Page 19 of Under the Lights (The Big Boys of BRU #2)

Sixteen

Dom

I was too early. Not something that happened very frequently. I drummed on the leather of my steering wheel, anxiety coiling deep inside of me, as my phone buzzed.

Ella: Sorry, I’m running a bit behind.

Me: No problem.

Of fucking course . That one time I needed her to be on time.

The sticky heat clung to my skin as I shut the truck door, the faint hum of cicadas buzzing somewhere nearby.

The anticipation was eating me up. I just had to know; I couldn’t wait another minute. My stomach somersaulted as I headed toward the apartment building.

Could I be this fucking lucky?

I bounded up the concrete stairs, two at a time, my breath coming quick but shallow—not from the climb, but from anticipation. My heart was hammering against my ribcage, my fingertips tapping restlessly against my thigh.

Stopping in front of the door marked 3D. The faded numbers were barely visible in the dim hallway light, and I forced myself to inhale slowly, the musty scent of old carpet and stale air filling my lungs. This was it.

I was about to find out if I really was that much of a lucky fucking bastard. Before I could second-guess myself, I knocked on the door. My whole body was humming with a restless kind of energy.

The sound echoed loudly through the hallway, followed by silence. Maybe nobody was home.

Anxiously, I shifted from one foot to the other as the door was suddenly yanked open. My mouth felt dry as dust as I stared down at the person in front of me, my heart in my throat.

Holy fucking shit, you’re one lucky motherfucker, Dominic Kincaid.

Sierra, my Sierra, was standing in front of me, gaping at me in disbelief, looking slightly frazzled. A grin spread across my face that I couldn’t possibly hold back. Her lips slightly parted, her eyes wide, she seemed at a complete loss for words.

Blood roared in my ears, and my fingers twitched, aching to feel her soft skin again. Restless from weeks of remembering the curve of her waist, the way her skin fit against my palm like it had been made for me.

Every cell in my body buzzed like it had been set to vibrate the second she came into view. Dark blue pools had me spellbound, and I wanted nothing more than to drown in their depths.

“Well, this is a nice surprise,” I drawled, crossing my arms in front of my chest, pleased when her eyes flicked briefly down to my bulging biceps. The silence stretched on. “Not gonna ask me to come inside, Darlin’?”

Her eyes narrowed, which only made my grin grow bigger. I was playing with fire, but I wasn’t afraid of getting burned. I’d been dying for this — for her — for almost two months.

Weeks of radio silence, of going out of my mind wondering if she even thought about me. I’d craved her temper, her sass, the spark in her eyes that made it impossible to stay away.

“Why are you here?” she asked, her features shadowed by suspicion. But this only made her look fiercer and more untouchable. Like a goddess ready to smite.

I’d missed the sharp edge of her voice and the way she didn’t just let me in but made me earn every step closer. I took a step toward her, but she refused to move.

“I just moved here. How do you know where I live?” she demanded.

“I didn’t.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Huh?” God, she was beautiful . That scent hit me like a gut punch — sharp and sweet, just like her. I’d caught it once, and it had branded itself in my brain.

It had taken me a while to figure out that this was what I had smelled on her that night. Took me an even more humiliating amount of time and way too much Googling to figure out it was her shampoo.

But I’ve had plenty of time these past few weeks.

“Had no idea you lived here until you opened the door.” Not entirely true, but she didn’t need to know that. “Hence the mention of this being a nice surprise.”

“What the hell are you doing here, Dom?”

“Aren’t you a curious little thing?” I booped her nose, taking advantage of her momentary state of bewilderment to gently push my way into the apartment.

“Dom. I’m serious, what the fuck do you want? This isn’t funny.” I could feel her glare burning into me as I strolled through the still rather bare living room, my eyes scanning the space.

“Not funny, no, but kind of ironic, don’t you think?”

“I can honestly say I have absolutely zero idea what you’re talking about.” She dragged her hands over her face, then gestured toward the wide-open door. “Can you please just leave? I can’t do this right now.”

I came to a stop in the open kitchen, leaned against the counter, and let my eyes roam over her like I was starving. But then something shifted — something was off.

The way she stood, shoulders drooping like she was holding up the ceiling. The dull glaze in her eyes, like the shine had been scraped off. Even the stubborn crease between her brows looked permanent now.

My grin faltered.

There were bruised shadows under her eyes, the kind that come from too much of everything, not from bad sleep. The weight of it all settled in my gut like a cinder block.

What the hell had happened?

