Chapter 27 ~ #2
“Dom,” I murmur tenderly. I feel Dom tremble beneath my hand.
As he turns, my hand moves with him, curling around to stroke the nape of his neck.
He was the only one who could make me choose emotion over logic before Rory.
I tilt my head up. Dom doesn’t move, just watches me as I press my lips against his. We both groan. God, it’s been so long.
Normally, I give in and relinquish control to Dom immediately but this time I make him work for it.
My hand fists his shirt, keeping him at my level.
I feel Dom fight with himself between his natural dominating nature and wanting to give me what I want. After all, there’s a reason I started the nickname Dom.
Dom growls and takes control. I submit easily and he gently pushes me up against the wall of the stairs, being mindful of my arm.
My free hand weaves through his hair, tugging at the soft strands to force a rumble out of his chest.
After thoroughly kissing the fuck out of me, Dom pulls away. He nips at my ear lobe before burying his face in my neck and exhaling deeply.
I rest my head back against the wall, trying to break through the lust to think clearly.
Dom’s big hand cups my face, resting his forehead against mine.
“Labels.” I remember.
Dom raises one eyebrow, pulling back to look at me.
“I…I need labels,” I tell him. “Whatever they are.”
I can’t do what we did before. I need more.
A broad smile breaks out across his dazzling face.
Dom nods. “Okay, baby.” He kisses me languidly and so soul-hauntingly that I’m left with a desperate need for him.
“Fucking finally!” Luc cheers, snapping us out of it.
Dom pulls back and I step off of the wall.
Rory looks like she’s tried to stop Luc from interrupting judging by the guilty look on her face.
Abraxas abandons Rory’s side and bounds over to Dom, jumping up on him. Dom ruffles Abraxas’s fur before telling him down.
“Honestly, I thought you’d make him grovel longer,” Luc says to me, just to mess with Dom, based on the grin widening across his face.
“Thanks,” Dom replies, sarcastically. Luc smirks.
“You guys are all good, yeah?” Dom crosses his arms against his broad chest.
It occurs to me that Dom’s referring to the guys not Rory.
“Of course, dude. Took you long enough.” Luc and Dom bump fists.
“And by the way, we were always happy with you guys being together. You didn’t have to try to keep it from us,” Luc tells him, a hint of irritation in his voice. I know us keeping things from the guys—even though they knew—hurt them.
“I know, man. It was stupid of me.” Dom rubs the back of his neck, guilt lingering.
Rory’s wandered away. She flicks on the kettle before walking slowly around the kitchen, looking at everything.
There was something about the way she was looking at Dom and I. Like she’s happy for us but she feels guilty.
I nudge Dom and he follows my gaze. He frowns deeply, seeing what I’m seeing.
“Is she okay with this?” I question quietly.
Luc responds quietly, “Rory’s always been more than happy with you guys getting together but she didn’t want to interfere. It’s not that. I think it’s about how our relationship—how she—will fit in your relationship.”
Dom’s striding over to Rory the second Luc finishes his sentence. Luc and I follow.
Dom tugs Rory in his arms and kisses her deeply. I grin at the squeak of surprise she makes before she melts into him.
“Don’t think for a second this changes anything, Sunshine,” I murmur lowly in her ear. “All our plans involve you.”
My mouth barely grazes her ear and she shivers. She presses back against me and tilts her head up.
“Maybe I need a demonstration,” she purrs. Dom grins wickedly and I steps closer to sandwich her between us.
“Okay, okay. As much as I would love, I mean really love to see how this plays out—we have a situation,” Luc interrupts.
Rory sighs and nods.
I turn Rory back to me with a hand on her face and ask seriously, “Is this a tea or tequila conversation?”
Rory cracks a brief grin while the others are left clueless.
“If you’ve got it…honestly, the second one,” Rory tells me honestly, growing serious.
I sober up and glance up at the grave look on Luc’s face.
Well, shit.
. . .
Luc ~
“Luci, can you tell the stars to stop spinning?” Rory crunches up her nose cutely and tries to grasp at the imaginary stars above her.
I grin and run my fingers through her long wavy dark hair.
Her head’s propped up by my thigh, her feet in Dom’s lap further down along the couch.
Alec’s had his head stuck in his laptop since we told him about Dennis Blanco. He’s doing everything he can to remotely cover Jace and the twins' asses to get them here safely.
I called Rylan back. He wanted to know if we’d be open to having some ACIC guys posted around the property.
I shut that idea down. Anyone can be bought off and I won’t put our safety in the hands of strangers.
I later brought the idea up to Rory who nearly had a panic attack at the idea of more strangers around us.
It took our promise and a drink for her to relax again.
I want—I need—to protect us. And I don’t know how to do that.
“I wanna swim.”
