Chapter Ten

After I get my car back home, I’m not even parked for ten seconds before a text message comes through, the contact’s name reading Dominic. Did he add his number to my phone when I wasn’t looking? Kinda creepy but kinda cute, I guess.

Dominic: When can I see you again?

I smile to myself as I tap out my reply.

Me: You literally just saw me.

Dominic: Your point?

Practically giggling to myself like a schoolgirl, I text him back.

Me: I work for the next four nights. Can you do early afternoon any of those days?

Dominic: I’ll see you tomorrow. Noon. I’ll bring lunch.

Me: Okay! See you then. Night.

I pocket my phone and grab my purse before locking my car and heading upstairs. It’s not until I walk through my door and look up at my entryway mirror that I realize I’m grinning like an idiot. Fuck, I should not be getting this giddy over a guy I virtually just met. I mean, granted, I’ve known him for over a month, but almost all of that time he was MIA. I’ve only been around him less than a dozen times, and I can already feel myself falling down the slippery lust slope. I mean, god, how could I not? The man looks and fucks like a Greek god. He’s fiercely protective and also surprisingly kind. Soak my panties and sign me the fuck up.

My alarm goes off earlythe next morning. Normally, I sleep in, but Dominic is coming over, and to put it nicely, I’m a slob. It’s not because I’m lazy, I really do try, but when one too many things need to be done, my anxiety gets the better of me. I get overstimulated, and I disassociate. But I don’t want him to know that, so having a sex-on-a-stick man in my apartment is motivation enough to clean it up.

After I wash the dozenth dish and fold my second load of laundry, I’m just able to get a clean top and some jeans on when a heavy knock sounds from my apartment door. He texted me twenty minutes ago to let me know that he was on his way and to shoot over my apartment number, but I really thought I had more time. I glance at the random papers stacked on the kitchen island, shoving them into the first drawer I see before running my fingers through my hair and walking over to the door.

When I pull it open, Dominic is standing there in his typical black dress shirt and black pants. A bag of something amazing smelling is in his grasp as he lifts it up in offering.

“Hope you like Mexican.”

“Love it.” I smile as I awkwardly stand in the doorway before I step to the side. “Oh, sorry. Come in,” I say and he nods his head with the start of a smile and steps inside.

His eyes scan the apartment, nodding to himself softly.

“What?” I ask.

His eyes come to me. “It’s exactly what I expected.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I laugh.

“Good.” He nods. “It’s warm, lived in. Feels nice.”

“Are you a vibes guy? Gonna lecture me about my chakras and all that?” I tease as I guide him over to the dining room table.

He lets out a short laugh as he shakes his head.

“More of a feeling guy. I think our gut is the most intelligent organ in our body.”

I raise a doubtful eyebrow at him as he begins unpacking the food.

“Not the brain?”

Dom shakes his head. “Our brains are intelligent, of course, but when you’re down to the wire and you need to make a split decision, more often than not, we rely on our gut when our brain can’t handle that high-pressure situation.”

I rest my elbow on top of the dining room table as I place my chin into my hand.

“What kind of high-pressure situations do you deal with, Mr. Graves?”

He raises an amused eyebrow as he looks me up and down.

“Plenty.”

“Yeah? Like when customers don’t pay for their flat tire or bunk engine?” I ask as I grab the container with what looks like beef fajitas.

Dominic watches me, nodding to himself, like he’s noting which item I grabbed first before he grabs a container that has some kind of red burrito in it.

“The shop isn’t my only venture.”

“Oh?” I ask. “I was wondering about the nice outfits. Didn’t seem fitting for an auto repair shop owner.”

He nods as he takes a bite of his food, chewing fully before speaking.

“You’re very right. I also own a security company.”

“Like hired muscle men?” I ask.

“More like tech security. We mainly have contracts with the Department of Transportation and various high-profile companies that need to make sure their servers are protected. You wouldn’t believe how many people a day try to hack into the street cameras or a financial institution’s funds.”

“So, you’re basically a hero?” I tease with a wink.

