I wanted to be alone tonight but watching him leave me again hurt too much. He exhaled and stepped away from me. My body jerked when the door slammed shut. The silence filled every corner and left me breathless. I covered my mouth as the numbness spread through me.
“The day I left you waiting for me in Sedona to go home with Mickey…” Dom’s voice froze me in place. I stood caged between the bed and his towering frame behind me, heart blasting. He cleared his throat. “That day, a heavy weight burrowed itself in the center of my chest. In that hollow space where I buried all my feelings for you. Some nights the crushing pain was so bad, it’d block all oxygen from my lungs and I’d wake up in a panic.”
He snaked a warm hand around my waist and turned me toward him. “I’m sorry about before. All this has been surreal. Mickey getting shot. I never saw that coming. Believe me when I say that I want to be with you and spend the rest of my life making plans with you. If you want to go now. I’m ready.”
That much I understood. My head was still spinning from everything that’d happened since Mickey showed up at the warehouse. I had lived with the threat that was Levi lurking in the shadows for so long that now that he was gone, I couldn’t shake the feeling it was all a lie. That I missed something, and he was still alive, waiting for me. I tried to recall what I saw when I drove off the parking lot, but I couldn’t remember if I’d seen Levi lying there or not.
“Is he really gone?”
Dom nodded. “Both bodies are being cremated tonight.”
I gasped, and my knees weakened. Dom hugged me to him. “It’s over. I know how you feel, but it’s really over.”
“Izzy will be heartbroken.”
“Believe me. She’ll learn to cope with it, and she’ll have you and your family to help her through it.”
“I’m sorry you got caught in the middle of this mess.” I pushed myself away from Dom.
“First of all, you had nothing to do with Mickey using Levi to get to you, to get to me. And second of all, I wanted to help. I wanted you to be happy. I would’ve killed for you. I would’ve killed Levi if I knew without a shadow of a doubt that getting rid of him would make the problem go away. I knew that in time, you would’ve regretted killing your own family. He deserved what he got, but at the end of the day, he was still your niece’s dad.”
“He asked me to watch over them.”
“I’m sure he thought he did it all for his family.”
“You don’t believe that?” I buried my face in the nook of his neck and shoulder.
“I believe he thought he did it for them, but he only sacrificed himself because he had no way out. He betrayed the cartel the same way he betrayed you and your family. Except this time, he met the big bad wolf.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was doing business with Mickey. Mickey screwed him over. There was no going home for Levi.”
The last piece of the puzzle fell in place for me. After all these years, Levi never really understood what he’d done to our family. Why did he apologize? To get me to take care of Jess and the kids? Then he truly didn’t understand the meaning of family.
“Emilia, I love you so goddamn much.”
“I love you too.” I caressed Dom’s cheek, letting my fingers slide down his strong jaw. He cocked his head and kissed the inside of my wrist. And just like that, the past, my anger, and all the days I’d spent without him vanished from my mind. “I wish we could go now, but they canceled my flight.”
“I know.” He flashed me a smile.
I hit his chest. “You did that? How?”
“You keep asking that. I run this town, remember? Or…I used to.” He tightened his grip and pulled me to him. Heat spread between my legs when his gaze dropped to my bathrobe. “We can be airborne in an hour.” He ran his hot tongue along the soft spot behind my ear. “Or we can be airborne in three hours.”
I melted into him. “Three hours.” I sighed.
“You are so beautiful. Do you know how much I want you?”
He kissed my neck as he tugged on the bathrobe tie. He pushed the terrycloth off my shoulders and let it drop to the floor. His gaze, dark with desire, lingered on my face then moved down to my chest and the rest of my nude body. My skin burned hot. I needed his touch. He reached out with his hand and kneaded my breast. Slow at first as if he were afraid I’d disappear.
“I was an idiot for thinking I could give you up.”
With a moan, he captured my aching peak between his lips and sucked hard.
“I missed us.” I hooked a leg over his hips when he let me down on the mattress. “I miss the suite.”
I took fistfuls of his damp hair. When he lowered his body on top of mine, the silky wool of his suit coat rubbed against my bare skin and sent a rush of heat to my core. I arched my body toward him and grazed the leather of his belt on my mound. Goosebumps spread from my core up to my chest.
He continued his sweet torture, wet mouth on my neck, warm fabric against my breasts, and the smooth and cool feel of his buckle on my belly as he kneaded my backside. I cupped his face and kissed him, plunging my tongue past his lips. He responded with the same intensity, keeping up with my pace. His body felt so good, so strong.
My pulse pounded hot in my ears with all the desire I’d suppressed in the past month. Dom was here, and he wanted me. He wanted a future with me. After all we had been through, life was offering us a new beginning, a new world with no monsters under the bed.
“I want to see you.” I pushed at his chest and then tugged at his buttons. He flashed me one of his half smiles, and my knees went weak. “Take it all off.”
He did as I asked, starting with his shoes and socks. His coat and shirt came off next. I reached for the angel wings inked on his torso and traced every plane of hard muscle covered by smooth, fevered skin.
“I missed your hands.” He caught my fingers and kissed the pads.
