Chapter 16
K ate
“Do you not want me here?” Dominic asks, an uncertainty in his voice I rarely hear. I look at him and find a nervousness in his gaze.
“I’m giving you an out, Dominic. You did the husband thing. You came down here, you found me. I’m okay. You get a gold star. You don’t have to feel obligated to stay.”
“You didn’t answer me, Katharine. Do you want me to leave?” He leans toward me, and my eyes drop to look at his lips.
“I said you can leave.”
“But you didn’t tell me that you wanted me to leave. Answer the question, Katharine.” His pupils have blown wide open.
I suddenly remember something. “Did you call me baby earlier?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to. Are you not a fan of pet names?”
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. “I’ve never been called anything before.”
He reaches up and winds a lock of my hair around his finger. “I’ve never called anyone a pet name before.”
“Not even Savannah?”
“No. In fact, I don’t even think I referred to her as my wife when talking about her,” he muses. Really? He calls me his wife all the time. “Does it bother you?”
“You calling me baby, or your wife?” I ask, causing him to smirk .
“Either one.”
“No, I guess not. I —” I stop.
“What?”
Lord help me for the ego this man is about to get when I admit this to him. “I like it. I think I like when you call me your wife. It’s like an ownership thing, I think. You’re letting everyone, including me, know that I’m unavailable.”
“Unavailable for what, Katharine?” he asks huskily, his voice dropping an octave. His gaze drops to my lips, and I subconsciously lick them. The action makes him emit a very soft growl.
“Unavailable for men,” I stammer. “To date. To fuck. Anything.”
“That’s right. Because you’re mine,” he growls, making me shiver. I can almost feel the vibration of his words skim across my skin. “Do you want to know what it feels like to be mine? For me to own you, completely?”
His eyes grip mine with intensity. Feral need comes off him in waves as Dominic moves his hand to grip the back of my neck. God, I want to know. So badly. I want to experience everything this man can offer. But it would complicate things so much.
“Answer, Katharine.” That authoritative voice, so commanding and distinct, makes me moan. “Let me have you, wife.”
Dominic leans down and kisses my shoulder, his hot breath sending goosebumps down my arms. “This complicates things, Dominic.”
He peppers kisses along my skin, and I find myself elongating my neck to offer up more area. “I want you, Katharine. I want to feel myself inside of you, and know how you will break apart because of me. I want to fucking own every last bit of your pleasure. Give me this, please. Give me tonight.”
“Just tonight?” I ask uncertainly. Only tonight? I have a feeling he’s going to destroy me for any other man, and I won’t know how to move on from him when the time comes.
As he’s about to answer, his phone rings. I feel an odd sense of relief to be saved from immediately answering. I don’t know what I want right now. I’m overwhelmed. On one hand, I want to take away the miserable ache I feel in my soul, and I think a night of letting Dominic have his way with me would probably do an excellent job of that. But, it’s hard to know if I’ll regret things in the morning. How will Dominic treat me after? Will our interactions go back to being somewhat cold, or will sex bring us closer together?
“It’s my mom. She’s probably calling to confirm you’re alright,” Dominic murmurs as he answers the call. “Hi, Mom. She’s fine, I swear — wait, what? When? Did you see it happen? Are you on your way … I’ll be there in three or four hours. No, I’m coming home. I’ll get there as fast as I can. No, Mom. I’m her father, and that’s where I should be.”
When he ends the call, he frantically stands up, swiveling around and staring at the floor. “What’s going on? Is it Sienna or Aspen? Is she hurt?”
“I need my fucking shoes,” he mutters.
“Dominic.”
“Did I bring my wallet in here?”
“Dominic.”
“I wonder if the expressway is open yet, I could save thirty minutes or so.”
“Dominic!” I shout. His head pops up as he locates his shoes, slamming his feet into them. “What happened?”
“Aspen fell down the stairs at my parents’ house.”
I gasp. “Oh my God! Is she okay? How did she do that?”
