18. Madelyn

CHAPTER 18

Madelyn

“ D on’t ‘Hey, Flowers’ me,” I snap. “Where have you been all day? I know you said you needed time, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed not to reply my texts. I was worried. I thought something happened to you.”

He runs a hand through his hair and it’s impossible to ignore how tired he looks. Worry fills me but I push it aside in favor of how angry I’ve been all day.

“I know. I’m sorry, baby,” he says. “I should have replied to your texts. It won’t happen again.”

I watch his movements, a little mollified. He takes off his coat, then the jacket he’s wearing underneath it, and places both on a coat hanger before stepping toward me. Before I can even blink, he’s pulling me into his arms. A soft sigh escapes me, followed by the feeling of warmth that spreads through me. I press my face against his chest, breathing him in.

“I’m sorry I came in here without telling you,” I murmur. I was just so angry after I got off work, having not seen or heard from him all day.

“You can come here whenever you want, Madelyn. It’s why I gave you the passcode.”

“Okay. Why weren’t you at work?”

“I quit. You have your job back, all to yourself like you wanted.”

I pull back slightly to look up into his eyes. “Too bad. We had the Secret Santa draw today. I played for you in your absence. You’ll never guess who you got.”

“Who?”

“Kenny,” I answer on a grin.

He automatically scowls. “It’s a good thing I quit, then.”

Madelyn laughs. “I’m still going to get him a gift in your place. Everyone deserves Christmas presents.”

“Oh yeah,” he murmurs, pulling me back into his chest. “What do you want for Christmas, baby?”

“You” is the first answer that comes to my mind. The second one is that I want the truth from him, too. Instead, I settle for, “A vacation gift card would be nice. I’ve never flown out of the country before. I want to go on a safari.”

Dominic chuckles. “Only you, Flowers.”

“So are you getting me the gift card or not?”

He hugs me tighter. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go. I have a private plane at my disposal. Although I rarely use it and it’s currently in Moscow.”

“You have what?” I screech, pulling away again to look at him. “Just how rich are you?”

He shrugs, like it’s no big deal. The blasé attitude makes me want to hit him.

“Rich enough to own a private plane. Although it’s not mine, exactly. It belonged to my dad.”

I nod slowly. “Okay, and what did you mean by Moscow?”

“It’s where my family’s home is. I’m Russian, baby. Well, technically half Russian considering my mom was American. Anyway, I was born in Russia, although I’ve only been back there once since I was nine.”

“Holy shit,” I say in disbelief. “So your family is like rich, rich?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, my father’s company is still running in my absence. I can go back home anytime to claim it considering it’s my birthright, but I’ve never had an interest in becoming a businessman. At least not yet. Maybe when I’m older.”

“Wow,” I breathe. “Wait, can you speak Russian?”

“A little. I didn’t live around Russians growing up and had no one to speak it to me so I grew rusty. But sure, I can say a couple of sentences.”

“That is so cool. Can you say something to me in Russian?” I ask excitedly.

He smiles and his gaze grows softer. “ Ty svet moyey zhizni .”

“What does it mean?”

He runs a hand through my hair. “I’ll tell you later.”

I’m about to protest when he pauses.

“Wait, why is your hair wet?”

I reach for my head. “Oh right. I went for a swim before I came over here.”

“You did what?” Dominic asks.

“A swim, Dom. In the pool.”

He blinks, staring at me for a couple of seconds before speaking.

“Madelyn, it’s freezing. As in it’s literally fucking snowing out there, and you decided to go for a swim?”

I nod, acting oblivious. “Of course. Also, I’m glad you mentioned the snow. I was so excited when it started to fall. Snow’s, like, the last sign of Christmas. It’s finally here!”

“Madelyn,” he growls, eyes narrowed. “Why did you go for a swim?”

Finally I sigh, offering him a chastened expression. “I swim when I’m stressed out. It helps me calm down.” After he ghosted me today, I just needed an outlet. “I’m fine now, honestly,” I say, rubbing his arms.

“You like to swim?” he asks carefully.

I nod. “Yeah, it’s one of my favorite things to do.”

It’s a coping mechanism, really. I’m pretty sure he can see right through me.

While I swim in the pool often, I stay away from large bodies of water. It’s why I told him I wanted a vacation to a safari and not on an island somewhere. The ocean scares me. The only kind of water I like is the type where I can see and reach the bottom.

“Why? Why do you like to swim so much?”

I could lie again, but something pushes me to tell the truth. Because I want Dominic to see all of me. Scars and all.

“I like being underwater because I like to imagine what it feels like to drown,” I reply softly.

Dominic’s throat works up and down in a swallow. He looks haunted for a second, then horrified, and finally heartbroken. The look in his eyes breaks me a little as well.

“I know. You don’t need to say it. I might be a little mentally unwell. But therapy’s so expensive,” I joke.

He doesn’t even crack a smile. He exhales a ragged breath before pulling me back into his arms.

“I promise I’ll take it all away, Madelyn. I’ll fix us,” he whispers.

I hold him tight as well, wondering if I should even allow him to take on such a huge weight. And feeling glad that I found someone who would even be willing to do so in the first place.

“Remind me again why I agreed to go to this party?” Dominic groans from on top of his bed.

It’s Sunday evening and I’m in the middle of getting dressed. We went shopping yesterday and he bought me a cute outfit to wear to the Christmas party Carly invited us to.

“Because you’re trying to at least pretend you’re a decent friend?” I retort from my position at his desk. I’m trying to curl my hair to give it more bounce.

“I’m an amazing friend.”

