Dominic’s lips curved into that maddening half-smile. He caught my hand before I could pull it back, his thumb brushing over my knuckles. The touch sent sparks up my arm. “Are you finished?”
“No, I am not finished!” I tried to yank my hand away, but his grip held firm. The scent of pine and sandalwood wrapped around me, making my head spin. “You’re impossible. And arrogant. And?—“
“And?” His eyes danced with amusement.
“Stop looking at me like that!” I snarled. “Especially after you fucked me and then just threw me aside like so much trash!”
I swallowed hard, my heart thundering against my ribs. Oh, God! Had I really just said that?
“I didn’t throw you away.” His gaze gentled as he looked down at me. His scent filled my lungs as he stepped closer. My back pressed against the edge of my work table as his broad frameblocked any escape. His eyes darkened, pupils dilating as my chocolate-leather scent mingled with his.
“You disappeared after we—” My voice cracked. The heat from his body radiated through my thin shirt, making my skin prickle. “After I trusted you.”
Dominic’s jaw clenched. A muscle ticked in his cheek as he reached up, his fingers hovering a breath away from my face. “Leo.” My name fell from his lips like a prayer. “I’m sorry.”
I tilted my chin up in defiance, but that only brought our faces closer. His breath ghosted across my lips, and my traitorous body swayed toward him.
A growl rumbled deep in his chest. Before I could step back, his hand cupped my jaw, thumb brushing over my bottom lip. His fingers against my skin sparked a tremor of longing throughout my frame.
He closed the distance between us, his lips crashing into mine. The kiss was passionate, desperate, as if he was trying to convey everything he couldn’t say in words. My body responded instantly, melting into his embrace despite everything my mind screamed about Blake, about trust, about the secrets he still kept.
I clung to his damp shirt, my fingers itching to strip away the fabric and feel his skin against mine. A primal part of me wanted nothing more than to give in to the desire coursing through my veins, to let him take me right here on the hardwood floor of my shop.
That thought sobered me, and I pushed him away, breathing heavily.
“No,” I gasped, putting the counter between us once more. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to... do what you did to me and disappear, only to waltz back into my life with Blake Harrington at your side, kiss me senseless, and expect everything to be okay.”
“Blake, this. Blake, that. I’m getting fucking tired of hearing his name on your lips.” Dominic’s eyes darkened, his alpha pheromones spiking in response to my rejection. His alpha instincts probably screamed at him to dominate me, to stake his claim, to possess. Some alphas would have given in to that dark side. Instead, I watched him physically fight it, stepping back to put some distance between us.
“Leo, please,” he finally said. “Give me a chance to explain what Icantell you right now.”
“Fine. Explain.” I hugged myself, sliding my palms along my biceps to settle my trembling. “And this time, tell me the truth.”
“Okay,” he nodded.
The memory of Blake’s hand on his shoulder at HDC twisted in my gut. Had I imagined the possessive way Blake had touched him?
“But first…” My heart hammered against my ribs as I forced myself to voice the question that had plagued me since seeing him in Blake’s office. “Are you and Blake... a couple?”
“What? Fuck, no.” Dominic recoiled as if I’d slapped him, his eyes widening. “Where did you get that idea?”
“The way he touched you today, I thought...” My voice trailed off, the words sticking in my throat.
“Is Blake’s way of showing dominance.” Dominic barked a laugh. “Blake and I are old college friends, yes, but we’re also cousins… and not the kissing kind! Nothing more.”
He hesitated, massaging the nape of his neck with a sudden shyness. His rich voice dropped even deeper when he spoke again. “He knows how I feel about you. He’s been...”
I waited while he stumbled over his words. “It’s an alpha thing. No, more like, it’s a Blake thing. It’s complicated…”
The air between us crackled with tension, our unresolved feelings almost tangible in the small space of the shop. Dominic’s jaw clenched, a war of emotions playing out across his face.
“Blake enjoys meddling,” he said.
“What about HDC and Vertex?” I questioned. “Why are you collaborating with him?”
“It’s complicated,” he repeated, clearly still avoiding the full truth, his steel-gray eyes darting away from mine to study the worn wooden floorboards of my shop.
“Try me,” I countered, crossing my arms over my chest and raising an eyebrow. I tapped my foot against the floor, the rhythmic sound echoing through the quiet shop as I waited for him to gather his courage or more of his excuses—whichever came first.
