I poke a finger into his chest, for once not distracted by the muscles there.
“You acted like a coward, breaking my heart cruelly so I’d hate you.” With a step back, I lift my chin. “And not only did I pass all my classes, I finished the semester with grades I was proud of, despite being heartbroken and working almost as many hours as I did when I was with you. So you destroyed me—destroyed us—for nothing.”
My eyes burn with tears while he just stands there, staring at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
Well, I guess we’re done talking.
Fuck him.
Turning, I stride toward the clearing where our friends all hover, probably listening to our conversation.Let them. They can think whatever they want. I honestly don’t care anymore.
All I want is for him to leave me alone.
For the restof the hike, I stick close to Chiara. Thankfully, she and Miles and Liam distract me. Their silly jokes and lighthearted conversations allow me to power down the part of my brain that only ever thinks about Dominic.
Ignoring his presence is hard, but he keeps his distance. When we return to the house and gather around the fire pit, he watches me but doesn’t try to engage, doesn’t try to touch me. Thank God.
It’s long past two a.m. when the group disperses. I’m not ready for bed. I’m not ready to be in that room with him, so I stay where I am.
But so does Dominic. By the end of the night, he turned into my silent shadow, following me around, sticking to my side while keeping his hands to himself.
When it’s just the two of us left, I stretch in my seat, yawning, and figure I better clean up the mess we made before I go to bed.
I stand, and he does too. I pick up plates, and he snatches two empty glasses from the table.
We silently clean up the backyard then move to the kitchen. He washes the dishes; I dry them off and put them in the cupboard. Every time our fingers brush, a jolt of electricity runsthrough my veins. I do my best to ignore it, but the tension only grows thicker between us.
When we’re done, the house is quiet and dark. I flip off the kitchen light, and we use the flashlight on Dominic’s phone to navigate through the house.
As I approach the stairway, a low moan stops me in my tracks. Heart skipping, I tilt to one side to peep into the living room. What I find makes my breath hitch.
With the moonlight coming through the big windows, the couch and the people on it are visible. Chiara is topless, wearing only a bra, and she’s straddling Miles, riding him slowly, moaning with each dip of her hips. He caresses her hips, her waist, her tits.
I should leave. I shouldn’t be here.
But my feet are glued to the spot.
I watch, my heart rate picking up. The way she moves on top of him, the way her tits move… My clit throbs, and I squeeze my legs together. Fuck.
I’m so caught up in the scene, I startle when Dominic shifts beside me. I look at him, and my stomach floods with heat. His eyes are fixed on me, watching my reaction.
He angles in, his lips brushing the shell of my ear, and whispers, “You like to watch?”
A shiver runs down my spine, but before I have a chance to reply, Chiara’s loud moan breaks the spell. I jerk away and rush up the stairs.
The asshole, of course, is hot on my heels.
I stumble into our room and pace in front of the bed. When he steps inside, he closes the door quietly. The sound of the lock makes me falter.
Hands in his pockets, he stops in front of me. “Use me.”
I rear back, my heart lurching. “No.”
“Why not? You need it. I can see it.”
As I hold his gaze, my pulse picks up again. He’s right, but after what happened on the hike today, after his revelation, the last thing I want is to fall back into bed with him.
It won’t fix what he broke. If anything, it will make things messier.
