When Crystal saw Paulie’s face, her breath caught. She quickly hid her reaction and smiled. “Hey. Been too long.”
“Yeah.” Paulie clenched his hands into fists. She looked as beautiful as ever. “Where you at? Looks like an office or conference room.”
“Demonfire’s lounge,” Dominic told him from across the room.
Paulie’s eyebrows rose. “Who’s that?”
“Dominic.” She turned to him. “Come say hi. Please.”
With a shake of his head, Dominic stood and walked to Crystal. He was still amazed at his own fame sometimes. “Hello.” He waved as he sat next to her.
“Oh my fuckin’ God!” Paulie exclaimed. “You’re kidding.” He was floored that Dominic Spinelli sat next to his ex-girlfriend.
Dominic smiled. “I heard you kick some ass on the guitar.”
“Whoever told you exaggerated.” Paulie felt inferior in that department. “You’re so much better.”
Crystal moved her phone over a bit. “You’re amazing, Paulie.” Her chest constricted a bit. Her feelings were complicated to explain. It was something like heartache crossed with confusion.
“How about I come visit?” Paulie hoped she would let him stay with her.
“Giovanni’d have a fit,” Dominic muttered.
“Who’s Giovanni?” Paulie checked the website he had pulled up with her pictures all over it. “Oh, your drummer?” He had a hard-on from how sexy she still was. “Is he overbearing like Chad?”
Dominic glared at her. He hoped she didn’t plan to cheat on Giovanni again like she had with their guitarist, Chad McLoughlin. Although they were drunk, he knew they were highly attracted to each other.
“You didn’t tell him you were unavailable?” Dominic’s eyebrows rose.
Paulie’s face fell. “Oh. You’re seeing someone?” He had hoped maybe they had a chance again. He decided not to tell her about his divorce among other things. She never left his mind, but he tried to get past it.
“Yes. We live together,” she explained. “It’s been a long road, but I’m happy.”
He debated admitting how much he knew about her life. “Uh, I’ve found a bunch of stuff about you online but nothing about that. Sorry, I assumed— Never mind.” Some of what he read pissed him off. He hoped the post about her being raped was wrong. If someone touched her like that… He took a few deep breaths. “How’s Chad?”
“Even more overprotective.” She swallowed. She didn’t want to mention why. “He means well.”
“Glad he’s still there for you.” Paulie glanced at Dominic who was clearly close to her. “Uh, I may be moving back home.” He hesitated. Should I tell her about my situation?
She sighed. “I heard Reckless broke up. I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. After he had knocked two of Reckless’ drummer Daniel’s teeth out for fucking his wife, things were never the same. “Was fun while it lasted. Thanks to you.”
Dominic put a hand on her shoulder. “Be careful. We don’t need another brawl.”
“Brawl?” Paulie cocked an eyebrow. “You were in a fight?”
She groaned. “No. Giovanni and Chad. Long-ass story that you don’t wanna hear.” And I don’t want to admit to. She understood what Dominic meant, though. “Sorry, Paulie, but I have to go. We can catch up some more another day. I’d love you to meet Giovanni.”
“Uh, we’ll see.” Paulie wasn’t too keen to meet another one of her boyfriends. Especially not another biker like Spikes. He had seen photos of Giovanni’s Sportster on the band’s website. The one of her in a bikini splayed across it was awesome, though. He saved that as the wallpaper on his laptop. “I’ll message you in a few days and let you know if I’m coming back east. Wait. Chad changed his number. Can I have it? I wanna ask him something.”
Dominic moved back to the recliner and watched as Crystal ended the call. Then she seemed to be daydreaming. He didn’t know how close she and Paulie had been, but it was obvious she had fond memories of him.
“You miss him?” Dominic asked. He needed to know.
Crystal turned to him. “Sometimes.” She sighed. “I’m over him, though. I love Giovanni.” She stretched out and lay down on the couch. “You mind if I take a nap?”
“Nah, it’s fine.” He pulled the footrest up and relaxed as well.
His phone jolted him awake. When his eyes were fully opened, he found he had a text from Chad.