“With her, who knows?” he murmurs. “She’s my most accident-prone child, that’s for damn sure. My parents don’t think her ankle is broken, but she can’t put weight on it, so they’ve taken her to the emergency room to get it x-rayed.”
“Poor kid,” I whisper. “I’ll follow you back.”
Dominic finds his wallet and shoves it into his jeans. “Isn’t your stuff still at Matt’s?”
“I forgot about that.”
Dominic comes toward me, crouching next to where I’m sitting on the bed. “Go spend some time with your brother. Get out of this motel. Enjoy his kids, and come home tomorrow. I’ll handle Aspen.”
“Will you …” I trail off.
“What?”
“Will you keep me updated? On Aspen, I mean?” I ask uncertainly.
He reaches up to tuck my hair behind my ear. “Of course, raggio di sole .”
“What does that mean?” I ask.
Dominic chuckles. “Nothing you’re ready to hear about.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry about it, Katharine. I’ll explain another time. Get your things. I’m not leaving until I see you head toward Matt’s house.”
I collect my few personal items and follow Dominic into the parking lot. He tells me to get into my car while he returns the key to the office. As I look down at a man loitering outside another room, his leering smile incredibly creepy, I’m overcome with emotion. Dominic came for me. He dropped everything and drove down here to find me.
When Dominic comes back, I immediately exit the car. He fights to contain a smile but fails. A twinkle in his eye, a dimple on one cheek, and a smile? I’m done for.
“How do you do that tracker thing?” he asks as he pulls his phone out of his pocket.
“The what thing?” I reply.
“The tracker thing. Where I can see your location.”
“Stalking me now, husband?” I tease, but I’m unprepared for the sheer lust that overcomes his face. The smile drops, his eyes become hooded, and he crowds me against my car.
“Say that again,” he demands.
“Husband,” I breathe, watching as his eyes flutter shut and a deep groan releases from his chest.
“Christ, Katharine. That is way hotter than it should be,” he says, his voice an octave lower.
“Dominic, what are we doing?” I ask softly.
He leans his forehead against mine. “I don’t know. But I’m done fighting this. I’m done fighting this chemistry and the pull I feel toward you.”
“I’m scared,” I confess. “What if it changes the dynamic?”
“Cross that bridge when we come to it,” he shrugs.
“Who are you and what have you done with my Dominic who hates change and not being in control?” I joke. Sarcasm is, and always has been, my safe way of stepping back and avoiding any kind of conflict.
Dominic smiles, a wicked smile full of promise. “Your Dominic?”
My mouth drops open as I realize my slip-up. “I meant the only Dom I know, the one who argues about everything with me and can’t stand to let me make decisions.”
He dips his head so his nose is against the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. A shiver overtakes my body at that one simple action, and I whimper. “Not Dom.”
“What?”
“To you, I’m Dominic.”
“Why can’t I call you Dom? Everyone else does,” I comment, but I know the answer. I want him to verbalize it.
He drags his nose up my neck and across my cheek. “Because you aren’t everyone else, Katharine. You’re my wife. Yesterday I told you to start acting like my wife, but it’s also time for me to treat you as such.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, but I can’t continue any further as Dominic’s lips cover mine in a deep and thorough kiss. A kiss that takes my breath away. His arms wrap around my body, pushing me against the car as he uses one knee to separate my legs, settling between them perfectly. His tongue skims along my lips, begging for entry, and as soon as my mouth opens, he dips inside and circles my tongue luxuriously. I moan into his mouth as my arms circle his waist and pull him closer to me.
Dominic grabs my thigh and pulls one leg up to wrap around his body, his hard length hitting me perfectly. I gasp as pleasure courses throughout my body. “Say yes, Katharine. Say you’ll let us explore this connection. I promise to make it worth your while.”
He takes my lips in another searing kiss that makes me forget where we are, until the creepy guy from before begins cat-calling, asking to be next in line. Dominic rips his lips from mine, shoves my leg down, and turns, ready to stalk over to the guy, but I yank on his belt. “No! Don’t you dare go over there.”