“You got bigger.” I laughed.
“Intense workouts are the only remedy for blue balls. Christ, Emilia. I thought of you every day.” He buried his hands in my hair and bent to capture my mouth again.
I unbuckled his belt and he made quick work of his pants as he swiped a condom from the front pocket of his trousers. In two beats, he brought my hips up to meet his erection and entered me. Raw, unrealized need took over. I ran my hands over his muscled shoulders and stomach. He worked me in this position until I called for him.
He puffed out air and let go of my hips. A small flip in my belly made me reach out to him to keep him from leaving again. But he didn’t leave. Instead, he covered my body with his, spreading my legs so his hips would fit perfectly.
With one hand, he gripped both of my wrists over my head and cupped my breast with the other. His intense blue gaze locked onto mine before he plunged inside me, harder and deeper. The furrow between his eyebrows spoke of the danger we’d faced a few hours ago, of the love he’d always felt unworthy of, and the life he wanted with me. My eyes stung with tears. I wanted him to make me forget today and all the days we spent apart.
His lips moved to my neck, where he nibbled a path down to my shoulder. I buckled under him to make him look at me. We were done hiding our feelings. We’d earned this life together. I freed one of my hands and cupped his cheek, pulling him to face me. His features relaxed under my touch, and he let out a moan. He rocked forward and backward, cradling me, holding me tight. The way he filled me inside rippled through my body in hot waves.
This was my Dom. He understood we’d come so close to losing our second chance. The one we were given when we met again at the bar. I wrapped my arms around his neck. I’d almost lost the only man I’ve ever loved.
Tears streamed down my temples as my hips met his, keeping up with the new rhythm he set for us. Not as raw as before, but just as intense. With a groan, he captured my mouth in a deep kiss. He kissed me hard until the heat mounting inside me gave way and spread up to my navel. I cried out and let my climax take over. He sunk dee
per into me and we both fell together.
“Fuck, Emilia.” He gasped for air in my ear.
“I can’t breathe.” I pushed on his chest. He laughed and rolled onto his back, taking me with him. I sat up on his belly, trying to catch my breath.
“I definitely want to do that again.” He raked a hand through his sweaty hair.
“Me too.” I squeezed my legs around his torso, and his cock twitched inside me. “But I think it’s time to go home.
“I like the sound of that.” He frowned and reached under his back to remove a piece of gold foil. “What the hell?”
I chuckled, bringing my legs in to get off him. “Your body heat melted my chocolate.” Settling myself onto the plush pillows, I unfolded the wrapper, fingered the softened mixture off it and into my mouth.
“I thought you wanted to go home.” Dom gripped my butt cheeks and sat up. He kissed me until the sweetness in my mouth was spent. Sliding a hand up to my hip, he stretched his nude body across the bed and rested his cheek on my thigh. Like magnets, my fingers found his soft hair while I played with the muscled valleys on his back. I could stay like this forever.
“Let’s go before I wake up and realize this was all a dream,” Dom muttered against my skin, sending a rush of warmth up my leg.
“Not yet.”
Hours later, Dom called the aircraft management company and within forty-five minutes, we were buckling our seatbelts and rushing down the airport runway. When we reached coasting altitude, the flight attendant prepared a dinner table for two, complete with several bottles of Valpolicella wine.
“I had the chef prepare an Italian fare for us. You seemed to like it the last time.” He brushed my lips with his.
“This plane is overkill. We don’t need this much room.”
“We do for what I have planned. There’s a private bedroom in the back.” With a wink, he unbuckled his seatbelt and caught my hand. I did the same when he ushered me to the couch across the aisle from our meal.
I glanced out the window and squinted at the bright clouds puffing out of our way, covering a pink and orange sky. The last twenty-four hours had been one of the most insane in my life. After everything that happened with Dad, that was saying something. This peace and serenity were something I’d given up on.
“And they rode into the sunset and lived happily ever after?” I asked.
“Technically, we’re chasing the sunrise.” Dom wrapped his arms around me and pulled me toward him so my back rested on his chest and his warm breath teased the nape of my neck.
“A new day? I like that.” I snuggled closer to him. “That’s all want. A new day, a new life with you.”
32
The Second Time
Emilia
Months later…
“What’s with all the ruckus?” I strode into the room, buttoning my jacket. Dom stood by the kitchen counter, looking particularly gorgeous in his slim fit, single-breasted suit. The man could wear a suit.
“Good morning, sleepy head.” He met me halfway and kissed me. A peck at first, and then a long, deep kiss that turned my knees to jelly.
I sighed and pushed him off me. “Okay. Stop that. I need to focus. Big day.”
“I know. First day as a hotshot partner. The hours suck, but you’re gonna love it.” He returned to his workstation where several slices of wheat bread were spread out next to an overturned jar of apple jelly. “To celebrate, I’m making you a home lunch.”
“In a dinosaur lunch box?” I hid a smile behind my fingers.
“Cole left it here last week. I thought you could use it.”
“Okay, so what’s for lunch?” I glanced at my watch. I had a good ten minutes before I had to leave for court.
