Gasoline

by Bella Jeanisse

  He held her close as he gradually made progress, his hips in a languid, steady rhythm. Her entire body shuddered again, his followed suit. It was indescribable. She felt tight yet open to him. Maybe she finally relaxed? He lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

  “I love you, Noelle.” His lips lightly brushed hers.

  Her bottom lip quivered. The emotional aspect had grown. She reached up and touched his face, fingers spread over his cheek. Her mouth opened, and then closed, unsure. Her back arched as he thrust again. Pleasure washed over every inch of her.

  “Dominic…. Dominic…” Deep inside, her core tensed. She cried out his name loudly. “Love… you. Dominic. I love you, too.”

  His lips crashed into hers, and he held them there, trying to hone in his own emotions. She was crying. He didn’t want to join her. His heart hammered in his ears. His hips moved faster. He needed to claim her as his. Had to make her see he was worth the risk. That their love was worth fighting for.

  Moaning loudly, he kept thrusting, wanting to spill his seed inside her. His eyes were stinging, tears starting to pool. He slid his tongue over hers with his next kiss and held her close. With a gasp, her body tensed under him, then shuddered. He felt it deep inside her. The orgasm was powerful and lasting.

  Noelle clung to him as her pussy clenched and relaxed. Her body tingled from head to toe. Dominic’s mouth prevented her from talking, or even moaning too loudly, but she couldn’t complain. Her hands moved to his face and neck. She deepened the kiss, needing to be one with him all over.

  He tilted his head more and moaned into her mouth. Her hips had started to move with his. She strained against him, grinding into him as he did to her. Within, she pulsed. It felt so amazing. He didn’t want it to ever end. However, he had to move. His balls ached. They could make love all night. He withdrew and pushed back in again and again. His breathing became ragged.

  “Noelle,” he mumbled. She clung to him again. He could feel it was coming for her again.

  Her eyes rolled back, their lips disconnected. This is impossible! She strained, her muscles taut. “Dominic, oh God!” She cried out something inaudible.

  “Fuck…” Dominic sucked on her neck as his cock spurted into her. It was the most incredible relief. Never had cumming felt so good. “Noelle,” he whispered. “Love you so much.”

  She let her tears flow as her body continued to tremble and her womb contracted. “Dominic…” She closed her eyes for a few seconds. Then she ran her fingers through his hair. “I love you, too.”

  His head lifted and his eyes lit up. “Do you really?”

  She pulled in her lips and nodded.

  He fell down on her and cradled her body with his. “I’ve never said that to any woman but her.” He took in a shaky breath. “I love you.”

  She worried he would compare them. How can I live up to a dead woman? One who gave him a child? A daughter he lost in a violent way. She sniffled, not wanting to relive the agony he felt as he told her the story.

  “I promise… I’ll never compare you.”

  That made her smile. Can he read my mind? Maybe he just knew how I’d feel . He had a habit of understanding without her saying a word sometimes.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for setting me free.”

  She closed her eyes as tears fell. “You freed me, too,” she admitted.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  In the morning, Noelle woke up slightly confused. She felt the warm naked body behind her. Panic arose, thinking it was Mitchell again. After taking a deep breath, she looked around. Sunlight was filtering through the blinds. The room was unfamiliar, but not a hotel room. There were no pictures, nothing truly personal, yet it felt lived in. Movement behind her caught her attention. The man pulled her closer. It was obviously a man, from the erection poking her ass.

  She turned a bit, but couldn’t see his face. He had it buried in her hair. She ran a finger over his arm that held her and smiled. The tattoos did not begin until his upper bicep. Her disorientation dissolved. She was in Dominic’s room, and they had made love the night before.

  Then what he revealed came to mind. He had kept that apartment out of guilt, never moving on. Claire and Annabeth’s faces came to her, both so beautiful. What an awful loss for him. She completely understood why he hid it from everyone. It was too much to deal with. She hoped he didn’t still blame himself.

