Page 18 of Exile
“Brother or not, I don’t think you should be spending time alone with him. I’m not the type of boyfriend that lets another man cuckold me. If you want this relationship to work, Serena, you need to respect my boundaries.” My heart stutters over his use of the word boyfriend. That’s the second time he said it. He also called me his girlfriend. Is that how he sees us? We hadn’t had any talks about official labels but apparently this is how he sees us. How did I not realize that? We do spend almost all of our free time together. That should’ve been obvious to me.
“Dom, I…I’m sorry. I guess I didn’t realize how serious you were about me. About us. You’re right. I haven’t done the relationship thing in a long time.”
The campus clock tower starts to chime, signaling I’m late for class.
“Shit, Dom, I gotta get to class. Will you come over tonight? Please?” I lace my words with as much pleading as I can.
He lets out a sigh, sounding weary and resigned. “Sure, Kitten, I’ll come over tonight.” I let out a relieved sigh.
“Good. Um, I’ll see you later, then?”
“Yeah, you’ll see me later. This conversation isn’t over. Now get that fine ass to class before you’re late.”
When I finally make it to class the seats next to Kai are taken, leaving only a few seats in the front row open. He gives me an apologetic shrug, but I’m honestly relieved to have an excuse to put some space between us. After my conversation with Dom and Marie’s words of warning, I’m full of doubts about how much time I should be spending with my best friend.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SERENA
That evening I’m pacing in the living room, nervously gnawing on my thumbnail while I wait for Dominick to come over. It’s almost 8:00 p.m. We never agreed on a time, but he’s usually around for dinner when he does come over during the week. Mom and I already ate the stir-fry I threw together, and I have some set aside for Dom in case he hasn’t had dinner, but I’m starting to feel more and more sure he isn’t coming over.
“Sweetie, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up,” Mom says from her seat on the couch, her favorite romance novel perched on her lap face down, holding her place. “Talk to me, Sweet Pea. What’s going on?”
I let out a sigh and flop down on the couch next to Mom. She pulls me into her side, wrapping me up in a motherly hug, and I rest my head on her shoulder. “Dom and I had a fight. I think I messed up, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“Dom…is your new friend?” Mom asks, hesitation in her question as she tries to remember what she knows about him. He’s come around enough now that he’s become familiar to her, but she still doesn’t truly remember him.
“Yeah. He’s my boyfriend…I guess… We haven’t really talked about it, but I think that’s how he sees it. I didn’t realize that, and I think when I hung out with Kai last night and missed Dom’s texts, he got mad.”
“Oh, sweetie, relationships are hard. Disagreements are inevitable, but it’s how you work through them that’s important. Kai is a big important part of your life, and now Dom is too. It’s going to be hard trying to navigate those new boundaries, but if Dom is right for you, he will give you grace and patience.”
Just then, the doorbell chimes, causing relief to flood my system and the taut bowstring in my muscles to loosen. He came. We can fix this.
“I think that’s my cue to head to my room. I’ll see you in the morning sweetie.” Mom plants a kiss on the top of my head and retreats to her room with her tea and book.
When I open the door, Dom is standing there looking devastating in a tight black Henley that looks like a second skin. His eyes are the color of silver moonlight shimmering in a starless night, and his lips are curled up in a contrite, sheepish smile. He’s holding a bouquet of flowers and a box from Baked!, the local cupcake shop.
“You came?—”
He cuts my words off with his lips, crushing them into mine in a claiming, possessive kiss. He swallows the lusty exhale that escapes my mouth and plunges his tongue deep inside, taking everything I have with everything he is. A soft thump of the cupcake box landing on the entryway table registers in the back of my mind, but I’m too consumed by his hot drugging kisses to do anything but follow his lead. Dom pushes us into the house, kicking the door shut behind him. His hands cup my face possessively, not giving me a centimeter of space as he devours me with his sinful mouth. My back hits the wall, and his body presses against mine, his hard muscles pinning me in place, dominating me until I’m pliant, soft, and melting into him.
He pulls away, just a fraction, his lips still ghosting against mine as he commands, “Kitten, take me to your room. I’m done waiting to show you how thoroughly you belong to me.”
“Yes, sir.” My response is barely more than a breath as I take his hand and lead him up the stairs to my bedroom. As soon as we cross the threshold to my room, Dom pulls his shirt off with that one-handed move that can only be described as panty-meltingly hot. My eyes greedily drink in his body. This is the first time I’ve seen him shirtless, and my mouth begins watering at the sight. He’s powerfully built, with broad shoulders, a fine dusting of dark hair across his chest that leads down to his abs that are just defined enough to know he spends time in the gym.
Dom stalks toward me, a predatory gleam in his eye that triggers my flight instinct. I back away until the backs of my legs hit my bed causing me to fall on it. Dom is on me in an instant, his huge body between my thighs, his chest pressed against mine, his lips sucking and nipping at my neck.
“Are you ready for this, Kitten? Because I’m getting ready to teach you a lesson about who owns you.” His voice is a gruff reverberation in my ear. My only response is a low, keening moan as I try to grind my center against his straining erection, desperate for more.
Just as suddenly as he was on top of me, he’s gone. My eyes fly open at the chill I feel from the loss of his body heat. “Dom, what?—”
“Up, Kitten. Take your dress off, and get on the bed on your hands and knees.” His voice is dark and rolls through me like thunder. I can’t fight the compulsion to obey his every command. I sit up and pull my dress off, leaving me in my matching red lace bra and panties. They were an impulse purchase I made after class today, in hopes Dom would be able to enjoy them tonight. His gaze is like molten steel as his gaze slides over my body. It feels like flames licking my skin leaving me flushed and uncomfortably hot.
“Are you wearing that for me, Serena?” Dom licks his lips, and my eyes trace the movement eagerly, desperately, wanting to feel his tongue on me again. I nod mutely, my brain unable to form words at this moment.
“Am I the only one you wear those pretty, lacy underthings for?” His voice darkens, a threat sliding through it that sends a shiver down my spine.
“Yes.”