Chapter Seventeen
Emerson
I brought us beers, and we sat on the couch.
Instead of drinking his, Dom had taken off his jacket and kicked off his sneakers.
He ran the neck of the bottle between his hands repeatedly.
Impatient as I was, I sensed Dom needed time, so I waited.
Finally, he huffed out a sigh and set the bottle on the coffee table.
“Mr. Ackerman? You know the older gentleman who runs the hardware store?” I nodded, but he wasn’t expecting me to answer.
“He’s been sick for days and had some kid working the register.
After my tour when I went to check on him, I found the poor guy barely alive.
I called an ambulance, and he’s in the hospital—pneumonia, dehydration, and heart issues.
It scares the shit out of me to think if I didn’t stop by…
” His voice faltered, and he held his face in his hands.
That sent me into automatic protect-Dominic mode, and I scooted over to hold him tight. He sank into my chest.
“It’s okay,” I murmured. “You got to him in time. He’s gonna be okay.”
“They’re not sure yet. The next few days are critical. I’ve got tomorrow off, so I’m gonna go stay with him. He’s got nobody—no family, no one to care if he lives or dies.”
I’d never wanted to kiss Dominic so badly as I did in that moment, to tell him what an absolutely beautiful human he was. I stroked his cheek, and I knew I couldn’t ever let him go.
Oh, God.
This couldn’t be happening.
I’d fallen in love with Dominic.
“That’s really sweet, Starr,” I said, deliberately keeping it light while my brain sought to keep up with the emotions bouncing around in my heart.
What happened to that snide, obnoxious bastard of the past few years?
Had it all been a smoke screen for this tender, loving, incredibly sweet person?
A man who cared about a lonely senior he barely knew?
Dominic had been a protector his whole life, shielding his mother from his father, most likely taking the abuse on himself, as evidenced by the scar on his face.
So no quick and snarky comeback from me tonight. He’d been through too much.
“Hey.” I kissed him. “How about we get into bed, and I can show you what I did today?”
He tipped up his chin, brows pulled together. “And we have to lie down for that?”
I touched my lips to his and murmured, “You’ll see.
Come on.” He took my hand and allowed me to lead him to the bedroom.
I pulled off his sweater and popped open the top of his jeans.
“Off.” Another sign of his internal upset was how he didn’t protest me taking control and followed my directives without comment.
Soon he stood only in his briefs, and I gazed with longing at his rock-solid physique.
“What?” He raised a brow, the shadow of a smile in his eyes. “You have something you need to show me?”
It wasn’t a big tattoo, but it was the first not on my arms. I peeled off my sweats and showed him the ink situated an inch below my navel. It was still covered with clear protective adhesive but he could see the design.
For the first time tonight, Dominic’s happiness wasn’t forced. It lit up his face and brightened his eyes. “You did that, huh? Guess this means we’re stuck with each other.”
He reached out and traced the edges of the two five-pointed stars. “Blue? I thought they’d be yellow.”
I ran a hand up his chest and curved it around his strong neck. “I did it to match your eyes. They’re very pretty.”
Their blue depths burned. “Yeah? What else do you like about me?”
“Lots of things. That smartass mouth. Your fucking ripped body.” I splayed a hand on his chest. “But most of all, your big heart. You’re the real deal, Dominic Starr.”
My words appeared to have stunned him, and he held my face in the palms of his hands.
“I’m thinking you are too, Emmy. You might be the most real thing in my life.
Seeing that poor guy lying there so sick and knowing he’s all alone, I selfishly started thinking, what if that’s me in fifty years? I don’t want to be alone.”
“You’re not. I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.” His eyes widened and his breath grew short, so I pressed on. “Not just for now. Or later. I want to be with you for the long haul. Maybe that’s why I could never settle with a woman. Because it’s been you all along.”
“It has. Since we were seventeen, Emmy. I didn’t want to admit it then because my life was fucking chaos, but I’m thinking it was always you.
When I heard you’d disappeared, I thought you were hiding from something or someone.
But it didn’t matter. I was going to seek you out and find you no matter where you’d gone. ”
“And you did.”
“Yeah. And I’m not letting you go this time.
” Dominic slid his fingers through my hair, anchored me, and took possession of my mouth.
I poured all the sweetness of my love and desire into that kiss, and I grew weak under his probing tongue.
Suddenly, he withdrew and held me by the shoulders to meet my confused gaze with one of desire mixed with resignation.
“What? Is something wrong?”
“I don’t think I can…you know…” He shrugged, cheeks turning red. “I’m, uh, totally wiped.” He ducked his head, and his shoulders grew taut under my fingers. “Sorry. I can go home if you want.”
Dominic expected nothing. That made me want to give him everything.
“What I want is you. We don’t have to have sex—that’s not half as important as simply being with you. Lie with me, and I’ll hold you. I’m here for whatever you need.”
