He sits back in his chair, crossing one leg over the other and smoothing a hand over the fabric of his very expensive suit. “You won’t take my calls. Nic mentioned coming out to dinner with you, and I thought maybe you would be more amenable if we were face-to-face.”
Dom coughs, his eyes flaring with panic when Chris mentions his name. And if it wasn’t so damn awkward, I would be laughing my ass off right now. Lucky for him, all of Mal’s attention is on the man sitting beside me.
“Well, you were wrong. Now you can leave.”
Chris sighs. “I can’t even have five minutes of your time?”
“You got that on the phone a few weeks ago, and just like now, that entire conversation was pointless.”
A few weeks ago? Mal never mentioned speaking to Chris. I wasn’t even aware he was back in town until this afternoon when Dom told me, but if making things right with Mal is his goal, it makes sense that he would try to contact her first. I rack my brain, searching for any instance where Mal was around me and in a similar mood. The only time that comes to mind is the day James hired Dom, and I came home to find her on my couch, her voice cold and sharp as she told the person on the other end of the line not to contact her again.
“That’s because you won’t listen to a word I have to say.”
Mal narrows her eyes, and I almost feel bad for Chris, becausethere’s nothing even remotely welcoming about her right now. I certainly wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of this energy.
“Because it’s too late, Chris! The damage is done. It’s been done, and there’s nothing you can say to undo it, so just leave me alone.”
Chris shakes his head. “I can’t do that, princess.”
Mal shoots out of her seat. The movement is so sudden, it shakes the table a little. She tosses her purse over her shoulder as she fights back the tears shining in her eyes.
“Don’t call me that. Don’t call me thateveragain.”
Then she’s storming out of the restaurant with the three of us shocked and staring after her. I throw my napkin on the table and start to get out of my seat, intent on going after her and making sure she’s okay, but Chris stops me with a gentle hand on my elbow. I feel the weight of Dom’s stare as soon as it lands on Chris’s hand. He’s not even trying to hide the possessiveness in his eyes. Chris catches it immediately and smiles at me as he removes his hand.
“Let me go after her, please.”
Everything in me says letting him follow Mal will end badly, but there’s an earnest and genuine need in his eyes that tugs on the part of me that wishes I would have gone after Eric the day he stormed out of our house. I don’t know if Chris loves Mal like I love Eric, but I can’t find it in my heart to get in the way of him trying to do the one thing I never got to do.
“Okay,” I say hesitantly, watching Chris shoot out of his seat. Before he steps away, I grab his arm and pin him with a hard stare that I’m sure makes me look like my mother. “Dom says you’re here to fix this, and I believe himright now, but if you’re not serious about making things right then just leave her alone. Because if you hurt her again, you’ll be dealing with me. Got it?”
Chris looks between me and Dom and then back at me again. An amused smirk curves his lips before he says, “Yes, ma’am.”
When I release his arm, he wastes no time running out of the restaurant. Dom and I watch him look both ways before he decides to turn to the left. It’s a smart choice, because Mal’s apartment is a few blocks away in that exact direction. I wonder if he knows that or if it’s just a desperate guess made by a desperate man.
Dom clears his throat, drawing my attention back to his handsome face. “Let’s get the check, angel. I want to take you home.”
“I’m worried about Mal. Maybe we should stop by her place and check on her.”
He frowns. “And walk in on another scene like that? I’d much rather spend the rest of my evening with your thighs around my…”
“Dominic!” I laugh, looking around to see if anyone heard the beginning of that very inappropriate sentence. “How can you be thinking about that when you know how upset Mal must be right now?”
“Because Mal is a grown woman, and she knows how to hold her own with Chris.”
He’s right. I know he is, but it doesn’t stop the sinking feeling in my chest. Even though I fought hard to keep Chris from this dinner tonight, I still feel like I betrayed Mal. Like somehow I’m still responsible for whatever pain she’s feeling right now.
“I hope you’re right.”
He waves the waitress over and hands her his card. “I am.”
“Okay.” I stand and smooth my dress down. “I’m going to the bathroom. Please don’t forget to box up my sushi.”
By the time I get back to the table, Dom has all of our food, including Mal’s abandoned teriyaki chicken and fried rice, boxed and in a bag. He hands me my purse and keys then puts his hand on the small of my back as we walk toward the doors. There’s a slight chill in the air as we step out onto the sidewalk.
“Sloane?”
Dom and I freeze, his hand still pressing firmly on my back as we turn toward the sound and find Ash Strickland standing a few feet away. He’s got a huge smile on his face that only gets wider as he moves forward and pulls me into a tight hug.
