22. Thea

I've spent all day asking myself why on earth I agreed to this. Clearly, I wasn't thinking. I'm so nervous my body seems to be vibrating with it. It's so stupid! Dragon and Nicole are family. They treat me like I'm their daughter. Kayden and I were pretty tight until I moved away.

"Sweetheart, I can hear you thinking from over here," Dom murmurs.

His voice seems to echo in the cab of his truck and wraps around me. Heat hits me as I realize he called me sweetheart. I can't remember him using that particular endearment before. It might be my new favorite. I feel goosebumps rise on my flesh and a familiar zap of electricity gathering between my legs. God. I cannot get aroused right before I get to his parents' house. I can't allow myself to think of Dom's hands on my body, how their rough texture makes my body come alive… Shit.

"You can't hear someone thinking, Dom," I mutter, pretending to be very interested in the raindrops that are splashing against the windshield. If it wasn't for the rain, we'd be on the back of Dom's bike. That would have been better. I could concentrate on the ride and not on my nerves—or on the scent of Dom's cologne.

"I would have agreed until tonight. What's going on with you? Do you want me to cancel with Mom?"

"You can't do that. Dinner is practically in twenty minutes. You know as well as I do your mother probably pulled out all the stops and fixed all your favorites."

"And yours too," he agrees, and I sigh. He's probably right. I stayed with Kayden enough growing up that Nicole knows everything about me, including my favorite foods.

"I hope not," I mutter, because somehow that will make all this worse.

Without warning, Dom pulls over to the side of the road. "Okay, Gorgeous," his voice rumbles out. He puts the truck in park and turns to look at me.

"You should really wear a seatbelt," I mutter, keeping my vision glued to his chest. I'm afraid to look at his face and I don't care what that says about me.

"Cut the shit, Thea. What's going on? If you're weirded out being seen with me?—"

"This is all your fault, Dom! You should have never kissed me," I blurt.

The vibe in the truck completely changes. I can actually feel the air get thicker. I force myself to look at Dom's face and the intensity there scares me. His eyes are heated and boring into me. It feels as if he could set my skin on fire and burn me alive.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Thea?"

"Dom…"

"Get over here right now, Thea."

"Dom, we're in a truck…"

That was apparently the wrong answer, because before I can say anything else, he reaches over, puts a hand on each of my hips and pulls me over. Somehow, he seamlessly puts me so that I'm forced to duck my head and straddle his hips. Immediately, I feel the heat from his body, and it merges with mine. I can feel the hard outline of his cock in his worn denim. The feel of the rough fabric and his rigid shaft pressing against my panties nearly makes me moan. I bite my lip to keep the sound from escaping. I bring my hands to his shoulders to brace myself as I look at him, wide eyed. I couldn't tell anyone how I got in this position. It just happened and now that I'm here, I'm having a really difficult time keeping my body under control.

I try to pull myself off him, but Dom doesn't let me budge. Instead, his fingers press against my chin as he forces me to look at him. "We need to get a few things straight, sweetness."

I ignore the fact that I enjoy being called sweetness. What is it with him and all these endearments? He needs to stop. I huff out a breath in response because I stubbornly don't want him to stop, either. "You're making us late."

"I don't really give a fuck. It's not like I want to be there. I'd rather have you in my bed with the rest of the world far, far away."

I feel this little gush of wetness slipping between my legs and coating my panties. I'm not sure I've ever been this turned on. "We told them we'd be there?—"

"Explain why you think I should have never kissed you?"

I frown, trying to figure out what he's talking about. It takes me a minute to realize what I said before he went crazy. I shake my head. "Because it has changed things. You've made me nervous about being around your parents. I don't want them to get the wrong idea about us."

"Wrong idea?" he prompts, his voice tight and very controlled.

I scrunch up my face and rub my temple, trying to figure out how I keep setting him off. I don't have a doubt in my mind that he's angry about my reply. I'm feeling like I need to walk on eggshells around him. "Exactly. I mean, we're just?—"

"Just what?"

"We're—"

"I'd be very careful with how you respond here, Thea."

"The way you keep interrupting me, I'm not sure I'll bother responding. You seem to know everything already," I snap.

"I love it when you get pissed. So much fire inside of you, Gorgeous. I love that I'm going to be the man to own it."

"You're being a little overconfident, aren't you?"

"Not in the least. Now, back to our discussion."

"I don't remember what we were talking about," I lie.

"Then let me refresh your memory," he hums, his voice dropping down an octave. He sounds way too sexy for my peace of mind. "I was telling you, I'm going to be doing a lot more than kissing you. It may seem soon to you, but I don't give a damn. I've had a small taste of you, and I want more."

"What about what I want, Dom?" I huff, feeling exasperated.

"You want me."

"I—"

"Go ahead, sweetheart, deny it. I want you to. You do, and I'll have to prove you're lying. I can't tell you how much I want to do exactly that."

"Maybe I do want you, but it's just hormones. It's not like you and I have fallen deeply in love. We barely know one another. It has just been a while for me and you…"

"What about me?"

"I don't know. Maybe you're just trying to prove you can move on from Gabby. You can't deny that both of us have been through the ringer lately."

"So, that's what you think is going on with us? I'm licking my wounds and getting over Gabby by trying to be with you?"

Shit. How do I answer that?