CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Clenching her hands around the handle of the cart, Mila ground her teeth. “I’m never bringing you grocery shopping with me again.”

Dominic’s mouth twitched. “You said that last week. And the week before that.”

“Well, I mean it this time.”

“You said that too.”

She hissed. “Do you want me to bitch-slap you? Is that what this is?”

“Already told you, baby, you can slap me around while I’m fucking you. I like it rough and dirty.”

Turning away, she shook her head. “Never again are you coming with me.” Inhaling deeply, she took in the calming scents of the freshly baked bread and hot doughnuts she’d placed in her cart.

God, the guy was impossible. He insisted on saying embarrassing stuff when people were nearby, like “I’m just not into vaginal fisting” or “I already told you three times, I’m not letting you lick my asshole.”

He also threw weird shit in the cart when her back was turned. Lubricant. Antidiarrheal medications. Vaginal itch cream. Lice treatment. An Is My Girlfriend a Lesbian? self-help book. An “Anal for Beginners Pack” gag gift. Worse, he hid the damn things so that she often didn’t see them until she got to the checkout counter.

Since her pride mates ran and worked at the store—which was on the same street as the barbershop—they understood it was just Dominic messing around. But the shoppers in the line behind her often didn’t, so she was the butt of everyone’s fucking joke.

Tossing the “Anal for Beginners Pack” onto a shelf, she pointed at his crotch and said, “That monster is not going near my ass. It’ll rip me open.”

“I’ll be gentle.”

“And still, it’d be painful.”

“Now you’re being unreasonable.”

She blinked. “Unreasonable?”

“You’ll get piercings, tattoos, pluck your eyebrows, and wax not only your legs and armpits but also your pussy . . . but your argument against letting me take your ass is that ‘it’d be painful’?”

She pursed her lips. “That’s about right, yeah.” With a haughty sniff, she upped her pace as she turned into another aisle.

Coming up behind her, he rested his chin on her shoulder as he curled his arms around her waist. “Fine, I’ll behave.”

Yeah, she’d heard that before. “No, you won’t. And you can stop kissing my neck. It will not soften me up,” she lied.

“It already has.” Dominic had explored her delectable body enough times to know every little weak spot she possessed, and he had no problems exploiting them. Swirling his tongue over the hollow beneath her ear made her melt into a puddle every time. He nuzzled her with a soft groan. “I wish I could bottle up your scent. I’d spray it on my skin. My clothes. Pillow. Just about everywhere.”

She let out an amused snort. “You’re so full of it.”

“I’m serious.” He flicked her earlobe with his tongue. “My wolf wants to roll around in it.”

She snickered. “Your wolf is even more possessive than you are.”

“He was never possessive before you. Neither was I.” Dominic traced the bite on her neck with his fingertip. He often found himself doing that. The sight of it gave him a strange sort of . . . comfort. Each time the mark began to heal and fade, he bit it again. It was one of his favorite things to do.

“You still up for having dinner with my pack tomorrow?” he asked. Since he’d first taken her to his territory two weeks ago, his pack mates had hounded him to bring her for another visit.

“Sure. My cat will want another run on your land, though. Shit, I walked past the bagels.”

“I’ll get them.” Releasing her, he retrieved a pack from the shelf and placed it in the cart.

“We still having pizza tonight?”

“Sure. Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s my second favorite thing to eat in bed.”

Mila almost choked on her own saliva. “You’re such an asshole.” Especially since he’d said it loud enough for the people passing to overhear him.

He chuckled. “I bring life to grocery shopping. Admit it.”

“Life? I guess that’s one way to put it.” A man brushed past her, and Mila almost flinched at the short sharp prick in her arm. The sensation faded so fast, she wondered if she’d even felt it at all. Maybe it had been static electricity or something, she mused as she watched him walk away. He looked completely innocuous, casually strolling down the aisle with a half-full basket. Still, her hackles rose.

“You okay, baby?” asked Dominic.

She blinked up at him. “Yeah, fine.” But the words sounded . . . wrong. The voice just didn’t sound like hers. She tried again. “Fine.” It was a slur this time. Her vision swam, distorting Dominic’s form until it was like looking in a fun house mirror. The fluorescent lights seemed too bright, and the world was spinning around her. Her cat lunged hard, trying to surface. Couldn’t.

Mila reached out. Weakly fisted Dominic’s shirt. “White male. Blue tee. Black jeans. Dreadlocks. Get him.” And darkness fell.

