by Lee Piper
There was a resounding slap of my hand against taut muscle and a corresponding chuckle when I agitatedly shook it to ease the sting. Dominic brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my palm, the sting consequently died and a tingle was born.
I may or may not have sighed.
Might as well get this over with. After all, if his lips go anywhere near me again, this conversation is going to head in a completely different direction.
So, steeling myself, I blurted, “Mum hates me.”
He stilled.
“I’m serious, she does.”
“Why?” His voice was low, dangerously so.
“I—” Swiping imaginary dirt off my skirt, I continued, “I lost something of hers, a long time ago, and she’s never forgiven me.”
“What do you mean?”
I shrugged one shoulder—the one not nestled against his warm torso—refusing to elaborate further.
Dominic’s fingers circled my back and I had to consciously stop myself from purring, Burmese cat style. “Why won’t she forgive you?”
After a minute, I whispered, “It’s easier, I guess, holding onto the hate. She doesn’t have to deal with it, process it, you know?”
“Have you?”
“What?”
“Processed it.”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “It’s taken a heck of a long time and countless hours in therapy, but I’ve made my peace with it.” I gave a harsh laugh. “Now I’m just dealing with the side effects.”
“What about your dad? Where does he fit in all of this?”
“Dad’s not around much. He… He likes to keep busy.”
I could feel Dominic nod in understanding. We were both quiet for what felt like ages before he murmured, “My dad’s in prison.”
Pulling away from him, I stared into his face, shocked. “Dominic, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not. He’s a fuckin’ asshole.”
Okay, then.
Reaching up, I tenderly soothed the tension lines on his face until he shut his eyes and leaned into my touch. A faint smile appeared and my stomach flipped like it was performing at a national gymnastics competition—perfect scores all around.
“Must be hard on your mum.”
“Mum’s dead.” Dominic’s eyes remained closed, and for once, I was glad. If he opened them, he would have seen the true extent of how this news affected me.
A lot.
Too much.
Uh-oh.
“Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Feeling sorry for me. I’ve already dealt with her death so don’t waste your sympathy.”
If it was at all possible, I now felt even worse. However, I didn’t want to push the matter further and risk him never opening up to me again, so remained mute.
“I’ve been thinking.” His eyes were still closed but there was something in his voice that sparked my interest.
“Mmm?”
“About our problem.”
“Problem?”
Blue eyes crashed into mine and my heart somersaulted its way to victory—I was officially national gymnastics champion, there was a trophy and everything.
Oh. That problem.
“We need to fuck. Tonight. Get it out of our system, you know?”
I blinked.
“I mean it. Once I’ve been inside you, all this,” he gestured to the space between us, the one jam-packed with The Great Unsaid, “will be sorted.”
Nothing. I had nothing. I mean, how could the man go from the topic of death to sex without flexing a muscle? And how could I get the mental image of Dominic thrusting himself deep inside me out of my head?
Sweet baby Jesus.
My cheeks flamed beetroot, I was officially a flamingo’s dinner.
Dominic moved my hand from his face to his chest. I watched, mesmerized, as my trembling fingers slowly journeyed down his torso, abs and stomach. There was a strong possibility I moaned out loud when my palm cupped his hardening erection, it felt superb.
“Fuck yeah,” he groaned, shifting against me. “Do you want my cock, angel?” He leaned forward, nuzzling my jawline and setting off a pyrotechnic display in my panties.
“Want it to feast on your sweet pussy?” He licked my earlobe and I almost exploded.
“Yes.” A wanton voice I didn’t recognize panted back. “Hell yes.”
Dominic’s hands shot to my face. He cradled my cheeks, angled my head, and then feasted on my lips as though it were an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Whoa.
Holy. Fucking. Whoa.
It was official, this man owned me.
Completely.
With a stifled moan, I threw all caution somewhere in the general vicinity of the Ocelot and deepened the kiss. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I drew him closer, deeper, delving my tongue inside.
