Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
T he passenger door of Dominic’s car closed beside me, and I hunched over, struggling to breathe.
“Hang on.” Dominic left the townhouse, the electric car accelerating fast.
“I can’t believe…why didn’t I know he was like this?” I dug around in my bag for a tissue.
Dominic shook his head. “Not your fault.”
You did know, but you kept your eyes shut. I’d decided he was my family—so much had been right for a long time. He’d been self-absorbed, but his love had made me seem inseparable from him. You were too weak to walk away.
The car stopped, and I pulled the damp tissue away from my face. We were back at the rental.
Dominic helped me inside, up the stairs, and pulled me onto his lap on the couch. His arms wrapped around me.
I leaned my head on the couch cushions beside his shoulder, inhaling his woodsy scent. “So much crying since I met you. I’m surprised you’re still around.”
His hands slid up my back under my sweater. “Don’t be.” He undid my bra clasp.
Underneath my bottom, he was hard. It was like I suddenly took a sharp turn off the misery highway, narrowly avoiding those yellow sand barrels. Instead, heat blossomed up from my core. I leaned back and opened my legs.
“Yes.” His other hand slid between my thighs and cupped me. “Kelsey.”
I turned my head, and his mouth found mine while his hands slid my sweater up over my breasts. My eyes closed. I wanted to forget everything.
Dominic pulled my sweater off over my head. Then he put me on my feet and yanked my leggings off. He stripped off his own clothing.
I was unresisting, putty in his hands. When he pulled me back and positioned me over his shaft, I slid down onto him. “Ah.”
“So beautiful. You feel good. Yes. Move on me.”
My back arched, and I rocked on him, thick and long inside me. His hands cupped my breasts. When his fingers massaged my clitoris, I jerked and bounced in bursts of need, the leisurely pace gradually building. “Mm.”
His hand pressed harder, the rubbing and deep penetration lifting me into shuddering pleasure.
“Bend over. Yes.” He guided me forward on the couch so that my hips were high and my shoulders low, with my head resting on a cushion. “Fuck yes.”
He plunged back into me and pumped hard. It pushed me into another orgasm. And then he came, buried deep inside me.
Even through my haze of pleasure, it shocked me—he hadn’t pulled out. After he collapsed on the couch, I turned onto my back, boneless and heavy. I put my knees up to keep from making a mess.
“I’ll get a towel.” He stood and walked to the bathroom, his long, muscular body moving gracefully.
I blinked up at the ceiling. Stop thinking about babies. Nothing will happen. About seven out of a hundred pill users got pregnant each year.
A towel landed on the couch next to me. “Tacos, darling? What kind?”
I cleared my throat. “Fish. Thanks.”
He pulled on his clothes while looking at his phone. “Have you eaten here?”
I looked at the photo on his phone. “Yes. They’re usually busy.”
“Going to drive over there. Be back soon.” And he left without a second glance.
Dominic seemed untouched by our intimacy. It was like there was an emotional wall between us. I cleaned up, trying to wrap my mind around what was happening. He wasn’t rude or mean, just…not particularly affectionate.
Dressed again, I called Autumn.
“Kelsey,” she answered, “give me some good news.”
“He’s ready to sell—I think. Tried to force me to drop the charges. I said no.” I knocked on the wooden dining room table. “But I said I’d consider it after we sold.”
“Okay. I’ll move fast. Send me his contact info. I’ll play go between—done it before.”
“Thank you.” I rubbed my shoulder with one hand. “He’s unstable. I’m really sorry to ask this of you. And the townhouse is a mess.”
“Drinking?”
“Yes. I was there today. Couldn’t believe it… I cleaned the kitchen. Then I had to go because Gerry showed up.”
“You know what? I’m going to schmooze his ass. Leave it to me. I’ll get some cleaners in there—no, don’t worry about it. I know you don’t have any money. Stay away from that asswipe. Watch your email, I’ll have forms for you to sign this evening.”
“Thank you. You’re amazing. I’ll make this up to you.”
“Eh. I’m happy to do some good. But the market is sluggish. High interest rates and not many buyers.”
My stomach clenched. “Right. I understand.”
“You sound better. How’s your hunk?”
I rested a shoulder against the big window facing north and looked out at the river. “He’s…complicated. But we’re having fun.”
“Well, he’s a big fish. I looked him up. Very wealthy.”
“Recently divorced. It was bad.”
“Hmm. Good that you found each other—don’t let him off the hook too easily.”
“Um—”
“Gotta go, client’s here. Have too much fun for me.”
Dominic came back with tacos, and we ate them on the deck. We talked about our plans—where I’d park at his condo and so on. I found myself both relaxed and giddy around him. It still didn’t seem real that he’d gathered me into his life. It’s temporary. Stop falling in love, you ninny.
As I followed Dominic’s sleek gray sedan out of River Gorge, there was a bittersweet pull in my chest. Would I be back? My friends, my job, my walks—it was home. But I didn’t want to be there if Gerry was.