Val doesn’t just let me, she participates. She grabs at me, pulls me to her.
I slide closer, tempted to undo her seat belt and pull her into my lap. But I won’t compromise her safety.
Then she scrapes her nails up the back of my head, and a shiver skitters down my arms.
Breaking our kiss, I drop my face to her shoulder. “Do that again.”
Instead of scraping her nails over my scalp, she lightly rubs her palm over my short hair.
I slip my arms around her in a hug, and her body shudders.
“I like your hair,” she whispers.
I squeeze her. “I like your hair, too.”
“Thanks.” Her palm makes another pass over my head. “I used to not like it, but I do now.”
I slide my hand up her back to play with the ends of her thick, shiny hair. “Why wouldn’t you like it?” I turn my head a little so my lips are nearly against her neck.
“Promise you won’t get mad?”
I start to pull back, but she scrapes her nails over my head again. “I promise,” I lie. “Now tell me.”
She’s back to using her palm on my head. “After my dad’s funeral, when I saw King and Aspen for the first time, I started to hate it.” I have to force my body not to react, not to tense. “It wasn’t their fault. I just had always loved that I had my dad’s hair, but that day…” She shrugs, lifting my head with the movement. “I started sneaking my mom’s leftover hair dye. I’d always get in trouble for it since it’s not like she didn’t notice my hair was a darker color. But when I was old enough to get a job, I’d buy the boxes myself and dye it at home.”
“Because you didn’t want to look like them?”
I can feel her nod. “Pretty much. Every time I saw my natural hair color, I was just reminded that my dad had other kids he’d never told me about.”
“When did you stop dying it?” I ask, keeping my anger bottled inside.
“A couple years ago. I had a hairdresser convince me to go back to my natural color. He said it was too pretty to cover up.”
I press my lips to her exposed neck. “I feel that way about every inch of you.”
“Dominic,” she chastises quietly, probably embarrassed about Rob hearing.
But I’m not embarrassed about how much she turns me on.
I kiss her neck again, then pull away. “How much longer?” I ask Rob.
“Another forty, Boss.”
“Good,” I reply as I slide down onto my side until my head is in Val’s soft lap and my feet are wedged against the door. “Just enough time for a nap.” I reach up and grab Val’s hand. “Keep scratching my head, Shorty.”
My eyes lower. Enough time for a nap. And to let my rage simmer.
CHAPTER 69
Val
I’m not sure if Dominic really fell asleep or not, but he didn’t stir until Rob turned down a driveway leading toward a beautiful log cabin somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.
And it’s not until I see the giant house that I remember.
Dom catches me smiling as he sits up. “What’s that for?”
“I just realized what this place is.”
He glances out the windshield to look at the house. “You been here before?”
“No. But I think this is the place Savannah spent thirty thousand dollars bidding on at a silent auction because she was mad at King.”
Dominic smirks as he rolls out his shoulders. “I knew I liked her.”
I purse my lips as we roll to a stop, forgetting that I never asked about the time he met Savannah. “I feel like I need the rest of that story.”
“Another time,” Dom says before opening his door.
I climb out, ignoring the chill and carrying my jacket in my arms as I circle around to meet Dom at the back of the vehicle, where he’s pulling out our two overnight bags.
I expect Rob to join us, but when Dom closes the back door, Rob drives away.
“Where’s he going?” I ask as Dom lifts both bags.
“Another rental not far from here.”
I’m curious about why he couldn’t just stay here. There’s got to be more than enough rooms, but Dom’s already striding toward the front door.
I hurry after him, hugging my jacket for warmth.
He gets to the door a step ahead of me, and I try to move around him so I can knock, but he sets the bags down at his sides and knocks himself, not letting me past.
“Dom, what are you—” My question is cut off by the door opening.
Dominic is blocking my view, but over Dom’s shoulder, I can see the man’s hair color that matches my own.