Dear God.
My body ignited with burning need and it was then I came to a decision, if something did not happen soon—preferably in the Big O department—I was actually going to spontaneously combust.
Boom. Gone.
No more Riley.
Just like before, Dominic sensed my growing angst and knew exactly what I needed. “Wanna taste?” he growled between scorching kisses. “A taste of what’s to come?”
I nodded and with a low groan, one of his hands moved to my upper thigh. Slowly, deliberately those deft fingers of his slid under my skirt.
I moaned. And so help me, shifted my legs farther apart, encouraging his fingers higher.
Dominic’s hand glided across sensitive skin, leaving goose bumps trailing behind. At last, his touch flitted over the damp lace of my panties and I jolted—extremely thankful for the vise-like grip I had on his neck. He maneuvered the material to one side and without further preamble, slipped thick fingers through my slick folds before sliding two of them inside. “Fuck, angel,” he groaned. “You’re so ready for me.”
Yes. Yes, I was.
And as his fingers rhythmically pumped me, I could hear the blatant evidence of my carnal want. If I wasn’t so turned on, I would have felt seriously embarrassed, but as it was, his thumb systematically worked my clit so expertly I could not even see straight, let alone blush or pull away.
Honestly, my world concaved around me until there was nothing left except total blackness randomly interspersed with reflective, sensation-fueled light. Oh, and Dominic. Of course, there was Dominic. He was everywhere, it was insane.
Our movements became frantic, desperate with desire. “Need. To. Be. Inside. You,” he muttered between hot, wet kisses. “So—”
Footsteps.
“Fucking.”
More footsteps.
“Much.”
“Okay ladies and gents, here we have the sun bear exhibit—”
I gasped, my eyes wide with horror. Entering the alcove was a group of seven or eight visitors being led by a khaki-clad tour guide with a ridiculously cheerful voice. It grated on my raging hormones and irritated the bejesus out of my almost-orgasm.
“Jacket,” Dominic instructed. “Now.”
Looking down, I quickly rearranged my jacket so it covered all evidence of Dominic’s exploration—his fingers were still inside me—and my obvious disdain for public decency.
With a flurry of pointed hand gestures, Chirpy Khaki Woman began her well-rehearsed spiel, “The sun bear is found in the tropical habitats of Southeast Asia—”
“Dominic,” I whispered frantically. “We can’t—”
“Shhh,” he admonished, his grin wicked. “Of course we can.”
My eyes widened even more—they were going to pop right out of my skull if I was not careful—and with a stifled groan, Dominic’s fingers once again began their slow, sensual onslaught on my Victoria Falls.
“Fuck,” I breathed, gripping his shirt as though I was going to keel over and die from pure arousal induced stupidity. There was no denying it, I was one part terrified and three parts the most turned on I’d ever been in, well, ever.
>
“Tonight, angel. We’re gonna fuck tonight.”
Dominic’s low promise had me biting my bottom lip. I was shocked at my wantonness, yet instinctively opened my legs wider for him—thank God for the jacket.
“Sweet, filthy girl,” he growled in my ear as his thumb once again skimmed over my clit. I bit down harder. “I’m burying my fingers deep inside your wet pussy not three feet away from random strangers and you’re fuckin’ lovin’ it, aren’t you?”
The tour guide kept chirpily yakking away to her disciples.
“You love how I make you feel.”
I honestly didn’t hear much of her well-practiced lecture on account of the devil in my ear and all. However, in between his wicked comments, I registered small snippets, like, “Lives an insular life.”
“You want me to keep touching you like this.”
“Reclusive.”
“Even though someone might find out.”
And, “Stocky, muscular build.”
“Bet that fucker with the camera knows what we’re doing.”
I tried to distract myself but was too busy staring, dumbstruck, at the man who was about to make me give the howler monkey a run for its money in the decibel department.
Dominic’s eyes darkened when he saw my expression. “Shit, Riley. You’re gonna come.”
