There was that chuckle again. The sound I’d loved more than anything, once. Before it had started appearing in my nightmares and chasing me from slumber. “If that’s the case, why can’t you even look at me?”
Fuck him.God, he was such an arsehole. Ten years and three tours hadn’t softened him—not that I’d expected them to.
I wasn’t letting him win though. Not again.
So I twisted, mimicking his position on the bar. I kept my gaze cool as it swept over him. Impassive. Unbothered.
Anything to hide that the sight of him after all this time was killing me. That I was drinking him in like a man dying of thirst. Reminding myself of the exact shade of green in his eyes. Of the slight angle in his nose where he broke it playing rugby when he was fifteen. The dimple in his cheek that I’d once kissed.
Then there were the changes. The puckered scar on the right side of his neck that had caused me a sleepless night two years ago. The black ink creeping out the neck of his white shirt. The dark stubble covering his jaw, making him appear dangerous. Ironic that his exterior now matched the interior.Dominic Walker had always been dangerous.
At least where I was concerned.
He’d been bigger than me at eighteen, and even with the bulk I’d gained, that was still true.
Fuck. I wished it wasn’t. I wished I’d never fucking acknowledged him tonight. I should’ve walked out as soon as I heard his voice.
But it was too late for that now. The best I could hope for was getting through this in one piece and not letting Dominic have even the slightest inkling of how shaken I was by seeing him after all this time.
I turned my attention back to my drink, playing it like it was more interesting than anything he was presenting me with.
In truth, it was too painful to look at him for too long. Once, I’d believed he was my sunshine. The light in my life.
I’d been right. He was like the sun. A sun I’d flown too close to, only to be burned and sent crashing to earth.
“Why are you here, Dominic?”
“I would’ve thought that was obvious.”
The cold trickle from earlier was back, but it was now a torrent of ice. “Cut the bullshit and tell me.”
He shifted, taking a step closer to me. Not touching, but close enough for me to feel the heat of him.“I’m here to claim what’s mine, Ry. Just like I said I would.”
I closed my eyes. The audacity. The fuckingaudacityof this man. “You think you can just rock up in my life after a decade of silence and make demands of me? Fuck you, Dominic.”
“I’m not making demands.” His voice was mild. Unruffled. “I’m just telling you what’s going to happen.”
I faced him then as white-hot fury shot through me. Grabbing his collar, I hauled him close until our lips were nothing more than a breath apart. The move was a cruel mockery of what we’d once been. The times he’d done this to me, but not out of anger or hate.
At least, he claimed it wasn’t. Me? I wasn’t so sure. Even all these years later, I didn’t know the truth.
“Fuck. You,” I repeated, pushing my face as close to his as I dared. “The days of you telling me what to do or intimidating me are long fucking gone.”
Suddenly Max was beside us, his eyes darting uncertainly between us. “Um, guys? People are staring.”
I let go of Dominic with a bitter laugh. As always, he’d managed to make me forget everyone else in the room. I hated that almost as much as I hated him.
“Time to go,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You’re not welcome here, Dominic. Now fuck off before I throw you out.”
Fire smouldered in Dominic’s eyes, and I knew he was debating making me do just that. Of taunting me until I snapped, the way he used to.
But maybe Dominic had changed too, because instead he just smiled. “I’ll leave, Ry, but we both know this isn’t over.”
He went to walk past me but stopped as he drew level, his words a whisper in my ear, meant for me alone. “I haven’t forgotten my promise, and I know damn well you haven’t either, Ry. You walked away from me once, but I’m not letting it happen again.”
“I walked away, but you fuckingran.” I shoved him away from me. “Don’t give me any of that sanctimonious bullshit when we wereboththere. When webothknow what happened.”
Something dark flickered through his eyes before he smoothed it away. He tilted his head mockingly. “Regardless, I meant what I said. I’ll be seeing you, Shadow.”
