Chapter Twenty-Six
Alicia
Days have passed, and I'm still stuck in this damn apartment.
Since my day out with the girls, Dom has been home every day, and although he's practically ignored me the whole time, he's made it abundantly clear I'm not allowed to leave without his say-so.
The only times I've been outside is when I've had to walk Jellybean, and even then, I'm not alone. He sends either Leo or Percy with me.
I enjoy it when it's Leo, though, because although he doesn't talk to me like he did the first day, he still allows me to stop at the coffee shop. He'll even walk a few paces behind me while I'm on the phone to my sister as well, giving me an illusion of privacy.
Percy, on the other hand, stays by my side the whole time and doesn't allow any detours.
My plan of distracting Dom with the few skimpy pyjama sets I own hasn't been working either.
No matter how often I flaunt myself around in front of him, he keeps his head buried in his phone, staring at the screen intently, not paying me a lick of attention.
The only time he hints at the fact he's aware of my presence is when he walks into the living room every evening with a plate of dinner and sets it down beside me while I binge-watch Criminal Minds.
After four days of failing to get under his skin, I've given up on the idea, and I'm now snuggled beneath a fluffy grey blanket that covers today's frilly red outfit, stretched out on the sofa with Jellybean curled up in my lap.
When Dominic walks into the room with both our plates, I don't bother to turn my head his way, knowing he won't even meet my eyes or speak a word to me as he places the plate down before taking his seat on the armchair to the right of me.
"I don't want it," I mumble, pushing the plate away.
"You need to eat," he grunts, surprising me so much I tear my gaze away from the TV to look at him with my brows raised.
"Oh, so you do know how to talk then?" I retort, shaking my head.
He scoffs, scooping up a forkful of rice.
"With an attitude like that, it's no wonder I'd rather not speak to you."
Pausing my show, I throw the blanket off of my lap—regretfully disturbing Jellybean—as I stand from the sofa and glare at him.
"The only reason I have an attitude is because you're keeping me stuck here in this apartment as if I'm some sort of doll you can do with as you please. You wouldn't have to deal with me if you left the apartment!"
"But if I left, then you would, too, and we both know you'd probably create some sort of chaos and get yourself into trouble."
"I didn't get myself into any trouble last time," I tell him, shrugging. "You were the one who made a big deal out of things simply because you weren't getting updates on what was going on and was jealous thinking I was doing something with Leo."
Placing his plate on the coffee table, he stands up and prowls towards me, a menacing, furious look in his eye.
He stops in front of me, so close his top brushes against the lacy camisole covering my body, and I suppress the shiver that's begging to run through my body from the sensation.
"I wasn't jealous," he bites out, his eyes burning into mine.
I smirk, my gaze sweeping over his face as I lift my hands to his chest, brushing them across the black cotton that's covering the muscles I can feel rippling beneath it.
"It's okay to admit that you were, Dom," I whisper, flicking my gaze back to his as I lift onto my toes, filled with my usual confidence I've been lacking lately. "I can imagine the thought of Leo's tattooed body pressing against mine as our—"
My words are cut off instantly as his hand shoots out and wraps around my neck, the cold metal of the rings around his fingers sinking into my heated skin.
"Shut up," he growls, eyes darkening as he grinds his jaw, the grip around my neck tightening slightly.
I can't contain the grin that spreads across my face, and I lower my hands down his chest, wanting to poke the bear even further.
"Make me," I rasp, my tongue darting out of my mouth and sweeping across my lips as my body vibrates with tension.
His eyes follow the movement, and he leans closer to me, our bodies brushing against each other again as he seems to contemplate what to do.
The anticipation is killing me, so I move my hands down again, across his stomach, my fingers gently gliding across each muscle until they brush against the waistband of his jeans.
Before I can continue, he uses his free hand to grab mine. He snarls at me, his eyes meeting mine again as his thumb presses against the pulse point of my neck.
A frustrated growl rips from his chest as he pushes himself back, creating space between us as I stumble backwards onto the sofa.
"I'll be back at the office tomorrow, and I'll have Leo downstairs. If you choose to leave the apartment, it will be to walk the mutt, and that's it. Until I know I can trust you to listen to me, I don't want you doing anything else. Understood?"
Still slightly in a daze, I nod my head. That must be an accepting answer for him because his eyes scan my body once more before he storms out of the room.
Once I hear the elevator doors close, my breath rushes out of me, and I place a hand against my chest, feeling my heart pounding violently.
I should be glad he finally snapped and agreed to leave the apartment—as well as telling me I was allowed out, too—but a small amount of disappointment slithers through my body at the fact he pushed me away when we were clearly in an extremely tense situation of which I'm certain had an affect on him.
I was caught up in the moment, and I was sure he was too.
My skin was flushed, my stomach was wound tight, and I was clamping my thighs together from the moment his hand wrapped around my neck.
I genuinely thought he was going to kiss me, and if he did, I wouldn't have pushed him away.
Jellybean barks from where she's sitting on the floor, breaking me out of my thoughts, and I shake my head, scoffing.
My plan worked. I should be happy I've bought myself an inch of freedom, I shouldn't be sat here dejected about the fact he didn't make a move on me.
That's not what I want… is it?