A genuine laugh rips out of him, causing him to lean back in his seat as he shakes his head.

“I can honestly say I’ve never heard that one before.”

“No? Did I never thank you for being my hero in the bar that night?”

A look of irritation flickers across his face at the reminder before it soon passes.

“Don’t remind me about that guy. He got lucky.”

“He almost got dead.” I laugh. “Honestly, how have the cops not come knocking on your door?”

He shrugs. “Guess they have bigger things to focus their attention on.”

“True. Well, I’m glad they haven’t hauled you off in silver bracelets yet. I like having you around.”

I cringe as soon as the words leave my mouth. Fucking hell, Blake. Desperate much? Instead of looking spooked or turned off, though, he gives me a soft smile before he reaches his hand out across the table, lacing his fingers with mine.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I smile back at him, squeezing his hand but making no attempt to pull away as we begin eating our lunch one-handed.

“What about you?” he asks. “I’m assuming your passion in life isn’t bartending?”

I snort at that. “Yeah, definitely not. But it pays the bills.”

Dom nods at that. “What would you do? If you could do anything?”

I speak before I’m able to remind myself what a terrible idea it is.

“I want to be a social worker, one of the good ones. Place kids in good homes and make sure they’re safe.”

The air instantly thickens, and Dom’s body stills as his eyes focus on me.

Fuck. This is why I try to avoid this topic, because when I do, the question that always follows is?—

“So you were in foster care?” he asks.

Yup, that one.

I give him a short nod.

“Me too.”

My eyes snap up to his. “Really?”

“It’s an ugly story.”

The shortness in his tone makes it clear that it’s not up for discussion, and I can definitely respect that.

We eat the rest of our food in a comfortable silence. You’d think that it would be awkward, eating quietly in your house with a guy you basically just met, but honestly, it isn’t. There is something calming about Dominic, soothing almost. At first glance, I’m sure he would intimidate the shit out of you, but I see more to him, the softer side, the one he clearly tries to hide but for whatever reason, is allowing me to see.

Once we are finished, I clean up the containers before tossing them into the trash. Dominic stands, grabbing his phone and pocketing it. Disappointment fills me as I watch him.

“You leaving?”

He pauses, turning to face me fully. “I do need to get back to the office to look into some things.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks for lunch,” I say, doing my best to right my tone.

He’s clearly not buying it. He slowly closes the distance between us, weaving his fingers through my hair on both sides of my head before forcing me to look up at him.

“You don’t want me to leave?”

“Well, no. I mean, you have to get back to work. I just kinda thought you were coming over to…you know?”

He watches me for a moment before a sly smirk spreads across his face.

“You disappointed that I was gonna leave without making you come, baby? Need an orgasm or two before I head out?” he asks almost teasingly.

“I mean, I’d be stupid to turn down an offer like that,” I huff on a laugh as I look away.

Dom’s fingers curl into my hair, gripping it tighter before forcing my head back, leaving me no choice but to make eye contact with him.

“I can’t leave my woman wanting. I’ll give you a ten second head start,” he says as he pulls away his hands and begins rolling up the sleeves of his shirt to his elbows.

“Your woman?” I question dubiously, despite the hard thudding of my heart at his words.

“I told you that you’re mine. I meant it.”

“Does that mean that you’re mine?” I say, biting back a smile as I do.

“Absolutely,” he agrees seriously.

A giddiness fills me as I bite my lower lip and nod.

“Okay.”

“Okay,” he says. “Ten seconds.”

“Ten seconds until what?”

“Until I catch you,” he says as he finishes rolling up his sleeves.

I watch him with a small smirk as his eyes flick up to me.

“Seven, six, five.”

I don’t waste another second, adrenaline suddenly coursing through my veins as I take off running down the hall. There isn’t really anywhere good to hide, so I figure just getting to my bedroom is the best chance I have.

I slip inside the room, slamming the door shut and plastering my back against it as my chest heaves. Excitement buzzes through me as I hear his heavy steps casually stroll through the house. He tries to push the door open, but I put everything into holding it back, an excited giggle slipping out of me as he almost gets it open before it’s slammed shut again.

