“Why would I let you help me?” She looked genuinely confused, and I couldn’t blame her. I’d done nothing but send mixed signals. “This is my problem, Dom. My responsibility.”
I dropped my forehead to hers. “Let me fix this, Ally.”
She looked stricken. “No! Dominic, you’ve done nothing but tell me we can’t be together. That you aren’t going to let yourself want me. I respected that. Why can’t you respect this?”
I didn’t care if she had a point. It was all different now. We were different. “I was lying to myself. To you. You know damn well that tonight changed everything.”
Those golden-brown eyes were wide and scared. Good. It was about time she got scared about something. “What do you mean ‘everything’?”
“Everything, Ally. Every fucking thing.”
“So the sex was good. That doesn’t mean we’re—”
“In a relationship. That’s exactly what it means.”
“Oh, no you don’t, Dominic Russo. You can’t boss me into a relationship. I don’t have time. I don’t want to be in a relationship!”
“Well, tough shit. Because we’re in one.”
“This is not how relationships work! You don’t just tell someone you’re in a relationship. That’s why restraining orders exist!”
She looked panicky. And I was glad because I didn’t want to be the only one with this sick, terrified feeling in my gut.
“Fine. Be my girlfriend.”
Her eyebrows skyrocketed up her forehead. “What?”
“Be my girlfriend. Date me. Be in a fucking relationship with me, Ally.”
She opened her mouth, and the only thing that came out was a squeak. Not exactly a reaction that stroked the ego.
“You… I… can’t…” A language barrier had apparently sprung up between us.
“Where’s your bedroom?” I demanded.
Her gaze flicked toward the stairs, and I charged up them. Ally was hot on my heels. “Be careful of the floor up there. I haven’t replaced it yet,” she said, grabbing my arm as I stepped onto the rotted landing.
I didn’t give in to the need to take her by the shoulders and shake her. Instead I shrugged her off and stepped into a tiny, drafty bedroom. The twin bed was made with three cheap comforters. A pair of sweatpants—my sweatpants—hooded sweatshirt—again mine—and long sleeve t-shirt were neatly folded next to the pillows. She slept in layers huddled under cheap-ass blankets just to stay warm.
I felt physically ill.
“What are you doing?” she demanded when I moved to the doll-sized closet and started pulling clothing out of it.
“Packing.”
She yanked a skirt out of my hands. “Knock it off, Dom. You’re starting to piss me off.”
“You’ll stay with me,” I decided.
She hit me with the skirt. “Excuse me! I’m not moving in with you!” She looked horrified.
“I have spare rooms. You can take one of them.”
“You have lost your damn mind. I am not living in your house!”
“Fine. Then I’m staying here with you.” I abandoned the clothes I’d piled up on her bed and started for the stairs. I’d pack a bag for me and Brownie and make a few calls. A contractor and an all-night locksmith to start.
She ran after me. “You can’t stay here!”
I rounded on her, and she came to an abrupt stop on the step above mine. “Get it through your stubborn fucking head, Ally. If you’re staying here, then so am I.”
“I’m handling this. I don’t need you.”
“What you need is to realize that you’re in over your head and that I am not just willing to help, I am begging to help you.”
The panic was still there in those sweet brown eyes. “Dominic, I can’t afford to owe you anything more.”
Overwhelmed, I dragged her into my arms. “Baby, listen to me. The way you felt about your dad living in that shithole is exactly how I feel about you living here. This isn’t a favor to pay back. This is purely selfish on my part. I can’t live with you staying here.”
“You’ve already done more than I can ever thank you for. This job, this salary, literally saved my dad. And I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to repay you for that.” Her voice broke, and I couldn’t take it anymore than I could take the image of her huddled up under the covers while I texted her from my warm, safe townhouse.
I held on tight.
“I promised my Dad that I would handle this. That he’d never be a burden. I can’t let him down. He’d be humiliated.”
I pressed her face to my chest. “Oh, Ally. How do you think he would feel if he saw you living like this? If he knew how hard you were working and how little you were eating? You tell me what would be worse for him.”
“He’s never going to know,” she said firmly.
“So if you’re not going to tell him that, why do you have to tell him if I help?”
Ha! I had her there. It was her own pride getting in the way right now, not her father’s.
“I…”
Clearly she didn’t know what to say in the face of my flawless male logic.
“You’re not in this alone anymore, Ally. I get that this feels like just another curveball coming from me. I do. And I’m fucking sorry for that. But I’m on your team, whether you want me or not. And you are not staying here alone ever again.”
“Knock knock!” The cheery, heavily accented call came from the open front door.
I grabbed Ally and tucked her behind my back to face the pre-crack of dawn threat.
The woman couldn’t have been more than five feet tall. She was roundish and oldish with a bright, nosy smile. There was a blue casserole dish in her hands. “I heard lots of yelling and came to investigate.”
“Mrs. Grosu, it’s 4:30 in the morning,” Ally choked the words out.
“Yes. It is. And you’re having a fight with a very handsome man. I’m hoping for a lovers’ quarrel, but even handsome cat burglars deserve love.”
“No lovers’ quarrel,” Ally insisted, trying to get around me on the stairs. “I’m sorry we woke you.”
“Nonsense!” The woman beamed. “It’s always the perfect time for French toast casserole. Now, introduce me to your handsome, loud friend.”
Together, we trooped down the stairs, and when Ally tried to put some distance between us, I dragged her into my side.
“Mrs. Grosu, this is my—”
“Boyfriend,” I finished for her.
“Boss,” she said.
We glared at each other. One of us was going to win this. And it wasn’t going to be Ally.
“What happened to your face?” Mrs. Grosu asked.
52
Dominic
We took Brownie next door to Mrs. Grosu’s warm, cozy bungalow and ate French toast casserole while she updated us on what sounded like an entire army of children and grandchildren.
I took advantage of Ally’s exhaustion and helped her pack two days’ worth of clothes—a compromise that I magnanimously agreed to—before driving us back into the city that was just beginning to wake up.