didn’t you?”
She isn’t fazed by my flippant comment. “How could I not? You looked out for me when we were kids, even if you did tease me out of my mind. Even when I drove you crazy, you never hesitated to step in when I needed you. Sometimes, you even reacted faster than Matt. It’s like I was always on your radar. ”
Her voice is soft, gentle. I don’t dare to look at her, because I don’t want her to see the way her words affect me. It’s a damn thunderstorm, growing louder and more insistent with each second.
“I knew you then, and I see the man you are now. Sure, not everything turned out the way you hoped. That couldn’t have been easy for you, but you’re not the kind of person who gives up.
You’ve always pushed yourself to achieve the things you want, and that side of you is still there.
It’s a strength within you, Dom, and I’m sure when you choose a new dream, you’re damn well going to achieve it. ”
Gingerly, she slips her hand into mine, rubbing her thumb over my callused skin. It grounds me in a way I’ve never experienced.
I let out a shaky exhale, still trying to process the implications of her impassioned speech. Holy fuck. Voice gruff, I say, “Maybe you’re right, but saying goodbye to the dream I spent my entire life wanting was like a sucker punch to the gut.”
“I know. That’s how I felt when I moved away.” She squeezes my hand. “But you have your whole life ahead of you, which means you have lots of time to figure out new dreams and get everything you want.”
A confession dances on the tip of my tongue.
I’m tempted to tell her about my dream to open a custom motorcycle shop, about the call I got from my high school coach.
I want to share all that with her, but for now, I’ll settle for digesting all the things she just said.
I’ll soak in the comfort she offered. So, I opt for a comfortable silence, and Mia lets me.