She should’ve been glowing. Laughing. Radiating joy like it was her birthright — because it fucking was . Anything less felt like a crime. Like someone had dared to dim her light, and I hadn’t been there to stop it.

“Unfortunately, no. Like I said, I’m not here for you.” I furrowed my eyebrows, serious for once. “What’s wrong?”

“None of your business.” Her words were clipped, her voice firm. “If you’re not here for me, then— oh!” Understanding flashed in her eyes, and she tapped her hand on her forehead. “Duh. Now I see the resemblance, too.”

“Usually, the hair does the trick. There weren’t many redheads in our town,” I replied with a wry grin.

“I didn’t know Ella had another brother.”

Now it was my turn to be confused.

“Another?” I cocked my head.

“Yes, she’s only ever mentioned her younger brother. I didn’t know she had more than one,” she explained.

The silence stretched between us as I stared into her eyes, unwavering. Her eyebrows furrowed as a look of disbelief crossed her face. Here we fucking go .

“Dom.”

“Sierra.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“None.”

“You— I-I mean…” She pointed an accusing finger at me, which I eyed warily. I knew my girl had fire, which meant I had no idea what she might do at this revelation.

“Yes, Darlin’?” I asked, playing clueless, and that did it. She stalked towards me, like a lioness on the prowl.

Fall back! Abort Mission!

My mind screamed at me to retreat, to keep some distance between us, but considering I was pretty much at the back of the room, I had cornered myself, so to speak. She stopped a safe distance away from me, but her finger waved threateningly through the air.

“Do not fuck with me right now, Dom. I want a straight answer — do you or do you not have any brothers?” Her body was taut with tension. I could feel it vibrating violently off her in waves.

“No, it’s just me and Ella.” I figured she was already pissed, so just for shits and giggles, I added, “Why?”

She seemed to swell with indignation … or rage. Now that I thought about it, probably both. Her cheeks flushed, and I could see the fire in her eyes — only this time it wasn’t fiery passion and lust reflected in her gaze. It was rage, a white-hot fury.

Yeah, my Goddess was pissed .

“You’re Ella’s younger brother,” she said slowly, her voice now dangerously calm.

“Yup, that would be me.”

“Ella’s younger brother. Ella, who herself is a freshman .”

I swallowed, my throat dry as hell. On my way here, I’d been making light of the whole thing, telling myself that she wouldn’t be that pissed off. Now I realized that she was even angrier than I had imagined, even in the worst-case scenario.

Not ideal, but I could work with it. Anger was good, better than indifference. Maybe all she needed to do was get it out of her system, and then everything would be fine.

“You continue to get it right.” I was deliberately antagonizing her now.

Might as well get it over with.

She blinked slowly, then closed her eyes, shaking her head briefly in disbelief.

“You’ve got to be shitting me. Please , tell me you’re joking. I’m fucking begging you.”

I pursed my lips and sucked my teeth, letting a slow smile curl the corner of my mouth.

“Yeah, sorry, no can do. I’d have to lie to you.”

“Seriously?” she snapped, voice cracking like a whip. “ Seriously? ” Her arms shot up, eyes wild. “You fucking lied to me, Dom!”

I held up a finger and wagged it from side to side, lazily. “Nuh-uh. I may have omitted some details, but I haven’t lied to you. Big difference, Darlin’.”

Sierra gaped at me, jaw slack, then she clasped her hands together tight, pressing them to her lips like she was praying to a higher power for patience.

“You’re dreaming, Sierra,” she muttered to herself. “Just a dream, a weird fucking dream. You’ll wake up, and you’ll remember you’re too old for this kind of bullshit — literally.”

I chuckled, low and sharp, bridging the distance between us with slow, deliberate steps. She was still in shock, which was to be expected.

She’d get over it. Eventually .

Her scent hit me again — lime and freesia, pulling at something deep inside me. My cock throbbed, my abs clenched, and heat rolled through me like a goddamn wave.

Oh, the things I’d do to fuck her again, to claim her.

“Glad to know you dreamed about me, too.”

“Just a dream, just a dream,” she repeated, trying to convince herself.

I stopped inches away, voice dripping with amusement and something darker. “Darlin’, if this was just a dream, could I do this?”

I’d been dying to touch her again, to feel her smooth skin under my fingers. Unable to deny myself any longer, I pulled her hands away from her mouth with one hand, cupped the back of her neck with the other, and claimed her lips in a punishing kiss.

Electricity shot through me as I felt her curves pressed tight against me again. It had been way too fucking long.