“Fucker needs to know not to talk about you that way,” he seethes.
“I’ll never see him again, Dominic. It’s not worth it. Who knows what he might have on him. Dirty needles, drugs, or worse. I don’t want you to get injured in any way.”
Dominic turns, an eyebrow cocked as he smirks in my direction. “Oh yeah? You worried about my pretty face?”
“Nah,” I joke. “I’m just worried about my paycheck.”
Dominic throws back his head and laughs heartily. “Nice, Katharine. Get in your car, baby. I’ll follow you toward Matt’s.”
He waits until I get in my car and start it up. Rolling down my window, I call out to him, waiting until he turns to say, “I happen to like your pretty face as it is, husband.”
The smile I get in return is painfully beautiful. It’s a smile I’ve never seen. One filled with promise and hope. And dare I say a little bit of love?
Dominic follows me all the way to Colorado Springs, where I veer off toward the mountains and he continues north toward Denver. I’m surprised at how sad I am that he wasn’t able to go with me to Matt’s. For some reason I want my brother to see me with Dominic. I’d like Matt and Victoria to give their honest opinions about how Dominic and I interact. But I know his kids come first, and he’s going where he needs to be right now.
Matt is waiting for me, pulling me into a big bear hug as soon as I get out of the car. “I was worried about you, kid.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I should have listened to you. I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. Our dad is a dick, and he’s the one who should apologize, since he made you cry.”
We walk onto the front porch, and Matt motions for me to sit in one of the chairs. He pulls out two bottles of water from a little cooler and hands one to me.
“Can you tell me what he said?” he finally asks.
I sigh, taking a deep breath and willing my emotions to stay under control. “He asked for money, and then he wanted me to smuggle certain contraband items into the prison. When I refused to do any of it, he started screaming at me. He said he hated me, and he wished I’d never been born. Said I was the worst of his kids and he hated every moment of living with me.”
“Fuck,” Matt mutters, rubbing the back of his neck as he stares out into the street. The sun has gone down, and the natural orchestra of crickets serenades us. “I’m so sorry, Kate. I hate that you went through that.”
“I’m okay now,” I admit, realizing I actually am okay. “I think mostly due to Dominic.”
Matt studies me, his expression unreadable. Seven years older than me, he’s only been in my life for a few years, but he’s been an excellent role model and big brother. I’m not as close with his older brother, Zane, but I know Zane would come find me if needed.
“Hey,” I comment. “How did Dominic know I was in trouble?”
“I called him to get your location. I wasn’t sure if he’d have it, but I figured someone in the family did.”
“He didn’t,” I giggle. “But he does now.”
“Yeah, well, he didn’t give me much of an option. I was ready to drive down and find you, and he basically demanded that I let him go. Something about it being a husband’s responsibility to go to his wife when she’s hurting.”
I’ll again ignore my heart leaping in my chest. “Honestly it was exactly what I needed, Matt. I know you, and you would have been ready to go to the prison and read Dad the riot act. Dominic just let me … be. He let me cry, vent, and process it on my own terms.”
Matt takes a long swig of his water before speaking. “You’re right. I would have been furious. I think I’m too close to the situation, and I’d have taken it too personally that Dad spoke that way to you. I can take it, but he barely even knows you. He shouldn’t have treated you that way.”
Feeling awkward, I tilt my head down, letting my hair fall to cover my face. “I thought I got pretty close to Dad when he slept on my couch. Looking back, I realize it was all an act. He recognized my insecurities and pounced on them. I was so desperate for a family that I overlooked any red flags.”
“I’m sure he didn’t have any major red flags you ignored, Kate. He’s that good of an actor. Look at how often he cheated on my mom. She only caught on the last few years of their marriage because he got careless. You have a heart of gold, and you find the goodness in everyone.”
“No wonder I’m taken advantage of,” I whisper.
