Page 116 of Scorned Beauty

Soon. After you unfuck what you fucked, Dominic.

I had my duffel and garment bag the next time I walked into the living room.

“You’re leaving?” Lucy asked.

“Yeah.”

To my surprise, my sister got off her ass and walked over to give me a hug.

A tight squeeze.

Tighter than her normal squeezes.

She stepped away and stared up at me. “You’re doing good, brother.”

My brows drew together. “I’m not sure what you mean?”

“Sloane is a tough cookie with a lot of pride and a mile-long streak of independence.”

I huffed a short laugh. “I guess it takes one to know one.”

“You have good instincts for this,” Lucy said. “Your family trained you.”

“They have,” I deadpanned. “De Luccis and Morettis are tough customers.”

“Thanks for dinner.” She rose on tiptoes and gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I needed my brother’s company.”

Emotions backed up my throat. Lucy and I hadn’t seen eye to eye in a long time. She thought I was an overbearing asshole, but she’d witnessed my panic attack and finally realized her brother was also human.

Chapter

Twenty-Nine

Sloane

It had beenthree weeks since my return to Manhattan. Lucy and the rest of the girls were a good buffer against Dom. It allowed us to be around each other, minus the unwanted pressure. Dom had been very gentle in the way he wormed himself back into my life. Andwormingwas the right term. Wasgentle manipulationthe right term, too? I wasn’t oblivious, neither was I expecting anything less. He said he understood my hesitance, but he was not giving up.

I saw it in the way he made sure that Lucy and I had everything we needed in his penthouse, especially with food. He cooked dinner sometimes, and on other nights, he’d stay for a movie.

The other night, I woke up nestled against him after having an erotic dream. In my dream, Dom and I were watching a stalker movie and my hand brushed his erection. His breathing grew labored, and I looked up at him while I curled my wrist around his massive, hard cock. Then I swung my leg around himand straddled his lap, rubbing myself to an orgasm, and that was when I woke up with my pussy throbbing.

“I’m sorry,” I gasped.

His eyes burned right into my soul. And my pussy clenched, feeling the wet heat pulse for the first time in months. It was still spasming while locked in a heated gaze with Dom.

“You’re fine,” he murmured. “Were you dreaming?”

“No,” I lied.

But he smirked and knew I was full of shit. I glanced over to where Lucy was sitting, but she was the one who had fallen asleep.

Dom eyed me for a few more seconds, studying my face before he said, “You missed half an hour of the movie. Want me to rewind?”

I had backed out of my meds a week ago now that I’d found a purpose again in my life, waking up each morning with a mission. I guessed that was why my physical attraction to Dom was unleashed. In a way, I was kind of thankful that a companionship formed first, understanding his need to be a caretaker. He was wired that way, yet he allowed me to operate in my independence.

I was studying for the NCLEX, so I was mostly in the penthouse. We’d determined I would have more clout if I was a licensed nurse. I already had stellar recommendations from my instructors and nurse supervisors.

I glanced away from the tablet. My eyes were tired from reading the same text repeatedly. I wondered if Lucy would like to drop by Jabbin’ Java. Dom had a fully tricked-out coffee station, but I’d been craving one of Renz’s cappuccinos.