22. Dominic
TWENTY-TWO
DOMINIC
Luca disappeared for three days .
I had no fucking idea where he’d gone, and I alternated between blind panic and rage. He only sent me two messages. Three days of sparse texts and pacing Luca’s apartment. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to chase him. That he’d come back when he was ready. Each hour that ticked by made it harder to believe my own bullshit.
A party was the perfect excuse to get out of my own head. A chance to be around people who weren’t ignoring me. Instead I walked into the bar to find Luca with Santino. I’d been losing my mind for three days, and he shows up in a bar.
Three fucking days.
The drink in my hand did nothing to dull the edge. I’d planted myself at the bar, far enough to avoid the temptation of storming over there and dragging him into a private room.
I drummed my fingers against the glass, letting the low thrum of the party fill my ears as I watched him. His gaze flicked to mine. Was he finally going to come over?
Nope . He turned right back to Santino.
The stool next to me creaked.
Maria slid in beside me, dressed in a sequined gown. “You’re brooding. That’s new.”
“And you’re still out here breaking hearts.”
Maria snorted. “What’re you up to, Dom?”
“Enjoying the view.” I let my eyes rake over her, fully aware Luca would see us. “You’re beautiful tonight.”
Her brow arched. “Since when do you flirt with women?”
“What can I say? You’re special.”
She laughed. “What’s this really about?”
“Can’t a guy give a compliment without getting grilled?”
“I’m flattered, but let’s not pretend I’m your type. You’ve got a reputation, and it doesn’t involve women.”
“Maybe I’ve broadened my horizons.” My gaze flicked to Luca, who’d finally looked at me. “You do look stunning tonight.”
She tilted her head. “Luca never mentioned how charming you are.”
“He talks about me?”
She shrugged. “We don’t talk much.”
“Too busy doing other things?”
Her smile turned sly. “You could say that.”
Irritation heated my chest like a rash. “And how’d that work out for you?”
Maria’s smile faltered. “He wasn’t ready for anything serious.”
I feigned sympathy. “His loss.”
She placed a hand on my arm. “Is it? Maybe I should’ve set my sights higher.”
Ugh . “What are you looking for?”
Her eyes gleamed. “A chance to build my event planning business with bigger clients. Luca’s great, but he’s not exactly a door-opener. You? You’ve got the kind of pull that could change everything for someone like me.”
“And Luca was…what? A stepping stone?”
“Luca was a friend,” she said coolly. “But I’m not blind. I know how this world works. Doors don’t open without the right connections.”
She actually thought she had a shot with me, but my only interest was pissing off Luca. Did that make me an even bigger asshole than her?
“You think I could help you?” I asked.
She squeezed my arm. “Introduce me to Vinn Costa.”
“And what’s in it for me?”
She smiled. “Whatever you want.”
I leaned in closer, and pink patches rose to her cheeks. An intimate smile spread across my face. It’d been a long time since I flirted with a woman, but it wasn’t that complicated. Smile. Laugh. Pretend I’m not bored out of my mind.
Luca stalked toward me.
I leaned back from her. “On second thought, I don’t think I can give you what you want.”
Luca grabbed my arm. “We need to talk.”
“Oh, now you want to talk?” I drawled.
“Don’t,” he snapped. “Not here.”
I winked at Maria and slid off the stool, letting Luca steer me into a quieter hallway. The noise of the party faded, and the second we were out of sight, he spun on me, his jaw tight.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he hissed.
I shrugged. “Having a drink.”
“You’re gay, and you’re hitting on Maria?”
I smirked. “I didn’t hear any complaints from her.”
His glare darkened. “You think this is funny?”
“Not really, but it’s interesting how fast you came running the second I looked at her the wrong way.”
Luca’s jaw worked. “Don’t test me.”
“Or you’ll put another knife on my throat?”
“Keep playing games, and somebody will get hurt.”
I blinked.
His glare drilled into me, daring me to give him a reason. He wasn’t jealous. He actually saw Maria as a threat. Like she could take me from him.
“I didn’t think you gave a damn, considering you’ve been MIA for three days .”
