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His lips twitched. “She wasn’t wrong.” He looked up at me with sadness in his eyes, and then leaned forward, eyes scanning every detail on the images he thumbed through.

The boys with formula dribbling down their chins.

A blurry one of Cal screaming while Leo watched with alarm.

Another of them in matching duck onesies.

His fingers moved gently across the stack.

“That was their first bath,” I said. “Leo cried. Cal peed on me.” I laughed quietly, pressing my hand to my chest as I remembered the moment and wished for the love of God that I’d have spoken up. Seeing his reaction made me feel like the worst person in the world.

He chuckled quietly. “They still do that kind of thing?” He looked up, one brow raised.

“Daily. You should see what they did to the sink last week.” I gestured vaguely toward the hallway.

He tilted his head. “Leo the engineer. Cal the chaos artist.” His tone was amused, but soft.

I tried to laugh, but it caught in my throat and landed awkwardly. My fingers twitched as I sifted through the next photo, the images suddenly too vivid, too honest. The truth I had buried was uncovered and shame threatened to suffocate me.

Then his voice dropped. “Hey. Savannah.” He leaned closer, now focused fully on me. I looked up. He was watching me, face open for the first time since he’d walked in.

“I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me ever again,” I whispered. My fingers clasped together under the table, and I felt him shift in his seat closer to me.

“I needed time,” he said. “Not because I was angry. Because I was gutted.” His hand moved slightly, as if resisting the urge to reach for me. “It’s a huge secret, Van.”

I blinked rapidly to stop the worst of the tears, but it was useless. “I was going to tell you—I swear. I wanted to every day. But…I was scared.” My voice shook, and I pressed a palm to my thigh.

His hand reached for mine under the table, and I let him pry it away from my body to hold it. He brought it to his lips and kissed my knuckles, and it made me come undone.

“I thought you’d be so mad. And then Dad…” I shook my head, unable to say anything else. Dominic had to know what this cost me in so many ways.

He reached across the table with his free hand and brushed his fingers over my cheek, swiping tears away. The contact sent a shiver through me.

“Shh, hey…I’m here, and we have a lot to discuss, but we’ll work it out.” His eyes searched my expression which I was certain was not what he expected to see.

“But…you said it was over.” My mumbled protest made him half smile.

“I said the fake relationship stunt was over. Van, you put yourself out there for the company, for me, for this merger, for your job, and while that was one of the most selfless things anyone has ever done for me, I can’t let you keep doing that.” The way his hand cradled my cheek had me sobbing.

“You can’t?” I whined, completely overwhelmed by how amazing he was being to me.

“I can’t…not when I want to have something real with you.”

I almost pushed him away. I almost thought this was a setup, that he was toying with me because of how badly I had hurt him, but when his lips brushed over mine, I gripped his jacket lapel like he was my lifeline and I sobbed into his mouth.

“Dom—”

“Do not tell me you don’t want me.” He pulled away, suddenly fierce, and shook his head.

“Because I won’t survive that.” His eyes darkened and I believed him.

“We will figure out this mess of me being a father, but if you tell me you don’t love me the way I love you, I will literally die right here and now. ”

“Oh my God,” I whimpered, throwing my arms around him.

His hands wrapped around my waist and he pulled me toward him. I eased down onto his lap as our lips collided in an angry and emotional kiss.

Dominic’s confession left me reeling. I clung to him, my heart pounding wildly in my chest. He loved me?

After all the secrets and deception, he still loved me?

Tears streamed down my cheeks, but this time, they were tears of relief and joy.

His hands stroked my back, soothing me as I let out weeks’ worth of pent-up emotion.

Finally, I pulled back, my chest heaving as I attempted to catch my breath. “I love you too,” I said, my voice shaky but resolute. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.”

A relieved smile lit up his face, and he wiped the remaining tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Van, baby, this is real. I promise you,” he breathed, before he kissed me again, this time more deeply.

Dominic’s hands slid to my waist, his grip possessive yet tender.

I molded my body against his, reveling in the heat and strength of his embrace.

Our tongues danced together, exploring each other as if it were the first time, but with a newfound intensity born from the depth of our shared secrets.

It was messy and frantic, but it was us—raw and honest.

“I need you,” I whimpered into his mouth, arching my hips against him, feeling the hard evidence of his arousal through his pants. Dominic groaned low in his throat and stood us both up. He turned me around so I faced away from him and gave me a slight push.

“Show me the bedroom,” he growled hungrily before his hands moved to my shirt, tugging it up and over my head in one fluid motion.

I hissed and turned, grabbing his hand and tugging him toward my bedroom. We tiptoed, careful not to make a sound, until the door was shut and locked, and the baby monitor was turned on, and then he reached for the clasp of my bra.

Dominic’s fingers trembled slightly as he fumbled with the clasp, and his eyes locked on mine.

I could feel his desire for me seeping through his touch, and it only heightened my own arousal.

My skin prickled with anticipation as he finally freed me from the constricting fabric, letting it fall to the floor.

He groaned in appreciation at the sight of my bare breasts, and I couldn’t help but blush under his heated gaze.

“You’re so beautiful,” he rasped, his voice thick with desire.

His lips trailed hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck, as I reached for the buttons on his shirt.