“I’m not much of a cook, so it’s just three PBJ sandwiches and carrots.”
“That’s a lot of sandwiches. Thank you.” I kissed him on the cheek and grabbed the lunch bag he offered.
“There’s also coffee.” He opened a cupboard and then closed it when he saw only plates. Two cabinets down near the espresso machine, he found the travel mugs.
We’d been in our new house for all of three weeks, and I still couldn’t get used to the idea that this life with Dom was real. We finally had a home of our own, no panic rooms or secret emergency exits. We had friends who visited and left their kid’s stuff behind.
Dom’s phone lit up with a text message. “That’s my ride.” He shoved a mug of coffee in my hand and hung the strap of my briefcase over my shoulder. “Come on, I’ll drop you off.”
On the ride to the office, Dom settled in on his side of the back seat and switched to his lawyer mode, which to me was yet another level of hot for him. He shuffled through papers as he scribbled notes on his legal pad. He’d said he was good at being a criminal, but he was wrong in that. He was always meant to be this, a decent man. Just as we were always meant to be here—together.
When the car stopped in front of my office, Dom leaned over and kissed my temple. “Oh, hey, what are you doing four weeks from Saturday?”
“No plans. Why?”
“Cole and Valentina are getting married, and apparently, we’re in the wedding.”
I giggled. “I’ve never been in a wedding before. Sounds like fun.”
He pulled a strand of hair away from my cheek. “Look at us making plans.”
“Yeah.” I melted into him the way I always did when he looked at me like I was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“I’m so in love with you,” Dom whispered.
“I love you too.”
The intensity of his gaze reminded me how close we’d come to letting our fears rob us of a future together. I never thought forgiveness was something I was capable of, or that it could bring us such content. I never considered any of it until I met Dom. The second time.
Hey Sexy Reader!
Thank you so much for reading IGNITE YOU. I hope you enjoyed Dom and Emilia’s story. If you did, please leave a review. Authors live on coffee, wine, and reviews. Well, I do anyway.
Remember Dom’s friend, Derek Cole, the billionaire who’s recently engaged? If you want to read Derek and Valentina’s story, you can download LOVE OVER LATTES now!
What’s next in the series? UNRAVEL YOU is the enthralling sequel to LOVE OVER LATTES and book one in the Cole Brothers series. A new family saga, binge reading experience: 5 brothers, 5 full-length novels in 5 months!
Note: These are all steamy romances with explicit sensual scenes, happily ever afters, no cheating, and no cliffhangers.
One-click UNRAVEL YOU Now!!!
The binge reading starts on November 18th, 2019!!!
Don't miss out on this suspenseful and seductive series.
UNRAVEL YOU, Book 1 (Derek and Valentina)
PROVOKE YOU, Book 2 (Matt and Ela)
ESCAPE YOU, Book 3 (Tyler and Mia)
UNLEASH YOU, Book 4 (Wesley and Anabelle)
DEFY YOU, Book 5 (Zack and Rebecca)
A sexy and irresistible tale…
Praise for LOVE OVER LATTES:
"Hicks' first installment of her Desert Monsoon series is confident and assured with strong storytelling, nuanced characters, and a dynamic blend of romance and suspense...A sexy and irresistible tale for fans of contemporary romance." - Kirkus Reviews
"Love Over Lattes is one of those quintessential romance novels with plenty of chemistry, mutual attraction, and push and pull between the characters." - Readers' Favorite
Don’t forget to follow my blog to stay up to date on my latest releases
https://dianahicksbooks.com/
Want to hang out? Join my Sexy Reader Group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DianaSexyReaders/
About the Author
Diana A. Hicks is an award-winning author of steamy romance with a touch of suspense. Book 1 in her Desert Monsoon Series, LOVE OVER LATTES, was shortlisted for the 2018 Chatelaine Book Awards.
When Diana is not writing, she enjoys kickboxing, hot y
oga, traveling, and indulging in the simple joys of life like wine and chocolate. She lives in Atlanta, and loves spending time with her two children and husband.
Connect with Diana on social media to stay up to date on her latest releases.
www.DianaHicksBooks.com
Books by Diana A. Hicks
Desert Monsoon Series
Love Over Lattes
Love Over Time
Cole Brothers Series
Unravel You
Provoke You
Escape You
Unleash You
Defy You
Ignite You
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to all the sexy readers out there who read my debut, LOVE OVER LATTES, and wrote incredibly kind reviews. You are the best!
To my critique partner, Piper Grayson. Thank you for loving Dom as much as I do.
To Kat Mizera. Thanks for the kick in the butt. I so needed that. To Shelly, beta reader extraordinaire. Thank you for all the support and encouragement.
To Christina Crayn and Eliza Peake, best partners in crime ever. Hey, we made it! How about that?
To the super sisters, Marta and Angelica. Best. Readers. Ever.
To the awesome Jennifer Ann and Renee George, my conference besties. You ladies rock!
To Lupita and Nestor Arellano always. To Dalila, Yadira, Victoria, Logan, and all my extended family. Thank you for your support. And of course, to David Hicks because brooding heroes are hard to find.
Ignite You: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 0) Page 25