I nodded, absolutely terrified that any more movement on my part would be the cause of my complete undoing.
“Fuck,” he groaned, then licked his lips and shifted in his seat. “I’m so goddamn hard right now.”
“Not helping,” I silently mouthed.
The tour guide continued, “Unfortunately, I think our sun bear’s in hiding today.”
“Dominic, I can’t—”
“I can’t seem to find him. Never mind, it’s still vitally important we encourage authorities around the globe to—”
“I’m going to—”
“Do more—”
“More, Dominic—”
“To protect this species.”
I bit back an anguished groan, almost carving a chunk out of my bottom lip in the process.
Finally, she changed the topic and gushed, “Well, I think we’re about done here, guys, but next up is the snow leopard. Follow me.”
It took a strength of will I never thought I possessed to hold off until the last of the stragglers followed Chirpy Khaki Woman out the alcove. But as soon as they did, I threw one leg over Dominic’s lap and straddled him. Grabbing his face, I kissed him with an unparalleled ruthlessness, rocking my hips against his hand and chasing the sensation that he effortlessly wrought on my unsuspecting pussy. Throughout it all, Dominic was relentless. His tongue sparred with my own, his thumb expertly massaged my sweet spot and his fingers rhythmically stroked me until I was so full of ricocheting sensation, I didn’t know where he ended and I began.
Boom.
Detonation.
Wave upon wave of exquisite pleasure crashed through me as my body came alive under his touch. Light fractured, sound fissured and my limbs quaked from the intensity of it all. And still, Dominic touched me. His fingers continued on and on until the last of my shudders finally subsided and the roar in my ears gradually morphed into a soft, simmering hum.
“Christ, angel.”
Dazed, I lifted my head from his shoulder to stare vacantly at him.
“You bit me.”
“I—what?”
“Never took you for a biter.”
I shook my head. “I didn’t.”
But he continued on as though I hadn’t spoken. “I mean, a screamer, sure. But not a biter.”
Dominic gently removed his fingers from inside me and held my gaze as he licked each of them in turn, growling in pleasure.
Christ, that’s hot.
I, meanwhile, invested all of my focus in readjusting my sodden panties rather than begging the man for round two. After getting myself sorted, I pulled the shirt collar away from his neck, gasping in horror. He was right, a perfect imprint of my teeth stared back at me.
I slapped a hand over my mouth, exclaiming, “Holy shit, I’m so sorry.” The red panda had nothing on me now, I’m sure my face was more fluorescent than it had ever been.
“I like it.”
I froze. “You, ah, you do?”
He grinned. “You keep surprising me, angel. It’s fuckin’ awesome.”
“Oh.” I had no idea how to respond to that. I mean, really, what was there to say? Looking down, I indicated to the protruding bulge in his jeans which made my fingers itch and my mouth salivate. Okay, a lot. It salivated a lot. “How are you going down there? Do you need a hand with anything?”
His grin grew wider but then turned rueful. “Can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I’ll need to take a rain check on that blowjob. Sound check’s in an hour and I need to get shit ready.”
Downcast and pretending not to show it, I clambered off his lap while attempting to straighten the remainder of my outfit. The need to keep my eyes averted and hands busy proved overwhelming.
My face was unexpectedly swiveled toward Dominic. “I meant what I said though.” His gaze was steady as he held my cheeks in his large palms. “We’re gonna fuck, tonight.”
Be still my beating heart.
I blinked. Once.
“Riley?”
Twice.
“You all right?”
Three times.
“You’re not breathing.”
Dominic’s concerned voice cut through my lust-induced fog and a loud gust escaped me. Shaking my head, I mumbled, “Oh, um, right. Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.”
The wicked half-smile was back and he drew my bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on it. After releasing it, he murmured, “It’s gonna be fuckin’ amazing. You’ll see.”
The scary part was, I believed him.
