Chapter 20 Sloane
Sloane
Now
Heat rushes to my cheeks at Dominic’s words.
I’m starting to think the man gets off on making me blush.
Pretty sure it’s the only thing he’s getting off on these days.
Especially if what he said about not sleeping with Kristen in over a month is the truth.
I have no way to confirm it, but for some reason, I believe him.
I’ve known Dominic to be a lot of things, but a liar isn’t one of them.
Sarah stands off to the side, waiting patiently for us to take our seats at the table closest to the glass panes lining the edge of the rooftop.
There are fresh-cut flowers and lit tea candles in the center of the table.
Dominic releases my face and grabs my hand, pulling me gently toward the table.
I follow quietly, still kind of stunned by his words and the incredibly romantic gesture he’s just made.
He pulls my chair out and makes sure to brush his fingers across my shoulders when I take my seat.
I admire the way the denim hugs his ass as he moves around the table and folds himself into the chair across from me.
Sarah sets a menu in front of each of us and takes our drink orders before disappearing, leaving us alone with the city of New Haven spread out before us.
“Dominic, this is…” I pause. “There aren’t words to describe what this means to me.”
His eyes are on my face, and he’s looking at me like he wants to burn the image of my pleasure into his mind. And there it is again. That stupid blush creeping up my cheeks, making me flush like a teenage girl. I can’t hold his gaze, so I focus on my menu instead.
He reaches across the table and lifts my chin. “I’d do anything to put a smile on your face, Sloane. Just say the word and it’s yours.”
“Anything, huh? I can think of at least one thing you won’t give me even though I’ve asked for it repeatedly.”
He runs a thumb across my bottom lip, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Patience is a virtue, angel.”
“That’s what they say,” I agree, taking his hand in my own. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to having the right to touch him like this. I press a kiss to his palm, just because I can, before letting it go. “But it’s never been something I’ve excelled at.”
Dominic sits back in his seat and crosses his arms. The same thumb that was just running over my bottom lip is now skating over his.
“Why are you in such a rush?”
His gaze rolls across my features, studying me with the same relentless intensity I’ve seen him give the blueprints from James’s architect.
Suddenly, I feel hot and uncertain about what I want to say.
All the strength and resolution I had in the elevator falls away, stripped down by the heat in his tone.
I shift in my seat. “I just don’t want us to run out of time.
We have a specific goal we’re trying to achieve, and I don’t see the point in waiting.
Especially when we don’t know how long this is going to last…
” Dominic’s hardening expression makes me lose my train of thought. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just trying to understand why you’re talking about this ending before it’s even started.”
Both my shoulders go up in a gesture my mother would frown at. Lauren Carson doesn’t believe in shrugging or slouching or any movement that makes you look anything but perfectly polished and sure of yourself.
“I’m not, but I know it’s not realistic to think we can do this for an extended amount of time, Dominic. The lying, the sneaking around, the freaking out when Mal shows up at my house unexpectedly. You saw me this morning. I’m liable to have a heart attack before I ever see you naked!”
The last part of my rant makes the corner of his mouth tip up just a bit. He thinks it’s funny that I’m obsessed with seeing him without any clothes on, and I can’t blame him. If I wasn’t the desperate one, I would probably think it was funny too.
I take a sip of my water just to keep anything else from coming out of my mouth.
I don’t know where this forward and brazen woman has come from.
No one would ever describe me as shy, but I am not in the habit of harassing men about taking me to bed.
But then again, I haven’t dated in over a decade, and Eric never had a problem with dicking me down on the regular.
Eric. I nearly choke on my water when I realize I’ve just compared Dominic to Eric in the most unfair way. Eric is the whole reason he wants to take things slow. My hand shakes slightly as I set my glass down.
“You okay?” Dominic arches a brow, catching the tremble in my hand.
I nod. “Yes.”
“Good.” He leans forward, steepling his fingers as he regards me. “Do you remember the point of this dinner, angel?”
His voice is black velvet, the words sliding over my skin like a caress. My breath leaves my lungs and takes all of my coherent thoughts with it. “We’re establishing rules for our—”
“Relationship,” Dominic finishes for me, possessiveness flaring in his eyes.