Dominic caught Mila as her legs gave out. “Fuck.” Panic racing through him, he gave her a little shake even as he held her gently. “Mila? Mila!” Hearing the squeak of rubber on tile, he looked to see a male of Mila’s description running down the aisle like his ass was on fire. Dominic whipped out his phone and called Tate, who answered fast.

“Yep?”

“Some bastard just drugged Mila.” Dominic could smell it on her now. He fired off a quick description of the male. “He’ll be coming out of the grocery store any second now. Get the fucker, Tate. Shit, her lips are blue.”

“Take Mila to the deli section—one of our healers works there.”

Pocketing the phone, Dominic scooped up Mila and ran. Her heartbeat was slowing, faltering, and his own was pounding with fear. His wolf paced, anxious and enraged.

Her eyes wide, a familiar graying woman—Helena, he remembered—dashed out from behind the deli counter. “What’s happened?” Her nose wrinkled. “Drugged.” She put her hand on Mila’s head, and he almost felt a surge of power in the air.

The hairs on his arms and nape stood on end, but his focus was on the female in his arms. Soon her heartbeat stabilized, her lips lost their blue tinge, and the color came back to her face. But it didn’t chase away his fear. Didn’t give him even a hint of relief.

Mila’s lids fluttered open, and her big blue eyes stared up at him and the healer. Realization flashed across her face, and she gripped Dominic’s arm. “Did you get him?”

“Tate will get him.” Dominic wanted that to be enough for him, but his muscles trembled with the need to hunt the motherfucker who’d drugged her himself. His wolf was pushing Dominic to track him down and make him pay.

“I have her, Dominic,” Helena told him. “She’s fine, just a little groggy. You go help Tate and the others get whoever did this to her. They probably have him by now, of course, but I’m sure you’ll only be satisfied when you see that for yourself.”

Mila nodded, sitting upright. “I’m fine. Woozy and shaky, but fine. Go.”

Dominic pressed a fast kiss to her mouth and then shot the healer a glare. “I’m trusting you with her.”

“And I’m trusting you to avenge her,” said Helena.

At yet another urging from Mila, he left her with Helena and rushed out of the store. He’d expected to find the male pinned to the ground by a member of the Olympus Pride while other cats gathered around him. Dominic had never fucking suspected he’d find the bastard standing in the middle of the road, holding a long claw to the throat of a crying toddler he’d seemingly plucked off the street.

A sobbing woman was alternating between trying to reassure the child and begging the male to let her little girl go. Vinnie, Tate, Luke, and the Olympus enforcers had formed a loose circle around him.

Mila’s attacker yelled something at Vinnie that Dominic couldn’t quite make out. Vinnie gave a slow shake of his head. Cursing, the male glanced in every direction. Dominic could imagine what he was thinking. There would be no getting past the cats. No going right or left. Which meant the only place he had to go was . . . up.

Just as that thought crossed Dominic’s mind, the male’s head tipped back, and his frantic gaze cut to the roof of the nearest store. The pallas cat standing in front of the store narrowed his eyes, as if guessing what the male was about to do, but the toddler was flung at him with such force that the cat staggered backward as he caught the child.

Mila’s attacker leaped onto a nearby car, launched himself at the building, and began to climb the gutter pipe. Dominic sprinted across the street and into the alley beside the store. The iron steps of the fire escape clanged as he raced up them two at a time.

As Dominic reached the top of the three-story building, Mila’s attacker skidded to a stop on the flat, concrete roof. He might have turned to run the other way, but some of the pallas cats had followed him up the gutter pipe. More pallas cats were dashing up the fire escape that Dominic had used, which meant the bastard was boxed in. And he knew it.

The breeze fanned over Dominic, bringing with it the scents of sweat, panic, sun-warmed concrete, and cheetah. Thirsty for the fucker’s blood, his wolf snarled, bracing himself to pounce.

The cheetah glanced around. There was nowhere to hide. Nothing to use as a weapon. And he was once again surrounded. As the cheetah’s glance slid to the rear of the building, Dominic knew he was thinking of jumping. Fuck that.

With red-hot rage and adrenaline surging through his veins, Dominic flew at the fucker. They collided in a flurry of brutal blows. Punched. Kicked. Dodged. Weaved.

Snarls of anger and grunts of pain rang through the air, joining the shouts of encouragement coming from the onlookers who were egging Dominic on.

Pain rippled through him as the cheetah dealt him a swift, hard blow to the kidney that almost had him doubling over. The guy had a fist like fucking granite. Dominic twisted to block the next punch with his shoulder and then struck the bastard with a solid uppercut. The cheetah’s head snapped back as he double-blinked.

Then they collided again.

