Page 48 of Sweets and Sycamores

LET ME

Dom didn’t sleep a wink last night. He was moments from bursting with the restless energy coursing through his veins.

He should have kissed her. He wanted nothing more in his life than to taste her lips, feel her soften against him, make her body tremble under his touch.

He wanted her. All of her. Mind, body, and soul.

After climbing up and down the stairs countless times, convinced he must knock on her door and kiss her until she begged for air, then talking himself out of it, Dom spent the entire night in pure agony, as if someone was going to deny him his next breath.

Dawn arrived after what felt like a week of suffering, and Dominic jumped out of bed as if he’d been held prisoner. It was a miracle that his jaw was still intact, but it hurt while he brushed his teeth with more force than required.

He went about deep cleaning his apartment, an activity he hated with a passion, but which kept his hands occupied. His mind, on the other hand, was under the spell of the beautiful Witch, her gorgeous brown eyes, red mane of hair, and all the ways he could get tangled up in it.

When the purple light faded into a soft, stronger orange and the first rays of sun were out, Dominic moved on to another task that would keep him busy since the bakery was closed today. Some of the furniture needed repairing, he decided, and got to work on the wobbly drawers of his nightstands.

The morning was in full bloom when he heard the door open downstairs, followed by soft steps about the bakery and the sound of the coffee machine.

Dominic shoved the chair aside and got to fixing his perfectly fine desk, pounding unnecessary nails into it.

“Dom?” Allie’s singsongy voice sent a thrill down his spine.

“Up here.”

Footsteps filled the silence and matched his racing heart with each thud, and then… Then she stood there, smiling at him, bewitchingly beautiful and sexy.

“Morning. I made coffee,” Allie said, hooking her thumb and pointing downstairs.

Dom dropped the hammer, slid out from under the desk, then slowly unfurled to his full height.

Allie wore a soft white sweater paired with a short purple skirt and the long boots from the wedding.

Her hair was loose and drowning her in the best way, draped around her shoulders and chest. The stone rings she rarely wore gleamed in the light on her slim fingers, and the crescent moon necklace was hidden under her clothes.

He never thought he would be jealous of the jewelry touching her skin.

“Dom?”

“Mmm?” He closed the distance between them.

“Coffee?” Allie breathed, weaker than before. Her lips parted, dark chocolate eyes fixed on him with an intensity that choked him.

“Let me.”

“Wh—”

“Let me,” he begged. “Kiss you.”

Dominic would have given anything to steal that tiny gasp of air that left her lips. Then Allie placed her hands on his chest, lining her body with his.

“When have I not let you?”

Dominic was upon her before all her words were out.

He crushed his mouth against hers, one hand cupping her cheek while the other snaked around her waist and pulled her into him.

Allie’s heart raced frantically, barely grasping the fact that she was kissing her boss.

She gave herself to him, trusting Dom to lead her where they both wanted to go.

He parted her lips with ease, sliding his hot tongue into her mouth. Allie whimpered, and he squeezed her to him, deepening the kiss. She matched his desperate pace, feeding a need of her own. It was hot and hungry, and everything she never knew she needed.

Dom’s hand trailed down to her neck, over her collarbone, and she was ready to rip the sweater open to feel his touch against her skin. Her arms hung around his shoulders, one hand fisting the loose locks at the base of his neck.

Dominic groaned.

He grabbed her ass and hoisted her up, her legs hooking around his hips.

Dominic moved swiftly, as if she were featherlight, and set her on the desk.

The shift put a small distance between them, and Allie whined, tugging him closer by his shirt.

Dom chuckled against her lips, hands moving to her waist, down her legs, slowly pushing her skirt up.

“I’ve wanted to see this for so long,” he panted, voice strained and raspy. Allie had no idea what he was talking about, but she was ready to show him anything. Everything.

His palm traveled up her thigh as if he had all the time in the world, revealing her tattoo. Dom turned questioning eyes to her, heavy with yearning.

“It goes around your thigh?” he asked, and Allie nodded. “What is it?”

“It’s an olive branch,” she forced the words through her winded breaths, “with…with small peonies.”

Dom’s fingers contoured it gently, revering the ink. He grinned, a charming, wicked thing, and lowered himself between her legs.

“Tell me about it,” Dom ordered. But his mouth closed around the soft skin of her thigh as he trailed each leaf with his tongue.

Allie gripped the edge of the desk so hard her palms hurt.

She focused the last fragment of her mind that was not lost to pleasure on keeping her from screaming his name.

“Tell me,” Dom growled and bit her inner thigh, then sucked and licked the spot in consolation.

“Dom, p-please.” Allie was a mess, completely at his mercy, and Dom…

Dom was kissing around her thigh with the leisure of a man who had years to do only this.

He wouldn’t stop until she told him something, and Allie forced that intact piece of her brain that threatened to crumble to find an answer for him.

“It’s for peace,” she managed. “So I always lead…with…p-peace.”

He looked up at her through his lashes and smiled against her leg.

“Good girl.” Dom stood up, hands roaming over the sides of her body and setting her on fire, until one settled under her skirt and the other on her face. His thumb pressed on her lower lip, craving green eyes drilling into her. “Where are the other ones?”

“Other…” She was drunk on him, feeling that last lucid piece giving in to the strong lust.

“Show me all your tattoos, Allie,” he said, then lowered his head and kissed her.

Softly.

Once, twice.

Allie hated it. She wanted more, more, more.

“Under my sweater,” she surrendered, then bit his lower lip.

Provoked him. Dom made a deep, guttural sound in the back of his throat.

He fisted her hair and opened her mouth, giving her what she wanted, twirling his tongue expertly around hers.

Pressure built low in her abdomen, threatening to take her apart at the seams.

It was too much and not enough.

