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A brief chuckle—so soft it was barely audible—got caught in the tension in the room; and it came from her husband.
“Dom, don’t.”
“You haven’t asked her a single question about child care. She deserves a full interview.” Heather sat straighter, gifting him a cursory glance. “I happen to disagree, and I think this is over. Ms. Sanders, you’re free to go—” “Ms. Sanders—” Her husband cut her off, chewing up my name and spitting it at his gobsmacked wife. “Don’t leave.”
Hes so hor
His head angled just barely, the slight gesture intensifying his steel-cut stare. The simmering at the back of my neck from when we first saw each other started again, sizzling and prickling, and I wanted to squirm beneath his locked focus. I decided I didn’t like the way he stared at me. It was dissecting and… almost intimate? As if his eyes were a cold sweat dripping down my spine, pulling me to attention and trying to seep beneath my layers of skin and baggage.
Quickly, I waved her off and leaned in close. “You don’t need a Demetri. Remember what Anastasia says about men?” She thought it over for a moment, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. Then, her cute little face burst with recognition, and we recited the line at the same time. “All men are babies!”
“Dominic Reed.”
Hehehe
I didn’t get but two knocks in before the menacing doors swung wide open with Mr. Dominic Reed on the other side— Clad in full police officer uniform.
I sighed, talking to the door. “That man needs a stiff drink and an orgasm.” “What’s an orgasm?”
HA
“Well, your daddy is a smart man.” And a stupidly hot cop.
“You like pineapple on your pizza?” “Shit!” It all happened within a matter of seconds. I cursed. The pizza flew. Mr. Reed’s face was there to catch it.
Poorly, I rolled the smile between my lips and took a satisfactory step back from him. “There. All pretty again.” That dark gaze fell to my mouth as it twitched yet again. “Are you laughing at me, Ms. Sanders?”
As the microwave hummed behind me, a peculiar expression shadowed his chiseled face. “You don’t have to call me sir, Ms. Sanders.” Leaning back against the counter, I asked, “What would you rather I call you?” “Dominic or Mr. Reed. Whichever you prefer.” “What if I prefer sir?” The pointed look he gave me from across the room peeled a stupid grin up my face. “Kidding,” I quipped. Kind of.
Of where I’d seen that exact shade before in a pair of striking eyes. Well, shit.
“Uh… okay?” Uh oh. I heard it in my tone before I realized it was already in motion. My temper. She was reaching out and twisting around my insides, screwing up my body so tight, I just had to snap.
“Well, that was super fucking awkward, so I’m gonna go.” Dominic reacted harshly—stunned—like he didn’t expect me to say exactly what I wanted to. “Ms. Sanders—”
“Save it.” I held up a dismissive hand as I walked out, my feet picking up speed. “I’ve got chores to do like a good little employee.” This time, his tone was disciplining. “Ms. Sanders.” But I kept moving, and he didn’t stop me. Fuck...
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Breaking into a sprint, I dodged the fallen chairs on the lawn and even jumped over one for the hell of it. Pride cinched up my cheeks as I laughed. “I’m one skilled drunk motherfucker.”
Every single insult I had locked and loaded tumbled back down my throat. Bafflement dropped my lips apart as I scanned the shadow’s familiar face and realized I knew his deep voice too. And those eyes. There was no mistaking those eyes. “Kat?” All of me trembled as he said my name again, vibrating in shock just as it had hours ago. Dominic’s eyes worked across my face in slow lines, taking me in as I did the same to him. “You know her, Reeds?” the other officer asked. “Sort of.” Dominic’s answer was a low, even mumble. He was still studying me, looking down at me as if he had a million
...more
His hands fisted around the wheel, knuckles breaking white and fingers twisting. “I didn’t arrest you.” He quickly tagged on, “Even though I should.” “Are you going to?” A strong beat. “No.”
Pick a lane, Dom.
“I’m pretty sure we obliterated the line of appropriate and not for today, sir,” I rasped. Dominic turned stiff. “And I apologized. It won’t happen again.”
“Like these handcuffs. I’ve always wanted someone to cuff me.” Impulse tugged my lips up as I batted a heady glance back to him. “I just never thought that someone would be my boss or in front of a Burger King.” “Ms. Sanders. Stop talking.” Dominic was barely holding onto his breath; the strain he was exuding showed in the tense cords in his thick neck. He wouldn’t look me in the eye either.
“Yeah, he left me behind.” Rolling my eyes, I brought the bottle of water to my lips. “Caught him hauling ass out a window when I went looking for him after you guys got there.” Dominic grunted—a truly self-satisfied sound. “Sounds like a real catch.” “Oh, and Heather’s a fucking walk in the park,” I barked in laughter.
“You’re right. It’s not.” Fuck, his voice was leaden, his tone punishing. Silence followed. Loaded, ugly, stomach churning silence that made me want to scream and— “Doesn’t mean you’re wrong though.” My head snapped toward his guilty voice. There was a knitted frown between his eyebrows and on his mouth, making him seem angrier than ever before. Well, in the week I’d known him.
