I start moving toward him. His eyes track me the whole way, warm and steady.
The woman notices his attention has shifted and follows his line of sight.
She spots me approaching and straightens a little, subtly turning her body toward him as if to reclaim space that has already slipped through her fingers.
I reach them and plaster on the brightest, most diplomatic smile I’ve ever manufactured. The woman turns toward me, blue eyes sharp and assessing under all that elegance.
“Hey,” I say to Dom.
“Hey yourself,” he offers, stepping closer to me.
“Hi, I’m Jessica.” I turn to the woman and offer my hand.
“Valencia,” she replies, holding my hand a beat too long, her fingers cool. “So nice,” she purrs, “to finally meet the woman who managed to tame this beast.”
Beast.
She says it with familiarity, with layered meaning that makes the air catch in my throat. The sweetness in her tone is weaponized.
But before the discomfort can settle in my bones, something shifts beside me. Dom wraps his hand around my waist. He pulls me into his side, body angled toward mine in a stance that erases any space Valencia had been subtly trying to hold. Valencia’s lashes flutter, her smile tightening like a seam pulled too hard.
Dom looks down at me with a smile and lifts his free hand to slide his thumb across my cheekbone. I bite my lip, giddiness bubbling inside me from the gentle caress.
“Where have you been?” he murmurs to me, low but perfectly audible.
“With Melody,” I reply.
“We were just talking about the good old days,” Valencia chimes in with a tight smile that can absolutely translate to get lost.
“I don’t mean to interrupt,” I say with a shake of my head.
Dom’s thumb drags a final stroke along my cheek before he lets his hand fall to my shoulder. A silent message.
Stay with me.
Valencia sees it and her smile goes brittle in a heartbeat.
“Well… congratulations,” she says, voice dripping back into venom-laced honey. “Really. It must take a special kind of woman to handle him.”
I hold her gaze evenly.
“I don’t have to handle him,” I say with matching sweetness. “Dom and I just bring out the best in each other.”
“It was nice seeing you,” Dom adds, signaling the end of their conversation. “And thank you for the favor.”
I don’t know what favor he’s talking about, but I see Valencia’s eyes flick between us. Something ugly brews beneath the surface of her expression.
The table is loud in the best way possible. The team is packed around it, sharing stories and clinking glasses. And Dom is actually smiling.
His whole face changes when he smiles. The sharp edges soften into something boyish and unfairly gorgeous. His eyes warm, his jaw relaxes, and for a second, he looks almost approachable.
I wish he smiled like this more often. I wish I got to see it when it wasn’t surrounded by noise and distraction—when it’s for me.
Domglances my way mid-laugh, and the brief flicker of softness in his eyes makes my heart stutter. I place my hand on Melody’s arm and push my chair back.
“I’m gonna run to the bathroom,” I say. “Don’t let anyone steal my dessert.”
“Want me to come?” she whispers.