Sorry to bother you. You told me we could talk sometimes, do you have a few tonight? I’m dealing with something. I don’t know who else to go to.
Dominic quickly answered him.
I’m at Demonfire, but when I get home, you can stop by. You all right?
The reply came fast.
Hard to say. Crystal’s ex called me. I can’t talk about this at work. Sorry. Let me know when you’re home, and I’ll come by. Thanks.
With a sigh, Dominic put his phone away. He guessed Paulie wanted to get back together with Crystal. That would bother Chad for sure. He was in love with her. That much was obvious to anyone who watched the two of them for five minutes. At least, Chad asked for help again. He enjoyed counseling as much as he used to.
Chapter 10
When they got back to the apartment, Dominic headed for the kitchen and Noelle to the bathroom. Dominic took out several spice bottles and put them on the counter. They had ordered pizza, and Chad was on his way. At the studio, Tommy threw a fit when they got anchovies on one of the pizzas. Dominic didn’t want Noelle to see Tommy in that state, so they left.
“I have some soda, if you like,” Dominic yelled.
Noelle opened the bathroom door. “Water is fine.” She strode to the kitchen and took out dishware to set the dining room table. “Chad’s gonna stay for dinner. Right?”
“I hope so.” He gathered the spices and carried them to the table. “We might need privacy. I’ve become kinda like a counselor to him.”
She smiled widely. “He looks up to you I’m sure.” She made her way to him and kissed his cheek before she set things on the table. “What kind of doctor did you want to be?” They had not discussed his time in medical school often.
“I hadn’t decided, but most likely a pediatrician.” He glanced down the hallway. “I love… chil—dren.” His voice cracked.
Quickly, Noelle moved to him and took him in her arms. “I’m so sorry.” She slowly brushed her fingertips up and down his back. “I’m right here.”
Dominic got hold of himself quickly. He clung to her and fought memories of his little girl. If she didn’t want children, he wasn’t sure what he would do. He missed his baby so much. Another child couldn’t replace his Annabeth, but maybe it would help him heal.
“I’m OK with having kids,” she whispered. It was hard to admit, although she was nervous she wouldn’t be a good mother. She did not have a good example from her parents. “When we’re ready, we can try.”
He froze; sure he misunderstood. “What’re you saying?”
“As long as we time it right...” She swallowed, to hide her apprehension. He wanted it more than she had realized. “We can start a family.”
Overjoyed that she was open to it, he hugged her tightly. “I’ll be patient.” A knock on the door forced him to turn in that direction. “That’s either Chad or the pizza.” He pulled back and kissed her forehead. “I love you with all my heart.”
She knew he did. When he walked away, she busied herself by getting the table ready. When everything was set, she looked toward the door. “Something wrong?”
Dominic turned around. “No. Got the pizza. Chad’s just coming up now.” He smiled at a stressed out Chad. “You’re just in time for dinner.”
“Thanks but not hungry.” Chad had a sad tone to his voice. He felt like the pressure was crushing him. “I’ll hang around until you’re done eating.”
As he stepped aside, Dominic let Chad in and shut the door. “I ordered from Mario’s. Sure you don’t want any?” He watched Chad flop down ont
o the couch. He looked quite down. “I got a calzone, too.”
Chad couldn’t help but look up. His stomach growled. There had been no time for lunch, and after Paulie’s call, he was too sick to eat. “Um, well then, maybe I’ll have a little.” He stood up and left his laptop bag on the floor.
“How was work?’ Noelle asked as the three of them sat at the table.
As he stared at the plate before him, Chad replied, “The usual. Made some upgrades to a few servers and tweaked the main site.”
“Yeah, he’s a geek in disguise.” Dominic laughed.
Noelle eyed Chad. “Good disguise. Never met a hot geek.”
Dominic glared at her. She rarely talked about other men. When she did, his jealous streak reared its ugly head.
“Phil’s almost as geeky,” Chad added.
That made Dominic chuckle which broke the mood. “Electrical genius, too.” He sighed and opened the boxes on the table.