“Back away from the door, baby. I’m gonna break it down, and I don’t want you hurt,” he says through the thin wood.

“NO!” I shout as I throw the door open. There is no way in hell I can lose my security deposit on this place.

He’s standing in the doorway with his hands braced on either side of the frame, a dark smile on his face as he speaks. “You need to work on your hiding skills.”

In the next moment, I’m in the air, tossed over his shoulder as he crosses the room before dropping me onto the bed. I land with a bounce before his body covers mine. His hands are at the top of my jeans before he’s undoing them, peeling the material down my legs. My panties go right along with them, and suddenly I’m completely bare in front of him.

“Christ, babygirl. Your pussy is so pretty.”

“Thanks?” I laugh softly as he shoves his head between my thighs, flattening out his tongue as he runs it through my slit from top to bottom.

I let out a surprised gasp at the motion, quickly morphing into a moan as he does it again and again. My fingers tangle into the sheets as he devours me like a starved man. His tongue lashes against me, teeth nipping at my clit as my body begins to thrash. I don’t know if I want more or if I’m trying to get away because it’s too much. Either way, my efforts are futile. Dominic wraps an arm around my waist, pinning me to the bed as his attack only intensifies.

“Oh my god! Oh fuck!” I shout out as it all becomes too much, and I have no choice.

I dig my hand into his thick hair, curling it into my fist as I force his face to grind against me, giving me just the push I need to come.

I feel my pussy pulsate as a euphoric rush of pleasure envelops me. I hear Dom groan in between my thighs as he quickly licks me clean, only coming up for air when my orgasm has subsided. His mouth is glistening as he swipes his tongue across his lips, his eyes rolling into the back of his head before he smirks.

“You’re fucking decadent. Better than I could have imagined.”

“Help yourself anytime.” I laugh on an exhale.

“Don’t mind if I do,” he says as he lies on the bed, lifting me up by my hips and lowering me right onto his face.

I squirm at the feeling, still extremely sensitive as he pushes on my lower back, forcing me down. I watch him undo his pants blindly, pulling his cock out before stroking it a few times.

“Open up your mouth and suck,” he commands, his mouth rumbling against my inner thigh as he pulls me down to fully sit on his face.

I’ve only seen his cock once, and it wasn’t for long before he was plunging it inside of me. But now, looking at it only inches away from my face, I can’t help but swallow. I know women aren’t supposed to complain about a cock being too big, but Jesus. I think he could have done with a few less inches for all of our sakes.

“Suck,” he commands again before burying his face into my pussy.

Opening my mouth, I take his head first, allowing my tongue to run over the tip and causing him to let a low growl rumble through his chest. Slowly, I begin bobbing my head up and down, taking a little bit more of him each time. Apparently I’m too slow for Dom’s liking, though, because in the next moment I feel his hand at the back of my neck, forcing me to take all of him.

I gag instantly, tears blurring my vision as he forces me down again and again. I feel his tongue increase speed against my clit as he slips a finger inside me, fucking me with it as he continues forcing my head down onto him. I do my best to swallow around him, but I can hardly fucking breathe the way he fills my mouth. Letting out another gag, I do my best to keep it together as I, quite literally, choke on this man’s cock. Not that I’m complaining.

He pushes another finger inside me as he swirls his tongue around my clit, causing my body to shudder against him. I feel Dom’s cock begin to swell as he pushes me down hard one more time before his warm cum hits the back of my throat, forcing me to swallow every drop as my own orgasm tears through me like a fucking hurricane.

I feel him lick and suck me practically dry until I collapse against him. We lay there breathing heavily for several seconds before he pulls me off him and tucks me under his arm. His hand cups my cheek as his thumb brushes away the streams of tears against my skin.

“Your tears are so beautiful, baby. So beautiful when they’re just for me.”

I do my best to smile as he continues tracing his fingers against my skin, almost like he can’t stop himself, and like hell am I going to ask him to.