by Brook Wilder
“Amy…”
“I thought you were different. I guess I was wrong. I don’t know why I put myself in this situation. But I do know one thing. I’m not gonna get caught up in all this again.”
“Just listen to me for a second. Hear me out.”
“You need to hear me out! I’d rather be alone that deal this shit.”
“Amy…”
“I mean it. My life was perfectly fine until you came and upended everything.”
“What we share... You can’t be serious. We can’t just throw it all away.”
“If you want me in your life, then you need to promise me that you’re done hanging around the Vipers.”
“But–”
“Can you promise me that, Dom?”
“I can promise that you don’t have to worry about me. I can promise that I’ll always take precautions and be safe.”
“That’s bullshit. And we both know it. Everybody knows how dangerous the Vipers are.”
“You said I needed to clear my name. This is a part of it.”
“What the hell do the Vipers have to do with Beth or the disappearance of the other girls?”
“I don’t know. But I’m getting closer to an answer.”
“And you know what else? I can’t believe Abel would put you up to this.”
“He didn’t ask me. I volunteered. This thing with the Vipers is personal for me.”
“They’re dangerous, Dom. It’s not worth it.”
“Amy…”
“I keep going back and forth on whatever this is between us. My heart is pulling me closer to you, but my head says that I should stay clear. Right now, I don’t know what to do.”
“Please, don’t do this. Don’t leave me. You don’t know how much you mean to me, Amy.”
“What matters more to you: settling some score with the Vipers or me?”
“Amy…”
“That’s what I thought. You can’t make up your mind. And I can’t either. Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea. I don’t know what I was thinking when I let you into my life.”
I gently touch her face.
“You were listening to your heart. You were living in the moment. And that’s exactly what I was doing. What we have, it’s real. I know it is and you know it too. Let’s not pretend.”
She tries to hold back her tears.
“I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not perfect. But you have to understand that, everything I do, it’s for us. Amy, I love you.”
She stares at me.
I can’t believe I just said it out loud for the first time. It’s a shock. I haven’t said that to any woman since Beth. We both stare at each other.
“You really mean that?”
I nod.
She takes a deep breath.
“I... I love you too.”
I look deep in her eyes. The truth is, she didn’t have to say it. I can tell how she felt for a long time. I smooth her hair.
“Dom... right now, I’m just so confused.”
“There’s nothing to be confused about. We belong together.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?”
“I wanted to. Believe me. I just...I just didn’t know how you would take it. I didn’t want to complicate things.”
“Dom, you have to promise me something.”
“Anything you want.”
“No more secrets.”
“Okay.”
“I mean it.”
“I do too.”
I take her into my arms and kiss away her tears. I want her to know how much she means to me. I don’t want her to have any doubt in her mind that I’m the man for her.
There is so much emotion. I’m still trying to process that we both said ‘I love you’ for the first time. I want nothing more than to make her understand exactly how deep my love is.
Chapter Thirteen
Amy
I’m crying and shaking as Dominic takes me into his arms. I feel betrayed that he kept a secret from me, but I can’t deny what I feel for him. I just told him I love him, and he said the same thing. This is big. After Adam, I wasn’t sure if I could love again, and here I am.
The way Dom kisses me makes me all warm inside. I wrap my arms around his strong back. I have so many mixed emotions about what he’s doing to help expose the Vipers, and all my memories of Adam flood my mind.
My biggest fear is losing Dom the same way I lost Adam. If that happens, I don’t know what I will do. I can’t help but think about my unborn child, the baby Dom knows nothing about. But for right now, I’m just trying to live in the moment.
Dom and I walk into the bedroom. We can’t keep our hands off of each other. Within less than a minute, we’re naked and underneath the sheets.
I take in the sight of his muscular body, eight pack abs and his huge cock. This man turns me on from head to toe. He’s so sexy, I couldn’t stay mad at him long, even if I tried.
Dom plants kisses on my neck and my collar bone. He works his way down to my hard nipples. He flicks his tongue over them. My pussy is wet, craving his cock deep inside me. I let out a moan.
Dom kisses my stomach and keeps going down. He buries his face in my pussy, licking my clit. I let out a scream. He knows just what to do. He swirls his tongue all around as he slides his middle finger deep into my wet pussy.
“Dom! Dom! Oh, my God!”
