Chapter Nineteen
Chapter
Nineteen
The world finally cools off once the sun goes down. Enough that I’m willing to venture out from the small bungalow I booked for myself—Dom has his own—and wander down to the pool. Not that I plan on swimming. But sometimes I find the scent of chlorine soothing, and after today I need that.
Things were close to cordial between Dom and me before I went after him about his snack choices. My temper boiled hot and fast, something that it’s been doing a lot in the months since Josh passed. I regret letting it spill out. My body refuses to expel tears, but harsh words flow easily.
The lap of water slows my steps, and as I slip through the gate, I realize the pool is occupied.
By Dom.
The man glides through the water with both power and grace. His freestyle shows off flexing biceps and tensing back muscles. Nothing like the gawky adolescents I used to see at the twins’ swim meets.
Dom is a grown man, and my body is happy about it.
I pull my loosely knitted cardigan more securely around my shoulders to hide the way my hard nipples press against the thin material of my tank top. Briefly, I consider retreating.
But I’m tired of being in my room. Once we got back from Vulture City, I immediately logged into work and have been catching up on everything these past few hours. My fingers need a rest from typing, and forget about tears—my eyes will start bleeding if I have to search for another impossible-to-find error in another dataset.
I settle on one of the padded lounge chairs, reclining as I watch Dom continue to cut across the surface, his body lit by the blue glow of the pool lights.
After another few laps, he lets his hands hit the wall rather than performing a flip turn. The night goes quiet without the slap of his skin against water. A sky full of stars stretches above us, and I wait for Dom to realize he has an audience.
He doesn’t. He simply lets his feet settle on the bottom of the pool, and stares straight ahead into the dark night.
I start to clap, slow and mocking, because I’m incapable of telling him that I found his skill legitimately impressive.
Dom whips around and tugs off his goggles. I try not to shiver when his attention lands and stays on me.
“Do the twins know you’re trying to steal their sport? Last Adam said, they’re Olympic hopefuls. Maybe you should stick to baseball.”
Dom smirks and drifts through the water toward the side of the pool where I sit.
“Noted.” His eyes drag over my reclined body in a heavy sweep that makes me shiver. “Can’t sleep?”
I shrug. “Yeah. I was terrified when someone said they spotted a grotesque monster in the pool.”
He snorts, and I give myself a point for earning his laughter. Dom does that more and more each trip. I guess we both needed time to adjust to each other. To learn what this dynamic would be.
Dom as the protector, and me his reluctant charge?
Yeah, not going to work.
Me mooning over him like a besotted teenager and stealing a drunken kiss?
Once again, a major mistake.
Enemies?
Impossible with Josh’s words forcing us together. With his requirement for us to be vulnerable around each other.
Ever since my blowup at Dom earlier, I’ve been thinking about all the times that he’s responsible—almost every minute of every day—and the few times I can recall him letting loose.
The latter mainly occurred when Josh pushed and needled him.
Who’s going to do that now that my brother is gone?
Maybe including Dom in this task wasn’t Josh assigning a babysitter to me. He must have known I’d do the trips, no matter how hard or ridiculous each one was. Josh would’ve known I didn’t need Dom to force me.
That I didn’t need Dom at all.
But maybe…
Maybe he thought that Dom might need me .
Does Josh want me to be Dom’s friend?
I could see my brother worrying about that. See him growing concerned that his gruffly responsible friend who spends all his time working and taking care of his brothers might forget to socialize. Especially after finding out the man separated from his wife of seven years. From what I saw, Rosaline was the only one other than my brother who could get Dom to relax. Often Josh and she would team up to trick the taciturn man into having a good time.
My brother approached the end thinking his best friend would live on without that get-out-of-your-own-head force in his life. Josh knew Dom would need someone.
But it couldn’t be just anyone. Josh had to pick someone Dom couldn’t say no to.
His kid sister.
The sneaky machinations are so clear now, I’m tempted to laugh.
Josh left me more than the job of spreading his ashes.
He left me his best friend.
You better not think Dom is taking that title from Jeremy and Tula, I silently scold my brother.
Maybe I can handle some version of friendship. But “best” is taken.
I stand from my seat, traverse the few feet of concrete separating us, and settle cross-legged on the ground directly in front of Dom. He watches my approach with narrowed eyes, like an animal in a trap.
But he doesn’t back up.
“How’s work going?” I ask. A question I would pose to Jeremy or Tula. My friends. The people I check on because I care about them.
Can I do this? Be Dom’s friend? Can I set aside the mess of our past and start over?
For Josh, I think I can do almost anything.
Confusion creases Dom’s handsome face, but I don’t explain my motives. He’s too proud to accept my friendship knowing I was doing it as a favor to Josh.
“Fine,” he offers eventually.
“Define ‘fine,’?” I press. “Use details. Examples. Maybe draw a chart. That’s how you accountants communicate, right? With line graphs and spreadsheets?”
Dom’s lips twitch, and he crosses his arms on the concrete in front of my shins.
“?‘Fine’ means it pays well. And they know I’m worth every cent.”
