DOM: Alliance Series Book Three (33)

His juicy thighs are fucking tattooed.

I’ve wondered how far down Dominic’s tattoos went. And now I know.

They go all the way down.

More symbols and designs trail from under his boxers, circling his legs down to his ankles.

Dominic pats my empty spot on the mattress, breaking my stare.

The bed hardly feels like safe territory, especially with him looking like that, but my legs are getting cold. And I might be a little insane, but I’m not dead.

I glance at my ring once more, then cross the distance to the bed.

I’m careful as I situate myself, keeping the front of his shirt down as I sit cross-legged facing him. The length is enough to cover the fact that I’m not wearing underwear.

Dom turns so we’re facing each other. “Valentine, remember what I told you about apologizing?”

His question isn’t what I’m expecting, so it takes a moment for me to reply. “You said you never do it.”

Dom nods. “I also don’t lie. And I won’t start doing either now and pretend I’m sorry we did it.” He settles his hand over mine, his thumb nudging the big diamond.

“But…” Why can’t I think of a single argument for why this is crazy? “But we don’t even know each other.”

He shakes his head. “Don’t do that. We might have rushed the process. Or skipped most of the process altogether. But we know each other. Tell me we don’t.”

My eyes bounce back and forth between his, and I can see how serious he is.

I reach out with my right hand, setting it over his left.

My pointer finger feels the realness of the ring he’s wearing.

“We know each other,” I admit quietly, because it’s true. “I’ve told you more than I’ve told anyone in… a long time.” The month plus of daily texting is more of a relationship than I think I’ve ever had.

“I know. And I talk to you more than I talk to anyone in my family.”

I keep my eyes on his ring because the next thought I have is one I can’t voice. One I won’t.

Because what about love?

My heart squeezes.

I just want love.

Real love.

I want to get married because of love.

I bite my lip.

Just because we don’t have it right at this moment doesn’t mean we won’t be able to find it together.

He’s a good man.

Dom is a good man. And his relationships with his family prove he’s capable of love.

And if he doesn’t want to fight this, why should I?

I raise my eyes. “So what do we do?”

He slides his hand onto my bare knee. “First, we consummate.”

I raise my brows as my cheeks warm. “Consummate? Do people really still call it that?”

He moves his other hand from below mine to my bare thigh. “I’m traditional when it comes to marriage.”

“How so?” I breathe out as he slides his hands higher.

“A marriage isn’t real until consummation.”

His thumbs brush under the edge of his shirt.

“What else?”

“A marriage makes you family.”

My poor lonely heart squeezes so hard it almost pops.

“I like that,” I whisper.

Dom gives my legs a little squeeze, then he slides his grip higher, not stopping until his thumbs press into that soft crease at the top of my thighs. “I believe in loyalty. And trust. And living together.”

My eyes were sliding closed until that last part. “Living together?”

“Living together.” He yanks me forward as he shifts onto his knees.

I let out a sound of surprise, which gets knocked out of my lungs when Dom uses a hand on my chest to shove me back onto the mattress.

He braces himself over me. “I’m not marrying a wife this fucking sexy and then letting her live six hours away.”

My legs automatically widen, allowing room for his hips. “You want me to move to Chicago?”

Dominic lowers his face until it’s just above mine. “I’m afraid I’m going to demand it.”

“But what if…” I press my hands against his bare chest.

“What if what, Shorty? What if we don’t get along? We do.” He drops his hips, and I groan. “What if we don’t fit?” He presses his weight into me. “We fit together perfectly. And if you need space, my place is big. You can have your space.”

He makes it sound so easy. So possible.

Dom is making me believe we can make this work. That we can make this crazy drunken we’ve only known each other for a month and a half thing work.

And goddammit, I want it.

I want him.

I want a chance to build the future I’ve barely dared to dream of.

Dom shifts, brushing his lips against my ear. “But most importantly, Valentine, when you move in with me, you’ll spend every night in my bed.”

Heat washes through me, a blend of desire and need as I arch into him.

“Okay,” I pant.

“Okay?”

I grip his sides. “Yes. I’ll move to Chicago.”

“And?” Dom inhales against my cheek.

“And I’ll sleep with you.” Dominic chuckles, and I correct myself. “I’ll share your bed.”