Chapter 17

Chloe

Dom slides deep, and my body surges as the incredible sensations of him filling me up drown out everything else. Part of my mind wants to rebel, to remember how dangerous this could be, and to run away.

But I won't do it. I'm not running anymore.

I meet Dom's slow thrusts as we start up an intoxicating rhythm. It's been far too long, and it's never been him.

God, it really is him.

The blunt head of his shaft sinks deep, and I clamp down around him. It takes no time to work right back up to the brink of release, and I'm dying for that blissful destruction again.

I want Dom to claim me completely. I want to lose myself to his touches, the arousal, and I do.

He slams his hips against me as he fucks me, and nothing in the entire world has ever felt as good as this. Dom's lips come to my neck as he pistons in and out, and I wrap my legs around his hips.

"Goddamn, Chole." Dom groans as we ride out this wave together. "I've wanted this since I laid eyes on you."

I take his face in my hands as he swivels his hips. It hits all the sensitive spots inside me, and Dom drops his forehead to mine as I moan.

"Me too."

There are so many reasons why this shouldn't be happening. Dom is my boss, my brother's best friend, and I'm running from my past.

But here, in this moment of flesh on flesh, I couldn't care less.

Dom's thick length fills me too completely to think of anything other than how perfectly he fits inside me. He pushes himself all the way in, up to the hilt, rolling his hips in circles to rub the tip against my walls.

It's ecstasy. I moan loudly as my body tenses, the aching need for release building in my spine and core.

The world around us drops away, disappearing from my awareness as Dom thrusts deep and then pulls out almost completely. Ramming back inside, his fingers come to my clit as he braces himself on his other arm, and I barrel toward that climax with everything my body has.

It's sensation overload as Dom pulls feelings more intense and incredible than anything I've felt before. Then he's gripping my hips, driving into me hard and fast.

We both tip over the edge, and I cry out as I feel Dom come, warmth melting into me.

I flutter around him as the orgasm peaks and then backs off, more content than I've been in months. Hell, maybe even years.

Dom reaches for my face. "You are so fucking beautiful."

I smile, catching my breath. "You're beautiful. In a very manly way, of course."

He laughs, sliding back from me, and we both shudder at the sensation. Dom takes a look around us, eyeing the clothes on the floor and the tousled state of my hair.

"Hmm. Let's get you cleaned up."

Without another word, he scoops me up and walks down the hallway, able to find the bathroom without any direction in the tiny apartment. He sets me down on the covered toilet seat before going to the shower and turning it on.

"It's going to take a minute for it to get warm." I smile through the annoyance.

"That's okay. You relax. I'll grab our shit."

He pads off, returning with his clothes and a clean set for me.

"Did you go through my closet?"

Dom raises his brows. "If you consider that hole a closet, then yes. I snagged some pj's."

My smile is wide and full as I bite the corner of my lip. The options were definitely limited, but I appreciate that Dom came back with comfy clothes.

"Think it's warm?"

I look over at the shower, a tiny bit of steam escaping from behind the curtain. "Yeah, as warm as it's going to be, anyway."

We take a quick shower, Dom washing me up and massaging the soap into my sore muscles. Afterward, we get dressed again, and then Dom brings me back to the bedroom.

Having me slide in and then getting in right behind me, we snuggle under the covers as I flick on the television.

As the comfort of the situation stretches on, I can feel it dull as I remember what happened today to prompt it. The cops weren't helpful—again—and now I have to try to find evidence of Ethan's threats.

I've been throwing them out, too freaked to look at them and unwilling to share them with anyone, so it's my own fault I can't provide concrete proof to the judge.

Still, I don't know how I'm supposed to prove that we were together. Ethan was always really weird about taking pictures with me, and part of me wonders if this is why.

"Hey, you all right? You got quiet."

I look over at Dom, who's furrowing his brow at me, and shrug. "Sorry. Just everything with the cops and the ‘proof.' I'm not sure what I can do at this point."

"Hey." Dom tips my face toward him with a light grip on my chin. "I'm right here, okay? He's not going to hurt you. Besides, I have Cam looking into this. He'll find something. He always does."

My smile is a little hesitant, and I lean into his hand. He's the only one who's stuck around with me during this whole mess.

However, that's mostly on me. I've never told anyone else what's been going on.