Chapter Thirteen
If I make a mistake,
If it hurts,
Am I alive?
Is something there?
—MONDEZ, “Rules”
Back at the hotel, I was laying still, dazed, on the private balcony when my phone rang. To be fair, the sun heating my skin and cushions nestled against my back, probably accounted for why it took me so long to answer. But eventually, I did. “Hello?”
Okay, so I’m drawling now.
“Hey, Riley.”
I barely recognized the warm male voice on the other end of the line—multiple orgasms could do that to a girl—but finally it clicked. “Robin?”
He laughed. “You’re sounding very relaxed, where are you?”
I scrambled upright, feeling first dizzy, and then shamefully guilty. In my post-lounging haze, I even glanced about me to reassure myself he was not hiding behind the sliding door or perched in the wall garden attached to the side of the building. Nope, no Robin.
Phew.
“Oh, um, I’m in Melbourne.”
“Yeah? How come?”
“Ah, I’m here with my best friend. We’re seeing a band tonight.”
“Sounds great.” I could almost hear him thinking. “Never took you for a music lover.”
It proved almost impossible to bite back a snort.
Oh, Robin. If only you knew.
There was a short pause on his end and I took a moment to rub suddenly tired eyes. Stupid sunlight.
“I need to confess something, Riley.”
My stomach dropped. After all, if previous experience served, a statement like that almost always precluded years of agonizing misery. “You do?”
“I do.” I heard him take a deep breath. “I can’t stop thinking about our kiss.” He exhaled.
Kiss? What kiss?
It took some time, but finally, I sifted back far enough through my Dominic-saturated memory and remembered accosting Robin at work. I cringed. I also distinctly remember attacking his tie and shirt … before letting Dominic get his fingers on/in me, and all within a twenty-four hour period.
I’m seriously messed up. Doctor Powell�
��s going to kick my ass.
“Ah, yeah. It was some kiss.” I tried to sound sincere.
In all honestly, it was a perfectly good kiss. I mean, it had just the right amount of lip pressure, tongue penetration, and there was even a sexy guy attached to the other end of it. In fact, on its own it proved pretty damn great. So, there was nothing to complain about—zilch, nichts, niente.
I sighed.
Fucking Dominic.
Why did he have such absurdly delicious lips? Why did his dirty mouth do such wild things to me? And what the heck was with those fingers? They needed to come with their own caution sign. Seriously.
Robin continued, “So, I was wondering if you still wanted to go out on Saturday night?” His voice sounded uncertain and my heart immediately softened, I was such a sucker for vulnerability in a guy.
“Oh, um—”
“I was thinking of a sunset picnic on the beach. You know, wine, dips, cheese, I’ll organize it. What do you think?”
I stopped. “Wow. That sounds … amazing actually.” There was no avoiding the smile which threatened to overtake my face.
He chuckled and the sound of it made my stomach do that little flip thing. Robin was such a good man, he was thoughtful, romantic, generous, kind, emotionally available.
Hello, emotionally available.
What the hell am I doing? Just say yes already, it’s only a second date for God’s sake.
“So, I’ll pick you up at seven?”
After the briefest of pauses, I murmured, “Yeah, thanks.”
Once we said our goodbyes and hung up, I stared down at the black screen of my phone for what felt like hours, thinking.
I’m not cheating on anyone, I’m not. I mean, it’s not as though Robin and I are together or anything, we’re not Facebook official and we definitely haven’t had The Talk. If we had, then of course I wouldn’t look at anyone else let alone allow a promiscuous guitarist to finger fuck me. Twice. In one day.
Oh, God.
I honestly don’t know what the heck is going on with Dominic and me, and I’d bet my running shoes he hasn’t a clue either. But something has shifted; it’s different between us now, I can feel it. We’re in a deeper space, we’re somewhere, I dunno—real. Or am I projecting? Does he really just want to have sex with me and be done with it? I can’t believe I just thought that, now I need another run.