The muscle in his jaw flexed. Luca looked like hell. His hair was mussed like he’d been running his hands through it, and his clothes hung a little looser than usual. He looked at me like he carried an unbearable weight and wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold it.
I swallowed hard. “What’s going on?”
Luca shifted his weight, looking away. “I can’t get into it.”
“Now you have to tell me.”
He bit on his lip, his pupils blown wide.
I sighed roughly. “You can’t disappear on me. Not after I poured out my heart to you. I just want to be with you.”
Luca’s throat bobbed. “I can’t.”
“Right. Can’t have anyone knowing you like men.” I released my grip on him, a lump rising in my throat. “Must be nice to act like I’m invisible whenever it’s convenient.”
“You’re my boss. If they see us?—”
“I’ll tell Santino we can’t work together anymore. Problem solved.”
He swallowed. “It isn’t that simple.”
“You’re the one who dragged me out here.”
He grabbed my jacket, pulling me closer. His other hand slid up to the back of my neck, his fingers threading through my hair. His pupils were blown wide, shadows under his eyes so dark they looked like bruises.
Luca looked wrecked.
“I hate it,” he said brokenly.
I frowned. “Hate what?”
His fingers tightened in my hair. “Seeing you smile at her. Watching you lean in like she meant something to you. I hate it. ”
The words came out like they’d been ripped out of him.
My chest ached. “Luca.”
“I haven’t slept for three days.”
Jesus .
My pulse raced as I tried to make sense of the mess of emotions bleeding off him. The fire in his glare was gone, replaced with something so desperate it knocked the wind out of me.
“You’re a wreck.”
His mouth twisted. “I know.”
“Why can’t you just talk to me?”
Luca’s jaw flexed, his breathing uneven. He dropped his hands to his sides, and I saw them trembling. Whatever control he thought he had left was slipping fast.
He grabbed my wrist, dragging me down the hell.
“Luca—”
“ Shut up. ”
“Where the hell are we going?”
He shoved open the door to a dimly lit bathroom and pulled me in after him. The door slammed shut behind us, the echo ringing off the tiled walls. My back hit the cool surface, and before I could get a word out, Luca was on me.
He gripped the front of my shirt. His pupils were blown, his hair disheveled, sweat lining his brow. He looked unhinged with desperation .
“I need you,” he rasped.
I froze. “What?—”
“Just shut up , Dom.” His hands tightened, and he dropped his forehead to mine. “I need to feel good. Please. Make me feel good.”
I stared at him. “Luca…talk to me.”
“I can’t. I can’t fucking think. I haven’t slept. Every time I close my eyes, he’s there. Alexei. I can’t get rid of him, but you—” He swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he let go of my shirt. “You’re the only thing that makes it stop.”
“Luca, why the fuck are you chasing Alexei?”
“Not now. Now, I need you. Please.”
I’d never seen him like this before. Luca, who’d rather chew glass than admit he needed someone, begged me to hold him together. I slid my hands to his waist, pulling him in closer.
He kissed me. His tongue slipped past my parted lips, slick and hungry, like he needed to forget whatever tore him apart. His fingers clawed into my hair, yanking hard as he kissed me .
I groaned. “Fuck, Luca.”
He pushed me against the wall, his chest heaving against mine, his teeth catching my bottom lip and tugging, enough to send heat bolting down my spine. My hands slid up his back, feeling the tension in every muscle as he shuddered against me.
He pulled back, his lips swollen. “I need you to fuck me .”
I blinked. “Right here?”
“Yes.”
“Luca, I can’t. We don’t have lube, and it’ll hurt?—”
His eyes watered. “ Please .”
I couldn’t take it when he looked at me like that. “Why don’t we go home and talk about it?”
He sank down, his hands already at my belt, yanking it free. The leather hit the floor with a dull clatter, and he unzipped me.
He freed my cock, his hand wrapping me. His mouth was on me next. Fuck. My head tipped back as he sucked hard. His tongue flicked over the head, and my breath caught.
Luca’s heated gaze flicked up to meet mine, and took me deeper. I tugged at his hair, but he wouldn’t let me take full control. He gripped my thighs, holding me steady as he worked me. My breathing hitched with every wet sound that filled the room.