He hits my g-spot. No man has turned me on so much. I can’t believe how good it feels. I jerk my hips and grab the back of his head.
“I’m about to cum!”
He looks up at me and keeps licking.
“Oh! Dom!”
My breathing gets heavier as I climax. I yell until I’m hoarse. I’m in ecstasy. I can barely think straight. I want him to fuck me so bad. He smiles wide and licks his lips.
“Turn around, sexy.”
I obey him and get on all fours with my ass in the air. Dom thrusts his huge cock in my soaking wet slit from behind. He pumps hard and fast. Just the way I like it.
He feels me up all the way. I scream and move my hips in time with him. I feel his balls slap against the base of my pussy lips.
“Damn! Amy! You feel so fucking good!”
I look back at him and let out a scream. I want him to know I’m loving every second of it. Sweat pours down his forehead.
“This pussy is all yours.”
“Fuck!”
“It’s all yours, Dom. It belongs to you!”
He slows down a little.
“You’re gonna make me cum!”
I squeeze my pussy muscles tight around his cock.
“Cum wherever you want to, baby.”
Dominic loves to bust all inside my pussy. And I love when he does it. It turns me on so much.
“Can I cum in your mouth?”
I smile, a little surprised. He never said this before. But I will do anything to please my man, and I would love to taste him.
“Yeah, baby!”
“Fuck!”
He grips my hips and moves in and out of me. He grunts a little. Then, he closes his eyes tight. In one quick motion, he pulls out of me. His hard cock stands at attention.
I turn around and put my wet mouth all over it. He screams as I suck every drop of cum out of his cock. I swallow as I bob my head up and down. He tastes so damn good.
His body trembles as he looks down at me. He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. I keep sucking and massage his balls.
“Oh, my God! Amy! Amy!”
I know I’m driving him crazy, and I love it.
“Fuck! You don’t know what you do to me, Amy!”
I slowly pull my mouth away and smile at him. I feel like such a dirty slut with Dominic, but I don’t mind. If I have it my way, we’ll be spending the rest of our lives together.
We lay down next to each other. He looks over at me and takes a deep breath.
“Woman, you are nothing but trouble.”
“Really?”
&n
bsp; “I think I might have to marry you.”
I giggle.
“You think I’m playing. Just watch.”
Talk about marriage changes my mood. It’s not that I don’t want to be with Dom, it’s just that I can’t help but think about what happened the last time I walked down the aisle. Even amazing sex can’t get my mind off of everything that’s going on.
Adam used to do that. When I got worried about him, he would try to comfort me with affection. It worked. But now, it’s different. I’m older. Wiser. More aware of things.
I look up at the ceiling. Dom touches my face. There’s concern in his eyes.
“Amy? You okay?”
I nod. But the truth is far more complicated.
“Did you hear what I said, about me and you? What do you think?”
“About us getting married?”
“Don’t worry. I’m not trying to go to the courthouse first thing tomorrow morning. But I do love you.”
“I love you too.”
“And I meant what I said earlier. You don’t have to worry about me. That’s a promise.”
I glance at him. I hope that it’s a promise he can keep. I didn’t plan on falling for him but there’s no going back now. I just hope I don’t end up heartbroken and alone.
That night, Dom holds me close. I feel like he’s trying to protect me. Or maybe he’s trying to possess me. I really hope it’s not the later. I have flashbacks to these same feelings when I was married to Adam.
***
I wake up early. Dom is still sleeping in bed as I put on my robe and head to the kitchen. I’m tired from a night of passionate lovemaking, not to mention my pregnancy, but I know coffee is off limits. I decide to kick off the morning with a glass of orange juice.
I turn on the TV. On the news, a local reporter discusses the anniversary of Beth’s disappearance. I think about waking up Dom, so he can see it. But I decide not to. It’s probably too upsetting for him, and I don’t want to bring back any bad memories.
The reporter reads the teleprompter as a photo of Beth is displayed on the screen.
“Local authorities say they are making progress on this cold case and hope to make a big announcement soon. Beth’s family and the entire community of Tomahawk are desperate for answers. If you have any information, please call the sheriff’s department at…”
I turn it off. By ‘local authorities’, I know she is talking about Lyle. My heart is beating fast. I can’t help but picture Dom in handcuffs. The thought of it is overwhelming.