Although I just had a sip of water, my mouth is suddenly dry.
I lick my lips. “Yes, our relationship.” I start to squirm in my seat, but the movement is immediately halted when I feel the evidence of my recent orgasm at the junction of my thighs.
It’s crazy how I can let the man kiss me at work, bring me to orgasm in an elevator, and spend the night in my bed, but hearing him say we’re in a relationship makes me nervous.
And there’s no doubt in my mind it’s because of the vow I swore after Eric died. The one where I promised to never pursue anything even resembling a relationship, because my last chance at happiness and love died with my husband.
Relax, it’s not like he’s asking you to marry him. He’s probably just trying to help you feel more comfortable about using him as your personal sex toy.
I exhale through my nose. Yes, that makes a lot of sense. He knows I haven’t been with anyone since Eric, I told him as much last night, and he probably thinks putting a label on it will make me feel safe and secure in this mess we’re about to make.
Dominic opens his mouth to say something, but he’s interrupted by the loud buzzing coming from his phone. It’s face down on the table, so I can’t see who’s interrupting the conversation I’ve waited all day to have with him, but when he looks at the screen, he frowns and hits decline.
The phone starts ringing again before he even puts it back on the table, and a flash of annoyance crosses his face as he stabs the decline button again.
“You can take the call. It must be important if they called two times in a row.”
He waves a dismissive hand. “No, this is more important. Tell me what you need, Sloane, and I’ll give it to you. This dinner isn’t just about discussing my rules, and I do have rules, but I want to know what you need out of this. What you need from me.”
“I—”
“Alright, you two. What can I get for you?”
Sarah is back with a bright smile on her face and a notepad in her hand.
Dominic gestures for me to order first, but I have no idea what I want, as reading the menu has been difficult with the most intense midnight stare burning into my soul.
Dominic and Sarah wait patiently for me to decide, and I settle on Wagyu beef sliders and a side salad.
Dominic doesn’t even glance at the menu before he orders a grass-fed New York strip with a side of roasted potatoes.
As he hands the menus back, he orders a glass of Shiraz to go with my entrée.
I arch a brow at him, and he smiles. “You’ll enjoy it. Trust me.”
“How do you know? You don’t drink.”
“True, but I do dine frequently with people who drink.” His lips curve into a smile. “And they’ve said the wine goes well with the sliders you ordered.”
My elbows rest on the edge of the table as I lean forward. “Tell me more about these people you dine with frequently.”
Dominic shakes his head. “Letting the green-eyed monster get ahold of you again, angel?”
“No.” Yes. Maybe a little. “Just making conversation.”
“A few years ago, Cerros underwent a small-scale renovation. The scope of work included suites on the top floor as well as the rooftop conversion. Do you remember?”
I almost don’t hear the question, because I’m too caught up watching his finger trace the rim of his glass with the same finger that was inside of me when I came less than twenty minutes ago.
“Yes.” I swallow. “Mal wanted us to bid on the project, but we’d just lost one of our senior designers, and I didn’t want to be stretched thin.”
“Right,” he murmurs. “She was sad that we missed the chance to work on a project together.”
My eyes snap to his face. “Archway handled the renovation.”
“I handled the renovation personally, per the owner’s request. He had been burned by contractors before and wanted to be sure his project was in good hands.” He lifts a cocky brow as he says the last word, and a fire erupts in my veins. “Anyway, by the time we were done, he owed me a few favors.”
Understanding seeps into my bones. Owed.
As in the past tense. As in Dominic cashed in a valuable favor owed to him by a powerful man because he knew I would be worried about someone seeing us together.
And not just any powerful man, but Sebastian Adler of Adler Holdings, the oldest son of the family who shocked the world when he decided to open a chain of hotels, luxury condominiums, and restaurants instead of taking the CEO title he was raised to hold in the family company.
“Dominic, you didn’t…”
“I did, and I’d do it again just to see the look on your face when we walked in here and you realized the place was empty.”
I tilt my head to the side, wondering if I’ll ever get a handle on this man or the whirlwind of emotions he stirs up in me when he shows me his sweet side every now and again. “Who knew there was a heart under all that asshole-ish behavior?”