After dinner was done and the table cleared, Noelle waved to the guys. “I’m going to use the computer. Let me know when you’re done.”
Dominic waited until she had closed the door. Then he put out his hand toward the living room. “Why don’t we sit and get comfortable?”
With a nod, Chad walked in that direction and sat near his bag. “Do you know who Paulie is?” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
“Kinda,” Dominic answered. “Crystal and I were talking to him earlier. He’s from Reckless. Her ex, right?”
Chad nodded. “Yeah. She let him go so Reckless could accept a record deal in California.” He took a deep breath and covered his face with his hands. “He found out about her attack.”
“What?” Dominic only made out the word “attack.” The rest had been muffled.
Eyes still closed, Chad moved his hands. “He read about her attack online somewhere.” Quickly, he moved so he could see Dominic. “Can we keep this strictly confidential? I mean, don’t even tell Noelle or Tommy. Please. She’d be humiliated.”
“Of course.” Dominic put up a hand. “This stays between us. No one will ever know.”
Chad visibly relaxed somewhat. “Thanks.” He took several breaths. “The last time I saw him, I promised to always keep her safe.” Chad’s eyes shut again. That conversation with Paulie in Atlantic City was all about Crystal. “I blew it, and he’s seriously pissed.” He pulled in his bottom lip to hone in his emotions. “It was my fault. I pimped her on our site. We even had a few pictures of us fucking. It wasn’t completely obvious that’s what was happening. But, I plastered her in almost nothing as much as possible to attract guys. It worked. Then he started stalking her, and we didn’t even know it.”
Dominic laid a hand on his arm. “You can’t protect her 24-7. It’s just not possible.”
“He…” Chad shook his head. “He almost raped her. I shoulda been there. If I didn’t put work first, I wouldn’t’ve gotten there…” His voice trailed off as he saw it all in his head. He walked in and saw her just about naked under that scumbag. It was the worst thing he had ever experienced. “I heard her screaming over the phone, but when I got into the building it echoed in the hall. People were standing by their doors talking about it, not doing shit to help her. I raced upstairs. The door was broken, open just enough to see inside.” He punched the couch. “Somebody coulda stopped him.”
Chad heaved. He was on the verge of exploding or sobbing. The emotions all came back. Adrenaline had surged through him as soon as she said, “He’s gonna rape me!” His heart pumped like crazy, and he took the stairs like, three at a time when he finally got to her place. The terror in her eyes stayed with him.
Dominic knew he relived it. “Chad. Chad. Look at me. Don’t go back there. I know how real memories feel. But letting it consume you just makes it worse. Take a deep breath, and remember she was OK in the end. She seems so much stronger now.”
Absently, Chad nodded. He agreed with Dominic. She had changed since then, for the better. “I know, but it’s all coming back. Paulie wanted to know exactly what went down. It took some time, but I told him. God. That just about killed me. I never told anyone but Giovanni how it happened, or why. He yelled for like five minutes about using her body to—to…”
As he waited for Chad to continue, Dominic stayed silent. He could feel Chad struggle. Tears rolled down both of Chad’s cheeks as he punched his own thighs. He swore under his breath a few times, Dominic sensed Chad was about to break. He tapped his shoulder and offered an embrace.
Chad leaned into it. Then he was no longer able to control the pain. “How could I let that happen to her?”
Dominic was sure Paulie compounded Chad’s guilt. “You didn’t. It just did.” He guessed correctly that Chad stopped the guy. Otherwise, she would have been raped. “She doesn’t blame you.”
“She doesn’t?” Chad thought she did down deep. “She told you that?”
When he pulled back, Dominic replied, “Not in those words, but it’s obvious, at least to me. She looks to you as her protector. You rescued her, didn’t you?”
“I guess.” Chad sighed and leaned back on the couch again. “It was too late for her to be OK, though. He touched her.” His voice a whisper. “All over. She used to freak out if anyone touched her.”
