25. Dominic
CHAPTER 25
Dominic
WALK LIKE A MOUSE
PRESENT
“ E xpect there to be payback for that little stunt,” Ellie practically hisses at Marisa on the other side of the closed door, completely failing at keeping her voice from traveling. Marisa answers with a giggle, followed by Ellie groaning.
As soon as I entered the living room, Ellie was right behind me, grabbing hold of Marisa and dragging her into the bathroom. I’d feel bad, but I wouldn’t have ended up here otherwise, so I can’t help but be a little thankful for Marisa’s meddling.
It’s still surprising Ethan landed himself a bright ray of sunshine girlfriend, when the guy’s usually a dark cloud. I like her, though. She’s good for him.
And apparently good for Ellie, too.
Even if she is all worked up at the moment. It’s my fault. I told myself I wouldn’t be anything more than friendly, but the second I saw her, in my old shirt no less, I couldn’t help myself. She brings it out of me, whether she means to or not. Watching her react, getting to see that pretty pink flush take over her creamy skin because I’m affecting her, it’s like a drug. And all I want is more of it. Somewhere in there, she still feels the pull between us, now I just have to figure out how to drag it up to the surface.
Ellie and Marisa walk out of the bathroom, Marisa whispering a sorry as Ellie hands her a toilet scrubber. “You’re on bathroom duty.”
Marisa’s shoulder slump but she reluctantly accepts the toilet brush. “Fine,” she sighs and heads back toward the bathroom her and Ellie just exited.
“Where do you need me, Ellie girl? I’m all yours.”
She coughs, a visible heat rising up her neck. She can deny this all she wants, convince herself she just wants to be friends, but her body is telling me everything she’s refusing to admit.
I step closer, invading her space, and her breath hitches. “Tell me what you need?”
I’m pushing my luck, any minute now she’s going to throw me out.
Her eyes narrow, shoulders straightening as our gazes clash.
“You can only stay and help if you stop flirting with me. Friends don’t flirt.”
My head falls back, a laugh escaping me. I’ve always loved how blunt she is, cutting right past all the bullshit. “I’ll behave.”
“Sure you will.” She shakes her head like she’s frustrated with me, but the corners of her lips are twitching, fighting like hell to not smile.
“I promise. Just give me a task.” The flirting has been fun, like slipping back in time, but I really do want to help her. And helping her with cleaning will probably earn me more brownie points than getting her hot and bothered .
“You can vacuum the stairs.” Her head gestures to the closet under the staircase. “The vacuum is in there.”
“On it.” I nod.
She steps back—two generous strides—and I instantly miss her scent. Warm and spicy, the kind that lingers, tempting me to lean in and breathe it in again.
The edge of her mouth quirks into a grin, her eyebrow arching. “Try not to moon over me while you’re vacuuming. It would be really inconvenient if you fell down the stairs.”
At that she struts away without another look, and I get to work.
I’d heard about Jack’s birthday. The Ledger’s are known for always having some event going on, whether it’s personal or at the winery. I wasn’t necessarily invited, but I wasn’t not invited. Still, I know how upset Ellie was when I showed up to her family’s dinner a few weeks ago, and I’m trying really hard to keep things moving forward.
I said I wouldn’t moon over her, but my eyes flash to her briefly, getting a peek at her bending over to adjust a couch cushion.
For as far back as I can remember, she’s always taken on more than she should, not letting her siblings pick up the slack. I love that she cares so much and loves so big, even though she’ll never admit it. But it makes me sad to know she makes it her mission to shoulder everything, getting almost nothing in return. The Ledgers are good people, but they would crumble without her. She’s the backbone of her family, and they don’t even realize it. It was true when we were kids, and it obviously still rings true today.
She buzzes around, straightening and re-straitening, the perfectionist in her is unable to see that the place is already immaculate.
Halfway through vacuuming, the smell of garlic starts to waft in the air. Whatever Shane is cooking, it smells good .
Once I’m done vacuuming, I put everything away and approach Ellie for my next task.
She doesn’t see me at first, and it gives me a free moment to watch her without prying eyes, since it’s just us two at the moment.
I can tell by the way she’s holding her shoulders, tense, as if there’s a weight on each one, pushing her down, that she’s bone tired.
“Why don’t you sit for a bit?”
She jumps at the sound of my voice, clearly not having heard me walk in. “You scared me. How long have you been standing there.”
“A while,” I tell her truthfully.