There was such relief in his eyes, I wondered if anyone had ever truly cared about Dominic, aside from what he could give them. We got under the covers.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning and you…you’re the one solid thing I can hold on to that will keep me from getting swept away. I’ve never needed anyone like I need you tonight.”
And if I hadn’t already been in love with Dominic, hearing those words would’ve made it happen. I nestled closer, wrapped my arms around him, and we fell asleep holding each other.
**
We woke up at seven a.m. Dominic showered first, and as much as I wanted to touch him, I didn’t think to infringe in his space.
I came out from my shower to find him sitting on the bed, with only his briefs on, staring at the floor. I dropped my towel and sat beside him.
“What’s really wrong? It’s more than Mr. Ackerman being sick. I know you better than that.”
He remained silent for so long, I figured he wasn’t going to answer me, and I started getting dressed. My tour now started at nine a.m., and I was glad to get out at a normal time for dinner. Dominic and I could spend the whole evening together.
“Can you sit? I need to talk to you.”
My head emerged from an old NYPD sweat shirt, and I returned to his side. “What is it?”
Growing agitated, Dominic chewed on his bottom lip. “Before all this stuff with Mr. Ackerman, that IAB guy, McGill, came to see me. I’d kicked him out once, but this time, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
My pulse spiked. “That was the other day. I knew something was wrong.”
He grew pale. My nerves had me jittery and on edge—few things rattled Dominic, and he wore his mask so well, so to see him shaken like this scared me.
“There’s an independent covert investigation into my father, and McGill is part of it.”
“Isn’t he retired?”
Dominic nodded. “Yeah, but he’s acting as a consultant for a special task force.
He’s working with active members of the department.
” He pushed his fingers through his thick hair.
“This is big, Emmy. I told him I didn’t want any part of it because I’m not willing to get dragged into anything to do with my father, but…
I dunno. Maybe something good will come from it. ”
“What is it about?”
He explained in minute detail, and I sat for a moment, letting the information sink in. The scope of the accusations was breathtaking.
“Do you think it’s true? I mean, we know the abuse part is, but the work part…is he dirty—more importantly, a killer? Could he have set up informants and his own people?” Merely saying the words nauseated me.
Dominic pondered my question. “As hard as it is to say, I think so. The man is power hungry. The fact that his cronies refused to listen to me and that my accusations were eighty-sixed proves he’ll say and do anything to maintain control.”
“So what’s going to happen? Are you going to help them?”
“What do you think I should do? I don’t know.”
I loved that he wanted my advice—Dominic putting his trust in me meant a new step in our relationship.
“I think it might make sense to hear more about what they want from you.” I linked our fingers together. “And I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”
He gazed at our hands, and keeping them connected, cupped my cheek and guided our lips together. It wasn’t a hot, messy kiss, frantic with hunger, yet it claimed my soul with a sweet and gentle tenderness I’d never expected from this man.
“I don’t think I could do this if you weren’t here with me. Thank you.” Dominic kissed me again, and this time I held him tighter, my kisses deeper. “You’d better go,” he rasped, eyes glittering and face flushed. “Otherwise, you’ll be very, very late, and Simms will write you up.”
“To be continued.” I snickered, brushing my fingertips over the bulge in his briefs.
As I walked to my car, a tingling began up my spine. I turned around and noticed a parked black sedan with a lone figure in it. Keeping my stride casual, I strolled over and knocked on the window. It opened, and I wasn’t surprised to see Becker McGill.
“You following me?” I glared, folding my arms. “There must be some reason you’re sitting in your car at eight fifteen in the morning.”
“Get in. We need to talk.”
“You must be high if you think I’ll get in a car alone with you.”
“Why, Kane? You don’t trust me?”
“Not as far as I can throw you,” I answered sweetly and walked away.
“You’re a little far from home, aren’t you?” McGill called out, and I froze, then turned.
“I asked you before. Are you following me? Last I checked, I don’t work for the department any longer, and you’re not the head of IAB. I don’t have to answer any of your questions.” But a nervous sweat broke out under my arms.
Hard dark eyes met mine. “You spent the night with Dominic Starr.”
A chill ran through me. Oh, fuck no. This wasn’t going to happen on a public street, but I retraced the few steps to his car.
“Yeah? And? We were watching the game, and he fell asleep on the couch. So what?”
McGill snorted lightly but didn’t say anything, and I knew enough not to open my mouth—only speak when spoken to with these IAB guys—so I waited.
“I can only assume Starr told you what was going on. You need to know that our investigation affects you as well.”
“Me? How so?”
McGill paused. “Your father was a CI.”
I sliced my hand through the air with impatience. “I know that. He told me everything.”
“I’m here to tell you the rest of what happened after he was arrested. It’s our belief that Starr’s father ordered yours killed.”