I blink and focus back on Rory.
“Did you say you want to swim?” I ask her.
She looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, those blue and brown eyes struggling to focus on me.
“No, why would I want to swim? I can’t swim.” She frowns at me.
Alec glances up, from where he’s been buried in researching. “You can’t swim?” He questions, surprised.
“We didn’t live near the beach. Mum died then Marcus went all weird. I went once with Jace but we didn’t really do a lot of actual swimming,” Rory tells us, not really looking like she’s paying attention.
She hasn’t brought up her mum before.
“What happened to your mum, Sweetheart?” Dom questions, gently.
Rory’s quiet for so long, I begin to wonder if she even heard him.
“She was sick. Really sick. She died when Dec and I were kids. I don’t…I don’t remember why but…” Rory’s voice fades.
Sadness grows in her face.
“It’s okay, Butterfly,” I soothe her. She stares at me for a moment before lifting a hand to cup my face.
“My Luci,” she says to herself, stroking my face. I slowly turn my head, kissing her palm but keeping my eyes on her.
It’s like a switch is flicked and Rory brightens. “Everyone is far too serious. More drinks!”
Rory’s up and off the couch is a second—moonwalking to the kitchen.
She throws her head back and starts humming to Dom’s 80’s and 90’s country playlist.
“Dominator! Turn it up!” Rory calls out to Dom who jerks.
“What the fuck?” Dom blinks at the nickname before turning to Alec like he has the answer.
I snicker and steal Dom’s phone to turn it up.
Rory moonwalks back into the living room with two beers and another vodka concoction. She hands them off to Dom and I.
“Thanks, gorgeous.” I tug her into my lap in hopes of keeping her still.
Rory plants a kiss on my lips before curling up in my lap, clutching her glass.
Rory gasps. We all look at her.
“There’s a fireplace,” Rory breathes, staring at the wooden fireplace that reaches up to connect with the ceiling's huge wooden beams. Abraxas is sleeping a few feet from it.
“You just noticed that, Sweetheart?” Dom asks amused.
Rory narrows her eyes on him. “No.” After a moment's pause, “Yes.”
I struggle to contain my laughter.
Apparently there’s stages to the Rory Drunkenness Scale.
The first is truthful Rory—anything we asked, she answered without hesitation. She may regret that later.
The second—bouncing off the walls, energetic Rory.
According to Jace, the third is ‘Random Rory’—she says literally whatever comes to her mind. Which makes sense with the swimming thing.
The guys called somewhere in the first stage which is when Rory burst into tears because she’d been terrified they wouldn’t be okay.
“A,” Dom says softly, reaching over to close Alec’s laptop, “you’ve done everything you possibly could.”
Alec says anxiously, “I know, but—“
“It will be fine,” Dom tells him.
Alec sighs and puts his laptop on the coffee table.
“Are the security cameras here set up?” I ask him and he nods.
“I also left the ones at Hannah’s up so we’d know if anyone went there looking for you but I’d suggest that Hannah moves.” Alec reminds me to call my grandmother.
“Yeah.” I rub a hand over my face. “I think Rylan was looking at places so she could move into his apartment permanently.”
Rory bounces in my lap, testing my self control. “Can we call Hannah?” She says hopefully.
Ompf, Rory is not going to want Hannah to see her like this.
“How about tomorrow, Sweetheart? Hannah might be asleep already.” Dominic comes up with the perfect excuse.
“Nu-uh,” Rory shakes her head, “tonight’s Death In Paradise.”
“So, do you really want to interrupt her? Hannah can get real cranky if you interrupt her during Death In Paradise,” I tell her, solemnly, trying desperately to hide my smile.
Rory thinks on that for a moment as I hold my breath.
“Okay. Tomorrow,” she declares before taking a sip of her drink.
Maybe we should think about cutting her off.
“You hungry, Sunshine?” Alec asks. Rory nods.
“Do you want to go shower while we heat some food up?” He questions.
“Mk,” Rory says, getting up off my lap.
She stumbles on the coffee table but bounds up the steps with her glass wobbling in her hand, threatening to spill. I hear her chant ‘ow, ow, ow’ on every step.
“I think I’m going to go with her.” I chuckle and grab my beer.
“Good call.” Dom grins after me.
I go out to the car and get our bags. Shit, I think Rory might be out of clothes. We’re going to have to do some washing tomorrow.
I rummage through the bag when I get up to her room and hear the shower running.
Rather than her having to wear dirty clothes, I get her one of my shirts. I like her better in my clothes anyway.
The water cuts off.
Huh, I thought she’d be longer than that.
“Hey, Rory. I’ve got some clothes for you,” I tell her through the door.
“C’mere, Luci,” Rory calls out, her words slurring slightly.