His hands skillfully unhooked my slacks, sliding them off my legs along with my panties in one smooth motion.

He left me standing before him wearing nothing as he backed away and undid his belt buckle.

I heard the front door open and shut, and he looked over his shoulder as I whispered, “Thea…” Then I pulled him closer by grabbing his tie and I backed toward the bed.

“She’s not gonna walk in here?”

“No, now get naked,” I whispered and playfully let myself flop onto the bed. He stripped off and left his clothes piled on the floor as he crawled over me.

Dominic’s naked body overwhelmed me with desire.

I reached out, tracing his defined abs and chiseled features with shaking fingertips.

His eyes darkened as he leaned down, brushing a trail of kisses along my collarbone.

“You’re a little cheeky,” he breathed against my skin.

My hips arched against his as his erection pressed against my center.

“I just know what I want, and I should’ve told you a long time ago.” Our lips crashed together furiously as I parted my knees, letting him fully sink between my thighs.

Dominic groaned against my neck, his hips rocking against mine in a delicious tease.

“I want you so bad, Savannah,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Not just sex—all of it.” Every phrase came between bouts of kissing and groping me.

One hand curled around my left breast as his other hand gripped my hip.

I whimpered and rocked into him as he said, “I’m too old to keep waiting for the perfect moment.

I’m broken and flawed—” his lips crushed mine briefly “—and I know what I want now, and it’s you. ”

“God, just put it in me,” I mewled as I squeezed a hand between our bodies to guide him in.

With one smooth thrust, he entered me, filling me completely.

A moan escaped my lips as our bodies connected, erasing the painful distance between us.

Dominic’s hands gripped my hips, guiding me as he began to move with long, slow strokes.

The sensations coursing through my body were indescribable—raw and overwhelming.

As our bodies moved together, the tension and secrets that had been between us for so long seemed to melt away.

Dominic’s lips found mine again, his tongue tangling with mine in a hungry, desperate kiss.

Our mutual moans filled the room, muffled only by the sheets I’d fist in my hands.

Heat pooled between my legs as our passionate union continued, each thrust sending me closer to the edge.

“God, I never want to stop feeling this,” I panted, my nails digging into his back.

“Neither do I,” he growled, his breath ragged in my ear. His thrusts became more urgent, more demanding, as we both teetered on the brink of release. “I love you,” he groaned against my skin, making a rash of goosebumps rise across my arms just as the beginning of orgasm peaked inside my core.

“I love you t—” My body exploded with convulsions and jolting.

The waves of pleasure shook me as I clung to his sides leaving half-moons on his abs.

Every thrust he made pushed the sensations to new heights, and when I started to calm down, he gripped me around my waist and rolled, leaving me on top of him straddling his hips.

“I want to watch your face when you come again,” he growled, and I splayed my hands on his chest as his thumb pressed into my clit.

I picked up where he left off, sliding myself up and down his thick shaft as he rubbed me.

“Oh, Dom,” I moaned, my head thrown back in ecstasy as he sent me spiraling toward another orgasm.

His fingers expertly manipulated my sensitive bud, while his other hand gripped my hip to guide our movements.

Faster and faster we moved, our bodies slick with sweat, our breathing ragged.

“That’s it, baby,” he groaned, his eyes locked on mine. “I want to see you fly apart for me.” His dirty talk only spurred me on further, and I rocked my hips harder against him, craving more of the delicious friction between our bodies.

Dominic’s fingers continued to work their magic, teasing my swollen clit in time with his deep, possessive thrusts.

I could feel him thicker and harder inside me, just as lost in the moment as I was.

“I’m so close,” I panted, my breath coming in short, ragged gasp from the effort of riding him and keeping time with his body.

He growled in response, his grip on my hips tightening as he began to move even faster.

“Come for me, Savannah,” he demanded, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through my core. “Give it all to me.”

I felt the dam break and my coil snap. Wave after wave of intense pleasure crashed over me, the sensations more potent than before.

My entire body tensed, and a high-pitched whimper escaped my lips as the climax crashed over me.

I had to stifle a louder yelp of pleasure, and I bit my lip to contain myself.

Then I felt him slow and grow rigid beneath me as warmth flooded my insides.

Dominic’s grip on my hips loosened as we both struggled to catch our breaths. My body still tingled from the aftershocks of my orgasm, and I collapsed onto his chest, my heart pounding in my ears. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close as our breathing slowly returned to normal.

I heard Leo whimper on the monitor, then Thea’s soft cooing.

She heard him and got to him before me, which left me to revel in the feeling of Dominic’s arms around me keeping me warm.

I listened to the pounding of his heart for a few seconds as the afterglow of orgasm met the crushing fatigue of carrying so much anxiety for days.

In only a few minutes, I was sleeping peacefully. I never felt when he slipped out of bed. I never felt the bed shake or heard the door shut, but somewhere well after midnight, I woke to the soft glow of my bathroom light illuminating my side of the bed and a text in my inbox that he sent me.

Dominic: 11:39 PM: We need to talk, Van. Not about the brand. About us.

And I smiled as I put my phone back down and curled into the scent he left behind on my pillow.

About us …

Yes, that sounded just about perfect.