I really hate when people say “trust me” when a huge ball of anxiety is blocking that ability to trust in my chest. Taking a deep breath, convincing myself that maybe Dom knows what he’s doing, I start to peel out of my wet clothes. I’m down to my underwear when I hear the water stop.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” Dom’s gruff voice grits out.
Turning toward him, I’m tempted to cover my chest in a show of modesty. Even though he’s seen me naked several times. Even though he’s complimented every inch of my body and worshipped my curves… he hasn’t in a while. Complete lack of intimacy for weeks in a row tends to make a woman retreat back into timidness.
He steps toward me, his gaze dark and laser focused on me. Not my body, but my face. My eyes. Dom looks at me as if he could eat me, as if he’s been starving these past few weeks, the same as I have.
Dom runs a hand, warm now, likely from checking the temperature of the water, over the curve of my waist. “You did the fun part without me, hm?” He glances at the pile of wet clothes on the floor.
“I don’t know.” With a shaky breath, I find the courage to murmur, “Is that really all the fun there is to be had?”
His hand tightens on my waist possessively and I bite my lip— I struck a nerve. Without a word, Dom sinks to his knees before me. He slips his fingers in the waistband of my underwear and slowly peels them down over my thighs. Dom pauses when my pussy is exposed and his tongue darts out across his lips before he leans forward and presses his lips to me. It’s a delicate, intimate kiss against my pussy and emotion stings as I hear him whisper, “I’m sorry.”
“Dom…” But I don’t know what else to say.
He looks up at me, eyes full of hunger but also… remorse. “I am sorry, Pea.” I open my mouth to respond but he shakes his head. “Let’s get you out of these. The first surprise is in there.” He jerks his head back toward the bathroom while he helps me shimmy out of the scrap of material… which he immediately pockets.
“Oh!” I can’t help but give him a mischievous grin. “Stealing my panties now, are you?”
“There’s a first time for everything.” He smirks.
Dom gazes up at me, still on his knees, and I feel a powerful sense of desire and control that I’ve never felt before. His large hands skim up the backs of my legs, pausing on my thighs. Breaking our eye contact, he focuses on my body in front of him. Instinctively, I press my thighs together, as if that could somehow minimize them in his eyes. Tsking, he shakes his head at my movement.
“Don’t do that,” he whispers, his fingers grabbing handfuls of my thighs before he leans forward and kisses the skin tenderly. All over. His lips travel from one thigh to the next, paying special attention to the stretch marks along my inner thighs.
This is not the first time Dominic has gazed at or adored my body, but dammit, it’s been ages since I felt this cherished. I have to swallow the lump in my throat at seeing the awe in his eyes. I have to remind myself that Dom’s hands aren’t just squeezing my curves; his fingers are gently tracing my skin, showing it the love and tenderness I too often withhold from myself.
“Fuck it,” Dom growls, suddenly standing and pushing me back toward the bed.
A giggle escapes me at his eagerness. “But the surprise?—”
“Fuck it,” he repeats as I lay back on the bed, my naked body on full display while he remains fully clothed. “We’ll get there. But this…” He hovers above me, weight resting on his elbows while his damp shirt and jeans press against my skin, giving me goosebumps. “It’s been too long, Pea.”
Tears form at the corners of my eyes and I nod, causing one to slip off the side of my face. I can’t speak for fear that it might come out as a sob and completely ruin the moment.
Dom brushes the tear away with his thumb. There’s pain in his eyes as he says, “I got distracted by a lot, for too long. I wasn’t there for you… physically or emotionally. And fuck, if I could change it now, I would. But I can’t. All I can do now is be better.Be the man you need. The man you deserve.” He pauses, licking his lips and taking a deep breath. “Will you give me that chance, Pea? To try again?”
With a shaky breath, I shake my head. Dom’s expression shifts to disappointment– confusion– before I murmur, “You never lost your first chance, baby.”
He huffs out a sound of relief before burying his face in my neck. “Thank god,” he mumbles. As he pulls back, he caresses my face, thumb trailing over my lips. “Do you like me, Pea?”
The memory of our childhood whispers floods me with all of the emotions– joy, excitement, nostalgia… desire.
“Yeah,” I whisper, wrapping my hands around his shoulders, holding him closer to me. “A little.” I wrap my legs around his waist, writhing my hips to press against the stiff length in his jeans. “A lot.”
TWENTY
october
DOMINIC
Whisperingthe words we used to when we were young sends a spark of something through me– not just desire, but an overwhelming, can’t-contain-it surge of love. Pen’s soft curves aligned and pressed against me, my hand on her hip, the other cupping her cheek, completely lost in the adoration and light sparkling in her eyes… the feeling rushes through me again. I fucking love this woman, so damn much.
But she deserves the truth, above all else. Before we can continue, and damn, my dick is so hard it’s painful at this point, but that can wait.
I ease off of her, sitting back on my feet. As I reach for her hands to join me, she gives me a confused look.
“What—”
