Page 36

SAVANNAH

I stood on the balcony, one hand wrapped around a cooling cup of tea, staring out over Seattle’s skyline, which was partially obscured by other buildings.

The street below pulsed with weekend traffic, a mix of horns and late sunlight casting long shadows across the pavement.

I checked my phone again but there was nothing.

Dominic was late. He’d told me he would come by to meet the boys at exactly seven, but he wasn’t here yet.

When I got the flash drive from my father, I’d gone straight to my office to see what was in the files, and I was discouraged to see the truth—not angry really, just hurt that he would keep something like this from me.

I couldn’t be angry. I had kept something much more important from him.

And Dad’s behavior had merit, though I doubted he’d given me that drive to protect me.

I could see right through the politics. He was protecting himself.

Still, I could be grateful to him for allowing this door to Dominic’s heart to be open to me, to let me see inside and try to understand him better.

But the roiling emotion was sure to come out as fear or anger when we talked.

Which was why I’d sent Thea to the park with the boys. They wouldn’t be back for a few hours, and that meant Dominic and I would have plenty of time to talk.

His knock was soft, and I opened the door to see his tense expression. He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes told me he felt like he’d been through a war. I stepped aside as he walked in.

“You saw him,” he said. I nodded at him as I quietly shut the door and set my tea mug on the nearby table. “What did he say?”

“Enough,” I answered, keeping my tone level. “He let me know what happened in Montauk—the accident, the call he made, and how it all unfolded. It was all on a flash drive—he said I needed to see what was on it for myself.”

Dominic didn’t flinch. He dropped his keys on the side table and turned to face me fully. “He gave you a flash drive?”

“He did. I plugged it into my laptop as soon as I got back to my office and watched everything. The footage, the reports…Dominic, you never told me?” For a second, I hoped he would deny it.

Not because I wanted a lie, but because the truth that he didn’t feel safe telling me was a hard bullet to chew. But he didn’t deny anything.

“It was after an event,” he said. “I had a few drinks; your dad had more than a few. Something crossed the road, I hit it. We thought it was someone from the party. We stopped for a second and didn’t see anyone, but he said to keep going. Said he’d take care of it.”

I didn’t move. “And you never checked? You didn’t stay there and call an ambulance just in case?” My question was with a level tone, but the way his jaw clenched I could see how he was upset by that, probably defensive too.

His jaw tensed. “I wanted to believe him. I needed to.”

“So you lived with that guilt, let it change you, let it make you lie to me?” The words slipped out before I could stop them, and I felt like a horrible person for saying anything. Shame clamped my mouth shut, but anger started to simmer in my gut.

“I thought I was protecting you,” he said, his voice low.

“That’s not what protecting someone is,” I snapped. “You don’t protect someone by holding on to secrets and?—”

“Is that what you were doing?” he cut in sharply, stepping toward me. “Protecting me? Is that what you tell yourself when you lie by omission?”

I blinked hard, startled by the edge in his voice. My throat tightened. “That’s different.”

“No,” he said, shaking his head once, his hands flexing open and closed at his sides. “It’s not. You kept the boys from me. You looked me in the eye for months, knowing. How is that different?”

I set my hand on the back of the couch to keep steady. The room felt smaller, like the tension between us was eating up the space. “Because I didn’t know how to tell you. Because I was scared you’d see them as an obligation instead of a gift.”

His chest rose and fell once; his stare pinned me to the wall. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

“And you don’t get to decide what I can handle,” I said. My voice cracked at the end, and I turned away for a second, needing space, but there was no space for me. Tears welled up fast and leaked out. I swiped them away so he didn’t see me crying.

“I didn’t want to lie to you,” he said, softer now. “But I let your father convince me it was better that way. And that’s on me.”

I faced him again. “And I let fear of your reaction and what my father would say about the boys keep me in my delusion that I was better off without you…”

The fight drained from both of us like water pulled from a basin. I could feel it happening. His shoulders lowered. My arms dropped to my sides.

“Savannah,” Dominic said, stepping toward me, the anger gone. “I’m sorry—for all of it.”

Tears drained down my cheeks faster than I could blink them away.

I shook my head and pressed a hand to my mouth.

I didn’t want to cry anymore, but it was already happening.

He reached for me slowly. I didn’t back away.

His hands found my waist, and I leaned forward, resting my forehead against his chest.

“I didn’t know how to fix any of it,” I said. “I thought if I kept moving forward, the past would stay buried.”

“It never does,” he murmured. “But it’s all behind us now, and we have the chance for something really great. Don’t push me away, baby.”

We stood there wrapped in each other’s arms. The anger had burned off, but the ache remained. Nothing else was hiding in the dark between us that I knew of, and it felt good to come fully clean and have that weight off my shoulders. I knew he had to feel it too.

When I finally looked up, I didn’t need to speak. Rising up on my tiptoes, I pressed a soft kiss to his lips. His hands steadied me as my kiss became more eager.

The kiss deepened, our lips moving together as if we were picking up where we left off years ago.

Dominic’s hands traveled up my back, fingers tangling in my hair, and I moaned softly into his mouth.

His grip on my hips tightened, pulling me closer.

There was an urgency to our movements now, an unspoken need to make up for lost time.

We stumbled through the living room and into the bedroom, tearing at each other’s clothes along the way.

The weight of our secrets felt lighter now that they were out in the open, but the attraction between us was still as potent as ever.

Our tongues danced together, tasting and exploring like it had been years since we’d last been together instead of just a few days.

Dominic’s hands slid under my shirt; his warmth against my skin made my lust insatiable.

I shivered as he unhooked my bra, and both my bra and shirt fell to the floor with a whisper.

His lips trailed down my neck, teasing my pulse points, making me arch into him.