The cheetah showed no mercy. He slammed that meaty fist into Dominic’s temple, dealt him a harsh blow to the solar plexus, kicked his thigh so hard he almost snapped Dominic’s femur.

Adrenaline dimming the pain, Dominic fought just as mercilessly, crashing his fist into the cheetah’s jaw, slashing out with his claws, and ramming the heel of his palm into the asshole’s nose, smiling grimly at the resulting crack.

The cheetah’s hand snapped around Dominic’s wrist when the wolf swung at him again. Dominic didn’t try to pull free. He twisted slightly, slamming his arm against the bastard’s throat. The cheetah expelled a pained grunt and then staggered backward.

Even as their breaths came quick and shallow, neither slowed or gave any openings. The battle was fast and chaotic. The cheetah was literally battling for his life; he had to know that even if he defeated Dominic, the pallas cats would immediately pounce unless he got away fast.

His eyes gleaming with pain and anger, the cheetah swung his hips and kicked out, landing a solid strike to Dominic’s already swollen knee. Son of a bitch. Seething, Dominic slammed his fist into the fucker’s collarbone with every bit of strength he had. There was a nauseating snap, and the cheetah’s arm sagged.

Taking advantage, Dominic lunged, crashing his body into the other male, who hit the concrete hard. Using his knees, Dominic pinned the cheetah’s arms down while he pummeled his face with his fists over and over and over.

Bones cracked. Blood spurted. Rage and pain scented the air.

The cheetah pulled some fancy move, trying to flip Dominic off. It didn’t work. The big cat was too weak. Dominic just kept dealing him one ruthless blow after the other. His knuckles burned from clipping his skin on the cheetah’s fangs, but Dominic didn’t stop. Didn’t ease up on this bastard who’d almost taken Mila from him. There was a pounding in his ears so loud, it almost drowned out the gurgle of blood and the sound of flesh slamming into flesh.

“Dominic.” The voice was male. Flat. Seemed far away. “Dominic, he’s not getting up, man. He’s out. You hear me? He’s out cold. Mila needs you.”

Mila.

His chest heaving, his muscles quivering, his body sore in too many places to count, Dominic pushed his way out of the fog of fury and really looked at the male beneath him. The cheetah’s face was . . . well, it was a fucking mess. Bloody. Puffy. Almost purple. His nose was broken, his eyes were swelling, and his cheekbone looked fractured. Tate was right. The asshole was out cold.

Standing, Dominic stepped over the cheetah and swept his gaze over the pallas cats. They were all watching him as you would a rabid animal, and he couldn’t really blame them.

Vinnie took a slow, nonthreatening step toward him. “We have this, son. Go to Mila.”

Flexing his aching fists, Dominic gave a curt nod. “If he has anything helpful to say, I want to hear about it.”

“You will,” Vinnie told him. “Let Sam heal you before you go.”

A male took a cautious step toward him and reached for Dominic’s arm, but he didn’t touch him. He waited for Dominic’s nod before placing his palm on Dominic’s forearm. A surge of power crackled through him. Unlike Taryn’s energy, it wasn’t so much soothing as it was jolting.

Giving the healer a nod of thanks, Dominic rolled back his shoulders. The aches and stings had vanished, leaving only the lethargy that came from an adrenaline crash.

Satisfied, Dominic turned back to the fire escape and descended the ladder. A police car was parked on the road, and two uniformed cops were talking with the human woman whose toddler had been briefly used as a hostage. Some people were snapping photos of her while others were trying to get a good look at what was happening on the roof. From there, they couldn’t see shit, which was good.

As he crossed the street, he saw Mila standing just outside the grocery store, surrounded by a small cluster of her pack mates, including her parents, Ingrid, and motherfucking Joel. She shouldered her way through them and went to Dominic. Locking one arm around her, he palmed the back of her head as he pressed a kiss to her hair. He breathed her in, let the scent and feel of her pour into him and steady his wolf.

She pulled back, as if worried she’d hurt him, but he held her tight. “Shit, GQ, you have blood on—”

“I’m fine. Sam healed me. I was just a little banged up. I’ve had worse.”

“Did you get the asshole?” James asked quietly. “We couldn’t see what was going on from down here.”

“Vinnie and the others have him,” replied Dominic. “He’s out cold, but not dead.”

“He soon will be,” Valentina vowed, stroking her daughter’s hair.

Dominic flicked a brief glance at the police. “Will I need to give a statement?”

“No,” said James. “Those particular cops are part of our pride. They’ll put a nice story together. Probably to the effect that the asshole was chased out of the store for shoplifting, and that a bunch of people tried catching him but failed. He was simply too fast, and so he was probably a shifter.”

