7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Dominic

O ne week. Seven days. One hundred and sixty-eight hours. Okay, maybe not quite that many hours. But that's how long it's been since I've seen her. And that's how many days I've thought about her parting comment.

Oh, sure, we texted every day, and it was great. Little comments here and there, random things we would think about and have to share. But she's been busy with work and Tony. I would guess a recent, random visit from Peter freaked out her and Tony.

When she hadn't texted goodnight and I asked about why the following morning, she explained what had happened. I so badly wished she would have said something the night before so I could have gone over.

Who was this man ? What did he do with the Dominic I knew? Because thoughts like these, feelings like these, weren't commonplace in my life. Not that they were wrong. They just weren't ever there before.

It wasn't just her.

Sure, she was great. Funny, charming, sharp, beautiful, sweet, but tough too; a no-shit kind of mom. But also, Tony was great. Kid had a wicked sense of humor, great arm, was smart, and was fast on the comebacks. Not having a parent in the picture didn't bring him down.

The strangest thing for me though? There was nothing even sexual in this…relationship…friendship. Sure, we shared that kiss, and it played on repeat every moment of the day. It so lived rent-free up there.

And I sure as fuck wanted to do more with her. I wanted to lay her down on my big bed, wanted to slam her in my backyard pool, wanted to fuck her against the dugout. That was a hell of a personal fantasy. But that was it.

Fantasies. Wishes. Thoughts.

Nothing else has happened. The only closeness my poor dick has gotten has been by my hand. Not that I was even sure what I could call Cassie.

I mean, did she do this with all her friends? I was going to say no. So, were we broaching something new for her? I sure as fuck hope so.

I checked the time on my phone and grinned. I had plenty of time to pay her a surprise visit and still get to the stadium on time for practice. And personally, I don't think she would be so pissed off to see me. With a grin, I left my house, checking to make sure my sports bag was in the backseat.

"Now, where was the building again?" I muttered, scrolling through our text feed. She had told me that she worked for a small art gallery that was closer to downtown. Again, I was amazed by all the time I had spent talking to her, and I couldn't stop the grin. Yeah, somehow, Cassie Espinosa had gotten under my skin, and I think I was starting to like it.

Fifty minutes later, I took an open parking spot and then looked around. The place screamed fancy and I could see Cassie working there. Not that she was fancy, but she knew art, which was pretty awesome to me. Again, a smart woman.

With a deep breath, I climbed out of the car, grabbed the coffee I knew she liked, and walked into the building. Instantly, I felt so out of place in my jeans and shoes. This wasn't just an art gallery; this was a high-end art gallery and screamed Southwest .

"May I help you?" I turned to the voice and smiled. "Oh my God," the woman said, covering her mouth. Seconds after she blushed and offered a grin. "I'm sorry. My husband is a huge baseball fan. And he's followed your career since college."

"Tell him thank you. Fans mean everything to me."

"Delilah," she offered, holding out her hand. She eyed the coffee as I switched hands to shake hers. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Cassie, is she around?" Delilah frowned before slowly smiling, then nodded.

"She's back in her office. Let me go get her."

"Thanks," I said, offering her another smile, which she returned. A few moments later, as I was browsing a stunning church piece, I felt the zing race down my spine, letting me know the woman who had been on my mind nonstop was in the room.

"Dominic," she called, and I turned, holding the coffee out to her, ignoring the snicker from Delilah.

"I was thinking about you and wanted to surprise you. Thought you might not hate this visit as much as the last one." She giggled before taking the coffee, then took a small sip.

"I appreciate it, thanks. It's quite a nice surprise. In fact, I was just on my way out to pick up Tony. He's a good forty minutes away, and now I don't have to stop for a coffee. If you don't mind waiting, I just need to grab my purse."

"Of course." She took another sip, then threw me a wink before turning to walk back to her office. I ignored the looks from a few of the ladies that had walked out to see what was going on. It was obvious that Peter never put his wife's feelings first. Sure, I believed what Cassie told me, but this was just proof, and I disliked the man even more.

"Let's go," Cassie said, taking my hand and walking out of the building. "If we had stayed, I'd be the biggest office talk." I chuckled as I walked her over to her car, and then opened her door. Her face still held her smile and it made my heart stutter. This woman was so insanely beautiful.

"Well, I didn't mean to do that," I teased.

"All good. Kind of nice for a change."

"Are they watching you?" Her eyes glanced over my shoulder, and she gave a brief nod. "Let's really give them something to talk about." My hand rested on her hip and drew her closer as my lips captured hers.

Fuck.

Everything about her was so perfect for me. Her lips pressed against mine. Her cries stroked my own desire. Her body flushed with mine causing my dick to press against my jeans. I sure as hell didn't care if we had witnesses. I just cared about her. About making this feeling last. About feeling this in the future. That was it.

Point blank, I just cared about Cassie being with me.