Chapter 16

Dominick

I arrive at Chloe's place bright and early, just like I promised. I text her that I'm out front as requested when I called her this morning, and she meets me outside, sliding into my passenger seat.

The sun is shining a bit brighter, and the cool breeze from off the lake isn't enough to lower the temperatures like it normally does.

As a result, Chloe is wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans. The light hoodie I recognize from the other night hangs on her shoulders, unzipped.

"Hey. Thanks again for doing this." Chloe's smile is weak as she looks over at me.

"Of course. I said I was here to help."

Pulling the car back onto the road, we make the trip down to the Hildale Port Police Department, and I walk with Chloe through the main entrance to the front desk.

Her steps falter for a moment, and Chloe just stares at the officers up ahead, unmoving.

"Hey, you okay?"

She's not looking at me, so I step in front of her, putting my hands on her shoulders.

"Chloe?"

She shakes herself out of it and looks up at me with that weak smile again. "Sorry. I'm fine."

"It's just a conversation, right? Let's just see what they say."

I hold her eyes. We need to get this over with, and sometimes, ripping off the Band-Aid is the only way to go.

"Yeah."

I follow Chloe up to the desk, my hand on the small of her back, as she gets an officer's attention.

"Um, hello?"

"How can I help you, miss?"

"I'm, uh, having problems with my ex-boyfriend. I'd like to get a restraining order."

The cop looks Chloe up and down and then back at me. I meet their intense gaze, raising my brows at the guy.

The fuck are you looking at me for? This is about Chloe. Do your fucking job.

"All right. There's paperwork you need to fill out, and you can sit down with one of the clerks to detail the events before going before a judge. That way, if it seems unlikely that a judge will approve your petition, you can acquire more proof of harm before seeing them."

Watching Chloe's face, I can see her struggle to hold back tears. She's shaking slightly, and I can feel her breaths surge in and out of her body as I rub my hand across her back.

"Okay. I'd like to do that. Can I meet with them now?"

"I'll see who's available. You'll probably need to wait."

"All right."

We sit down in a waiting area while the officer reaches out to a clerk about assisting Chloe with the paperwork and identifying the proof of harm.

I'm not a stranger to law and order, causing enough trouble for this town when I was young and then going off to the military, but this bureaucratic bullshit surrounding the restraining order makes my head hurt.

It'd be so much easier to just find the guy and put the fear of God in him.

After waiting way too long, someone is finally able to speak with Chloe, and we follow a Mr. Weaver to a private room.

"Thank you, Chloe. Please have a seat." He gestures to the slim metal chair at the long table, and she sits down. I take up a spot right next to her while Mr. Weaver stares down his nose at me.

"Is this your lawyer?" He quirks a brow in my direction.

I scoff, rolling my eyes. "You know I'm not. I'm a friend. Moral support."

"Very well." Weaver turns to Chloe. "Now, here's the paperwork you need to fill out. The officer also informed me you'd like to present some of your information to determine whether a judge would find cause for the order, correct?"

"Um, yes. He said—" Chloe's voice trembles, and I take her hand under the table "—that I may have to find other evidence."

"It's possible. So, what's going on with this ex-boyfriend?"

Chloe clears her throat, and I hate that she has to detail this shit all over again. She already had to do it with me, and that seemed hard enough. This guy is a stranger.

"Ethan. Ethan Noble. He…he became emotionally abusive. Extremely controlling. I also saw him meeting with some people in his office who I believe are drug dealers or something. They were talking about money from him, shipments, and products."

"Has he threatened to hurt you?" Mr. Weaver begins to jot down notes in a tiny flip-pad notebook.

"Yes. I also think he's stalking me."

"What makes you think that?"

I can see Chloe try to calm herself with a deep breath, and I squeeze her hand. She blinks long and hard, squeezing back before answering.

"I received notes. I found one on my car."

Weaver raises his eyebrows at her. "Do you still have it?"

"No. I threw it away. I didn't know I needed it."

"Direct evidence like a note, photographs, or medical reports are the best thing to provide the judge to get him to issue the order. Do you have anything like that?"