Dom let her breathe as he said, “Tell me you want this.” She nodded fervently, as if her life depended on it. “Say it,” he hissed.

Allie placed her hands on his jaw and drew back enough that her eyes could meet his. The thirsty, disheveled look he sported drove her insane.

“Dom.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips, just like he had done to her. “I.” Soft kiss. “Want.” Kiss. “This.” Kiss. “You.”

“Fuck.” He moaned into her mouth, impatient and hungry. Then he picked her up and walked them to his bedroom, not breaking away from her for a second.

Allie slammed the door closed with the heel of her tall boot.

It was late afternoon when they finally left the house, after Allie had argued multiple times that they’d be late meeting Mia.

Dominic had growled in protest and kept her prisoner in his arms under the blanket until the last minute.

He’d spent an obscene amount of time tracing her tattoos with his fingers and tongue.

The lotus flower between her breasts was his favorite, he declared after taking hours to study every ink line.

The one on her back received the same amount of attention, though: a full moon stamped in the center of her back with opposite moon phases up and down her spine.

The pleasure had been out of this world, and now that she’d experienced it, nothing else would ever come close to matching it. Dominic had smirked arrogantly at the image of her boneless and tangled up in his sheets.

Now they were walking hand in hand toward Harper’s café, Dom’s features schooled into that characteristic frown, Allie smiling uncontrollably, plastered to him.

Everyone they passed by stopped to ask how Allie was feeling, and some played with Ekko for a bit, yet no one dared to acknowledge the closeness between her and Dom.

She smiled and told the truth, that she was doing well and was happy to have been of help.

Dom was back to his grunting and scowling self, and Allie felt privileged to be the only one who saw that sweet, wicked smile on his handsome face.

“You’re la—Are you holding hands? Oh gods, it’s finally happening!” Mia jumped up from the table by the window, nearly spilling her coffee, and threw her arms around their shoulders. “I knew it!” she muttered victoriously. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, Mia,” Allie said. Dom grunted.

“Me too!” Harper attacked them just when they were untangling themselves. The cheerful blonde gave them a toothy smile before she started on their pumpkin spice latte order.

The three of them sat down, and before Mia showered them with a dozen questions about her and Dom that she was not ready to answer, Allie asked, “How’s Brandon doing?

” Dom winced, and a pang of guilt stabbed her heart, since she’d kept him from checking on his friend.

Mia went deadly quiet, so Allie filled the silence with: “Why don’t we get one of these fancy coffees to go and pay him a visit? ”

Dominic turned to her with a stricken, surprised look. Allie smiled, and his features relaxed. He draped his arm across her chair and pulled it closer to him. A smirk bloomed on Mia’s lips, silence forgotten.

“Tell me everything.”

“How much do you want to know about your brother’s personal affairs?” Dom provoked her.

Mia leaned across the table, interlacing her fingers, mischief shining in her eyes. “Everything.” Allie laughed. “What’s funny? For sure not my brother.”

“You two. How easy it is for you to be around each other and tease each other. I haven’t had someone like that since my mom.” Allie’s voice didn’t wobble, and she was smiling, but Mia still threw her a soft look while Dom squeezed her shoulder.

“Now you have your pick,” Harper said, approaching with a tray. “Me and Tina, Mia, Brandon, and Dom.” She placed tall drinks topped with whipped cream on the table. The sweet smell filled the space, and Allie’s mouth watered. Ekko had a similar reaction and stretched his snout to the glass.

“Ah-ah.” Allie gently pushed him away, but her heart melted at the look in his eyes.

“It’s not good for you,” she insisted, but the dragon’s expression morphed into a dramatic pout.

“Fine. Just a small taste.” Ekko flew in happy circles around the table before sitting down in front of the glass.

Allie swiped at the cream with her index finger and offered it to the longing creature.

“Gentle,” Dom warned him. As if Ekko would ever hurt her. The baby dragon spat a cloud of steam in Dominic’s direction in contempt, then—gently—licked the cream off Allie’s finger. He chittered with happiness and settled on her lap.

Dom and Mia fell into conversation about the Harvest Festival preparations and booths, but Allie’s mind wandered. She thought about Harper’s words, how true they were. How fate had brought her to Sycamore Falls to meet all these amazing people who had started to feel like family.

The prospect of celebrating Hallows Eve here with them was more exciting by the day.

With the cool weather and the burnt colors, Allie felt like Hallows Eve was made for a town like this.

She considered risking Lydia’s wrath and delaying her return by one or two days to spend that night here, with the man next to her.

Mia pointed at the corner of her mouth after Allie slurped her sweet drink, still oblivious to their conversation.

“You have a little…”

Allie reached for a napkin, but Dom was quicker. His hand moved to her nape, setting dark green eyes on her lips as she turned to him.

“I got it.” He leaned in and kissed her softly, once, then his tongue traced her mouth, sucking her lips between his teeth one by one, cleaning her up.

“You’re right. It’s better if I don’t know too many details,” Mia conceded. Allie laughed against Dom’s mouth before he kissed her again and leaned back into his chair.

“Sorry,” Allie mouthed the lie to her friend, who waved a hand and rolled her eyes.

“Allie, you told me to remember to tell Dom something right before you went into a living, raging fire like a crazy person. I obviously forgot, but—”

“Oh gods.” Allie jumped up, a disoriented baby dragon soaring from her lap and spitting steam to defend them from unseen dangers.

The discovery had completely slipped her mind, with the threat to Brandon’s house and then…

Well, then today. But this could be a real chance for them, and Allie didn’t want to waste any more time.

She grabbed Dom’s hand and pulled him to his feet.

“What’s wrong?” He went into full-scowl, offensive mode at the panicked and excited look in her eyes.

“Dom, it’s the waterfalls.”