The half-wall surrounding the area was crumbling, and the stones underfoot were uneven. There were overgrown weeds and a white pine that was going to take over the area if given another season. This was going to take a lot of work. And money. “I can help.”
Duffy arched a thick eyebrow. “What kind of help?”
“I got a mason who works for me. Micah owes me for that stunt he pulled in Boston, so he’ll also be working for me as well. I can help you fix this up—put down some new stone and fix the landscaping—and have it ready for spring.”
His wariness was more apparent than ever. “How much?”
“You pay materials. That’s it.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
Duffy crossed his arms over his chest. “Why you wanna help?”
“I know Dominic’s helping you out from his savings. I want him to still have enough money to take his EMT classes. And I’m helping because he cares about this shop and cares about you. And since I care about him, that means I care about this.”
Duffy stared at me for a long while, and I waited to see if he’d tell me to go to hell. It was a good deal, but pride was important to him. Finally, he reached out his hand. “Deal.”
I shook. “Great. I’ll come back with my guy, George, and we can start on a plan. What day is good for you?”
“Monday?”
“Sure.”
With a nod, I started to leave, but Duffy’s next words stopped me. “Sorry for pushing your son.”
I let the door shut and turned.
He sighed. “Things haven’t been good. My temper was high. I don’t blame you for reacting like you did.”
“I don’t regret punching you, but I know I shouldn’t have done it.”
He barked out a laugh, and for a moment, I saw Dominic in his smile. “No one ever regrets hitting me.”
I smiled. “Won’t happen again.”
“Same here.”
“See you Monday?”
He hesitated. “You want me to tell Nicky?”
I shrugged. “That’s up to you. I’m not doing this to get him back. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing to do.”
Duffy shook his head with a half laugh, half scoff. “Never thought I’d say this, but I’m glad you came over here. I had my concerns, but you seem like a decent guy. It would be real easy for a kid with a face like his to attract trouble.” He smiled wryly. “So if you want to try to get back with him, I won’t stand in your way.”
I grinned the entire way home, so that by the time I walked in my door, my cheeks were sore.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dominic
The EMT program was more hands-on than I’d anticipated. There was a lot of time spent working with actual patients in a real hospital and less with essays and reading.
I had a dual sense of working towards a real career, and putting real work into something that wasn’t earning me any money yet. Kind of like the situation at Hot Bagels. I’d put cash money into the business, but increasing the shop’s margin was a work in progress. Undoing years of mess was more than just upping prices and bewildering regulars that had been coming around for a couple decades.
It was arguing with my father to cancel the vendors who stocked premade crap no one bought and went stale and focusing more on hot food and creating an outdoor dining area. So far, I’d won on everything but that battle. He didn’t understand that there were enough young people in the neighborhood to really dig an actual hangout on the corner, and I was sick of debating. Kind of like I was sick of living at home even if things were better than they’d been in a long time.
The commute from Brooklyn to Staten Island was the most peaceful part of my day. Just me and my music, no one talking to me and no debates to be had or pieces of information to internalize and remember. It worked until my thoughts wandered to Luke.
It’d been over a month since we’d last spoken, and I kept wondering if I was doing the right thing by continuing with the radio silence. It was undeniable that I wanted him, that he was good for me, and that I felt good being with him. And, after weeks of celibacy, I had absolutely zero desire to fool around with anyone else.
Nicky C, the player, was officially a thing of the past. Dominic Costigan, the veteran, was more likely to indefinitely end up in one dude’s bed than out in the street trying to chase tail. And apparently I was likely to end up jacking it forever if that one dude stayed untouchable even if he was only a few blocks away.
I kept waiting for a sign of something to change. Or a signal that I should give up the ghost, call him, and try again. But so far there had been nothing. He’d left me alone after his first few texts had gone unanswered back in December, and I just sat and waited for who the hell knew what.
I got off the bus on Forest Avenue with my hand poised on my phone and a keen desire to talk to him, but the sight of his blue truck parked on the corner gave me pause. I looked around, frowning, but saw no sign of Luke himself.
Baffled, I walked into the store.
My mother stood behind the counter, counting the drawer and casting an obvious side-eye at the new guy I’d hired to run the deli. He was an eighteen-year-old who wore a sideways cap and blushed every time Adriana sneered at him, but the kid could slice himself some deli meat.
“Ma, what’s going on?”
“What’s going on?” She counted faster. “What’s going on is that this ridiculous child—”
“Shh.” I ducked my head, cringing. “Ma, come on. He’s a teenager. Be nice.”
“Nice? Is nice going to get him to stop flirting with customers? I’m thinking that’s a no.”
I glanced at the kid—Vinnie. I’d actually pay to see him attempt to flirt.
“I’ll talk to him,” I promised. “Now, what’s up? There’s a truck outside.”
“A truck? Do I look like I keep track of the vehicles on this block?”
Sighing, I summoned every ounce of my self-control to keep from lapsing into the sarcasm-athon she was fiending for. I think she saved up all her banter for me.
“There’s a blue truck outside. It says Rawlings’ Landscaping.”