“He was a cheetah. Must be handy having some of your pride mates in the police,” Dominic mused.

“It is at times like this,” said Ingrid. “How else do you think our species managed to stay under the radar? We have plants in many places.”

“Take Mila home, Dominic,” Valentina told him. “I will get her groceries and bring them to her.”

Eager to get out of there, Dominic hiked Mila up his body and pulled her legs around his waist.

She frowned. “I can walk.”

“Don’t care.” He started for the apartment building, but then Joel slipped into his path. His wolf bared his teeth. “Not now,” Dominic gritted out. He didn’t even want to know what the male wanted; Dominic needed him gone.

Joel’s jaw hardened. “But I think Mila should—”

“Not. Fucking. Now.” Dominic shrugged past him and carried her to the building. He didn’t put her down until they were in the bathroom of her apartment, where they stripped off their clothes.

Standing under the hot spray, they soaped each other down. Her touch was gentle and soothing as it washed the blood from his skin, but he was soon rock fucking hard. With the adrenaline still in his system and his fear for her safety still fresh, he soon had her pinned against the tiled wall as he powered in and out of her.

No sooner had they dried off, her parents appeared. Valentina fussed over them and put away groceries while James fielded calls from anxious pride members, assuring them that Mila was fine and just needed some rest and privacy. After talking Mila into canceling her upcoming performance at the Velvet Lounge that night, Dominic called Trey, gave him a rundown of what had happened, and promised to keep him updated.

Vinnie, Tate, and Luke later made a brief appearance, checking on Mila and relaying that the cheetah was now very much dead and hadn’t known anything more about the bounty than the jackal or snake shifter had. No surprise, really.

Valentina cooked Dominic and Mila a meal and then, wanting to give them time alone, went home with James. And now, as they ate at Mila’s small dining table, Dominic couldn’t help replaying the earlier incident over and over in his mind. He kept remembering the incapacitating fear he’d felt when Mila had become deadweight in his arms, kept remembering how her lips had turned blue and how her heartbeat had slowed and faltered.

He hadn’t felt that kind of fear in . . . well, ever. It was the fear of losing something essential to you. Something you knew you wouldn’t be happy without.

And that fucking terrified him.

He’d known he cared for her, known she was important to him. But he hadn’t realized that he’d come to need her. Hadn’t thought she’d dug her way that deep inside him. Oh, he’d figured she might burrow her way there someday, but not so damn soon.

Dominic had avoided putting too much thought into what might lie ahead for them, but he had believed everything would move at his pace. He figured that if she did get past his defenses, he’d be in control of when it happened. He thought she’d only get there if he consciously opened the door wide enough.

He was wrong.

She’d somehow made herself indelible. Wasn’t quite inside his protective walls, but she had wedged her way through a crack she’d made in them. And now he felt . . . threatened. Which was stupid. But not one single soul had ever made themselves essential to him. Not one. He wasn’t sure he liked it. Every self-protective instinct he had was telling him to leave.

Maybe one night apart wouldn’t hurt. They were constantly in each other’s space, and that wasn’t always healthy, was it? It would probably do them both some good for him to—

“You’re quiet.”

The flatly spoken observation cut into his thoughts, snapping him to the present. She was staring at him, her gaze far too perceptive, too knowing.

Feeling uncomfortable and exposed, Dominic picked up his glass. “It’s not good to talk when I have food in my mouth.”

“You want to leave, don’t you?” The accusation was soft. Empty of resentment or judgment.

Shit.He sipped the wine that Valentina had poured. “Why would you ask that?”

“It wasn’t really a question. Your muscles are bunched tight. Like someone coiled to spring . . . or to jump up and run.”

He arched a brow at the taunt. “I don’t have reasons to be tense, considering the day we’ve had?”

She leaned forward, her eyes narrowed. “I know you. And I know that right now, the thing you want most is to get the fuck out of here. Tell me I’m wrong.”

Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. “Baby, there’s just a lot of stupid shit going through my head. And no, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t need to.”

Mila marveled over how someone could be only a few feet away from her yet seem so damn unreachable. Honestly, she might as well have been speaking to him through plate glass. He hadn’t just withdrawn, he’d withdrawn from her. Had become distant and remote. And his “I don’t want to talk about it” was said with such finality that she knew there would be no getting him to share. No, he’d pulled down all the shutters. And she felt . . . alone.

“I imagine you’re thinking you should go home to process it all,” she said with a mocking edge to her tone. Oh, he’d be making excuses to himself about why he wanted to leave; he’d be telling himself it would be good for them. “You’re thinking you should spend a night in your own bed for a change, right?” She pursed her lips. “Maybe that’s true.”

