My gaze snaps to Mal’s face. “What?”
“Nic,” she says, cutting her eyes to me. “He’s not coming to the opening.”
“Oh.” I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice. “I guess that’s for the best.”
Mal nods but doesn’t say anything as she pulls in front of the hotel. We both hop out, and I smooth my dress out while she gives the keys to the valet. Then she’s beside me and bumping me with her hip.
“Ready?”
I slap on my best socialite smile. “Ready.”
***
The evening passes in a blur, and even though I know he’s not going to be there, I spend a good part of it looking for Dom and being heartbroken every time I don’t find his dark eyes somewhere in the crowd.
Despite her promise to stay by my side all night, Mal abandons me as soon as James pulls me into a conversation with a group of real estate investors looking to build some luxury condos a couple of blocks away from Twisted Sistas. While we chat about design and budget, she stands off to the side laughing with members of our team and texting on her phone.
By the time I manage to disentangle myself from the conversation, leaving the gentlemen with one of my business cards and a promise to schedule a meeting next week, I’m ready to go home. Celebrating the completion of the project that brought me and Dom together without him has taken all of my energy.
I find Mal in a corner still typing away on her phone and wonder if it’s Chris she’s talking to. When she sees me walking up, she slides her phone back into her clutch and gives me a soft smile.
“Time to go?”
“Yes.”
She links her arm through mine and leads me back through the crowd, completely dismissing everyone trying to come up and chat, until we’re at the entrance. Right before we open the door, she slows down. “Alright, I don’t want you to be upset with me, but there’s someone outside who wants to speak to you.”
The moment the words hit the air, my heart starts to pound in my chest. Suddenly, I understand why she was so adamant about my fashion choices today, she knew Dom was going to show up and wanted me to be looking my best.
“Mal…”
She tugs on my arm, forcing me to look at her earnest expression. “Sloane, just listen to what he has to say, okay? You guys have both been miserable for the last few weeks, and I’m tired of watching you pout. You love him. He loves you. Don’t let anything get in the way of that.”
“I don’t—”
“Don’t tell me, tell him.” Then she’s opening the door and shoving me out of it with a maniacal laugh. I stumble onto the sidewalk with a shocked gasp that turns into a full-blown yelp when I collide with the hard planes of the chest I’ve been dreaming of for weeks. A familiar set of warm hands go to my waist, steadying me in an instant.
“Angel.”
The warmth of his tone lights a fire in my belly, and it only burns brighter when I look at him. He’s wearing a black-on-black tuxedo that somehow matches my dress and makes his eyes look impossibly darker. I bite my lip, feeling myself softening for him immediately. All of the ice around my heart finally melts away and leaves nothing but the love I’ve been trying not to feel for so long.
“You’re here,” I breathe, my hands going to his chest so I can feel his heartbeat underneath my palm. “Mal said you weren’t coming.”
“Like I said before, wherever you are is where I’ll be.” He searches my face. “Are you upset that I’m here?”
“No.”
The smile that stretches across his face makes my knees weak, and I can’t stop myself from smiling back. He lets go of my waist and brings his hands up to cradle my face. My breath catches as he rests his forehead against mine. “Tell me you’ve missed me as much as I’ve missed you.”
Desire swirls in my veins as I let the command in his reverent tone wash over me. And in this moment, I can’t deny him anything, especially the truth. “I’ve missed you more.”
He makes a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat just before he brings his lips down on mine. I moan into his mouth, arching into him desperately while my hands run over his chest. Kissing him again feels like finally coming up for air after a lifetime of being underwater. Every breath I pull in is full of him, and I relish it, hating every second I’ve had to go without it. I never want to be without him again, and I try to convey it with every glide of my lips over his.
“Okay. I need to stop now.” Dom pulls back with a groan. “I have something to show you. Will you take a ride with me?”
I’m almost afraid to move, to do anything that takes us out of this moment. Things with us are so precarious, so fragile, it feels like moving an inch will send us spiraling into madness again. Dom senses my hesitancy, and he rubs small circles over my jaw with his thumbs.
“It’s all out there now, angel. Every truth I’ve hidden from you, everything I’ve wished I could tell you for as long as I’ve known you. You know it. There’s nothing left that can break us. Tell me you believe it.”