“Cocky.” I brace my elbows on my knees and lean toward him, attempting to keep my eyes away from the water droplets tracing down his bare chest. “Sounds like it should be great . But you said it’s fine . Why’s it just fine?”
Dom stares at me for a stretch, and I hold his eye contact, suddenly determined to commit to this friendship. To accept this task left to me by my brother.
Don’t worry, asshole. I will take care of Dom for you.
“It’s the same place I’ve worked since college.” He shrugs, rippling the water with his movement. “Feels stagnant now, even though I get a raise every year. Also, my boss is a prick.”
I snort at that last bit. “Are you applying to other firms?”
Dom shakes his head.
“Why not?”
“It’s a good job. The office is close to my town house. I don’t need to move on from it.”
I reach out and flick his forehead. He scowls and grabs my wrist in his damp fingers before I can retreat.
“What was that for?”
“Punishment. For undervaluing yourself. You’re worth more than a shitty boss and spending forty plus hours a week doing something that’s just fine .”
Dom continues to hold on to me as he studies my face. Then his gaze drops, and I watch his pupils dilate. Belatedly, I realize my cardigan has fallen open, revealing overexcited nipples that have yet to calm down.
“What am I worth, Maddie?” His voice rasps over my name.
Damn him and that deep voice.
“More,” I mutter. “I’m not the accountant. You can figure out a way to quantify it yourself.”
Dom’s mouth tightens, then eases. “Do you like that cover-up?”
Confused by the change of subject, I glance down at my cardigan. “Uh, yeah? I guess. It doesn’t have pockets, so it could be better.” I roll my eyes, guessing where this is going. “Are you going to try to use some metaphor about not always wearing my favorite clothes as an excuse to stay in your boring-ass job?”
Dom gives a slow headshake. “I just wanted to make sure I didn’t ruin something you loved.”
His words make no sense, and his hot hand on my wrist makes it hard to decipher their underlying meaning. “What? Ruin it how?”
“By doing this.” Dom tugs hard on my wrist, unbalancing me.
I faceplant in the water.
Luckily, I realized what was happening in enough time to hold my breath, but I’m still sputtering in indignation when I resurface.
Once I’m able to blink the water from my eyes, I realize Dom has retreated halfway across the pool. He wears a smug grin that is entirely too attractive on his face.
“You dick bag!” I screech, loud enough to wake the rest of the bungalow guests. “I’m going to kill you!”
“I’m terrified,” he says in a flat tone, even as he continues to grin.
My soggy cardigan will only hold me back, so I shrug out of it, leaving the sad material drifting in the pool behind me like the leavings of a shipwreck. Then I lunge forward, not sure what my plan is other than revenge.
Dom chuckles and moves to dodge my assault. My fingers slip off the tight, warm skin of his hip.
“Gotta be faster than that,” he taunts.
I growl and fake pounce. He believes my bluff, pushing off to the side. That’s when I go for him. I manage to hook an arm around his neck and wrap my legs around his waist. Once I’ve fully octopused myself around his body, I latch my fingers on to Dom’s nipple, pinching just hard enough for him to understand my threat. Panting, I lock his eyes with mine.
“Beg for forgiveness or prepare to fly home tomorrow with a bruised nipple.”
Only when I pause for his response do I realize the position I’ve placed myself in. Soaking wet and plastered to Dom’s hard body. My core, covered only by a soaked set of cotton sleep shorts, hovers inches from his package.
And a tank top that used to be white is now so see-through, Dom could sketch a portrait of my areolas.
“I—”
Whatever apology he was about to say comes too late. I attack out of self-preservation, pinching and twisting hard.
I expect a high-pitched yelp or a ripe curse.
Instead, Dom lets out a deep groan.
We stare at each other, eyes wide.
Looks like Dominic Perry just discovered a new kink.
How inconvenient.
I release my hold and shove away from him, water swirling around us as I retreat. Dom lifts a hand to rub his pec, and it takes everything in me not to watch the movement. Instead, I paddle until I find my water-logged cardigan, and drag it behind me as I swim toward the stairs in the shallow end. It feels like half the pool clings to my clothes when I climb into the cool night air. If I’d known I was going for a swim, I would’ve brought a towel.
“Maddie.” Dom’s voice dares me to leave without acknowledging him. Gritting my teeth, I turn to face the man I’ve decided to be friends with. For my brother’s sake.
He stares up at me, hand still on his chest, obviously unsure what to say next.
And damn me, I take pity on him. Because there’s something about seeing Dom step away from his must-be-responsible-at-all-times demeanor in an effort to be playful that softens my defenses. That has me wanting to let him know it’s okay to joke and be silly and not be serious about every decision you make.
“You better hope I don’t dump my drink on your crotch tomorrow,” I warn, scrunching my face into a terrifying scowl. “Would make for a hell of an uncomfortable flight. And the perfect revenge.”
His smile unfurls slowly, all the more beautiful for the reluctance.
“Sorry I got you wet,” he taunts.
If only he knew.