“If you want me to leave, just say so.”

“If you want to go, go.”

“Jesus, what’s crawled up your ass?”

Her chuckle was void of humor. “Oh, I’m not gonna make this easy for you, Dominic. I’m not gonna be provoked into tossing you out of here. If you want to leave, you’re going to have to make the choice yourself. But if you do leave, don’t come back.”

Dominic frowned. “You’re saying I can’t ever leave this apartment unless I intend to end the relationship?”

“You’re going to play stupid now? Really? This is the ditch you want to die in?”

“You just said if I leave, I can’t come back.”

Her cat rumbled a growl at his derisive tone. Yeah, Mila didn’t like it much either, but she also knew the disrespect wasn’t real. He just wanted to provoke her.

“Tell me, Dominic, why should I waste my time on someone who could walk out on me after the crap that happened today?” Hell, she’d almost died from whatever drug the cheetah had pumped into her. “I don’t know what’s put you in self-protective mode, but you’re there. I see it. You’re giving off ‘Don’t touch me’ vibes, and you shot me down before I could even ask you to share what’s bothering you.”

He scoffed. “What the fuck is self-protective mode? You’re making this out to be bigger than it is. Like I said, I just have dumb shit going through my head. That’s all.”

“So you’re not itching to walk out that door and go home? The idea of staying here with me for the rest of the evening and throughout the night doesn’t bother you?”

Dominic ground his teeth. “Why would it?”

Mila shook her head. “Never pegged you for a coward, GQ.”

“Says the person who wanted to enter an arranged mating so that she wouldn’t have to put her emotions on the line,” he sniped.

“I’m not throwing you out of here, Dominic, no matter how personal you get. You want to leave, you leave.”

“Yeah, you keep saying that. I’m starting to think you want me gone.”

Mila slowly stood. “You’re right, I don’t want you here.”

Dominic’s stomach bottomed out as hurt rocketed through him. He fisted his hands, ignoring the panic that now clawed at him. He was losing her with every word he spoke. And yet, he couldn’t seem to shut the fuck up.

“I don’t want you here . . . because I know you don’t want to be here.” With a calm she didn’t feel, Mila cleared the table. She expected him to push up from the table and storm out, but he didn’t. He would, though. Any second now he’d leave.

In the kitchen, she rinsed off the dishware and stacked the dishwasher, using the mundane chore to distract her from the anxiety churning in her stomach. When she walked into the living area, it was to find him settled on the sofa watching TV. But he wasn’t truly settled. He was still tense as a fucking bow. Still raring to walk out whether he wanted to admit it or not. And she wasn’t about to sit there and wait for him to do it.

Leaving him to brood, Mila did her laundry and tidied the apartment. By the time she was done, he was still watching TV. Still strung as tight as piano wire. And pointedly ignoring her. Whatever. Her cat took a swipe at him, but her claws were surprisingly sheathed. The feline was worried about him almost as much as she was annoyed with him.

Mila changed into a camisole top and matching shorts, settled in bed with her laptop, and chose a movie to watch. Emotionally drained after the shitty day she’d had, she fell asleep at some point only to jolt awake just as the laptop was beginning to slide off her lap. Cursing, she switched it off and put it on the nightstand.

She could hear the TV in the living room and sensed that Dominic was still in the apartment. That sure surprised her, but she wasn’t hopeful that he’d stay. No, he was a million miles away right then. Only he could close that distance, and he didn’t seem prepared to do it. Still, though, she wasn’t tossing him out, even though her sense of pride told her she should tear a strip off his hide. Nope. He’d have to take that walk himself.

Turning onto her side, she closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She was just nodding off when the bedroom floorboards creaked. The TV was now off, she realized. Instead of using the bathroom and undressing as he usually did before bed, he sank onto the mattress behind her. He’d come to say goodbye, she thought. Come to admit he wasn’t ready for what had grown between them.

Swallowing around the knot of emotion clogging her throat, Mila said nothing. Just waited for him to say some little spiel and leave.

Adjusting the pillow slightly, Dominic sighed. “I was a replacement baby, you know,” he said, his voice low. “After my parents lost Tobias and became unhappy in their mating, they had me to ‘fix’ it. To bring them back together. To give them someone else to love. Only they didn’t love me. Not really. You’re thinking I’m wrong. That of course they loved me—they were my parents. But it’s not always that simple. It should be, but it’s not.

