Chapter 33
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
SERENA
W hen I get back to Dom’s house later that evening, after my last class of the day, I find him sitting at the kitchen table, drink in hand, with a thunderous expression on his face.
“Hey, babe…how was your day?” I approach Dom with caution as I drop my purse on the counter, wondering if something bad happened at work today. Dom looks up at me with an anger in his gaze that I swear I can feel, like heat radiating from the sun.
He doesn’t say anything, just flips his phone around and slides it towards me. On his screen is a picture of Kai and I, mid-embrace, from this morning. Eric must have taken it before he made his presence known. My face is nestled into Kai’s chest, his arms completely engulfing me, and his head is tipped down like he’s pressing a kiss to the top of my head. Did he do that? I don’t remember—I was so consumed by my own mental breakdown. My mouth opens, then closes as I work through the slimy feeling of having my privacy invaded during such a vulnerable moment.
“What the fuck is this, Serena?” His acerbic tone cuts through the shock that has me currently locked into place.
“I don’t know, Dom. What the fuck is it? Why do you have a picture of Kai giving me a hug?” I surprise myself with the amount of righteous indignation I am able to muster. Good, I’m out of the weepy stage of my hormone fluctuation and now into the bitchy stage.
“Why is Kai giving you a hug after I explicitly told you to stay away from him?” Dominick stands, looming over me like an angry, dark god, and I take a step back instinctively.
“I ran into him as I was leaving work. I was a hormonal mess because I started my period, and it was the first time I’d seen my best friend in weeks! I was crying, and he comforted me.” I bite out my response in the most even tone I can muster, but I can feel heat rising in my cheeks, and my heart begins to race. I hate confrontation, and I hate fighting with Dom.
“That’s not what a hug between friends looks like, Serena. I know Kai wants to fuck you. He’s been sniffing around you nonstop since we got together. I saw him make a move on you at the hospital, and now he’s fucking lurking around your work after being told to stay away. Don’t you get it? He’s obsessed with you, and I will not have him putting his hands on you again.”
I rear back like I’ve been slapped at Dom’s admission. He saw Kai kiss me at the hospital? “Why didn’t you say something?”
“Because you did the right thing by telling him to leave. I thought he’d get the goddamn point after you told him no and then accepted my proposal. Clearly, he didn’t. Apparently, I’m going to have to give him a reminder of who you belong to.” Dom steps forward, and I take another step back, finding myself pressed against the wall. The heat radiating from his body is almost searing with its intensity, and my heart rate ratchets up another notch.
“Dom, calm down. Seriously, I ran into him, we talked for like two minutes, he gave me a hug and then I left. That’s it! You don’t need to be giving reminders to anyone about who I b-belong to.” That word feels vile on my tongue, but I say it anyway, trying to appease the man-shaped tempest in front of me.
Dom looks at me for a long moment, like a lion studying its prey. The heat in his eyes seems to change from raging inferno to something darker, more slow-burning. “Maybe you’re the one who needs the reminder.”
Before I can react, his body is pressed against mine, his hand around my throat, his mouth covering my own, devouring my cry of surprise. He kisses me like he’s trying to burrow his way into my soul, and it takes a long moment before I realize I can’t breathe due to his grip on my neck. I push against his chest, but he ignores my silent plea, instead using his other hand to squeeze my breast in a punishing grip that forces a squeak of pain past my lips.
Just when dark spots begin to dance across my vision, Dom pulls his mouth away so he can growl into my ear, “You’re mine, Serena, and I am not going to give you up.”
He jerks away from me as suddenly as he launched his attack and goes back to the table to collect his phone and his jacket. While I’m leaning against the wall, barely able to keep myself upright while I desperately try to calm my racing heart, Dom is the picture of cool, calm and collected as he shrugs on his jacket. “I’m going out with the boys. Don’t wait up, Kitten.” I stare at him in total disbelief as he walks out the door, so completely unbothered, like we didn’t just have the biggest argument of our relationship. I can’t help but wonder if it was me, making a bigger deal out of the situation because of the guilt I feel about my feelings for Kai.
Instead of trying to examine that train of thought too closely, I make my way to the en suite in Dom’s bedroom to take a hot bath before crawling into bed with a heating pad and psychology notes.
I’m roused from sleep by a hard body pressed against my back, rough hands tugging down my pajamas and Dominick’s hot mouth on my neck. I can smell whiskey on his breath as his hot open-mouthed kisses trail along my jaw. “Dom, no…” His mouth captures mine, swallowing my protest as he rolls me onto my back and wedges his solid length between my legs while my pajama bottoms pool around my ankles. I push against his chest and turn my head to the side in an attempt to escape the boozy haze rolling off of him.
“Comeonkitten…let me makeyoufeelgood.” Dominick nips at my ear, and I feel the press of his cock at my entrance.
“DOM! NO! I’m on my period. I’m not in the mood. Stop! Please.” My plea finally cuts through his drunkenness, and he peers down at me like he’s trying to decipher my words. With Dominick looming over me like this, I feel like I can’t catch my breath while my heart tries to beat its way out of my chest.
“Dom, I can’t. Not tonight.”
“Is it because I’m not him?” Dominick’s voice takes on that tone from earlier tonight that’s sharp edges, and it cuts me.
“Not who?” My brows furrow in confusion.
“Kai. Is it because I’m not Kai? Is he the one you want?” Dominick’s hips shift and remind me how close he is to entering me.
“Jesus, Dom, no. I’m here with you. I’m just bleeding like a fucking stuck pig and have cramps from hell. Let me get dressed before I make a mess of the bed.”
Instead of responding to my shove to get him to move, Dom leans in closer, whiskey wafting off of him while he whispers into my ear, “I don’t mind making a mess, Kitten.”
Just as he shifts again, I find my strength and shove him back with everything I have.
“I said, NO!” Clumsy from intoxication, Dom rocks to the side and falls onto the floor in a heap. I grab my pants and pull them up as I run into the en suite, locking myself in. I collapse against the door, tears falling freely, wondering if I really even know the man I’ve just tied my life to. This is not the charmer from the coffee shop, or the man who takes me on picnics or listens to my mom’s stories about my embarrassing grade school exploits. This man is a stranger.
A loud pounding on the door makes me squeak in surprise. “Serena, open the door.” When I don’t respond, Dominick lets out a frustrated growl, “Let me in, goddamnit. I’m sorry, okay?”
“Dom, leave me alone!” A sob rips out of me as I bury my face in my hands. One more angry, frustrated thump rocks the door before I hear Dom stomp out of the bedroom and slam the door behind him. I sit there so long, I fall asleep in a heap on the bathroom floor, cheeks damp and salty from tears, feeling more alone than ever.