  She wondered what happened to him in the accident. If he didn’t remember much, that meant he was unconscious at one point. He had said his legs were pinned. Had they been broken? She didn’t remember seeing scars on his body, but she never really looked for them. Could he talk about it without getting upset? Maybe he needed to talk about it. Telling her about the accident seemed to help tremendously.

  Still unsure if she should ask, she slipped under his arm and opened doors until she found the bathroom. Her thighs had dried cum all over them, and she felt nasty. She wanted him to wake up to her but also be clean. She rushed through a shower, her hair tied up to keep it dry. There wasn’t anything feminine to use, but he had a neutral-smelling bar soap that did its job. The mouthwash on the sink edge came in handy.

  When she set foot in the bedroom again, Dominic was still on his side, arm lying in the empty space before him. She approached the bed and looked him over. Not with appreciation, but looking for evidence of an injury. She saw none. Thinking back to the night before, she remembered feeling ridges in his skin where there shouldn’t be.

  Ever so slowly, she climbed on the bed. She looked at his side and hip, nothing. Then she saw something. Hidden within a tattoo on his left thigh was a long scar. Her gaze went down and she found more on his calves and the front of his leg, his knee, his foot. All of them embedded in tattoos. It was obvious he had gotten them after the accident because the tribal patterns were not skewed with the scarred skin. The tattoo artist had used the scars in the design.

  Gently, she rolled him to his back. He stirred, but didn’t awaken. With her fingers hovering over his skin, she looked over the rest of him. On his chest, he had a tattoo of a symbol associated with the medical field. It had a gash running through it. He must have had that one before the accident. She examined him some more and found another damaged one, on his left bicep. That was another tribal pattern. The bulk of Dominic’s tattoos were tribal. There were tiny nicks in the ink throughout the four-inch-by-four-inch piece.

  She imagined he was in a lot of pain when he woke up. A few tears spilled as she wondered how he got through it all. Wanting to hold him, she crept up the bed and lay down at his side, her head resting on his chest. He had been through so much, lost it all and still somehow moved on. She didn’t know what she would have done in his place.

  Dominic woke up smiling. He felt her holding him and kissed the top of her head. “Morning.” He caressed her naked back and was surprised to feel a few drops of water. “Did you take a shower?”

  “Yes,” she croaked, still fighting the urge to cry.

  He lifted her chin. “You look so much more beautiful without all the makeup.” He kissed the freckles on her cheeks. Then he looked into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  She looked at his chest, staring at the scar in the middle of the tattoo. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.” He sat up, taking her with him. “Did I do something wrong?’ He waited, but got nothing, her eyes glued to his chest. “Do you regret what you said last night? I don’t.” He lifted her chin with two fingers. “I love you. Please talk to me.”

  Her shaking fingers reached out and caressed the tattoo. He looked down, and his expression fell. She noticed his scars. “Don’t.” He moved her hand, held it in his. “Please.”

  “You have so many,” she whispered. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”

  He took in a shaky breath. “Yes. They died. It was awful.”

  “But…” She swallowed the sob. “But you were hurt, too.”

  He closed his eyes and hugged her, wanting her to shut
up. “I healed.”

  “Did you pass out?” She tried to stop the barrage, but once she started, she couldn’t stop her mouth. “How long were you in the hospital? Did you break your leg? Why did you cover the scars?” She clasped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed at her behavior. He didn’t need her being nosy.

  Dominic held her close and let the memories come. He had opened his eyes to overwhelming pain. Every inch of him hurt. He was on a backboard, his head strapped down.

  “Tommy was there.”

  Noelle looked up, only seeing his chin. He held her too tightly to move much. “In the car?” She was confused.

  “No. When I woke up.” He took a deep breath. “His head was on my shoulder and my hand was in his. He was crying. I never saw him cry before. When I moved a bit, he looked up and said, ‘Don’t move.’ Then he bolted from the room. I laid there, flashes of the accident coming to me. Since I was a paramedic, I knew why I was strapped to a backboard. It terrified me.”

  She listened; glad he was sharing. As he continued, she could see the scene in her head, like a movie.