“Trying to keep me in my place, huh?” The wind must have been blowing outside because shadows danced across Dominic’s face at that exact moment, highlighting the sharpness of his cheekbones and casting those eyes of his pitch black. “Something like that.”
“Get back inside the car,” Dominic barked, eyes hot. I shook my head, my stare flickering up and down both sides of the street. My thoughts were flying too fast to consider which one was the better route to take, and my feet were bouncing, ready to fly on command. “Katerina.”
Oh?!
A sharp exhale punctuated the air, a poorly masked attempt to disguise his laughter. His hands over my knees tightened yet again. “Because, despite all of your other infuriating qualities, you’re funny.” Silver eyes flashed to mine. “You’re hilarious, in fact.”
“I’m very aware of how you look, Ms. Sanders.”
SIR
“Katerina,” he spoke thickly, my name a rock lodged in his throat where it didn’t belong.
🥰😍
“Are you purposefully not talking because you know I can’t stand it?” A heavy beat slung between us, my heart pounding. “It crossed my mind.” Don’t call him a dick. Don’t call him a dick. Don’t call him a dick. “You’re a dick.” Dammit.
Dammit
“Oh yeah?” I teased. “You gonna cuff me again?” A humored twitch jumped the corner of my mouth, because I thought we were joking. My small smirk fell when Dominic didn’t return it. My pulse thumped when he fixed his exacting eyes on mine. My entire world caught on fucking fire when I realized we weren’t joking anymore. “Keep talking, Ms. Sanders.” And we’ll see.
“She shouldn’t have been in there in the first place!” “She’s a kid, Heather. Kids are messy by nature.” Okay, so both wife and husband were home this morning. Joy. A short, fiery scream came from Heather. “That’s so typical of you, Dominic. Take everyone’s side but mine every time.” “She’s my daughter,” he bellowed back.
Im gonna hit someone with my car
“As they should. We’re a wild bunch.” He cut me a quick side-eye. “You’re twenty. You don’t classify as a teenager anymore.” “Are you calling me old, old man?”
Kyle blew a sharp exhale up through his shaggy bangs, slouching back against the railing. Next to him, Daren visibly puffed his chest out, jutting his chin up at Dominic. “So, you’re the one who busted her at the party, eh?” Shock blew my eyes wide. Instant fury coiled around my muscles, stringing them tight. I dared him, fucking dared him like I had telepathic powers to look at me. Look at me and let me boil him alive with my hellfire glare. “And you’d be the one who abandoned her at the same party,” Dominic countered with ease.
“Do you want me to ground you if you see him?” he tried, playing along. “Could ya?” I batted my eyelashes at him, an innocent twist to my lips. “I’ll even call you Daddy, if you want.”
“Was it…” I tapped my pointer finger to my bottom lip, filtering his words through the gutter of my brain. Sounds like, sounds like, sounds like… “I said it was better than an orgasm so…” Holy shit. “Were you about to say it sounds like I need better orgasms?” I finished, astonished and aroused in one.
A hand, big and warm, closed around mine and stopped my anxious fingers. The shock of his touch brought my gaze up.
Dominic’s face tilted back to me, a peculiar light riding around his irises.
“See?” His pillowy lips moved, and my eyes followed their slow dance. “Some men will catch you.”
“Whatever you do, don’t ask me to spank you.” Face pinching together, I shot him a glance. “Why not?” Dominic shook his head, brows heavy and eyes hardened to charcoal. “Because I just might do it.”
SIR
Dominic’s head sunk past his shoulders with a rasped sigh. “Dammit, Kat.”
My attention ripped back to his face as he jerked his head up, eyes the brightest shade of gray I’d seen them yet. “You have to let people help you sometimes. I can help you now.”
“I could do whatever I wanted to you right now.”
Is that a promise?!
An absent-minded touch traced across the baby hairs at my nape. “You have no idea how…” He dropped off, and my heart squeezed.
Rude whore
“That’s such a hero thing to say.” Reflection speckled across winter eyes. “Is that a bad thing?” “No.” I shook my head, speaking sincerely. “I’m just used to villains.”
“All right, Ms. Sanders. Please continue to stay on the floor, mouthing off and wasting time.” A wide grin splashed up my face. I felt fucking giddy. “Damn. It’s kind of hot when you’re mean.” Dark brows lugged together. “I’m not being mean.” “Fine, then.” My grin turned wicked. “Just hot.”
“That’s not fair.” My head was shaking and my heart was pounding, blood rushing in my ears. “You don’t get to treat me like a science project and then send me on my way.” He shoved a rough hand through his hair. “I don’t want to.” “Then don’t.”
“What’s your weakness, Dominic?”
In the next second, the dark clouds evaporated. The thunder quieted. Dominic exhaled a breath that tasted like giving in felt, lifting his arms above my head to rest on the beam.
Hot
“Foul-mouthed twenty-year-olds that I can’t get out of my head.”
