He cups my jaw in his hands, thumbs brushing against my wet cheeks.
"The chain was broken, so I got you a new one, and I also had it cleaned because it was covered in blood. That's why I was gone longer than expected."
Dropping my gaze back to the necklace, I sob, leaning into him, dropping my head to his chest, and wrapping my arms around him.
"Thank you," I mumble. "This means the world to me, Dom."
Pulling away from me, he takes the necklace from my hand and motions with his finger for me to turn around.
I do, and he lightly bundles up my hair, passing it to me over my shoulder before he drapes the necklace around me. His fingers lightly brush against my skin as he does it up, sending shivers through my body.
Dropping my hair, I look down at it, resting against my chest, and a smile graces my face.
Dom presses kisses along my bare shoulder, leading up to my neck until he reaches my ear. He begins nibbling on it, causing me to squirm.
"All I wanted to do was make you smile," he whispers, grazing his lips down the length of my neck.
"Well, you've definitely managed that," I tell him, breathless from the tingles running over my body. "And I can think of plenty of other things you can do that'll have me smiling even more."
Vibrations course through my body from his as he hums, his chest against my back.
"I like the sound of that," he utters, teeth sinking into the slope of my neck, causing a shocked, loud moan to escape from my lips.
Just as his tongue swipes over my skin, his phone starts ringing from the table beside us.
At first, he ignores it, continuing his assault on my neck, running his hands along the sides of my body as my back arches, and my head drops back onto his shoulder.
But then it rings again.
And again.
On the fourth ring, he huffs, snatches his phone from the table, and presses it to his ear.
"What?" he barks.
In an instant, his whole body turns rigid behind mine, and my heart immediately drops into my stomach, ice slithering through my veins.
He stands from the sofa, brows furrowed deep, lips set into a frown, and his free hand tugging at his hair.
"How? How the fuck did this happen?" he shouts, pacing back and forth in front of me. "Okay. Yeah, I'll be there soon. I'll bring Leo with me."
He ends the call and sits on the sofa, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his head into his hands.
I tentatively move towards him, placing my hand on his back.
"What's wrong?" I ask softly, rubbing circles over his trembling back.
He shakes his head, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes that are screwed shut.
Taking a deep breath, he turns to me, lashes wet with unshed tears.
"Percy's in the hospital," he croaks. "He was shot."
Chapter Forty-One
Alicia
His words feel like a bomb, hitting me square in the chest, leaving an aching, painful throb behind.
