Dominic winces at the mention of a knife coming near his balls but looks otherwise unbothered.Brave man.“He doesn’t have anything on me. I just… He wants to apologize to her, and I think it would do both of them some good to have closure after all these years.”
“But if he’s been reaching out and she hasn’t answered, maybe she doesn’t want closure. Maybe she’s over it.”
One of his hands slides up, resting on the small of my back. “Or maybe she’s being stubborn and…”
“He really hurt her, Dominic.” I search his face. “Do you know what it’s like to have your heart ripped out like that? To be shattered by someone and left alone to pick up the pieces?”
The tortured expression etched into his features answers my question with a glaring certainty that steals my breath.My God.Who is the woman that hurt Dominic badly enough to put that look on his face, and why do I want to kill her for daring to own a part of him and throwing it away?
“Yeah, angel.” His hands fall away from me as he takes a step back, schooling his features into a more neutral expression. “I have, and I know what it would mean to me to have that person own it. To hear them say they’re sorry for hurting me even if they didn’t mean to.”
Emotion clogs my throat. My heart is breaking for Dominic, Mal, and all the people waiting on an apology that might never come. Except Mal’s apology is closer than she thinks, and even though I don’t agree with his tactics, Dominic’s logic is sound.
An apology from Chris might go a long way toward healing the hurt I know Mal still carries with her. Years ago, when we were drowning our sorrows in wine and rom-coms at my house, she told me she still loved him, which means some part of her, buried deep under all of that resentment, might be open to hearing Chris out.
But the likelihood of me sticking my neck out for a virtual stranger is slim as hell, especially when I know I’m only one slipup away from blowing my entire relationship with her to smithereens.
I close the space between us with two short steps, wrap my hands around his waist, and lay my head on his chest. Dominic stills then sighs and hugs me back. Everything is quiet around us, but I can’t shake the feeling that something has fractured between us because of my words.And I’m desperate to fix it, to get us back to the playful moment we were having before.
His heart pounds underneath my ear as I search my brain for something to say or do to bring back the smile he had on his face just a few minutes ago. It takes me a second, but I finally remember the spark of amusement and satisfaction gleaming in his eyes when he teased me about calling him Dom at our first dinner. Inspiration strikes, and I lift my head. Batting my eyelashes and flashing him my biggest smile as I run my hands down his chest.
“Dom…” I say sweetly, loving the way his pupils dilate when he realizes the other two syllables of his name aren’t leaving my lips. “All I’m saying is I think we should leave the Mal and Chris situation alone for now. He fucked up, and he should be the one to fix it. Not us.”
The heat of his body bleeds into me, and his spice and citrus scent mixes with the clean sweat coating his skin and floods my nostrils. Taking me back to this morning when I woke up cradled in his arms with my face burrowed in his neck. The panty-dropping smile he gave me then is identical to the one he’s giving me now.
“Resorting to playing dirty, huh?”
I shrug. “A girl’s got to use every weapon in her arsenal.”
His thumbs rub tiny circles on the small of my back, and I shiver under his touch. The way I always do when his fingers—which I know are capable of bringing me pleasure laced with the finest thread of pain—are so gentle with me. It feels like being cared for, like being worshipped and revered, like being…loved.
Chill, Sloane. That’s not what this is.
“Your arsenal is impressive, but I don’t think it’s fair for you to pull out the big guns to talk me out of doing a favor for a friend.”
“Since when are nicknames considered the big guns?”
I really am curious, because I don’t know why it means so much tohim for me to call him anything other than his given name.He hates when people call him Dominic, babe.Eric’s warning from years ago rings in my head, and I don’t know how to feel about using advice from my husband to navigate a relationship with his best friend.
“Since you’re the only person in my life who’s refused to give me one.” His voice is a low murmur. “Now that you have though, and on purpose no less, don’t think I’m letting you take it back.”
My hands are busy now. Running over his chest, up his shoulders, and down the bulges in his biceps. He’s so big—all muscle and masculine hardness that presses into my soft curves and makes me feel small and feminine in the best way.
“Fine,” I concede, pretending for my own sake that I had a choice in the matter. “As long as you agree to shut down this dinner with Chris. It’s a bad idea, and Mal will kill both of us for helping him ambush her, especially since we’ve been neglecting her lately.”
A fact I feel bad about. Mal and I usually spend a few nights out of the week together, but I’ve only seen her for a few hours at work for the past few weeks. She hasn’t complained or made any smart remarks—which still has me shocked—but I miss her and I’m sure she’s missing me. And Dominic.
Dom,I remind myself.You’re supposed to be calling him Dom now.Surprisingly, the nickname doesn’t feel odd on my tongue. Like somewhere deep down, my mind knows this is right. The intimacy. The friendship. The warmth. All of the things I never dreamed of having with him, or anyone after Eric, wrapped up in three little letters.
He doesn’t look completely convinced, but he still nods. “Okay. I’ll text Chris and tell him dinner is a no-go.”
“And I’ll call Mal and invite her out for dinner.” I stand on my tiptoes and offer him my lips for a kiss, which he gives me. “With me and you.”
“Okay.” He heaves an exaggerated sigh. “I guess that works for me.”
I pinch his bicep, and he doesn’t even flinch. “Don’t make it sound like a hardship. You said you wanted to take me out to dinner, and having Mal there was also a part of your plan.”
“Yes, but that was when I thought Chris would be there to distract her.” His eyes shine with warmth. “That way I could stare at you from across the dinner table without anyone noticing.”