“Yeah, right,” I say sarcastically. “Would you please just get up and get dressed. We’re going to be late.”

When he still doesn’t move an inch, I decide to get to my feet and head into his closet to pick an outfit for him. I rummage through for a moment before pulling something out and heading back outside.

“You should wear this. You look good in red,” I say, holding out a red shirt.

He huffs out an amused breath before finally sliding out of bed and walking toward me.

“This your attempt to get me to wear something festive, Flowers?”

I don’t even try to deny it. “Is it working?”

He grabs the shirt from my hand and looks it over before shrugging. “Depends on how far you’d be willing to go in your attempt.” He wags his eyebrows suggestively.

“We just had sex, and we’re going to be late.”

“Who said anything about sex? You let me eat your pussy and I’ll consider it a fair trade.”

My entire body heats at that. I bite down on my bottom lip and narrow my eyes at him.

“We seriously need to do something about you and your filthy mouth.”

“You love my filthy mouth,” he retorts.

Which is true. I really, really do. But I’m also strong enough to resist him when it’s important.

“How about this? If you get dressed for the party without any complaints, I’ll let you do whatever you want to me tonight,” I offer.

Dominic’s grin turns wolfish. “Careful what you say, baby. I’ve got a pair of handcuffs around here I’ve been wanting to use on you.”

I swallow. That sounds equal parts terrifying and intriguing. Even as he says it, I feel my core dampening. I’m sure I would enjoy anything Dominic did to me. Plus, he’s tied my hands during sex before. Granted, he did it with my panties and it was loose enough that I could have gotten out of it with barely any effort, but still….

“Okay,” I breathe. “Now will you please get going?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He leans down to kiss my lips softly, robbing me of breath for several seconds. And then he’s walking toward the bathroom. I stare at his naked back until he disappears. Once he does, I have to shake my head twice to focus on getting ready as well.

Soon enough we’re leaving and driving to Carly’s home. Snowflakes drift lazily from the sky. The grand iron gates swing open, leading us into a long driveway lined with glowing candy-cane-shaped lights, and beyond it, her house looms like something out of a Hallmark movie—majestic, extravagant, and drowning in Christmas spirit.

Although “house” is a bit of a stretch. The place is a huge, wide mansion.

“This place looks insane,” Dominic mutters as we step out of the car.

I laugh, linking my arm through his. “It’s festive.”

“Festive is not the word I’d use,” he counters, eyeing the enormous inflatable Santa perched on the sidewalk.

The thing is holding a neon “Ho Ho Ho” sign that blinks in time to “Jingle Bell Rock” blasting from hidden speakers. Carly’s family definitely goes all out for Christmas. Dominic’s right, this is insane. And I love it so much!

“You look amazing. Stop complaining,” I tease, glancing at him.

The red shirt he’s wearing is great, deep and bold, tucked neatly into tailored black slacks and paired with a charcoal gray coat that brings out the color of his eyes. He grumbles something under his breath but doesn’t resist when I tug him forward.

I adjust the hem of my dress as we walk toward the open mansion doors. It’s a shimmering emerald green number with a sweetheart neckline, the kind of dress that makes you feel like a Christmas goddess. Paired with red heels that are risky enough to make walking in the snow a questionable life choice. But thanks to Dominic helping me walk, I should be okay until we’re safely inside.

As soon as we step through the doors, a couple of the staff step forward to welcome us and grab our coats. They direct us toward the party, but Carly appears suddenly and she’s practically vibrating with excitement.

“You came!” she squeal, pulling me into a hug. “And oh my god, look at you two. Maddie, that dress is stunning. You look amazing.”

She’s one to talk. She’s dressed to the nines in a short red dress that has a ruffle skirt, paired with a sequined blazer and a sparkling diamond necklace.

“Thanks, you do too. This is so amazing. I’m really glad you invited me.”

“Oh hush,” she says, waving me off. After hugging me, she turns to Dominic.“Hey, you,” she greets, stepping back and narrowing her eyes playfully at him. “Red suits you. Almost like you have Christmas spirit hiding in there somewhere.”

Dominic rolls his eyes. “Don’t.”

She laughs, grabbing my hand and leading us inside. “Come on, you’re going to love this!”

The mansion’s ballroom is breathtaking. A massive Christmas tree dominates one corner, its branches heavy with gold and red ornaments, ribbons, and enough twinkling lights to rival the night sky. Garlands and wreaths decorate every wall, and the long buffet table along the side is practically groaning under the weight of food.

Carly leaves us for a minute to grab something. Dominic glances around, his expression hovering somewhere between disinterest and disbelief.

“This is excessive,” he mutters.

I elbow him lightly, “It’s magical.”

“It’s loud,” he says, his hand tightening around mine.

Carly doesn’t leave us alone for long. She circles back, a drink in each hand and a grin wide enough to split her face. “Drinks for you two. Joshua’s around here somewhere, probably flirting with some poor innocent woman. When I find him, I’ll make sure to point him in your direction. And just so you know, there’s a live band in the corner, a photo booth by the tree, and a very strategically placed mistletoe situation somewhere around here,” she says with a wink. “Anyway, I have to go. I’ll catch you guys later.”

She flits off to greet more guests. Once she’s gone, Dominic leans down, his breath warm against my ear.

“If I find that mistletoe, I’m dragging you under it.”

“Promises, promises,” I reply, grinning up at him.

The party is loud, sparkling, and chaotic, but right now, it feels like the most perfect thing in the world. Still, nothing good ever lasts forever. Everything I’ve built could come crashing down in an instant.

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. But it could also be the time of the year during which I end up drowning for real.