I wasn't letting him disappear again.
8
CARMINE
I waited for Dominic at the gas station and forced myself to take slow breaths. What the hell was I doing? My life had taken a turn that I never dreamed possible. Though I was meticulous in my plans, which was what led to my success, I never planned for this scenario.
My phone rang before I could spiral, and Lorenzo's name flashed across the screen.
I answered on the second ring. "Hey."
"You're not at the airport." His tone wasn't accusatory, just stating a fact. "Want to tell me why?"
I rubbed my free hand over my face and tried to come up with something that wouldn't raise more questions. "I think I should stick around for a few days. Make sure Webb wasn’t working with anyone."
"I thought you and your new friend already confirmed everything was handled."
Right. I did do that, didn’t I? "Yeah, it is, but I wanna hang out and spend some time with the locals. Make sure nothing's being traced back to us. Better to be cautious, right?"
Lorenzo was quiet for a long moment, and I could practically hear him weighing my words against what he knew about me. I never stuck around after a job. Never took extra precautions unless there was a real threat. "This wouldn't have anything to do with anylocalin particular, would it?"
"No." The lie came too quick, so I faked a cough, hoping he wouldn’t notice. "Just being thorough."
"Carmine." His voice softened in that way that always made me feel like a kid caught sneaking out. "If there's something I need to know, tell me now."
I stared out the windshield at the empty parking lot and thought about telling him the truth. That I'd found my mate and he was from a different family on a different coast, and I had no idea how to make it work. Or even if it could work. People didn’t leave this business unless it was in a body bag. You worked until the job killed you or you were able to retire comfortably, but always within sight of the family.
The words stuck in my throat. "I just need a few days to figure out some things. Then I’ll be home. Please, just give me some time here."
He sighed silently but didn’t push me to admit what I wasn’t ready to admit. "Fine. But you check in every day. And as soon as you’re ready to talk, I’m here for you."
That was the understatement of the year. My uncle Lorenzo had always been there for me, and I knew he’d support me in whatever the hell was going on. Eventually. Once I grew the ballsto tell him. Before I was ready to voice my thoughts out loud, I at least needed to make sense of them in my own head. "Copy that."
The line went dead, and I slipped my phone back into the cup holder.
A short while later, a black car pulled into the gas station, and my heart kicked up. It was Dom. I couldn’t look away as he parked a few spaces beside me and got out. He was wearing dark jeans and a leather jacket that made his shoulders look even broader than I remembered. I wanted to slip my hands inside the jacket and feel his warmth.
Fuck, he was hot.
The crazy connection between us hit me like a bulldozer. My body recognized him before my brain could catch up, and every cell in me urged me closer. This wasn't just attraction or chemistry. This was fate.
I got out of my car and started walking. "Hey."
"Hey." He met me halfway with his hands shoved in his pockets and his jaw tight. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Just thought we needed to talk."
He glanced around the parking lot and then back at me. "Here?"
"Unless you have somewhere better in mind."
Dom stared at me for a moment before he jerked his head toward his car. "Get in. We'll drive."
His car smelled like him, and that made my head spin in the best way. Within seconds, the tension between us ratcheted up with memories of our night together. The best night of my life. Howwas it only a few hours ago that I left him? It felt like days since I had my hands on him.
Dom pulled out and headed down a side road. He didn't say anything, and I couldn't find the right words either. My plan had been to play it cool and act like last night was just a good way to blow off some steam. But being next to him made that impossible.
I couldn't play it cool when my entire body was begging me to touch him.