“It’s not a bad thing, kid. You have an amazing outlook on life. You’ve been dealt a shitty hand, yet you’re always seeing the good in things. It could rain for days and days, and instead of complaining about how dreary it is, you’d talk about how the green grass is more vibrant after a rain. More people should strive to be like you, not the other way around.”
His words strike a chord in my heart. I’ve always seen the glass as half full. I try not to let one bad day make me miserable all week. One argument with Dominic hasn’t made me assume our entire relationship was a mess.
“Hey, Matt?” I hear from the doorway. Looking up, I see a frazzled Victoria holding a baby monitor. “Can you go sit with Silas? There was a diaper explosion, and I really want to take a shower now. His two-year molars are coming in and he’s just miserable.”
“Of course, Kitten.” Matt stands, then turns to me. “You okay, kid? You need anything?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll grab a quick sandwich and be out of your hair.” Following Matt in, I think of something. “Hey, I do have a question.”
“Go for it.”
“What does raggio di sole mean?” I ask.
Matt’s eyes widen. “Where did you hear that?”
“Dominic has said it to me a couple of times.”
“Huh,” Matt says, scratching his chin while in thought. “Interesting. My Italian isn’t as good as his, since Dad didn’t want it said in our house, but if it means what I think it means, I’m gonna let Dom tell you.”
“He said that I wasn’t ready to know what it meant? I don’t understand that either,” I say, and I feel even more confused than I did when he said it the first time.
“I can see that,” Matt laughs. “He’ll tell you when you’re both ready, sis.”
I smile up at my big brother. I love when he calls me sis. “Thanks, Matt.”
“Anytime.”
After grabbing a sandwich, I head down to the guest room in the basement. Starving, I inhale the sandwich and then jump in the shower. Being at the prison, and then the seedy but cheap motel, I feel gross.
Once finished with the shower, I pull up Netflix on my old laptop to find a romantic comedy I’ve already seen. I need something where I already know the ending to help me dissociate from the day. I assume I’ll fall asleep before the movie finishes.
At some point, my phone rings, jolting me from a light snooze. Seeing it’s Dominic, I can’t help but smile, and I realize it may be the first time I’ve ever been excited for one of his calls.
“Hi,” I answer.
“Hi,” he says huskily.
“Did you make it to the hospital?”
“Yeah, just got here and relieved my mom. She’s a zombie at this point. My dad stayed home with the other two.”
“How’s Aspen?” I ask.
“She’s asleep. They gave her some pain medication. I’m waiting for the doctor to come back with the x-ray results, but they think it’s just sprained.”
“Oh, thank God,” I blurt out. Dominic chuckles as I continue. “Do you know how miserable she’ll be if she’s stuck in a cast and can’t do the things she wants to do for the rest of the summer? Furthermore, do you know how awful she’s going to be to all of us? At least with a sprain, she should be able to move around some. I can just imagine Aspen finding a bell and assuming we’ll all be at her beck and call.”
“She would absolutely do that,” Dominic replies. “I’d ask if you’re back at Matt’s, but I checked your location. I’m sadly disappointed I hadn’t thought to stalk you like this before.”
I burst into laughter. “Goodness, Mr. Santo, was that an actual joke?”
“Yes, Mrs. Santo, it was,” he replies, and my breath gets lodged in my throat. “We’ll have to rectify that.”
“What?”
“Your name.”
“Why?”
“I’d like it to be legal, Katharine.”
“Does it really matter? If this is temporary, I don’t want to have to change everything back whenever this is over,” I stammer.
“Don’t think I want it to be temporary,” Dominic says nonchalantly. When I don’t reply, I hear a light chuckle. “Did I stun you into silence?”
Not knowing what to do, I say, “Gotta go, goodbye!”
Hanging up the phone, I wince in embarrassment. Immature? Yes. Grumpy Dominic I can handle. Surly Dominic isn’t fun, but I can manage him. Flirty and outgoing Dominic? Powerful and sexy Dominic?
Nope.