Seven | Jo
Seven
Jo
“You really don’t have to cook,” I said to Dom, rocking back and forth as Molly fell asleep on my shoulder.
I smiled down at the baby as she let out a soft sound, her body relaxed in my arms. I had fallen in love with Molly long before she was even born.
When her mother, Charlie, showed up in Nowhere covered in bruises and on the run, I knew then that I would do everything in my power to protect them.
I would forever be grateful that fate brought Charlie to us and that she now had a family who loved and would always protect her and Molly.
“I love cooking, so I don’t mind,” he answered, grinning at me as I continued holding Molly.
While she was asleep and I could put her down in the portable crib I had for her, I wasn’t quite ready to be done with the baby snuggles.
“I didn’t think I would ever see you holding a baby, but I have to admit, it looks really good on you. You light up every time you’re with her,” Dom said softly as he took out a pack of chicken from the fridge.
“I never thought I would be a baby person either, but this little one changed my mind. I don’t know if it was because of how quickly I bonded with Charlie or if it was because of the trauma they went through, but I feel connected to them in a way I’ve never felt with anyone before.”
Kinda like how I feel around you.
I swallowed hard, trying to force the words down before they could accidentally spill out. Things were already starting to feel a little complicated with Dom. I didn’t want to make them worse.
“I love that you’ve made a great life for yourself here. I can see how much your friends love you and the support you have.”
“They really are the best. They’re like the family I always wanted.”
I walked over to the portable crib and gently laid Molly down, letting her sleep peacefully after she started to get super sweaty on my shoulder.
The crib was set up in the living room so I could easily keep an eye on her, and thankfully, she was always such a good sleeper that noise never bothered her.
“What do you need help with?” I asked, changing the subject as I washed my hands.
The kitchen had always felt plenty big when it was just me cooking, but having Dom in my space made things feel tighter than usual. I stood beside him as he breaded the chicken breasts and laid them in the baking dish.
“I think I’ve got it, unless you want to start washing veggies for a salad?”
“I can do that.” I needed something to keep me occupied so I didn’t say or do anything I would later regret.
Grocery shopping with Dom had been interesting, especially when he took over some of the meal planning for the week and grabbed the stuff he wanted to cook. I had no idea he enjoyed cooking so much, but from the looks of it, he knew exactly what he was doing in the kitchen.
He probably knew what he was doing in the bedroom as well.
I grabbed a cucumber, a few tomatoes, and the lettuce from the fridge, then set them in the sink as I began washing everything.
I dried them and then set them on a cutting board while Dom scrubbed the potatoes, his body so close that mine was practically humming from the electricity coursing between us.
My attention was scattered with thoughts of Dom as I smelled the light scent of his cologne in the air around me, imagining what it would feel like to be pinned underneath him as he kissed me the way he had this morning.
The knife came down hard, completely missing the cucumber and slicing my finger instead.
“Fuck!” I yelped, pulling my hand away from the food as I dropped the knife in the sink.
I held my finger in the water, watching as blood poured from it. Within seconds, Dom was right behind me with a steadying hand on my waist while he leaned to the side to see what had happened.
“Shit, are you okay?”
“Yeah. I missed the cucumber and got my finger instead,” I replied with a frustrated sigh. “Would you mind grabbing me a few paper towels?”
Dom left my side for a split second while he grabbed them, turning off the water for me before wrapping the paper towels tightly around my finger. His eyes stayed focused on my finger as he put decent pressure to stop the bleeding.
The paper towel immediately started to turn red, so without missing a beat, he reached around me and grabbed more, adding them to the outside of the ones already wrapped around my finger while maintaining pressure.
“You’re surprisingly good at this,” I said quietly, admiring that he was doing exactly what needed to be done.
“Yeah, living the life I’ve lived, it’s always been an essential skill,” he replied.
There was a truth in his words, but it was the slight pain I picked up on in his tone that had me wanting to know what he’d been through. More importantly, it made me want to get revenge on those who’d hurt him because no one hurt those I lov—.
I forced the thought away before I could complete it, ignoring the sparks flying between us as he tended to my finger.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” he asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“What kind of nurse doesn’t have a first aid kit?” I teased. “In the bathroom, under the cabinet on the right side.”
“It looks like the bleeding has stopped, but maybe keep applying pressure until I get back.”
“Will do, doc.” I knew he picked up on my tone the second I said it because his jaw tightened as if he were restraining himself from touching me. But even I couldn’t deny how hot it would be to do some roleplaying and have him be the doctor to a naughty nurse.
Dom returned a few minutes later with the first-aid kit, taking the lead in bandaging it perfectly without any input from me. It was surprisingly nice to feel taken care of for once, especially since I was used to being the one who always took care of everyone else.