“I look uncannily like Tobias, and I think that hurt my parents. Made it almost painful for them to look at me. But at the same time, they loved that they had a living reminder of the son they’d lost. I was always compared to him, and I never came out on top. It disappointed them if I didn’t like what he’d liked, or if I wasn’t good at what he’d been good at. It was like they could never quite separate me from him in their minds.”

Mila squeezed her eyes shut, her chest hurting at the picture he was painting. She wondered if he knew that the loneliness he’d felt back then rang clear in his tone. Her cat leaned into him, wanting to soothe.

“I was never allowed in his room,” Dominic went on. “They hadn’t boxed up his stuff, they’d left it all exactly as it had been when he died. It was like a shrine to him. My mother would sleep there sometimes. I’d hear her crying, but I learned fast that there was no point in going to her. She didn’t want comfort. She clung to the guilt, wore it like a badge.

“She often invited spiritualists to the house, and they’d talk of how Tobias was still close. For as far back as I can remember, she used to tell me that the unexplained noises I heard around the house—any creaks, thuds, scrapes—were my brother’s spirit moving around.

“Every year on his birthday, she’d bake a cake for him and light candles, and we all had to sing happy birthday to someone who wasn’t even there. I get that they needed to keep his memory alive. I’m glad they were so determined not to forget him. I’m glad he was loved so much, and I’m damn sorry that he died. But I don’t like that even though they had me, they never let themselves love me. I don’t like that my purpose was to bring them back together, make them happy again. They were never happy. And for a while, I blamed myself for that.”

Rolling over to face him, Mila said, “People are responsible for their own happiness. And it sounds to me like your mother didn’t want to be happy.”

Dominic played his fingers through Mila’s curls. “You’re right, she didn’t. And by leaving, she condemned her mate. She didn’t even leave a note. Didn’t give any warning. Just packed her stuff and went. My father couldn’t handle the distance from her, and so his wolf turned rogue. Mauled two people to death before his Alpha and Beta brought him down. And then there was only me.”

No, she thought, there had only been him for a very long time before that. His parents had never made him feel part of a family. It hurt her heart to think he’d spent his childhood suppressing a shitload of anger for the emotionally absent parents who’d had him to replace their perfect child—Dominic had never stood a chance.

He’d never been special to anyone. Never belonged. Never felt fully secure. He’d learned that it was unwise to expect much of people.

It was little wonder he’d cultivated a player image to avoid relationships. Lots of people “performed.” Pretended they had it all together, pretended they weren’t in debt, pretended their relationships were perfect. Many turned to things like gambling, drugs, or alcohol to numb their pain. But Dominic hadn’t tried to numb his pain, he’d hidden it. Hidden it behind a carefree mask. In doing so, he’d isolated himself.

But, really, who could blame him? If she were in his shoes—even if only subconsciously—she’d ask herself what the point was in baring her soul if she felt like she’d never be truly loved for who she was. She’d feel it was better to hold back than to love, trust, and depend on someone.

“Thank you for telling me that,” said Mila, knowing it hadn’t been easy. He’d had the option of leaving, but he hadn’t. He’d stayed. And more importantly, he’d shared.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wobbled for a minute earlier.”

“I know.”

“Don’t give up on me. I’m not used to . . . I’ve never needed anyone, Mila. No one has ever mattered to me the way you do.” He put her hand over his heart, adding, “I thought I’d be in control of how and when you got in here, but it turns out I’m not. You made your own way into there, and that realization knocked me on my ass, but I’m back up again.”

God, he made it impossible to stay angry when he said stuff like that. Now that he’d told her about his upbringing, she understood him better. Understood his earlier need to leave wasn’t so much cowardice as him feeling vulnerable and unsure. And fuck if she didn’t feel like crying for the lonely little boy he’d once been.

Her parents had always made her feel loved and treasured and safe. He’d never had that. And now that there was someone in his life wanting to make him feel all those things, his instinct was to hold her at bay. But he’d pushed past that instinct; he’d stayed. Opened the shutters. Exposed more of himself. Admitted to caring for her, even when he was feeling raw and vulnerable. That took a heap of emotional courage, and it melted every tiny bit of irritation she’d felt. And it would only be fair to return the favor.

“If it helps, Dominic, you’re not the only one struggling. You made a few holes in my self-protective walls. Wormed your way inside. I think caring for someone is supposed to be scary. Freaking out is normal. There’s so much uncertainty, and questions constantly prick at me. Will it work out in the long run? Will you get bored with just one woman in your life? Will you really be able to offer the commitment you seem to want to give?”

“You really wonder all that?”