Her face scrunches. “They teach you how to walk like a mouse at the academy? I didn’t even hear your footsteps.”
“Among other things,” my lips lift, amused at the mix of her disheveled appearance and attempt to be mad at me for no real reason. “Sit,” I repeat. “Before you collapse.”
Surprisingly, she nods, and then spins to flop down on the nearby couch. She lands with a sigh, followed by a groan as her body uncoils.
My brain knows she’s just relieving the tension, but my dick has no idea those sounds aren’t sexual and it jerks against my pants’ zipper.
It’s been a long time since I’ve let anyone close enough to even think about having sex—and now I’m standing in front of my dream girl, and my body’s in overdrive, aching for her.
After we broke up, it took me a while to try to move on. Ellie had been my everything for pretty much my entire life, and it felt like cheating, even though she was long gone. It didn’t take me long to realize no woman would ever compare to her, that she was the standard and everyone else was a placeholder. I tried, I really tried. I dated, had one-night stands, did the apps, I’ve even had a few girlfriends. None who lasted more than a couple months. When a woman realizes she’s competing against a ghost, she’s quickly out the door. It’s a losing competition.
I should’ve come back for her sooner. I should’ve never let her get away in the first place. There’s been a lot of could’ves, would’ves, should’ves when it comes to Ellie. I had to almost die to realize I’d wasted a decade trying to outrun the love of my life, when I should’ve been turning around and chasing her down.
“Why did I listen to you?” she mumbles, pulling me back to the present. “Now I don’t want to get back up and finish.”
I shrug. “So don’t. The house is spotless. You should rest.”
She scoffs. “I can’t rest until everything is perfect.”
I lean against the wall, crossing my arms, watching her. Her hair’s falling out of its ponytail, wisps framing her flushed face, and her body is slouched in a way that’s almost uncharacteristic. She’s so used to holding herself together that seeing her like this—vulnerable, tired—is a rare sight.
“Ellie, the house is already perfect,” I say softly. “You’ve done enough. You are enough.”
Her head dips toward me, eyes pinching, “You’re getting sappy on me. You know how I feel about feelings.”
I hold my hands up in mock surrender, a grin tugging at my lips. “Can’t have that, can we? But seriously, take a breath. Shane’s cooking, Marisa’s scrubbing tiles, and I’ve vacuumed the stairs so thoroughly they could star in a cleaning commercial. There’s nothing left.”
She stares at me, her lips pressing into a thin line. Finally, she exhales sharply. “Fine.”
For a moment, we fall into silence.
“I don’t know why you’re here,” she says suddenly, her voice quieter, almost unsure.
I’m not sure if she’s asking why I’m here in her family’s home, or why I moved back. I think it’s both .
I step closer, sitting on the arm of the couch, careful not to crowd her, and answer the simplest question. “You can thank Marisa for that one.”
She gives me a tight, resigned smile but remains quiet.
“You do too much, querida mía,” I tell her under my breath, lowso only she can hear me.
Her eyes lift up to meet mine. “I know,” she admits. “Normally, I’m not this anal about things, but lately it’s felt like everything is out of control. I can control this, though.”
“Want to talk about it?”
She blows out a breath. “Not really.”
I’ll let it go for now, but she’s not off the hook. Whatever it is that’s bothering her is clearly taking a toll. The shadows under her eyes, the worry in her gaze—it looks worse now than it did at the bar.
“You do everything for everyone—take care of your whole family, but who takes care of you?”
Ellie releases a weary sigh, pushing herself up from the couch with a groan. “I don’t let anyone take care of me.”
I stand as she does, watching her carefully. She’s good at deflecting—always has been—but I’m not letting her get away with it this time.
“Well, maybe you should start,” I say gently.
She scoffs, brushing past me toward the kitchen. I follow in step behind her.
“Shane and Marisa are here. You’re here. Clearly, I know how to accept help.”
As I’m about to respond, we enter the kitchen and Shane spots me, leveling me with a glare. He’s practically snarling as he removes his earbuds.
“The fuck’s he doing here?”
Shit.
I suspected he didn’t like me during dinner, but now it’s confirmed.
Before moving back, the last time I saw Shane he was a teenager. Now he’s very much a grown man who could probably kick my ass if he tried. He’d have to try pretty hard, but it wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
“Be nice,” Ellie tells him as she grabs a stack of mail and puts it in a drawer.