I yanked him up by his hair. His lips were swollen, slick with spit and precum, and I didn’t give him a chance to recover. My mouth crashed into his, tasting myself on him as I dragged him upright.
“Turn around,” I muttered against his lips. “Face the wall.”
He obeyed, placing his hands flat against the cool tile, his back arching slightly. I stepped behind him, running my hands down his waist, gripping his hips.
“You sure you want this?”
He threw a heated glare over his shoulder.
I leaned in to bite the curve of his neck. His body arched into me, a soft sound escaping his lips that went straight to my cock. He tensed, his hands flat on the wall, his breathing already uneven.
I yanked his belt free, the sound of leather snapping filling the small space. His pants were next, shoved down to his thighs in one rough motion.
He hissed as the cool air hit his skin, but he didn’t move, staying there with his ass exposed. My hands slid over his hips, down to his thighs, brushing over his bare skin.
“You drive me absolutely insane.”
I slid a hand between his legs, teasing him, stroking just enough to make him shudder. Luca’s hands clenched. I stepped back just enough to admire him—pants halfway down, his body tense and waiting, and that defiant edge in the set of his jaw.
Fuck. No lube.
I spat on my hand, coating my cock.
I lined up my cock, the head pressing against his tight hole. My hands gripped his hips, fingers digging in hard enough to leave marks. Slowly, I pushed inside.
“If it hurts too much, I can stop.”
“Don’t stop.”
He moaned, his hands braced on the wall as I worked my way inside. The sound of skin on skin filled the bathroom. My hips snapped forward. His body gripped me tighter with every thrust.
“Goddamn,” I gritted out, my chest pressed against his back. “You’re perfect.”
One hand stayed on his hip, while the other snaked around to grab his cock. Hard and leaking. I stroked him, my palm slick with precum. He bucked into my hand, his hips jerking as I drove into him harder.
“Come for me.” I grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking his head back so I could see his face. “Do it.”
He let out a strangled cry, his body locking up as he came, hot and messy over my hand. He tightened around me, and I couldn’t hold back anymore.
I slammed into him one last time as I emptied my load inside him, the heat of it pouring out in waves. I gripped his hips so hard I knew they’d bruise, but I couldn’t stop.
My forehead pressed against his sweat-slick shoulder. My chest heaved as I tried to catch my breath. My hand slid up his stomach, smearing the mess over his skin. I stayed inside him, my hands steadying us against the wall.
Slowly, I pulled out. My cum dripped down Luca’s thighs. The sight sent another rush of heat through me, and my finger shoved it back inside him. The tight ring of muscle clenched around me, and I pressed a kiss to the back of his neck.
Luca turned around.
His lips pressed against mine with a desperation that matched the pounding of my heart, his teeth nipping at my bottom lip before his tongue slid into my mouth.
I pulled him closer as I deepened the kiss. He made a noise, his hands sliding down to clutch at my shoulders, his body still trembling against mine. When we finally broke apart, his forehead rested against mine.
“We need rules,” he growled.
I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
“Yeah,” he said firmly. “If you’re fucking me, you’re only fucking me.”
“You think I’d be with someone else?”
“One minute you’re all over me, the next you’re flirting with Maria.”
“I was trying to get your attention, dumbass.”
His glare stabbed into me. “If you mess around, people are going to get hurt.”
Damn, that’s hot . “Alright.”
He leaned in closer. “And if anyone forgets you’re mine, I’ll remind them.”
“You really need to work on your delivery.”
“Why? Seems like you like it.”
I wanted to argue, but I couldn’t. I liked obsessed, over-the-top jealous Luca. His grip on my hips tightened in a way that felt dangerous, and my heart pounded.
“You need to trust me.”
His jaw clenched. “No one else touches you. We’re exclusive.”
I bushed my lips against his. “Deal.”
He kissed me back roughly, but I couldn’t shake the hollowness that crept into my chest. He held me like he was terrified I’d slip through his fingers. I was scared, too. Scared that this was all we’d ever be. I swore I’d never be in a relationship like that again. No matter what promises we made, we were still a secret.
I couldn’t pretend that was enough.