Dom cleared away the memories and turned to the amazingly sexy woman in his passenger seat. He grabbed her hand, soft and delicate inside his, and said, “Calli—” The words stuck. He worked his throat and at last said, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who I was so comfortable just being with.”
Calli rubbed his thumb but didn’t reply. In fact, she looked nervously between him and her house.
“When is our second date?”
“I-I’m not sure,” she said. A tension had overtaken her as he’d pulled up to her house, and she stared toward the front door with hollow, distracted eyes.
Dom didn’t want to push or pressure her, so he just waited, staring at their intertwined hands sitting on his sweatpants she wore.
“I need to check my calendar. I’ll text you . . . or let you know on Tuesday at class.” She pulled toward the passenger door.
Dom tightened his grip, causing her to turn back to him. With his other hand, he cradled her face and searched the depths of her brown eyes. “I meant what I said last night that we can take things slow, but I do hope we can continue to take things.”
Her eyes flitted down, then back to his. “Yeah, I think we can take things,” she said breathily. He kissed her long and deep, willing his desire into her, and she responded, pulling away with a wistful sigh.
“Have a wonderful day doing chores, beautiful.” He let her go.
As she stepped out of his car, she waved back, then ran up the steps to the front door. Dom flipped through his contact list on the car’s infotainment system and pressed the phone button next to the entry for Joe. The phone rang as Dom shifted into reverse and backed out onto the sleepy street.
“Yeah?” answered his friend. “How’d the date go?”
“I need a workout. You up?”
“A little tense?”
“A bit frustrated . . . I’ll tell you over a good run. Meet me at the gym?”
“Yeah, okay. See you there in ten.”
“Make it twenty-five. I have a bit of a drive.”
“Really? You devil . . . sleeping somewhere else last night?”
“I’ll see you there.”
Joe was laughing as Dom clicked the red phone button on his system. The music thumped to life and he pressed the gas, upshifting to gain speed on the highway. His options at this point . . . a hard workout or spend an hour in a cold shower. He opted for iron and a treadmill. Hopefully his brain would be focused, and he’d be fit enough to work in the restaurant that evening.
Chapter 17
Calli
Calli checked her watch as she closed the door. Two hours before Bennett would be dropping off the boys, and she needed to hit the grocery store to have something to feed her father. She’d made it home in plenty of time to clean up and settle in before she had to face anyone else in her life. She didn’t want to share her boys with Dom and didn’t want to share Dom with them either—or Bennett for that matter. She sighed as the M3 sped away, then she climbed the stairs destined for a good scrubbing. This new dynamic complicated everything that was just becoming simple in her life.
Still clothed, she leaned into the shower and turned the dial to hot, then closed the door to let the water heater kick into full gear. She inhaled Dom’s crisp spring-morning scent as she pulled his sweatshirt over her head and let it fall to the floor. Dropping the oversized sweatpants on top of the shirt, Calli closed her eyes and re-envisioned the scene she’d acted out with the gorgeous man in the wee hours of the morning. Her mouth went dry, and she ran her hands down her sides, imagining the touch was his rather than her own.
Stop it, Calli, your boys will be here soon. Your dad will be here this evening. Time to get back to reality.
She stepped into the steam, the hot water stinging as it pelted her skin. Sinking back under the rain, the water flowed over her head and face, and she re-imagined his mouth trailing down her stomach. She stepped forward and swiped the water from her eyes, looking up. Then she reached for the handheld, giving in to the lingering need.
Dom
Dom pressed the up arrow until the digital readout flashed six point five. The mill sped to life, and he hopped onto the belt. The pounding of his feet soon matched the heartbeat that sounded in his ears, and sweat sprouted from his brow.
Joe took the treadmill next to him and set his speed to six. “So, what gives?”
“Dating. I really just need to stick to the restaurant business.”
“So, what? Did she grow a third head?”
Dom laughed. “No.”
“Psycho?”
That word typically covered it, but . . . “No. She’s not showing any signs of psycho.”
“Then . . . ?”
Dom didn’t answer, struggled to admit how wonderful the date had been. He simply shook his head and pressed the up arrow and his body faster until he didn’t have the breath necessary to hold a real conversation. Beside him, Joe kept a leisurely pace—the beauty of treadmilling with friends. You didn’t leave them in the dust. Though Dom loved running, it was the sole reason he’d never become a runner. He enjoyed having a workout partner. Dom could see Joe’s reflection watching him surreptitiously until, apparently, he couldn’t bear the suspense anymore. Mirror Joe stepped off his belt and halted the mill, then reached across and pressed Dom’s down arrow.
When both treadmills were silenced, Joe pressured him again. “This isn’t like you. Usually, after a date, you’re more certain than ever about yourself and your business. Why are you torturing yourself?”
Dom let his breathing return to almost normal, grabbed the towel, and wiped the sweat from his face and neck. “Everything last night was right.” With a hesitant look away, he added, “Hell, everything this morning was right.”
Joe’s eyes grew to saucers. “You stayed at her place?”
Dom shook his head.
“Aahhh, a hotel?” Joe nodded as if that was par for the course.
Hell, it was. Dom shook his head.
Joe inhaled sharply. “You didn’t?”
He remained silent, lips sealed.
“She slept at your place?”
Dom nodded.
“Oh. Shit. Well. That’s something new.”
“You’re telling me!” Dom stepped off the treadmill, grabbed a couple of wipes, and returned. Handing one to Joe, he started wiping down the machine. “Come on, let’s hit the weights,” he said, and headed for the free-weight room.
“Leg day?” asked Joe.
“Yeah,” Dom said, stepping to the leg press machine in the back corner and loading it up.
Joe grabbed a barbell, loaded the ends, and started a set of dead lifts while Dom pressed. After his first ten, he said, “So, this is more than a one-nighter?”
“I”—Dom grunted as he pushed out his final press—“freakin’ hope so.”
“But you didn’t confirm the second date?”
Dom stood and walked off the set while Joe kicked up his legs, shaking out the hamstrings. They switched for set two. Dom wiped his hands on his shorts and reached for the barbell. In between lifts, he said, “She’s supposed to text.”
After the set, Joe stood and play-punched at Dom. “Well, man. I’m happy you’ve found one that makes you think twice about dying single. Should be fun to watch.”