A tear slides down Chloe's cheek. "No, I didn't know I should keep them."

"Do you have proof that you were in an intimate relationship with him? Or anyone who can corroborate his threats? Perhaps your moral support here?"

"Um." Chloe's losing ground, more tears breaking free. "I had old photos of us together, but I left them behind when I ran. My friends from the city would know we dated."

"And the proof of threat?"

Frustration bubbles through me, and I can't just sit here anymore.

"She was nearly abducted in my club. I saw the whole thing."

"And it was Mr. Noble who did this? That would be huge for your case. It would prove the threat of harm and give you reasonable proof of fear of imminent harm."

Chloe looks over at me, totally shaken, and I can tell this is exactly what she was afraid of.

"It was a lackey of his. Someone he sent to Opal to snatch Chloe."

Weaver stares at Chloe. "Did he say Mr. Noble's name or something else that would link him to the man in question?"

"Not his name. He just said, ‘he's waiting.' I don't know who else it would be."

"Well—" Weaver closes his notepad "—unfortunately, I think you need more solid evidence to get the judge to provide the order. You can take this paperwork with you and work on getting some concrete evidence of his stalking and threats. With that, the judge can grant the order of protection."

"That's it? You're not going to help her?"

"We can't just accept someone's word at face value. If we do that, you could take out a restraining order on anyone you want. This is the best I can do for now."

Chloe hangs her head before nodding and standing up from the table. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Weaver. I'll see about that proof."

She goes for the exit, and I have to shoot up out of my chair to keep up with her. Practically running down the hall, I follow after Chloe, back out to the car.

She yanks on the door to get inside, but I have to hit the unlock button, and I'm not quick enough to do so before she starts fully crying.

As the chirp sounds, Chloe hurries into the Rolls, and I get behind the wheel to get us out of there as quickly as I can.

Her tears are silent but constant, and I look over from my seat as I navigate the streets back to her apartment.

"Are you okay?"

"Am I okay? Are you serious?" She glares at me but then sighs, her eyes going to the floor of the car. "No, Dom. I am far from okay. This is exactly what happened the last time, and I should have known. I thought maybe the attack at the club would be enough, but the guy was right. There's nothing linking Ethan to the guy from the club."

"They're just one option, Chloe. I have Cameron doing some digging on him. He'll be able to find what the bastard's hiding."

She doesn't answer me or respond, so I just drive us back to her crappy apartment. Her head can't be in a great place right now, so there's zero chance I'm leaving her alone.

There's got to be something else I can do.

When we reach the apartment, I walk Chloe inside, taking her hoodie and sitting her on the couch. I go for a glass of water.

"You really think hydration is going to make me feel better?" She glares at me, but her eyes are tired, beyond done with the situation.

"I'm open to ideas."

"I wish I had some."

I hand her the glass as I sit next to her on the couch. Silence is thick and heavy around us as we both just stare at the awful carpeting in this place.

"I don't want to live like this anymore, Dom."

I face her, watching the wheels spin in her mind.

"I don't want to be afraid all the time. It's…it's fucking exhausting."

Flashbacks of being in literal trenches rush to the surface, clinging to memories with my brothers to keep myself sane.

"It really is."

Chloe puts the glass down on the coffee table and then turns to me, shifting closer to look me dead in the eyes.

"Why do you want to help me?"

Swallowing hard, I'm forced to consider that myself.

"I don't like seeing you upset. I…I want you to be happy."

Chloe stares at me, seemingly searching my face for any indication of foul play. I don't mask my feelings like I usually do.

Just this once, I take a deep breath and allow my emotions to play out through my face.

"This situation is fucked, Chloe. I can't stand watching you like this. It's not the girl I remember." I shake my head. "I just have to. I have to know you're safe, know you're okay. I just…do."

I'm not sure what I expect to happen. Chloe holds my eyes for way longer than usual, and then she's up on her knees on the couch.

"What are you?—"

She swings her leg over my lap, straddling me, and then her lips are on mine.

My mind reels, but I can't stop from falling into the sensations of Chloe's body in my hands, her lips pressed against me, rough and feverish.

