Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
Alicia
The next few days, I stay inside the apartment with Dom, not daring to go outside while Lenny's still out there.
Dom hasn't asked me any more questions about the man Leo shot, but I know he wants to in the quiet moments.
I can feel it when we're cuddled up on the sofa, and his eyes assess me while I'm watching the TV.
Or during the night when he's kissing me and drags his lips down to my neck, pausing for a few breaths as he stares at the faint bruising before he continues.
I'm thankful he hasn't asked, because I don't want to lie to him.
We're in a good place at the moment, and I don't want to ruin it.
I want to enjoy it while it lasts.
Lately, I've seen a completely new side to Dom, and I absolutely love it.
"When Leo gets back from walking Jellybean, I'm going to head out for a little bit. Is that okay?" he asks, twirling my hair around his finger and squeezing the thigh I have draped over his lap.
Tearing my eyes away from the TV, I look over my shoulder, catching him already staring down at me.
"Why wouldn't that be okay?"
He shrugs, the movement tousling my body beside him from where we're cuddled up on the sofa together, just as we have been for the past two days.
"I wasn't sure if you'd feel comfortable with me leaving you alone yet. Although it will only be for a short while."
Turning my body to face him, I move my hand to his jaw, capturing it between my thumb and my pointer finger. I bring his face down to mine so I can press a chaste kiss against his lips.
"As much as I appreciate you staying here with me while I've been down, I know you can't always be around, and you have other things to do," I tell him, kissing him again. "I'll be okay. Besides, you'll leave Leo downstairs, right?"
He nods. "Of course. Unless you'd prefer for him to be in the apartment? Would that make you feel safer?"
I chuckle and shake my head.
"He doesn't need to be up here. It's cute of you to worry, but I'm okay. Promise."
His eyes sweep over my face before he dips down, capturing my lips again.
Humming contentedly as his tongue sweeps across mine, I lift myself onto his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck, kissing him back with fever.
As he plants his hands on my hips, the elevator dings, and he groans, nipping at my lip in frustration as he reluctantly pulls away from me.
"We'll continue this later," he says, pecking me on the cheek before lifting me off his lap. He slides out from beneath me just as Leo walks into the living room with Jellybean in his arms.
Leo shoots me a smile as he walks over and hands me Jellybean, who immediately curls up into a ball on my lap. He glances at Dom, nods, and walks back out.
"What was that about?" I ask, looking over at Dom as he slides a pair of trainers on and then stands from the sofa.
"What was what about?"
I arch a brow. "Don't play dumb. Why'd he nod at you?"
He shrugs, ducks down to press a kiss against my forehead, and then walks around the sofa and out of the room.
Once he's gone, I settle back on the sofa, trying to focus on my programme, but the surrounding silence and the absence of his presence have me reaching for my phone instead, and I dial my sister's number.
"Hey, what's up?" she says as soon as she answers the call, a hint of worry in her voice.
"I'm moping around. Dom's just left the apartment for the first time in two days, and it's too quiet here. I don't like it. Needed some company," I tell her, moving from the sofa and walking through to the kitchen to make myself a drink.
"Oh, okay, good. I was worried something else had happened."
"No. Everything's all good. I still haven't left the apartment, so there's nothing new to catch you up on. Apart from the fact Dom has started to enjoy watching Criminal Minds, but I don't think you have any interest in that, do you?"
"Unfortunately, I don't. I could pass the phone over to Miguel if you'd like. I'm sure he'd sit there and gush over Spencer and Derek for hours," she says, the pair of us laughing at her statement because of how true it is.
Almost an hour later, after speaking to my sister for a while, and baking cookies to keep myself busy, I finally hear the elevator jump to life again. I'm seated back on the sofa, and I pause the TV, looking over my shoulder, waiting for Dom to walk through the doorway.
When he comes in, he has his hands stuffed in his pockets, a smug smile on his face, and a suspicious glint in his eyes. He bends over the back of the sofa and dips down to give me a quick kiss.
"Sorry, I took a little longer than I planned to, but I promise it was worth it," he tells me, rounding the sofa and coming to sit down next to me. Moving one arm around the back of my shoulders, he keeps his other at his side, his hand still in his pocket.
Glancing at him with narrowed eyes, I raise my brows.
"What are you hiding from me?"
"Well…" He shuffles closer to me, removes his hand from his pocket, and places it in my lap. His fingers are curled over, covering whatever it is he's hiding, though. "I have a surprise for you."
He worries his lip between his teeth as my eyes dart between his face and his hand.
Reaching forward, I slowly slide my fingers beneath his and uncurl them, moving them out of the way to reveal a thick silver chain with my heart locket attached to the end of it.
My jaw slackens, and I carefully take hold of the chain, lifting it from his palm. I inspect the intricate design, moving it around as I stare at it in wonder through blurred vision.
Opening it up, I'm met with the picture I'd told him about, and the tears instantly drop from my eyes.
Even though the chain isn't the original one, the picture and locket are.
Swallowing, I turn to face him, swiping the tears off my cheeks.
"You got it back for me?"
He nods. "When I saw how upset you were when you realised you'd lost it, it made me realise how much you cherished it, and I knew instantly I had to get it back for you.
I asked Leo who had cleaned up the scene, and then messaged them and told them to hold onto everything until I could go through all the bags of stuff. "
He cups my jaw in his hands, thumbs brushing against my wet cheeks.
"The chain was broken, so I got you a new one, and I also had it cleaned because it was covered in blood. That's why I was gone longer than expected."
Dropping my gaze back to the necklace, I sob, leaning into him, dropping my head to his chest, and wrapping my arms around him.
"Thank you," I mumble. "This means the world to me, Dom."
Pulling away from me, he takes the necklace from my hand and motions with his finger for me to turn around.
I do, and he lightly bundles up my hair, passing it to me over my shoulder before he drapes the necklace around me. His fingers lightly brush against my skin as he does it up, sending shivers through my body.
Dropping my hair, I look down at it, resting against my chest, and a smile graces my face.
Dom presses kisses along my bare shoulder, leading up to my neck until he reaches my ear. He begins nibbling on it, causing me to squirm.
"All I wanted to do was make you smile," he whispers, grazing his lips down the length of my neck.
"Well, you've definitely managed that," I tell him, breathless from the tingles running over my body. "And I can think of plenty of other things you can do that'll have me smiling even more."
Vibrations course through my body from his as he hums, his chest against my back.
"I like the sound of that," he utters, teeth sinking into the slope of my neck, causing a shocked, loud moan to escape from my lips.
Just as his tongue swipes over my skin, his phone starts ringing from the table beside us.
At first, he ignores it, continuing his assault on my neck, running his hands along the sides of my body as my back arches, and my head drops back onto his shoulder.
But then it rings again.
And again.
On the fourth ring, he huffs, snatches his phone from the table, and presses it to his ear.
"What?" he barks.
In an instant, his whole body turns rigid behind mine, and my heart immediately drops into my stomach, ice slithering through my veins.
He stands from the sofa, brows furrowed deep, lips set into a frown, and his free hand tugging at his hair.
"How? How the fuck did this happen?" he shouts, pacing back and forth in front of me. "Okay. Yeah, I'll be there soon. I'll bring Leo with me."
He ends the call and sits on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head into his hands.
I tentatively move towards him, placing my hand on his back.
"What's wrong?" I ask softly, rubbing circles over his trembling back.
He shakes his head, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes that are screwed shut.
Taking a deep breath, he turns to me, lashes wet with unshed tears.
"Percy's in the hospital," he croaks. "He was shot."