Chapter 37
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Alicia
Night's fallen, washing the apartment in darkness, only lit by the few lamps in the living room I'm currently pacing in, and have been for the past two hours.
After Leo dropped me off earlier, promising to fix things, I called my sister and had a momentary meltdown as she tried to calm me down.
It took her almost an hour to convince me that everything would be fine, but as soon as I ended the call with her, the panic inside me started to rise again.
I cleaned the apartment, took a shower, and even put on an episode of Criminal Minds in an attempt to distract myself from worrying about Dom and Leo, but nothing could take my mind off of them.
So here I am, walking around the room, phone in hand, waiting for someone to call me and deliver some news—good or bad.
Jellybean jumps up from where she's been lying on the steps, barking loudly as she rushes through the living room and towards the hallway.
My feet carry me across the room, down the hallway, and all the way to the elevator just as the doors start to open.
Dom's standing inside, his dark hair a mess atop his head, his jacket loosely held in his hand, and a frown marring his face.
His brown eyes meet mine, and we stand there, staring at each other for almost a minute before both of us move, arms wrapping tightly around each other.
Jellybean nuzzles her head against my ankles as Dom rests his on mine, breathing deeply as his hands roam along my back, stroking and squeezing every inch of me.
"Are you okay?" I ask quietly, burying my head into his chest and pulling his body even closer to mine, relieved to have him standing with me, seemingly unharmed so far.
He lifts one hand to the back of my head, threading his fingers through my hair, and pulls away from me the slightest amount until he's looking down at me, his eyes boring into mine.
"I am now," he says, eyes dropping to my lips before he leans forward, nose brushing against mine just before our lips connect.
The kiss is slow and passionate, neither of us fighting for dominance, just simply allowing our lips and bodies to melt together.
His hands run down the deep red nightgown I have on until they reach the back of my thighs, and then he effortlessly lifts me into the air.
Wrapping my legs around his waist, I move my hands to either side of his face, reluctantly pulling away from the kiss to look at him, foreheads pressed together as our heavy breaths mingle.
"Promise me you're okay?" I ask again, swiping my thumbs across the hair that covers his jaw.
He sighs, nodding his head.
"I promise, little viper. I'm okay," he says, walking us into the living room and over to the sofa, sitting down with me straddling his lap. "Are you okay? You seem worried."
"Of course I'm worried," I tell him, slapping at his chest. "I didn't know if you were going to be coming home or not."
He cocks a brow, and a lazy smile spreads across his face.
"Home?"
"What?"
"You said home…" His smile grows wider, and his fingers splay across my back as he pulls me against him. "That's the first time I've heard you call my apartment your home."
I scoff. "So what?"
Slipping his fingers beneath my top, he smooths his hands against my bare back, massaging circles along my spine.
"It just goes to show you're finally accepting your place here, with me, in this relationship. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who's falling for a person they wanted to despise."
My lips pull up into a smile, and I lower my head, allowing strands of my wavy hair to fall around my face, hopefully concealing the rosy cheeks I'm positive I'm currently sporting.
"I'll take that reaction as your admittance that I'm correct in thinking you're also falling for me, shall I?"
"Whatever helps you sleep at night," I tell him, laughing when he digs his fingers into my back and laughs along with me.
"Is it really that hard for you to admit it?" he asks, running his nose along the slope of my neck.
"No. It's not. I just don't want to keep boosting your ego. I fear your head may explode if it gets any bigger."
He turns, tossing me onto the sofa and moving himself so he's hovering above me.
"All this teasing is doing something to me," he says, lowering his hips between mine until I feel the bulge of his hard dick pressing against me. "I guess I was wrong for thinking you only turned me on when we were angry at each other."
"Why are you acting as if I don't turn you on all the time, Dom?" I tease, lifting my hips and grinding myself against him.
He groans, dropping his head to my chest as I continue rubbing myself against him.
"As much as I desperately want for this to continue, I need a shower," he says, sighing as he kisses my chest through my top before peeling his body off mine.
I pout at him, and he chuckles.
"I'll be ten minutes, max. If you're ready and waiting for me in bed after, I'll be happy to resume," he says, winking before he walks away.
"Bastard!" I shout after him, huffing as I sit back up on the sofa.
As I'm about to follow after him, my phone vibrates on the table, Lenny's name flashing across the screen.
My heart leaps into my throat, and I snap my head around to check the stairs are empty before I scramble for the phone, answering it and pressing it to my ear.
"You backstabbing bitch!" he screams down the line as soon as the call connects. "I should've known I couldn't trust you. Watch your back, Alicia. You wanna fuck with me, then I'll fuck with you!"
He hangs up before I can even utter a word, and I sit there frozen, staring at the coffee table in front of me, phone still pressed to my ear, and my heart lodged in my throat.
Movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I turn to see Jellybean padding towards me, head tilting from one side to the other.
I place my phone on the table and pick her up, cradling her against my chest.
"Seems like I'm on the devil's bad side now, baby girl," I mutter, lying down on the sofa with my arm wrapped around her small body, soaking up the comfort I feel from her presence as fear and regret swirl around inside me.
Minutes later, when I hear Dom's footsteps descending the stairs, I close my eyes, slow my breathing, and pretend to be asleep as he moves closer to me.
His fingers brush against my face, and then his lips press against my forehead before I feel his hands slip around Jellybean's body, softly removing her from my hold.
"Come on, Jelly, let's take you for a walk before bed."
Holding my breath, I remain motionless, waiting until he's left the apartment before I allow the tears to fall from my eyes.