Her answer doesn’t come immediately.
“You’re not sure or you’re unwilling to be honest with yourself?”
Damn her for asking the right questions.
Another beat of silence stretches between us.
“You need to tell him, Dom. He deserves to know. It’s been too long.”
No, we’re not talking about my infatuation for my best friend.
“That’s part of the problem. I’m not sure how he’ll react when he finds out I waited eight long years to drop a bomb-like revelation I’ve worked really hard at hiding from him.”
“It wasn’t your fault,” Elsa counters. “Someone broke your trust… and his.”
“But I never told him. What if he hates me for it?”
“Rod hating you is like saying the earth is flat. Both are impossibilities. You were young and someone with a black heart manipulated you to silence you. Only a dickless coward without balls would do that to a seventeen-year-old girl. No way Rod would hold that against you.”
Maybe not, but he’d kill the guy who hurt me with his bare hands.
CHAPTER 21
Roderick
I came back from my morning meeting ready to call Dom so we could meet up at the end of the day. I didn’t expect the delivery guy entering the building at the same time as me was here for her—flowers and gifts from fucking Joel Banner.
Great.
When I told Marissa I would take the gigantic bouquet to Dom’s studio, my first instinct was to dump it in the garbage at the back of the building and dispose of the two boxes. I didn’t. Not because I’m not that kind of bastard, but because I don’t want to give Dom any more reasons to distance herself from me. So, like a good boy, I placed the crystal vase on her desk along with the boxes. Not sure what’s in them, but from the delicate packaging and weight, I suspect it’s expensive. Then I went back to my desk and sat there and ruminated on how amazing a date it must’ve been for Joel to go out of his way like that. I could’ve been stuck in that headspace forever, but replaying the conversation I had with Loki and my brother was the catalyst I needed. I put my CEO cap on and put in an honest day’s work. I didn’t stay longer than I had to. At seven, I waved the remainder of the staff good night and drove to Dom’s favorite Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant.
As I approach her house, I pull over and text her.
-----
Do you hate Auburn yet?
-----
More than words can ever express. He has an inflated ego, but he doesn’t even master the basics.
-----
Did you make any headway?
-----
What a waste of time. I scrapped everything. I went back to the raw footage. I might have to get some scenes reshot. In other words, I have to redo the video from scratch.
-----
Shit.
-----
Yeah.
-----
So, you’re still home?
-----
I’ve been at it since seven this morning.
-----
Thirteen hours. Wow.
-----
Oh. My. God! Is it already eight? No wonder I’m famished.
-----
I’m here to the rescue!
-----
You’re doubling as a knight in shining armor now?
-----
Almost. I stopped by Flaming Hot Chicken and my Maserati smells really good.
-----
Shut up! You’re lying!
-----
I got all of your favorites including, chicken leg quarters and wings. I made sure to select two levels of heat for the sauce—mild and medium—for you, and Nashville Hawt for me. I got a serving of your three favorite side dishes—I doubled up on the seasoned fries. And for dessert, I scooped up a dozen of their mini lemon sour cream pound cakes.
-----
Shut up! You’re lying!
-----
It must’ve been a long day because you’re repeating yourself, Dom.
-----
You’re pulling my leg.
I bite off a smile. She takes food very seriously.
-----
I can drive back to Manhattan Beach and stuff my face in the comfort of my home or I can come by your place and you can help me eat all this food.
-----
Bastard. You’re playing hardball.
And just like that, I can only think of being inside her again.
Focus.
I push aside the thought of how badly I want her.
-----
Speak up now, blondie, or forever hold your peace.
The three little balls bounce around a few times because she sends her response.
-----
I’ll be waiting with fork and knife in hand.
That’s my girl.
-----
See you in five!
-----
See you soon!
-----
“What took you so long?”
That’s how she greets me when I pull up to her driveway.
She’s waiting outside in this cute floral dress with thin-straps. She’s so tempting, I’m nearly blinded by lust. Her little fists are pinned to her waist. She’s even tapping her foot on the asphalt. Her impatient gaze tells the whole story. She means business. I force myself not to focus on how her bare legs look a mile long.
“I said five minutes. I made it in three. What more do you want, woman?” I say as I slide from behind the wheel.
“Hurry! I’m hungry,” she waves me in.
I can’t help but laugh.
I was worried there might be some awkward tension between us, but I’m glad to see I was wrong. We’re back to being Dom and Rod.
* * *
As I watch Dom clean her plate, I wonder—not for the first time—how such a petite woman can eat so much food.
“I was hoping to have some leftovers for tomorrow,” I say pointing my chin to her plate.
When she lifts her blue eyes to mine, I see an unmistakable shadow of guilt.
“Oh, sorry.”
“I was joking. I always love watching you eat.”
“Thanks for feeding me,” she smiles.
“My pleasure.”
