Page 21 of Dominic

I was buzzing with a mix of frustration and anticipation. I knew what I wanted, and every inch of my body screamed for it, but Dom was playing by some rule book I hadn’t read. After the life I’d just left, being in the Grim Road compound had changed how I dealt with things. I’d always had to be patient and careful. Lemon and Calista especially had shown me that I didn’t have to weigh each decision I made. That it was OK to sometimes make the wrong decision. Most importantly, I’d learned I didn’t have to be patient all the time. So I was done. It was time to take what I wanted. If I had another panic attack, Dom would help me through it. There wasn’t even a question.

Dom was always up early. I hated mornings. Had come to loathe getting up before at least noon. Why? Because there had never in my life been a time when I could stay in bed if I wanted to. I had no idea it was even an option to not be up when the sun first climbed over the horizon. So, he never woke me when he left, but he did leave me a note on his pillow telling me where he’d be when I got up and was ready to go outside and today was no exception. But today, I wasn’t coming to him.

At twelve-thirty, I heard him enter the house. I took a breath to calm myself. This was the moment of truth. If he rejected me, there’d be no going back. I’d have to find somewhere else to live because I needed Dominic like I needed to breathe. I’m sure a psychiatrist would have a field day with everything rattling around in my head, but Dom was my choice. If I couldn’t have him, I knew I couldn’t be around him.

I’d prepared as carefully as I could, showering and shaving everywhere. That had been Lemon’s suggestion. No, I do not want to relive the conversation. I’d lotioned my body until my skin was soft and silky. Then I’d draped a thin sheet over my body and settled on my side in the bed facing the door and waited for Dom to come check on me.

“Annie?” he called out to me as he shut the door. “Honey? Where you at?”

This was it. “In the bedroom, Dom.”

I heard his heavy footsteps move down the hall toward me. I broke out in a sweat and it felt like my heart was going to pound through my chest. This was a bad idea. So fucking bad…

“Baby, you good?” he spoke as he rounded the corner, his gaze automatically focusing on me the second he could see inside the room. His eyes widened and he came to a sudden stop just inside the doorway. “Annie?” The question was a husky growl. “What the fuck are you doin’?” He sounded like he was musing to himself rather than asking me a question.

His gaze ate me up. Dom clenched and unclenched his fists as if fighting himself to keep from doing something he knew he probably shouldn’t.

I raised myself up onto one elbow, letting the sheet slip down just enough to reveal more skin. My breath hitched as I watched his reaction, his eyes darkening with desire yet filled with confusion.

“Dom,” I started, my voice a mix of determination and vulnerability, “I’m tired of waiting. I know what I want.”

Dom closed the door gently behind him and took a cautious step forward. His jaw clenched as if he was battling internally. “Sweet God, Annie. Are you fuckin’ sure?”

My breath caught. This might actually be going to happen. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I think I’ve been waiting for this since before I escaped. But only with you.”

He didn’t move. I could see the indecision on his face. I could also see desire growing by the second. When he took one slow step forward, Dom scrubbed a palm over his mouth. I watched as he eyed me from where my toes peeked out from under the sheet, to where it was held in place over my breasts by my arm.

“Christ, you’re beautiful.” He took another step forward. One slow step at a time. When he finally made it to the bed, he sat down carefully, like he was afraid of scaring me and expected me to bolt at any moment. He reached out and brushed a finger down my cheek, then brushed my lip with his thumb. “You can always tell me to stop, honey. I don’t care how far it goes, if you want or need to stop, tell me and we stop.”

“What if I just need a second? Can we maybe back off but try to continue?”

“Absolutely, honey. You’re in control. I’m here for you.”

I let the sheet pool around my waist. “This is as far as I got when Lemon told me what to do to get you to fuck me. She said I’d figure it out and if I didn’t, you’d take it from here.”

That seemed to snap him out of his trance. His gaze found mine and he let out a surprised chuckle. Then he really laughed. The sound was infectious and I found myself smiling. The tension drained out of me when Dom scooted farther onto the bed and rolled halfway on top of me, pinning me underneath him.

His laughter still rumbled within his chest as he hovered over me braced on one forearm, his eyes twinkling with a mix of mirth and raw desire. “Lemon. Of course she had a hand in it. I gotta say, though. She might not have written the best instruction manual, but her advice wasn’t half bad,” he murmured, his voice deep and soothing. “Though,” he continued, “I think we can improvise a little from here. What do you think?”

The anxious knot in my stomach loosened at his words and the tender way he gazed down at me. His large hand, warm and reassuring, slid from my cheek down to my shoulder, and I felt every last bit of tension ebb away. “I think that’s a brilliant idea,” I managed to say, my voice steady despite the pounding of my heart.

His weight on top of me felt comforting, grounding, and I felt a surge of relief. Here was Dom, not pushing away but pulling me closer to him. It was a new sensation, this mixture of safety and exhilarating danger. I reached up to thread my fingers through his hair, pulling him down for a kiss. His lips met mine with a fiery urgency that belied his earlier hesitation. Not that I minded at all. His desire fueled my own. If I hadn’t been sure before, I was definitely sure now. I needed him to show me what sex was supposed to be like. And I wanted to belong to him in every way possible.

The kiss deepened, the feel of his shirt rubbing over my nipples electric. Dom’s let his hands roamed over the curve of my waist, up to cup my breast gently as if I were something precious.

I realized as he kissed me so reverently, that from the moment I’d met Dom, he’dseenme. Sure, we’d gotten off to a rocky start, but it hadn’t been all that bad. He’d irritated me, but he’d also taken care of me. He accepted me just as I was. Annie, who’d never been loved before. The thought alone was enough to make my toes curl with pleasure.

With a murmur of agreement, Dom rolled off me and tugged the sheet away and tossed it over the side of the bed. Then he reached for the hem of his shirt. His chest was smooth and muscular, a temptation I couldn’t resist touching as I leaned in to place a kiss over his heart. As he stripped off his shirt, I found myself tracing the lines of ink on his skin.

Once he’d gotten rid of his shirt, he lowered himself on top of me, moving between my legs. I was naked, but Dom still had on his jeans. The scrape of the rough material against my bare pussy was a curious mixture of discomfort and pleasure. It wasn’t pain, exactly, but it wasn’t comfortable. I was too sensitive, but I absolutely did not want to lose that delicious friction.

“Kiss me,” I whispered. “I love it when you kiss me.”

He obliged me with a sharp grunt. Unlike every other time we’d kissed, there was an edge of wildness to this. His beard tickled my face as he deepened the kiss. He thrust his tongue inside my mouth and I whimpered in excitement. Gripping his shoulders, I dug my nails into his skin to hang on and hold him close.

Dom pulled away, panting. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he growled as if trying to keep it together. His lips trailed down my neck in a line of hot kisses that made me squirm beneath him. Then he leaned back, eyes on fire.

I smiled up at him, unable to speak as Dom positioned himself over me once more. This time he rocked his hips back and forth between my legs as he settled himself where he wanted to be.