With a growl, he picked me up and carried me to the bed, laying me down gently before joining me.

Our mouths met again, hungry and desperate. His hands roamed my body, learning every curve as if he’d been deprived for years. I pulled at his shirt, desperate to feel his bare skin against mine. He obliged, letting it pool on the floor with our other discarded clothes.

We explored each other’s bodies with renewed hunger, as if we were discovering each other all over again.

Dominic’s hand roamed my stomach, his featherlight touch making me clench.

He hooked his fingers in my panties and slowly slid them down my legs, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake.

I kicked them off and spread my legs invitingly, ready for him.

His eyes darkened with desire as he moved between my thighs, his arousal hard against my inner thigh.

“God you’re sexy,” he whispered, his voice hoarse with longing. “Can we do this every night?”

“Mmm, yes please,” I breathed, tangling my fingers in his hair as he kissed his way up the inside of my thigh. He teased me mercilessly, stopping just short of where I needed him most. I whimpered, arching my hips up, and finally he relented and flicked his tongue over my hooded nub.

His tongue circled my clit, teasing and taunting me, sending shivers of pleasure through me.

I arched my back and moaned his name, my fingernails digging into the sheets beneath me.

He responded by slipping a finger inside me, curling it in just the right spot.

Stars exploded behind my eyelids, and I bit my lip to keep from screaming.

“Dominic,” I panted, my hips bucking against his mouth.

“Please.” He chuckled against my thigh, a low rumble that sent delicious vibrations through my entire body.

Slowly, he removed his finger and kissed his way up my stomach, leaving a trail of wet kisses across my skin before nipping at one nipple.

“Sit on my face,” he purred, and as he did, his hand hooked around my back and he rolled, dragging me with him.

I tried to catch my breath as Dominic rolled us over, his strong hands on my back guiding me into position.

Heat bloomed in my cheeks, but I couldn’t deny the ache between my legs.

Slowly, I lowered myself down, feeling his stubble against me, and when I finally made contact with his mouth, I moaned.

His tongue swirled around my entrance, sending shockwaves of pleasure up into my groin.

I gripped the sheets tighter, my nails digging into fabric as he teased me mercilessly.

His hands roamed up my body, cupping my breasts and squeezing gently before pinching my nipples.

The sensation sent fireworks shooting through me straight to my core.

I arched my back and moaned, rocking against his face in time to the rhythm of his tongue searching.

I was close, and he was pushing me toward the edge faster and faster.

He added his fingers and began a delicious dance inside me, thrusting in time with his tongue.

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Oh God, Dominic,” I moaned, arching my back as my orgasm crashed over me in waves, my body shuddering with pleasure.

I gripped the headboard and held on as my body convulsed and pulsed around him.

He continued to lick and suck, thrusting his fingers until every last pinch of ecstasy was gone and my body began to come down.

I was panting heavily, but I backed down his torso, still desperate to feel his dick slide into me.

The feel of his hard length against my thigh pulled a groan from my mouth.

I positioned myself over him, my knees on either side of his hips, and lowered myself down, teasing him with the heat between my legs.

He growled, his eyes half lidded with pleasure as he watched me take control.

Taking him in my hand, I guided him to my entrance and then lowered myself down, sheathing him slowly.

His hands gripped my hips as we both moaned in unison.

I rocked back and forth, setting a slow, sensual pace, our bodies moving in perfect rhythm.

His hands moved up to cup my breasts, thumbs flicking over my nipples as he thrust upward into me.

I moaned his name again and again, lost in the sensation of being so close to him after feeling like I might lose it all.

I closed my eyes, arching my back as I rode him harder, trying to prolong the moment.

His thrusts were deep and deliberate, each one hitting that sweet spot inside me that made my toes curl.

“Dominic,” I moaned, gripping his shoulders tightly.

He groaned in response, his hips bucking upward as he met my rhythm.

The orgasm built again inside me, faster this time, like a freight train barreling down the tracks. “Oh God, baby,” I panted, my nails digging into his skin. Dominic’s grip on my hips tightened as he angled himself even deeper, his breath coming in ragged pants.

“Van,” he grunted, and we both went over the edge together in an explosion of color and sensation that left me breathless.

I sucked in air, leaning over him as my body jolted and I felt him flood me. The sensations were incredible.

Dominic’s hands slid up my back, his fingers entangled in my hair, and he pulled me down for a searing kiss. Our tongues dueled, tasting each other, and the room seemed to melt away. The past was gone, and all that mattered was now.

Finally, we broke apart, both panting for air. Dominic’s eyes were dark with desire and something else I couldn’t quite name.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

“I’m sorry too,” I managed to say around the lump in my throat.

It was over, and we lay tangled in the quiet that followed, our limbs still linked beneath the sheets. The only light came from the window, dimming slowly with the late hour. I shifted, resting my cheek against his shoulder, my fingers tracing a small circle on his chest.

“If we’re doing this,” I said, turning toward him so he could see my face, “I need to know you’re staying, not just for them—for me.”

He didn’t answer right away. His hand closed gently over mine and his thumb brushed slowly across my knuckles. The look in his eyes was clear and steady. He wasn’t surprised by my statement and he wasn’t uncomfortable. He understood exactly what I meant.

I watched his expression for any trace of hesitation, but there was none. He pulled me closer, resting his forehead against mine, and I exhaled. I felt safe there, but that didn’t mean I felt certain.

His hand skimmed along my back slowly; I waited for him to say something—anything—but the silence stayed between us. I wanted to believe it meant peace, that he was here not out of obligation, but because he wanted a relationship.

Because even now, some part of me worried. Would he have come if my father hadn’t forced his hand?

Whatever came next, I needed more than comfort.

I needed to believe he chose me.