Shaking his head, he stirs something in a pot. “No can do. I’m a grudge holder. Especially when it comes to pieces of shit who hurt my sisters.”
Ellie groans, tossing her head back. “Grow up, Shane.”
This feels like a conversation I shouldn’t be partaking in, no matter how badly I want to defend myself. Shane seems to be under the impression I did something to hurt his sister, and it couldn’t be farther from the truth.
Shane drops the whisk into the pot, causing a loud clang. “Just gonna stand there and not say anything?” He turns to face me, and even though we’re on opposite ends of the kitchen, I have a feeling he’d reach me before I could get very far. “Always knew you were a bitch.”
Well, now I’m getting pissed.
Ellie walks over to me, grabbing me by the arm, and starts dragging me out of the kitchen. “And we’re leaving.” She looks back over her shoulder at her brother. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but knock it off.”
We’re not even fully out of the kitchen before she starts trying to apologize.
“Hey, it’s fine.”
“It’s not fine. He’s being a dick. I don’t know what’s gotten into him.”
I expected hostility from Ethan or Gavin, definitely not Shane. Of the three brothers, he’s always been more of a goof off.
Ellie looks taken aback by Shane’s outburst, and I wish I could touch her to offer some comfort, but I don’t think it’d be welcomed.
“He’s protective of you. That’s not a bad thing.”
She shakes her head, her right hand rubbing at the center of her chest, like she’s trying to soothe herself. “I’ll talk to him.”
“Don’t. Let him be mad at me. I’d rather earn his respect. I’m not going to come between you and your family.”
Her eyes squint, lips curling slightly. “I hate it when you do that.”
I smile. “Do what?”
She cocks her head, barely holding back a grin. “Say all the right things.”
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I glance at it and curse under my breath. Vorheis just called an emergency meeting.
“I have to go. Something came up at work.”
Ellie’s lashes flutter as she blinks, her expression almost imperceptible. “Oh, right. Of course.” Disappointment settles across her face.
For the first time in my entire career, I want to forget about my responsibilities. Even though I’m sure this has something to do with the Delmar case.
“If I didn’t think it was something big, I’d probably ignore it.”
Her eyes meet mine, so beautifully clear it almost hurts to stare into them. “Does that happen a lot? Getting called in for work.”
This is the first time she’s truly asked about my job. She almost looks worried, and it does something to my chest.
“No. We just have a big case at the moment.”
She nods, chewing on her bottom lip. “Well, be careful.”
What I wouldn’t give to at least be able to kiss her goodbye. Anything to keep that look off her face.
“I’m always careful. Try not to miss me too much.” I wink at her, trying to lighten the mood.
A hint of a smile plays on her lips. “Go…and thanks for helping.
“Give me your phone.” I reach my hand out.
Her brows furrow. “Why?”
“Just hand it over,” I reply, wiggling my fingers impatiently.
She hesitates but eventually huffs and fishes her phone out of her pocket. “Fine. But if this is some weird?—”
“It’s not,” I cut in, taking her phone. My fingers brush hers as I grab it, and the brief contact sends a jolt straight up my arm.
She hands it to me locked but doesn’t give me the password. Without having to think, I punch it in. Her password is our birthday.
I toss her a small smirk and she shakes her head but remains quiet. That’s right Ellie girl, I still know you better than anyone. Quickly, I add my number to her contacts and hand the phone back.
“There. Now you have my number. Call me if you need anything. Seriously, Ellie. Anything.”
She stares at the screen for a moment, then glances back up at me, her expression unreadable. “You put yourself in as Deputy Alvarez ?”
I shrug, flashing her a knowing smile. “Figured you’d like that better. Maybe actually, I don’t know, reach out some time.”
“As a hardened criminal, I don’t make it a habit to reach out to law enforcement.”
I laugh, stepping back toward the door. “You’re hardly a criminal. Besides, I’m sure the asshole who arrested you deeply regrets it and wishes there was something he could do to make it up to you. ”
Her plump lips roll, concealing a smile. “I’m sure I’ll think of something.”
Fuck, now I really don’t want to leave. I’m pathetic for this side of her. It’s like an addiction.
My phone buzzes again, reminding me of pressing matters.
“Don’t overwork yourself while I’m gone. Promise me.”
“No promises,” she shoots back, but there’s a hint of softness in her tone.
As I walk out, I glance back and catch her staring at her phone, wearing a faint smile, a small blush creeping across her cheeks. I hope it’s because of me and not just from a day spent cleaning.