I turn around and look up at him. Dominic grabs onto the ropes, caging me in. His chest rises and falls jaggedly with each labored breath. His skin is glistening with sweat, and his jaw sharpens every time he swallows.
“You know,” he says after a moment. “I’ve never done that in the ring before.” He stares into my eyes for a long time, then he takes my face in his hands and kisses me deeply.
Chapter 28
Dominic
The only thingbetter than watching Mila peacefully sleep next to me is watching her eyes flutter open as I kiss her awake. Sunlight slices through the blinds, and a warm glow spreads across her already tanned skin.
For a moment she seems a little alarmed, as if she’s not quite sure where she is. I can’t blame her; she’s never slept in my bed before. Unless she came in here to clean, I’m not even sure she’s been in my room before.
“Good morning,” I say with a lazy grin. I am lying on my side, my head propped up on my elbow, staring down at her and playing with the curled strands of her long brown hair.
“Mm,” she hums softly. “Good morning.” Then she blinks a couple times before looking around the room. “What time is it?” she asks.
“Eight,” I tell her, and she settles back down.
“I don’t even remember getting in bed. Or driving home. Or getting in your car,” she says.
“You’re making me sound very guilty of foul play,” I tell her, and she giggles.
“I’m kidding,” she giggles. “I remember getting in your car. Willingly,” she emphasizes.
“Thank you for clarifying,” I say, and she smiles. “Though I don’t really remember falling asleep.”
“You fell asleep in the car,” I tell her.
“I don’t know why I’ve been so tired recently,” she says, and something flashes across her face, though I’m not sure what.
“I can think of a couple of things that might have worn you out,” I tell her.
“Ah yes. Kicking your ass in the ring. You’re right,” she says, and I tickle her for a second, making her shriek and snuggle into me.
“You’re a brat,” she says, pressing her hands to my chest, and I press my lips to her forehead in a kiss.
“You want coffee?” I ask.
“Yes, please,” she says, pushing herself up to a sitting position.
We decide to go out for coffee. I throw on some jeans and a t-shirt, and she slips into a pair of leggings, a sports bra, and an oversized, off-the-shoulder hoodie. She twists her hair into a thick, loose braid and slips into a pair of tennis shoes.
“I hope this isn’t too casual,” she says as we head out the door.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her, and I swear she blushes again. “And you smell good too.”
I park in the VIP parking lot, and we walk around the corner to the coffee shop. “The Red Rider Coffee Shop?” she asks.
“It’s a play on words,” I tell her, opening the door of the shop nestled under the massive building. “You know…Little Red Riding Hood. Big, bad wolf.”
“Big bad…wait,” she says, connecting the dots. “Is this–”
“Bad Wolfe Security Solutions, yes,” I answer as we make our way to the counter.
“The whole building?” she asks.
“All forty-seven floors,” I tell her.
“With your own coffee shop underneath,” she says, and I have to admit, her awe gets me a little hard. It’s a nice stroke of my ego if I’m being honest.