“Yes. Caring for you is terrifying. Realizing I don’t really have as much authority over my own emotions as I thought I did is just as scary. But feeling so strongly for someone, having them so enmeshed in your life, can also be a very special thing. If you let it be. But if you need space—”

“I don’t need space.” Dominic dragged her on top of him and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I freaked out for a minute, but I do not want space. I couldn’t have walked out that front door, baby. Fuck, I doubt I could have even opened it. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

Resting her chin on his chest, Mila petted him. “I believe you. But if you do at some point feel you need space—”

“I won’t, it was just a wobble,” he promised her. “I wish I could tell you that I’ll never act so fucking stupid again, but it’s easy to trip up when you can’t see where you’re going. That’s what this feels like for me. I’ve never been in a relationship before. I’m in brand-spanking-new territory and doing my best to navigate it. I take most of my cues from you, hoping I don’t mess up.”

He let out a heavy sigh. “But I hurt you. I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I acted like a dick. You’re the last person I’d ever want to hurt.” He caught her face with his hands and brushed his mouth over hers. “Think you can forgive me?”

She drew in a deep breath. “Yeah.”

Dominic swallowed. There were no buts, no deliberation, no holding on to her anger for the sake of it, no threats of what would happen if he messed up again. Just a simple acceptance of his apology, trusting that he meant it. And he fucking adored her for that. “You amaze me.”

Palming her nape, he gave it a little squeeze. “I swear, baby, this is the only place I want to be. I’ve never wanted, never needed, anything the way I do you. I should have known you’d make yourself this important to me. Should have seen it coming. You’re sweet and funny and bitchy and beautiful and so fucking strong. The best thing in my world. No one will ever be—no one could ever be—who you are to me. And I don’t have even the slightest intention of ever letting you go.”

He took her mouth, sweeping his tongue inside, pouring himself into it, into her. He’d meant to go slow, to soothe and comfort and reassure her. But he quickly found himself eating at her mouth.

Possessiveness pounded through him, driving him to take more and more. She fisted his shirt, dragging him closer, giving him what he needed. He feasted, ravished, and dominated, swallowing every smoky, cock-hardening moan. Carnal hunger ravaged his insides and heated his blood.

He needed to touch her. Feel her. Reconnect. Needed to know she still wanted him just as much.

He brushed his nose against hers. “So beautiful. And all mine. Aren’t you?”

“Yours.”

“Then let me get a good look at what’s mine.” Bunching the bottom of her top in his hands, he peeled it off, baring her breasts. Before he could catch one of those hard nipples with his mouth, she was sliding down his chest, dragging the tight buds over his skin. Settling between his thighs, she tackled his fly. His heart slammed against his ribs, and his cock practically jumped into her hand. “Mila.”

Curling her hand around the base of his cock, she lapped at the head, licking up the pearls of pre-come from the slit. His thigh muscles jumped. Instead of teasing his cock with licks and nips, she swallowed him down.

Fisting her hair, Dominic groaned as the heat of her mouth engulfed him. “Fuck, baby.” Keeping her grip firm, she pumped his shaft as she sucked so hard her cheeks hollowed. “That’s it, keep those lips wrapped nice and tight around my cock. You don’t know how many times I’ve imagined bunching these curls in my hands while you suck me off.”

His control frayed as she kept on pumping and sucking, constantly switching from slow and lazy to fast and hard. Just when he thought she couldn’t take him any deeper, she’d swallow a little more. Watching his cock disappear into her hot mouth was a heaven all its own.

Sensations swept him under—her throat contracting around him. Her tongue flicking the spot beneath the crown. Her free hand expertly cupping and rolling his balls. It wasn’t long before he felt the telling tingle at the base of his spine.

“I’m close, baby.” She purred around him, and Jesus, it vibrated all the way up his dick. Tightening his hold on her hair, Dominic pumped his hips and fucked her mouth. “Swallow it.” His balls drew up as wave after wave of pleasure burst through him, and he exploded into her mouth with a growl of her name.

Panting, Dominic shook his head. “Fuck, you’re lethal.” She sat up, and he flicked a look at her shorts. “Get them off.” While she shucked her shorts and thong, he took off his own clothes. Then he grabbed her waist and dragged her up the bed, positioning her glistening pussy above his face. His cock twitched back to life as the heady scent of her need poured into his lungs. “Slick for me already.”

One knee on either side of his head, Mila clutched the iron rungs of the headboard as the warm hands palming her ass held her in place. Her cat was a sucker for all that casual strength, loved the way he firmly and boldly held Mila exactly how he wanted her.

Her eyelids fluttered shut as he swiped his tongue through her folds and swirled it around her clit, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Jesus, that felt good.