  The emergency room was loud, and the curtain around his bay was open. He quickly realized he was in his hospital. The one he brought patients to the most. Nurses he knew passed and gave him a sorrowful look. He guessed he looked bad.

  Tommy came back, pulling a doctor with him. “He’s awake. That’s good, right?”

  One look told Dominic the doctor was familiar, but he wasn’t sure of the man’s name. He examined Dominic painfully. When his legs were moved, he screamed. That wasn’t good. Minutes later, both his lower legs were splinted. They hadn’t done any X-rays or a CT scan yet, so the extent of his injuries was still unknown. After getting something for the pain, he and Tommy were alone, sort of.

  Tommy sat on Dominic’s small bed carefully. He tried to keep a poker face, but it was too difficult. “Man, I need to tell you something.” He wasn’t sure if he should hold Dominic’s hand or what. Wishing Jon were there to do this for him did no good. He was out of town. “Dom, the accident was bad, real bad.” Tommy looked away, and then got ahold of himself. “They…” His voice broke. He laid a hand gently on Dominic’s shoulder. “Dom, they didn’t make it. I’m so sorry.”

  Dominic stared at him, not understanding at first. “Make what?”

  “They…” Tommy didn’t know what to say to lessen the blow. He knew his best friend was about to get the worst news of his life, but it had to come from him, not some cold doctor. “Dom, they died… Claire and Annabeth. When they pulled them out, it was too late.”

  Tears fell as Dominic remembered screams and crying. My girls’re gone? He tried hard to remember how the accident happened. The pieces came slowly, mostly blurred and not a full sequence. He knew it sometimes took a while to recall details after a severe trauma. He opened his hand, and Tommy grasped it.

  “I’m so sorry, man.” Tommy laid his head on Dominic’s shoulder again and they cried together.

  Noelle was speechless. She had no clue he and Tommy were that close. He must have helped him through it all. It gave her a newfound respect for Tommy. She ran her hands down Dominic’s back, in a soothing motion. Dominic was shaking slightly. It had been an emotional story. She hoped one day that he could tell her about “his girls,” as he called them.

  Dominic breathed deeply, letting the pain go. No one but Tommy knew how he found out or that he blamed himself. Even Jon was clueless. Dominic had wanted it that way. He kissed Noelle’s lips; glad he shared it with her.

  “So now you know.” He stroked her bottom lip with his thumb. “What’re you thinking?”

  She looked up, seeing his smile. “I feel honored.” She held back a new round of tears. “Were the tattoos Tommy’s idea?”

  “Yeah.” He had hoped she would say she loved him. “It helped some.” He brushed her lips with hers. “I love you.”

  She closed her eyes and managed, “Love you too.” Her heart constricted.

  “I know how hard that was to say.” He hugged her tightly again. “Thanks for trusting me. I won’t let you down.”

  Noelle took a deep breath. “So this means we’re a thing, right?”

  “I hope so.” Dominic didn’t want to assume. “Just me and you? Finding time where we can?”

  “I guess.” She was still terrified of the separations. “Can you be faithful?”

  He sighed. “If you ask me to be, I will. Promise.”

  “I want you to be. Please.”

  “Then I will.” A lot was running through Dominic’s mind. “When does your tour end?”

  She hoped he planned to see her before, then. “End of the month. Then we have a few months off.”

  “I can’t wait.” He smiled and nuzzled her neck. “Three months with you’ll be heaven.”

  She pulled away quick. “Wait. I have songs to write and recording to do. I can’t spend it here with you. Can you come to Seattle?”

  He hung his head. “Oh, I didn’t think of that.” It wasn’t going to be easy. He had known that. If he had to, he’d blow off some of the time he lent to Jon and meet her. “I’ll find a way.” Then he perked up. “I want you to hear something.” He jumped off the bed and left the room.

  Stunned, Noelle sat there. When he soon came back with an acoustic guitar and the music book she had glanced at the night before, she smiled. He was going to play her a song. She got comfortable as he sat and settled the guitar on his thigh.

