Eventually, he broke the silence. "I thought you left."
Ouch. I deserved that. "I thought so, too. Got all the way to the airport exit before I realized my mistake."
"What mistake?"
I turned to look at him and found his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "Leaving you without figuring out what’s going on."
His jaw clenched, and he pulled over on a dirt road that led into the woods. "What do you think’s going on?"
I sucked in a deep breath and slowly blew it out. "I don’t know."
He turned and stared a hole into me. "That wasn't just sex, Carmine. Not for me. And I don’t think it was for you either."
My throat went tight, and I nodded. "Agreed."
The intensity in his eyes nearly knocked the air from my lungs. "So you know that you're my mate."
My breath hitched as the realness of hearing him say it out loud hit me. I wasn't prepared for the emotion it would bring. Deepinside, I think I knew it the moment his knot locked inside me, but knowing it and acknowledging it out loud were two different things. "Yeah. I think I am."
Dom closed his eyes for a moment before reaching over and grabbing my hand. "So what do we do about it?"
That was the question I'd been avoiding since I drove past the airport. We lived on opposite coasts and worked for competitive families. Our lives were built around violence and secrecy, and neither of those things made relationships easy. "I don't know. I told my uncle I'm staying in town for a few more days to keep an eye on things and make sure there's no issues that pop up around Webb."
Dom raised an eyebrow. "And he believed you?"
"Probably not, but he trusts me. I guess he's giving me space to do what I need to do."
Dom's thumb rubbed circles on the back of my hand, and that gentle touch from such a tough man made my chest ache. "Cord asked me to do recon on you. Find out what you're really doing in our territory."
My jaw dropped. "Well, shit."
It seemed we weren’t keeping any secrets from our families.
"Yeah." He squeezed my hand tighter and then pulled it to his chest. "I'm supposed to spy on you and report back if you're a threat."
I almost laughed. "Good luck with that. What are you gonna do?"
His eyes searched mine, and they were conflicted. "I don't know how to be loyal to my family and loyal to you at the same time."
I shifted in my seat to face him fully. "I'm not asking you to choose between me and them. But if this is real, we’re gonna have to be honest about it. With each other and with our families." The consequences of that remained to be seen. Both of us knew that it was more than just disappointment we faced. No one got to walk away. If we were going to be together, then our families had to approve it. The likelihood of that happening was slim.
"It's real." His voice was absolute as he leaned closer. "And I’m definitely not willing to hide you."
"Me neither." I closed the distance between us and felt the pull to him strengthen. "So give me a few days to meet some of your people, and I’ll let Lorenzo know there’s no problem. That way, you're doing your job and I'm doing mine without drawing excess attention."
Dom's eyes dropped to my lips, and his breath hitched. "And what are we really doing?"
"Figuring out if we can make this work."
He closed his eyes and kissed me hard.
I melted into it and let myself embrace everything I'd been holding back. The need, the want, the absolute certainty that this alpha was mine.
When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard. "Okay." He rested his forehead against mine. "Let’s see how the next few days go without raising any flags. But if either of our families think we’re being sneaky, it could get messy. We’re already on thin ice."
"I know. But I'd rather take the risk than walk away without trying."
Dom wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my neck. I felt his teeth graze my neck, and I shivered. "Don't leave again, omega. Not without telling me."