“Oh.” She stopped glaring at Vinnie. “Luke Rawlings is here. In the back with your father.”
I stared. “What?”
“You heard me. Besides, aren’t you having sex with him? Why don’t you know these things?”
“Jesus, Ma.” I shot another furtive glance at Vinnie. He was doing a good job of pretending not to listen. “Why is Luke here? What’s he doing with Dad?”
“Go and ask him yourself.”
I remained rooted to the spot. “Is Adriana here?”
When my mother went back to her counting and pointedly ignored me, I was forced to find out on my own. I wondered what had happened. Were Adriana and Micah off getting into trouble again? Was Luke reading my father the riot act for not having better control of his kid? All the worst things ran through my mind, but I didn’t necessarily believe any of them. There was no way he’d come to the store to start shit after what had happened between us. I didn’t know a lot, but I was certain of that fact.
I stopped just beside the deli counter and stared at the door leading to the back patio. A cold breeze whipped through the store due to the open portal, but it didn’t penetrate me. There was no ice slinking down my spine to sheath me in a cold shroud of unease. Just a sense of anticipation at seeing Luke for the first time since that night on his porch.
Pulling the knit Yankees hat off my head, I ran a hand through my hair and hoped I didn’t look like shit.
It only took three steps to make it to the back door, and I braced my hands on either side of the frame. Unless my eyes were deceiving me, Luke and my father were embroiled in a serious conversation about… landscaping.
There was a long white paper stretched out on a table before them, and Luke was pointing to parts of it as Duffy rubbed his chin. Nearby, Adriana and Micah were picking through the junk that had accu
mulated on the dirty concrete space over the past several years. All of the old appliances were already gone.
“What’s going on?”
Luke stiffened at the sound of my voice. He glanced up, and his entire face warmed with a smile that I couldn’t help but return. No resentment or awkwardness. Just him very obviously feeling me, and me really fucking obviously feeling him. In front of my father.
Duffy cleared his throat, but it didn’t stop Luke’s eyes from sliding all over me.
“Luke made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
I cracked a smile. “If this ends with a horse head…”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Still enjoying your own sense of humor, I see.”
“Of course. It’s only been a few weeks. The bad jokes don’t dry up that fast.”
“Good. I like them.”
Duffy forged on, ignoring our flirtation. “He said you’d told him about your big plans for the back patio—”
“I never told you about that,” I cut in, still looking at Luke.
“Well,” he said. “Adriana may have brought it up when she was over at the house.”
This time, I gaped at my sister. How had I missed that she was hanging out at the Rawlings homestead now? I’d become too embroiled in EMT classes and reading books about running a small business to focus on much else with the rest of the world.
“Anyway,” Duffy went on. “He said he’d do the landscaping for free as long as I let Micah put some of the work in.”
“My punishment for sneaking off to Boston,” Micah muttered.
He did a good job of looking sullen despite it meaning he’d score more time than usual with Adriana. Her newfound dedication to cleaning up was definitely not a coincidence.
All of my worlds were colliding in the best possible ways, and my brain was on overload. It was the last thing I’d expected when getting off the bus with my finger poised on Luke’s number, but it was a definite sign that it was time to end our standstill.
“Do you mind if I borrow Luke for a little while? We need to talk.”
Duffy shrugged. “No problem. We went over the plans and won’t be able to start until the kids clear out the rest of the junk.”
“Cool.” I grabbed Luke’s forearm and hauled him through the store. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” he asked, his voice warm and amused.
“To my house.”
* * *
Luke
I barely had time to glance around at the Costigan home before Dominic led me down a set of stairs into the basement. He switched on a lamp, which illuminated the room, showing a queen bed in the corner, a broken dresser with clothes spilling out of the open drawers, and a ratty old chair that was covered in Biscuit’s fur.
Oh wait, that was the actual dog.
“Hey girl,” I said softly, patting her head. She didn’t move.
When I glanced up, Dominic was standing by his unmade bed, hands on his hips, staring at me. “So…”
“I’m helping your dad out.”
Dominic kept waiting.
“Okay, so based on what you told me and some things I talked about with Adriana, I approached Duffy and asked him if I could help with the reno. I could tell he was skeptical, but I came with ideas and he liked them.”
“You really came to speak to my father, out of the blue, and offered your landscaping services?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Are you really asking that?”
He tilted his chin up. “Yeah. I am, Luke. You made it sound like you thought he was a piece of shit.”
“Because I want the best for you. And your family. I tried to compare my upbringing to Adriana’s and that was bullshit. I think your parents could use tips on how to deal with her, but fuck, at least they’re present. At least they love her. I didn’t have that.” I told myself I should be over getting emo about my childhood. “I know I’ve said sorry already, but I need to say it again. The things I said when we fought were ugly. I haven’t lost my temper like that in a long time. I’m not going to say I didn’t mean it all because at the time, I did mean them. But I’ve gone over it, and I realize now how wrong I was.”
Dominic nodded slowly. “I appreciate you saying that, but why get yourself involved in the store? Pity? An attempt to apologize? And, by the way, you’re not doing shit for free. So that’s out of the question.”
