Dominic is already waiting inside in a full suit. Black on black on black.
He’s freshly shaved and his dark hair is styled back loosely, a strand falling over his brow. His thick thighs are spread, and the outlines of his muscles show under the fabric.
He looks absolutely sinful.
He looks up slowly, and something in his eyes flickers as he takes me in from head to toe.
My cheeks heat instantly. I’m embarrassingly flushed.
The door shuts with a quiet thud, trapping us in a silence thick enough to choke on.
I clear my throat. “No hello? No ‘nice to see you’?”
“Hello,” he says, lookingstraight ahead.
Disappointment and hurt jab at my ribs from his dismissiveness.
The car starts rolling.
I peek over, irritated. “Thought fake boyfriends were supposed to try harder.”
Dom finally turns his head toward me.
“If you’re waiting for flowers and sweet talk,” he says, his voice flat as concrete, “you picked the wrong man.”
“I didn’t pick you, remember?” I lift my chin, smiling even though this man is starting to ruin my night.
His jaw ticks once, barely visible, but oh, he didn’t like that.
“Right,” he mutters.
His knee bumps mine, maybe by accident, but neither of us pulls away.
Dom turns back to the window, voice low. “It’s a red carpet, not a date. I’m not here to impress you.”
“I don’t want you to impress me.” I add, sweetly, “You couldn’t.”
His head snaps back toward me.
Oh. I hit something.
His gaze drops to my mouth, my throat, my legs. The air turns electric. But just like that, he turns away and leans his head back against the seat, like he’s already won.
The car hits a bump, and our knees press together again. The silence stretches.
He turns back to the window, jaw tight, eyes fixed on something far beyond the glass.
I pretend I don’t notice the way his leg stays pressed against mine. The longer the silence goes on, the heavier it gets.
And the heavier it gets, the more something awful and stupid forms in my chest. An ache. Embarrassing and raw, rising without permission.
I steal a look at him. His profile is unfair. Every angle of this man looks flawless.
My voice slips out before I can stop it.
“Do you really dislike me that much?”
He turns immediately. Brows pinched, eyes scanning my face.