  “Don’t laugh. I’ve never written a ballad before this.”

  She smiled. “I won’t. I swear.”

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Rarely did he share music at the pre-recording stage with anyone but his band. He was nervous. Even Tommy hadn’t heard the song yet. The opening notes flowed easily. When he got to the first verse, he looked up and sang to her:

  “There you were up on the stage. Acting like you were in a rage. Suddenly you looked at me. That’s when I knew I could be free.” A memory of the very first time he saw Noelle played in his head. “Been so long since I let someone in. It’s time I finally feel alive again. You helped me open my heart and mind. I’m gonna leave the past behind.”

  She had no idea she had done so much for him. He had been planning on opening up to her since before the past night. That meant she helped him heal. She looked inward. He had done the same for her. When he started to sing again, she looked up, love in her eyes.

  “You’re the one who makes me feel. When I’m with you, it seems so real. Look in my eyes and you will see. You have to be the one for me.” He took a breath and continued the chorus. “You’re the one I can’t let go. I really want this thing to grow. With you, I am a man who’s free. You have to be the one for me.”

  He put the guitar on the floor. “There’s more, but I think I tortured you enough.”

  Suddenly, she threw herself at him, knocking him onto his back. “Hey, hey, don’t cry.” He trailed his fingertips down her back. “That night changed my life. I hope it changed yours, too.” Going back again, Dominic embraced the memory.

  He had seen her in passing a few times on the tour before that. She was in an opening band, but he had never made the time to see her perform. Tommy had been whining about her ignoring him, so he wanted to see what she was all about. Not many women brushed him off.

  Her talent floored him, and her beauty overwhelmed him. Never had he been so attracted to a woman at first glance since Claire. He watched her command the stage and mesmerized the crowd. The band behind her was great, but her… She was nothing short of extraordinary.

  Noelle stepped off the stage after their set and practically ran into Dominic. She stumbled in her high-heeled boots. When he caught her, their eyes met. “I’m so sorry,” she said as she got to her feet. “Mr. Spinelli, it’s my fault. Next time…”

  He grinned and put a finger to her red lips. “It’s OK, and call me Dominic or Dom.”

  Dominic shook his head to get back to the present. Noel
le had calmed. He held her close, hoping she had the day to herself. He didn’t want to have to drive her all the way to New York yet.

  “When do you have to be back?” he asked.

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe like six.”

  “Good, then we have plenty of time.”

  As if fate had other plans, music came from Noelle’s skirt pocket. She sighed and reluctantly left the bed to retrieve her phone. With a frown she answered, “Hi, Mitchell. What’s up?”

  His voice was frantic. “Thank God. You OK? When you didn’t answer the door, I got hotel security to check your room. All your things were there, but you were gone.” He took a breath. “You fucking scared me! Where the hell have you been?”

  She glanced at Dominic, then at the phone unsure how much to tell him. Then she decided on a half-truth. “I met up with Dominic last night.”

  “You’re still with him?” He sounded so low. “Guess you’re blowing off our plans, then.”

  She hit her forehead with a hand. “I forgot. I’m sorry. Can’t we do the sightseeing thing tomorrow?”

  “We’re leaving tomorrow,” he reminded her. “I’ve never been to New York before.”

  His sad tone hurt. “Mitchell, I’m sorry.”

  “Go.” Dominic came to her. “Go have fun with him.” He caressed her arms. “I have to check on my parents and run a few errands anyway.”

  She leaned her head on his chest. “You sure?”

  “Yes.” He smiled, hating that he was faking it, but the time to himself gave him another idea. “I’ll stay with you tonight, and you can make it up to me.” That was a good plan.

  She reached up and put a finger on the tip of his nose. “You’re the best. Love you.”

  “Huh?” Mitchell asked in her ear.

  She blushed and turned as Dominic embraced her. “Nothing. I’ll have to take a cab up there. I’m out in New Jersey.”

  “I can drive you,” Dominic insisted when she ended the call.

  She shook her head and held him tight. “This way you can get to everything you need to and not have anything in your way tonight.”