He let out one of his little snarls. “I fucking love eating this pussy.”

Goose bumps rose on Mila’s flesh as he sipped, teased, and drank from her. He was ruthless with that mouth. Used his tongue, teeth, and lips to build the friction inside her until a blinding need lashed at her heated skin.

She might have cupped her aching breasts and thumbed her painfully tight nipples if she’d dared let go of the headboard. It anchored her throughout the storm of sensation he subjected her to. Really, he gave her no reprieve—wrapped his lips around her clit, grazed her folds with his teeth, licked at her slit, dipped his tongue into her soaking-wet pussy. Tremors began to rack her body and—

She sucked in a gasp as he yanked her closer to his mouth, sinking his tongue deeper into her pussy. That ever-so-clever tongue expertly stabbed and swirled and teased. Her thighs quivered, and her pussy fluttered as her release came barreling toward her.

“Fuck.”She came hard, her spine arched, her head thrown back, her thighs shaking as an orgasm so powerful it was almost unbearable crashed into her. She rested her forehead on the iron rungs as she tried to catch her breath.

Unable to resist, and seeing no reason why he should, Dominic bit her inner thigh hard enough to leave a mark. His wolf rumbled a pleased growl.

“Was that like a ‘Dominic has been here’ thing?” she asked, panting.

He grinned. “No, it was a ‘this is my pussy’ thing.” He slid her down the bed, positioning her above his cock. “Ride me, Mila.” His dick, once more full and heavy, throbbed in her hand as she grabbed him by the root. “Considering I ate your pussy and you sucked me like a Hoover, we’ve both had the edge taken off. So . . . who do you think will come first?”

She arched a brow, sweeping the head of his cock between her folds, teasing them both. “Is that a challenge I hear?”

“I reckon I can hold out longer than you.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

“Yeah?” Dominic grabbed her hip and slammed her down on his cock, stuffing her full. He gritted his teeth as her inferno-hot pussy clamped around him. She was so fucking perfect. So fucking his. And so very, very irritated with him right then, he thought with an inner smile. “I think you’ll be the one coming first.”

Mila glared at him. “Really?” She squeezed her inner muscles tight around him in retaliation, smiling as he bit out a harsh expletive. “Doubtful.”

“I guess we’ll soon see who’s right.” Casually slipping his hands around the iron rungs of the headboard, Dominic said, “Fuck yourself, baby.”

He watched as she repeatedly slammed down on his cock, her face flushed, her breasts bouncing. Her pussy was so fucking tight and hot as it greedily sucked him back inside again and again. “Love seeing my dick all shiny with your cream.”

She locked her gaze with his, skewering him with a sex-crazed stare that tightened his balls. Punching up his hips to meet her downward thrusts, Dominic filled his hands with her breasts and squeezed them just right. “My cock in your pussy, my brands all over you, my come in your belly. Yeah, I’d say I own you.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s definitely fucking so.”

Mila rode him hard, loving the feel of his long, thick shaft slicing through her. He pinched her nipples, sending red-hot sparks of desperation shooting straight to her clit. Shit, she wouldn’t last if he kept that up. Determined that he come first, she raked her nails down his solid chest as she squeezed his dick tight with her inner muscles again, eliciting yet another harsh curse out of him.

He hiked up a brow. “That all you got?”

Leaning forward, Mila smiled. “Of course not.” She raked her teeth over his neck and felt his cock pulse inside her. “Want me to mark you again?” It was a whisper. “Do you?” She bit down hard. His dick swelled, throbbed.

Snarling, he fisted her hair and snatched her head back. “Sneaky little cat.” Time to up his game, he thought. Gripping her hip with his free hand, he started yanking her down each time he thrust upward, roughly impaling her. Her pussy became impossibly hot and tight, and he knew she was close.

“Come on, baby, come for me.” Tightening his hold on her hair, he pulled her to him and sank his teeth into her neck. He kept his teeth locked on her as he pounded harder, faster, deeper. And he felt it happen. Felt her pussy spasm and ripple as her climax—

Her claws slashed his chest, drawing blood, leaving a permanent brand. Like that, his cock fucking detonated, shooting rope after rope of come inside her while her inner muscles rippled around him.

Utterly spent, he lay there with her sprawled over his chest and limp as a noodle. He weakly smoothed a hand up her back. “Told you I’d hold out longer.”

“You came first,” she mumbled.

“No, you did.”

A lazy, derisive snort popped out of her. “Full of shit.”

“Yes, you are.” He flinched as her claw scraped his nipple. “Maybe we came at the same time.”

“Hmm. Maybe.”