"Thanks." I sigh, lying back against him. "I just feel so…lost. I have no idea how I got here. Or what I'm supposed to do about it."

My heart hurts, and an image of meeting Ethan at a bar pops up in my head. I had no clue who he really was.

Tension pulls through my temples, and then I'm abruptly sitting up because my whole body triggers with that fight-or-flight reaction.

"I can't believe I didn't see it. Didn't notice who I was involved with."

"Whoa, slow down." Dom puts his hands on my shoulders. "How were you supposed to know? It's not like the asshole went around wearing a sign that said, ‘Hey, I'm a controlling, manipulative drug runner.'"

"I know, I just?—"

Dom stops me, shaking his head as he squeezes my shoulders gently.

"Hey. Don't. Okay? Blaming yourself isn't going to help. Sometimes people can't see what's in front of them."

While Dom still holds my eyes, there's something else that flickers just behind the surface, like he's trying to avoid a memory.

I tilt my head, smoothing my hand down his cheek. "Did something happen to you?"

"I've seen some shit. That's all."

I level him with a stare, and Dom sighs. "You can open up to me, Dom. I mean, hell, isn't that what I've been doing?"

He nods, his eyebrows raised, and then pulls me under his arm, holding me there like an anchor.

"I think you know my dad was a piece of shit, right?"

I remember the few times Dom would come over to see Anthony with a few scrapes and bruises. I'd always thought he'd been fighting, but I guess that was true only half the time.

"Vaguely. Anthony explained a little back then."

"Yeah. Well, he left his mark on all of us kids, and he did a hell of a number on my mom."

Watching Dominick sit with his memories and emotions is torture. I can see the pain packed under all those layers of armor he wears, and there's nothing I can do about it.

I can't change the past.

"We were able to get away. The military was safer than staying with my dad. When my brothers and I realized we could all go together, we didn't hesitate. Mom got left behind."

Dom's eyes find the middle distance, staring out into the room as he speaks.

"Dad died not too long afterward. Alcoholism, but it didn't get better for my mom. She went from one shitty boyfriend to the next until we got back. My brothers and I…we found her on the floor. Overdose."

"Dom, I'm so sorry."

He starts, as if remembering I'm here and then hugs me against him. "Me too. She's getting the help she needs now, but…I still don't like that I wasn't here to do more."

"That sucks, Dom. It really does. But you can't blame yourself. You weren't there because you were trying to protect yourself, your brothers, and something tells me that your mother wouldn't have been open to help even if you'd offered."

I look up at him, smiling sadly as I think about how awful it would be to find your mother strung out and in desperate need of help.

"Probably right. It was damn near impossible to get her sorted in the beginning."

"Addiction—to a drug or a person—can be debilitating. You don't see how bad it is. I know I didn't." I scoff at myself before looking back up at Dom. "At least you were able to stop the cycle. And you went and did something with your life. You didn't let your situation define you. That's impressive."

"So is getting out of a shitty place when you're scared. Not to mention real fucking brave."

"Brave?"

Dom nods, kissing the top of my head as we hold each other in the quiet for a moment.

I don't know what this is we're doing. I don't know if it can last, but for a second, I'm going to just let myself savor it.

The sound of Dom's phone vibrating breaks the strange silence of a movie turned down low, and he snags it from the nightstand.

"Yeah."

I watch Dom's brow furrow as he sits up a little straighter.

"Okay. No, not yet. All right. Okay. Yeah, keep digging. Thanks."

He hangs up, tossing the phone down on the bed, and I raise my brows at him. "So, what was that?"

"Cameron."

"Your friend? The lawyer?"

"Yup."

I wait, but that's all Dom offers. "Jesus, Dom. Anything else? Did he find something?"

The stoic mask on his face falters, and I can recognize the look of disappointment. "He didn't, did he?"

Dom shakes his head. "No."

I sigh, slumping against the pillows. "I can't keep living like this. I can't keep running until Ethan finds me and drags me back to that world with him. Or kills me."

"Hey." I'm not looking at him, but Dom quickly pulls my chin up so I meet his eyes. "No one is going to lay a single finger on you. I won't let them."

I want to believe him. I almost do.

"Cam's not giving up. This just means that these guys are good at hiding their tracks." He kisses me before smoothing a hand down my face. "I'm not giving up, either."