Page 19 of Dual

Her brows furrow. "What?"

"This." I gesture between us. "Sex. Physical connection. It's not enough between two people. Not for me. Not with you."

She stares at me, her lips slightly parted, her breath coming a little quicker. "It's all I have to give," she whispers.

I shake my head, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "That's not true."

She swallows hard, and for a second, just a second, I see something real. Something raw. But then she blinks, and it's gone, replaced by a smirk.

"You're really going to turn down a blowjob from your hot fiancée?" she teases.

I smile, but there's sadness behind it. "Yeah. I am."

She huffs, dramatic and exaggerated, before climbing back onto the seat, curling up with her back to me.

I reach over, resting a hand on her knee. "I love you, Mads."

I don't need her to say it back. I just need her to believe it.

But then she exhales, slow and deliberate, and something shifts. When she finally turns toward me, her expression is different—calmer, more composed. The playful defiance in her eyes fades, replaced by something softer. Her lips part as if testing the change herself, and then she blinks up at me—Anna's gaze now staring back.

"Domhnall?" she asks, her voice quieter, more measured.

Mads is gone.

Anna is here.

I smile and reach up to trace her soft, sun-kissed cheek with my thumb. "Hey, baby. Missed you."

She throws her arms around my neck. "My love," she breathes into my ear, her entire body relaxing against me.

SEVEN

ANNA

I've just beensnuggling with Domhn in the back seat for the last half hour when the car suddenly pulls into the near-empty parking lot of a twenty-four-hour roadside diner. The kind of place that looks like it's been here forever—chrome trim, red vinyl booths, a faded sign promising 'The Best Pie in Town.' It's quiet, warm light spilling onto the pavement, a stark contrast to the electric chaos of Six Flags.

I sit up and look at Domhn. "What are we doing here?"

"I messaged Charles to pull over here. We can't pass up the best pie in town. I thought we could stop for a bit." His thumb massages my hand. "Just you and me."

My heart flutters at his intimate touch. I know what he'sdoing. He wants to make sure I don't feel neglected after he's spent the day with Mads. I grin, touched by his thoughtfulness.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

I scoot out of the car, and he follows, large hand enveloping mine as we walk across the dark parking lot, the neon24-Hour Dinersign glaring overhead.

Inside, the scent of coffee and fried food envelops me like a well-worn quilt. It's nostalgic, a hug of a place. A waitress with tired eyes and a nametag that reads 'Connie' gestures us to a booth by the window. It's almost empty, just a trucker nursing a cup of coffee at the counter and an elderly couple sharing a slice of pie in companionable silence.

Domhnall slides into the booth across from me, stretching his long legs out comfortably. I take my seat, smoothing my hands over the freshly wiped-down table. There's something grounding about it—the imperfections, the warmth.

Domhn's taken me to the most upscale restaurants all over Dallas, but this is the first place I feel like I can actuallybreatheand be myself. Did he sense that's what I needed tonight? How can he be so perfect when I'm?—

"Two coffees?" Connie asks, already scribbling on her pad.

Domhnall nods. "And a slice of whatever pie's best tonight."

She grins. "Apple's fresh."