Dominic looked at his hands. “I noticed that. What I read online was mostly wrong. Paulie must have panicked. I’m sure he didn’t mean to go off on you. Call him back and talk it out. He probably feels even more guilty since he wasn’t around either.”
“Yeah.” Chad knew he was right. Paulie was more emotional than he ever sounded before. “I’ll talk to him.” He slapped his knees. “I should go. Thanks for listening.” He stood.
On his feet as well, Dominic shook his head. “You don’t have to.”
“I need to call him,” Chad insisted. “I hung up before I let him know she was really OK at this point. He was afraid to ask her.”
Dominic shrugged. “OK. Call me if you need to talk again.”
Chapter 11
Noelle sat at the computer desk and looked at her options for her flight home. She didn’t want to leave, but she had to meet with her band and pack some more of her things. Hands on her shoulders made her look up.
“Everything all right with Chad?” She sensed a bit of tension in him.
Dominic was tense. The talk had gotten to him as well. He couldn’t tell her, though. She most likely didn’t know about Crystal’s attack, and he couldn’t reveal it. He knew more about what happened than he knew before. It explained why Crystal couldn’t let Chad go. He thought back and realized not all of what he saw between them was lust. Some of it was from that day. He heard they had a special bond before, but it grew. Chad comforting her was natural to them both.
“Anything I can do?”
Her voice startled him. “Sorry. I promised confidence.”
“I didn’t mean you telling me.” She turned and got to her feet. Then she wrapped her arms around him. “Just seems like it upset you. You’re very empathetic. It must have been about something emotional.”
Dominic nodded and clung to her. “He went through something, and it’s… well, something brought it back up.”
“And you know exactly how that feels.” She slowly ran her fingers through his hair. “Somehow, he knew you’d understand.”
Again, he nodded. Then he nuzzled her neck. “He didn’t have someone like you to help him through it. He’s dealing with it on his own.”
“Now he has you,” she reminded him.
“True.”
He was glad Chad didn’t hold it in any longer. The more he thought about it, he wondered if Chad holding in the anger he had at himself made things escalate quickly between him and Giovanni. Both of them seemed to have short tempers. Dominic didn’t remember that vibe when they first met. Neither of them dealt with their guilt, most likely.
“Let’s do something tonight,” he whispered. “I don’t care what.”
She smiled. “Sure.” Then s
he pulled back just enough to see his face. “I need to book my flight first.”
“Yeah.” He had avoided that all day. “You’re coming back, right?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course I am. I just have to sort a few things out.”
“How about you pack everything and move here?” His own words surprised him. When she didn’t respond, he added, “I need to leave this place behind, and I’d like to start over with you.”
She moved a hand to his face and saw the pain in his eyes. “Are you sure about this?”
He nodded. “Yes. I need you here. Not in a million years did I think I’d need someone this much. The thought of you going back to Seattle is killing me. And no, not because of Mitchell. I mean being alone. I fuckin’ hate it.”
“I know what you mean.” She hated every minute they were apart at that point. However, if she moved in with him, it would be even more commitment. Then she realized she told him they could have a family. In her heart, she wanted it. “Will you have patience with me?”
“What d’ you mean?” His eyebrows furrowed. “You’re not sure, or you’re nervous?”
Noelle took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I didn’t think I was ready for all this, but it feels so right. Then I’m scared it’ll be too much. If I get jealous or paranoid, can you handle it?”
“Yeah. I can.” He took her face in his hands and kissed her lips. “I will always be faithful to you. You have nothing to worry about, but I get it. And you’ll just have to deal with me being scared of losing you.”
She grinned. “Touché.”
“We’ll look at houses when you come home.” He hugged her tightly again. “Something close to my parents, just in case.”
“Fine with me.” She trailed her fingertips down his spine. “So, where should we go?”
Dominic thought for a minute. “There’s a few clubs in Manhattan we can be ourselves at or walk by the river or just drive.”
“How about we drive and see where that leads us?” She didn’t care what they did.
He nodded. “OK. But I wanna take the convertible, so you’ll have to braid your hair or something.”
Evolving Urges (Gasoline Book 2) Page 7