I run to the bathroom, feeling sick to my stomach. I vomit into the toilet. I’m not sure if it’s the morning sickness or the thought of losing the love of my life that brought on my nausea. I wash my face and brush my teeth thoroughly.
I get dressed and kiss Dom goodbye before leaving. He’s so cute when he’s groggy. He touches my face and smiles.
“I’m gonna get a little more sleep. Have a good day.”
“You too.”
I walk outside with a big grin on my face. It feels like everything is moving so fast. I even gave Dom a key to my place. The only thing that’s missing is that he doesn’t know about our child. Not yet. I have to tell him soon. I know I can’t keep it secret for long.
I drive to work. At the library, a group of seniors are using one of the meeting rooms for their book club. I wave hello to them and make my way to the desk.
It’s only thirty minutes into my shift, and I’m exhausted. What I wouldn’t give for a latte or a Coca Cola. But I look down at my belly, reminding myself that there are far more important things. So far, my stomach is still flat, but I know that won’t last long.
“Hey!”
I look up as Lyle approaches. The more I look at him, the more I hate him. He also scares the shit out of me. I think about what Holly said about him stalking girls at the high school. There’s no telling what he’s capable of.
I’m sick of Lyle popping up at my job like this. I pick up the phone to call Abel. That seems like the best idea. I want to avoid escalating the situation. My eyes focus in on Lyle’s gun holster. He wasn’t afraid to point it at Dominic. I don’t want to be next.
Lyle holds up his hands in a peace offering gesture. I hesitate for a moment. I keep my eyes on his.
“I’m just here to talk. That’s all.”
“About what?”
“I…”
“You have to stop doing this. I’m at work.”
“I only came here because I didn’t think that it was such a good idea to stop by your place.”
Has he been stalking me? Does he know that Dominic is staying in my house? It’s a good thing I haven’t been alone lately, for more reasons than one.
“What do you want?”
“I have something to show you.”
I hesitate.
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing like that. Not unless it’s what you want.”
I glare at him. I don’t like his innuendo. I don’t like anything about him.
“It’s important.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“It’s in the cruiser. Come outside and…”
“I can’t leave the desk.”
“It won’t take but a minute. It’s official police evidence. I’m really not supposed to show it to anybody, but I thought you should know.”
My mind is racing. I don’t trust Lyle at all, but I am desperate to know what evidence he has. Is it enough to throw Dom in jail? I can hardly contain my emotions.
“Give me a second.”
He nods.
I step away and go to the breakroom. Carla, one of the other librarians is helping herself to a cup of tea. She watches me from behind her thick glasses with her bright blue eyes.
“Amy? What’s the matter?”
I know I must look worried. Hiding my emotions has never been my strong suit.
“Can you please cover the front desk for a minute? Something came up.”
“Sure, I’ll be right out there. Are you sure you’re okay?”
I nod and leave before she can ask me anything else. I don’t want to go into details with Carla or anyone else for that matter. But I need to know what the hell Lyle’s ‘evidence’ is.
A few minutes later, I step out into the parking lot and walk over to Lyle’s cruiser. He’s leaning on the driver’s door holding a big envelope. I’m terrified about what’s inside, but I try to keep calm. I glare at him. Impatient.
“I don’t have long.”
“I know.”
He opens the envelope and takes out a stack black and white surveillance pictures. The first picture is of a stripper in a Viper club. I recognize a few Vipers in the background.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“Keep looking.”
I go to the next picture. It shows the stripper giving Dom a lap dance. He looks to be enjoying every second of it from the big smile on his face. I’m mortified.
“Amy? What’s wrong?”
I shake my head.
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I nod.
“What’s this all about?”
“The Vipers are dealing meth and running a prostitution ring, and I hate to say so, but it looks like Dom is in the middle of all of this.”
It feels like I can’t breathe. The other night when Dom told me he was helping James and Abel to get dirt on the Vipers, I was suspicious, but I trusted him. How could I not? He told me he loved me. But now, I’m not so sure and I wonder what else Dominic might be hiding.
Chapter Fourteen
Dom
I park my motorcycle in the lot of Lips, the raunchiest strip club in town. I’d much rather be at home in bed with Amy, but I have no choice but to be here tonight. This is one of the Viper’s main hangout spots. Abel and James are counting on me to get enough evidence to bust these bastards once and for all. It’s a lot of pressure, but I’m willing to do what it takes to clear my name and p
ut this all behind me.