“Your dad is paying for the materials. And it has nothing to do with pity.”
“Then what does it have to do with? I like that you and my father are getting along, and that you’re accepting Adriana’s and Micah’s friendship, but I want to know what your motivation is, dude. I know you didn’t just decide to cram pro bono patio design into your schedule for funsies.”
“Definitely not. It will be a bitch to juggle,” I said bluntly. “But I want our families to get along. And I want to be involved in other parts of your life. Me helping him just makes sense. What you need done I can get done in a few weeks, and I can make it look good enough to attract a crowd.”
“But—”
“Dominic,” I said. “I want everything to stop being separate. I want… your family to be my family. Which means I get to fucking help.”
He was trying to keep his face neutral, but I could see the spark of hope. It was evident when he bit back a smile and the way he rocked on the balls of his feet. So nervous and unsure of himself, just like that day by the door after our first meeting.
“And you don’t think things will get complicated?”
“You do make my life more complicated, Dominic.” When his lips pursed, I went on quickly. “But I like complications now. Or, your kind of complications. I guess I can still change in my old age.”
Finally, Dominic released a low laugh. “You can stop playing the old-man card any time now, dude. You’re fifteen years younger than my parents. My Dad was scandalized that you have teens.” He shook his head as if clearing it. “Anyway, I knew you were pissed on the ride to Boston, and I know I shouldn’t have gotten so defensive. I should have just let it blow over instead of arguing, but…”
I laughed. “Dominic Costigan not argue?” I stepped closer. “I wouldn’t want you to keep your mouth shut and not call me on my bullshit. That’s what I love about you.”
Dominic’s brows flew up to disappear into his messy hair. “Say what now?”
“You heard me.”
“You can’t say the words outright, man?”
“I love you.”
Dominic searched my face for half a heartbeat before pulling me into a kiss. I wrapped a hand around his waist, tugging him to me as he devoured my mouth. I hadn’t had my lips on him for weeks, and I’d felt it every goddamn day.
His hands left my face to tug on my jacket, and then it was a scramble to see who could get undressed the fastest. When we tumbled on the bed, a bell jingled. I jerked upright with Dominic squirming under me.
“What was that?”
“The dog, man.”
My gaze went to the chair. Yep, there was Biscuit watching us. “Seriously? Can’t you kick her out?”
He bucked his hips to get me off him. It took roughly thirty seconds for him to shepherd Biscuit out of the room and lock the door, but it was too long. The feel of him was imprinted on my hands, and I wanted more.
When he crawled onto the bed with his wicked smile intact, I nearly lost it.
“Where’s the lube?”
He reached under his pillow and pulled it out.
“Damn, that wasn’t far.”
“Use it at night thinking of a certain silver-fox bastard. My fantasies were all I had to keep me company.”
“Yeah?” It went unspoken but acknowledged there’d been no one else in our time apart. How could there have been when all we’d thought about was each other? I shoved him to the bed on his back and hefted my thigh over his, trapping him. The spark in his eye told me he liked it. “Tell me about your fantasies.”
He
ran his tongue over his top teeth. “I thought about that time you took me raw in your hallway.”
Groaning, I drifted my hand down his abs and then cupped his balls, knowing he wanted my hand elsewhere. “You were begging for it.”
He rolled his hips. “You were desperate for it.”
“That how you want it now?”
“What do you think?”
“I think that’s a yes.”
With no one else in the house, I didn’t hesitate to strip him of every piece of clothing before doing the same to myself. I ran my hands over every inch of his body, familiarizing myself with his touch and taste again, before finger fucking him to a state of delirium. By the time I shoved his knees to his chest and aimed my dick at his hole, he was trembling.
I thrust in hard, knowing he could take it, and he hissed out a “yesss.”
I pressed my lips to his, fucking his mouth in time to my thrusts. When I ran out of breath, I flipped him onto his stomach and savored the way he pushed his ass up, eager for more.
“Get yourself off,” I said with a hand at his throat.
Without hesitation, he reached beneath himself, stroking his dick as I continued pounding in and out of him. I lost myself in his tightness, the sound of his gasps, and the feel of his smooth, sweaty skin beneath my grasping hands. I wanted to make it last, but after a month of going without feeling him like this, it was impossible.
“Gonna come,” I uttered. “Goddamn, Dominic. Missed you so much.”
“Missed you too,” he gasped, and then he was coming with a strangled cry. The clench of him around my dick undid me, and I threw my head back while riding out my own release.
I collapsed onto the sheets beside Dominic, both of us breathing hard, yet grinning. I gripped his jaw and gave him another hard kiss before he went to clean up. Once he returned, I opened my arms for him to press up against me. He did with a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth.
“I love you too.”
Warmth filled my chest despite the drafty chill in his room. It filled my stomach, and goddamn I was too jaded to be feeling butterflies, wasn’t I? The feeling intensified when he kissed me again, and I decided the answer was no. I was definitely not too jaded.
Fast Connection (Cyberlove #2) Page 24