“All this focus and concentration burns a lot of calories.”
I reach out and place my hand over hers before squeezing. She doesn’t pull away. It’s only been two days, but I already miss feeling her skin under my touch. “We’re lucky to have you,” I smile warmly. “I guess I should really speak for myself. Loki is a big boy.”
“Are we still talking about video editing?” Her gaze holds mine.
“What do you think, Dom?” I rasp.
She blushes.
I groan internally when she folds her lower lip between her teeth.
Damn.
I want nothing more than to devour her lips, but there’s the matter of the flowers.
“It slipped my mind, but you received a special delivery today.”
“Yeah, Marissa called me earlier.”
“It’s a nice bouquet.” I can’t believe I managed that.
“That’s what Marissa said. And apparently there’s more stuff. Thanks so much for taking care of it all,” she says shyly.
“Not a problem.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t find a clever way to dump the flowers somewhere.”
“What kind of animal do you take me for?”
She doesn’t need to know it crossed my mind a dozen times.
“It was pretty clear from your macho-alpha-standoff yesterday with Joel, you two would never be best friends.”
“I already have a best friend. I don’t need another one,” I retort.
There’s a flicker of surprise that crosses her eyes.
I take in a deep breath before allowing it to escape through my flared nostrils. “Listen, Dom, you’re a grown woman. If you and Joel are seeing each other, I’ll respect—”
“It wasn’t a date,” she blurts out
.
“Those flowers tell a different story.”
The words fly out of my mouth before I can catch them.
“Wow. They must be something else because Marissa had the same comment.”
“They look very expensive. Someone put a lot of thought into selecting them. A guy doesn’t go to the trouble unless he’s intent on seducing a girl.”
“You speak from experience?” she challenges.
“Nah. Never met a girl who was worth it… well, not until now anyway. Clearly, Joel beat me to the punch.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Jealous, Wolfe?”
“What if I was?”
Her jaw drops.
“It was a business meeting,” she admits.
“It was?”
She nods. “Yes.”
I guess I got it all wrong.
“Nothing romantic?”
“Only if you consider eighteen varieties of tempura sexy.”
I laugh.
“What kind of business?”
“He wants me to help him make his mark in the US,” she says.
“I thought we already had that covered.”
Over another glass of wine, she tells me all about Joel’s proposal.
“Just like us, Joel had a troubled childhood,” she concludes.
His current stardom betrays his less-than-perfect beginnings. I guess a lot of people could say the same about me. I never thought I’d have anything in common with Joel.
“Are you thinking of going for it?” I ask.
As much as I hate to admit it, it’s a phenomenal opportunity for someone with Dom’s incredible skills.
“It’s a big decision.”
“It’s a big opportunity.”
“It comes at a price.”
“Like everything else worthwhile,” I quip.
“I’d be away for six months.”
That’s a fucking long time.
“It’s a problem?” I ask.
“It worries me,” she says in a low voice.
“Why?”
“Out of sight, out of mind.”
“Once you’re back, everyone in the industry will know your name. It’ll put you on the map,” I argue.
“Yeah, I have no doubt it’ll do wonders for my career, but…” she lets her words hang.
“But what?”
She sighs. “Will the distance create an even bigger rift between the two of us?”
I hate the insecurity I hear in her voice.
I reach for her beautiful face and stroke it with the back of my hand. “You and I are solid, Dom.”
“Even after last weekend?” Her big blue eyes are so expectant.
I see.
“About last weekend… I should’ve never been such a demanding bastard. I’m sorry if my questions made you uncomfortable.”
“I know you care.”
“I care a lot. Always have. Always will. It’s just sometimes I’m a little territorial when it comes to you.”
“A little?” she giggles.
“Shut up. You knew it was part of the contract when we became best friends.”
She returns my warm smile.
I study her carefully for a few beats.
“There’s something else I regret about last weekend.”
“Oh, no. You regret what happened between us?” she asks in a pained voice.
“Did you hear me say that?”
“Don’t sugarcoat it, Rod.”
She looks positively terrified now.
“Come here,” I extend my hand to her. When she gets up, I pull her towards me, lift her up and straddle her on my lap.
The flash of her thighs makes me instantly hard.
Not now, Wolfe.
I will myself to stay on track.
I reach out and caress her inked arm.
She doesn’t shiver under my touch this time.
“On Sunday I noticed some new ink on your upper back while you were still sleeping in my arms. I meant to bring it up…”
“But we had a fight,” she finishes my sentence.
“That’s behind us.”
She nods and rewards me with a brilliant smile. “I got it done right before leaving for Europe. I also asked my tattoo artist to saturate the color on my old flowers. It pops like it did when I first got them done.”
Dom’s tattoo is like an eye-catching garden of orange lilies running from her shoulder to her wrist. When she decided to go for it, she didn’t do it half measure. Her tattoo is a striking kaleidoscope of vibrant colors.
