When I turned my head, his playful smile was gone. His dark eyes bored into mine and stole my breath. I never blamed anyone for gravitating toward Dominic, he had a pull no one could resist, and I was forever under his spell.
“Hey, nice to see you back.” The waiter from last night came over to our table with a big smile and handed us both a menu. “It’s open mic night if either of you sing.”
“No, thank you,” I said with a chuckle. “No one wants to hear me sing.”
“It’s been a long time since I got up there. I’m probably rusty as hell.”
My head whipped toward Dominic. “You used to sing? How did I not know that?”
He shrugged as he flipped through the menu. “A couple of cousins would drag me to the stage at weddings. I used to kick everyone’s ass at karaoke. My voice wasn’t half bad, but like I said, it’s been awhile.”
The waiter smiled at us before he walked away.
“So, you’re shy all of a sudden? You have all these new fans here.”
Dominic laughed at my quirked brow. “No, not shy. I’ll tell you what, ifyouwant me to sing, I’ll do it.”
“I think I do.” I rested my chin on my hands, a slow grin curving my lips.
His eyes widened as he leaned back on the chair.
“If that’s what you want, you got it. Just let me know if you’re trying to live out a rockstar fantasy, so I know how to play it off later.” He threw me a wink and stood.
I spotted Dominic already laughing with one of the guys in the band as weak applause still lingered from the woman leaving the small stage. When he made his way to the microphone, my heart pounded in my ears. The jerk didn’t look the least bit nervous. I shook like a leaf, and I wasn’t even up there. He gave the crowd an easy smile before the beginning chords of “Stand by Me” started to play.
He looked over at me as he sang, swaying back and forth like he owned the room as much as he owned me. When his eyes met mine, they twinkled and stirred up a ton of different feelings. There was a little mix of shock and awe, as I had no idea he had a voice like that. It was sweet and husky, and he even held the long notes without a single crack. He was adorable and sexy on that stage, and I wanted to hear more. I wanted more of everything from Dominic.
I’d dated my share of guys, maybe even thought I’d loved a couple, but I’d never felt like this. I loved every second we spent together this weekend, but what I really wanted was to go home and find out if he was really serious about us moving in together. He’d only brought it up once, but I thought he was trying too hard to be casual about it at the time.
But what if hewascasual about it? If he asked me, I was an easy yes. I’d move in with him and follow him anywhere because there was nowhere else I wanted to be. Being this much in love with someone was both thrilling and terrifying all at once.
Clapping and cheers broke out when he finished. He slipped the mic back into the cradle on the stand and stepped off like it was all nothing.
“So, what did you think?” he asked, as he slid back into the seat next to me. “I told you, I’m a little rusty—”
I grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him before he could finish. He laughed against my lips as I pressed harder.
“Are you hungry or do you want to leave now?” he rasped in my ear and dragged kisses down my neck. “If you want to be my groupie tonight, I’m all in.”
I swatted his arm and dropped my head to his chest.
“You’re amazing,” I told him when I raised my head. “I think I want you to sing more often.” I sifted my hand through his hair, his eyes fluttering a moment when my nails scraped along his scalp. “In fact, when we get back to the timeshare, can you sing ‘Stand by Me’ with your shirt off? That’s more in line with my rockstar fantasy.”
I leaned in to kiss him, giving his bottom lip a little nibble as I pulled away.
He shot me a crooked grin, nodding slowly as he gently slid his hand over the nape of my neck.
“Your wish is my command. Maybe we can hijack the timeshare for a few months. I’m not ready to take you home, yet.” A bashful smile tilted his mouth. “I’ve always had that problem.”
My home was Dominic. All he had to do was say the word.
“Let’s get dinner and get out of here.” I ran my nails up and down his arm and quirked an eyebrow.
Dominic waved our waiter over. “I have a shirtless concert to prep for, we can eat in the car on the way back.”
We grabbed takeout and piled into our rental car. I made Dominic sing every song that came on the radio, but made sure to lower the volume enough to hear his voice. He nailed every single one.
“Stop laughing at me,” I yelled, holding back the twitch of a smile as I pushed Dominic away once we stepped inside. I rummaged through my bag for the big green bottle I knew I’d need. I couldn’t take the steaming of my skin anymore.