We explore each other, our tongues dancing as she arches against me. Her core rubs across my growing erection, and fuck, do I want to be inside her.

But I'll keep my desire tamped down. Just like before.

Chloe pulls back, reaching for the hem of her tee and pulling it over her head. Oh, shit.

She's only wearing a simple bra, but losing the top still gives me an incredible view before she leans back in, trailing kisses down my neck.

Her fingers hit my stomach, yanking on my shirt, and I sit forward, letting her pull it off.

"Christ, Dom." Chloe drags her fingers down my chest, and my erection jerks when the warmth of her skin hits me at my waistband.

Instinctively, my hands go to Chloe's hips, crashing my lips against hers as I grip her ass and rock her pussy against my lap. She rubs against my desperate cock, and I nibble at her bottom lip as she moans.

Fuck, this is moving too damn fast.

I pull back, taking Chloe's face in my hands to focus her.

"Chloe. Today was…you're upset. You sure you want to do this?"

She touches her forehead to mine, circling her hips. "I can tell you do. Please, Dom. I can't be afraid anymore."

The plead in her voice is my undoing, and I kiss her again. Her small hand comes to the side of my face before sliding down my bare chest.

When she hits the spot where her hips cover me, Chloe lifts up just enough to reach between us, gripping my shaft through my pants.

I groan low, remembering how good it felt when she wrapped those pretty lips around me.

Chloe is up and on her knees in front of me in a snap, and then her fingers tangle with my belt and zipper. Shifting myself closer to her, my head falls back as she frees me from my pants and sucks the head of my shaft into her mouth.

Her smooth, wet mouth rocks up and down as she takes every last inch of me down her throat, and I lace my fingers through her hair, gripping hard.

"Goddamn, Chloe. You're going to ruin me."

She moans and her efforts double, and soon, I'm on the brink. I reach down for her face, stopping her and pulling her back onto the couch next to me.

The bra is gone in seconds, and I start working on her jeans and panties, pulling them both down her legs so I can get my own taste.

Shuffling on the couch is tight, so I yank Chloe to the end of the cushion, propping her hips up on my hands as I lick up her center.

She bucks against me, and I find the sensitive bud at the top of her entrance, flicking it with my tongue and absolutely losing it as she cries out my name.

It's the most beautiful sound I've heard.

"Dom! Oh, fuck!"

"That's my good girl. I want you to forget everything but how this feels."

Sliding two fingers deep inside her, I pump, working Chloe up to her climax as I stroke my erection with my other hand.

Her taste floods my mouth, and I swear to God I'll never get enough.

Then, her grip finds my hair, squeezing as she clenches her thighs around me. I wait as long as I can to breathe, enjoying myself way too much to give a fuck about air.

Chloe comes, clamping around my fingers. The feeling of her clit fluttering against my tongue is more intoxicating than any alcohol in the world.

"Dom, please." I look up at her body; sweat dapples her forehead as she breathes hard. "I need you inside me."

I slide my fingers back in place, but then Chloe reaches for my hand.

"That's not what I mean."

I stop, my heart rate kicking into overdrive. It's one thing to fool around with someone. Fucking Chloe is an entirely different matter.

"Chloe, I?—"

" Please. I want you , Dom. I need you."

I crawl up her frame, reaching her face to kiss her deeply. As I take her face in my hands, I stare down at her.

"Chloe, I want to. Fuck, do I want to. But you just got dicked by the cops. I can't take advantage of that."

Her hand comes over mine as she uses the other one to pull me closer. The tip of my erection brushes against her slick core.

"You think this is the only time I've thought of being with you?" She smirks at me, and my eyes go wide. "I've been thinking about you for days now. Hell, I fantasized about my brother's hot friend several times in high school."

Chloe lifts her hips, rubbing herself across my shaft, and I moan, dropping my head to her shoulder.

"Please. I need to remember how to feel good, and I want it to be with you. I've always wanted it to be you."

Her grip is on my hip, urging me closer, urging me inside.

"Goddamn, Chloe. I knew I was done for the moment I saw you in the club."

With that, I slide into her tight pussy, and the whole fucking universe explodes as the sensations rock me to my core.