“How come I missed that?”
“You were in Miami.”
“That explains it. I love the new ink on you.” My fingers caress her back in slow rotations.
“Thanks.” She flashes me an anxious look. “Are you changing the subject because you don’t want to hurt my feelings? I know I’ll never be able to match your experience. I’m terrible in bed, right? Just tell me, Rod.”
I press two figures to her lips. “Hey, don’t you dare talk about my girl like that.” Dom’s eyes go so wide, it’s hilarious. “I told you already, you’re a hot little lover in bed. Next stage for you? Maneater status!”
“Huh?” she hums against my fingers.
I bore my eyes into hers and open up my soul to a woman like I’ve never done before.
“I regret asking for only one night.”
She pushes my hand away from her mouth. “Wait. What? Your girl? I’m not terrible in bed? You want more?”
“Very much so.”
“Have I entered a parallel universe?”
“Why is it so hard to believe?”
“Everything happened so fast—”
“We’ve been pining for each other for months.”
“There’s something unspoken in your admission,” she says.
“What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t only me?”
“No. It definitely wasn’t one-sided, Dom.”
“Oh.”
“I was hoping there might be more nights between the two of us. Many more.”
“Oh,” she repeats.
“I liked being with you—”
“You mean being inside me.”
“Yeah, I’m quite partial to that as well.”
She laughs.
“I love spending time with you. We hang out all the time, but the intimacy over the weekend made things really different.”
“I was overwhelmed,” she admits.
“Same here.”
“Really?”
“Really, baby,” I say before dropping a chaste kiss on her lips. “I know booty calls aren’t your thing—”
“I—I need time to feel comfortable with a guy,” she says in a near whisper.
As much as it kills me, I let her troubling comment slide. I’m here to make amends, not to be all up in her business.
“I figured. I think we should take a leap of faith.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “I don’t follow.”
“We should make it official and start dating.”
Her head jerks back and she fixes those piercing blue eyes on me.
She opens her mouth, then shuts it. She does that a few times.
“Huh?”
“I said we should start dating.”
“Dating?”
She blinks at me so furiously, you’d think she’s trying to take flight.
I nod. “Obviously it has to be mutual.”
“You. . . us. . .” she ping-pongs her index finger between her chest and mine. “Dating?” she repeats. “As in girlfriend-boyfriend? That kind of dating?”
“Yeah, that kind of dating, silly.”
“Whoa.”
This isn’t going quite as planned.
“You don’t want this to go any further?”
“Did you hear me say that?” she borrows my words from earlier. I chuckle. “Rod, you don’t know how to date. You’re a consummate bachelor.”
“You’ll be my tutor like you we
re all those years back.”
Bouncing around between two homes didn’t bode well for a kid who already struggled in school. As a result of my mother’s inability to be a decent parent, I ended up straggling by one year. It was embarrassing. Without Dom’s unwillingness to give up on me, I would’ve never graduated. She saw intelligence where I—and all my teachers—saw inadequacies.
“We’re no longer in high school, Rod. We’re adults and this is a big decision.”
“One I’ve thoroughly thought through,” I affirm.
She considers me for several long seconds.
“I may have a little bit more experience, but it doesn’t mean I’m really any good at it. My relationships don’t tend to last very long.”
“Maybe because you were with the wrong guys,” I argue.
“And you’re the right one?”
“I am.”
Loki and Roark’s intervention got me thinking hard. I woke up this morning with an unwavering sense of urgency. I’m here to stake a claim on my girl.
“Wow. You’re pretty confident.”
“I’m just feeding off what happened between us.” I pause. “Why don’t we learn together?”
Her gaze intensifies. “You understand you’ll have to become a one-woman-kind-of-guy? No more chasing skirt.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“What about Dark Compulsion?”
“We can have a lot of kinky fun at the club as a couple. We can rent a private room for the night. Maybe a little role-playing…? You can be my naughty secretary or I can be your daddy. I’d love nothing more than to corrupt you there,” I grin.
“You’re impossible, Rod.”
“I said dating, not sainthood.”
“Can you even spell monogamy?”
Will I screw up a few times? Undoubtedly. But the one thing I know for certain is I can’t stand the thought of another man touching her. I want her all to myself. It only makes sense I return the favor.
“I gave you my word, Dom. What more do you want? A signed oath in blood?” She draws in a long, slow breath and releases it. “Not to mention, I haven’t been with anyone since before you left for Europe. I almost hooked up with a woman a few days before you came back, but it never happened.” Her eyebrows hit her forehead. “See, I’m already a pro at monogamy,” I chuckle.
She just stares at me.
“Dom, talk to me. I have no idea what you’re thinking.”
Torrid Love: Friends to Lovers Romance (Bad Boy Studs Book 1) Page 16