Valentine silently wraps it around herself, and I hand her a second towel for her hair.
“Miranda is one of my many cousins,” I tell her.
She slides her eyes up to meet mine. “Miranda?”
I nod. “I told her if she came over and made us a pan of her lasagna, I’d pay off her student loans.”
“The woman downstairs is your cousin.” She sounds like she’s repeating it to herself.
“Yep.” My eyes search hers.
“You asked your cousin to come over, dressed like that, to make us dinner, to… what? Make me jealous?”
My shoulders lift. “Basically. Though I didn’t give her any direction on what to wear. She just always dresses like she’s allergic to clothes.”
“Dominic.” She says my name the same way my mom does before scolding me for something.
I grip the top of the towel wrapped around her, my fingers sliding into her cleavage, and pull her closer. “That was payback for calling Rob hot.” She scoffs, but I shake my head. “Turns out I’m a jealous bastard.”
“You’re an idiot.”
I grin. “A little of that, too. But nonetheless, save your compliments for me.”
Valentine does that thing where she lowers her chin, then looks up at me like she’s stuck halfway through an eye roll. “You know you’re hotter.”
Warmth blooms inside me. “You should probably remind me more often.”
Because she’s here—and because I can—I pull her even closer and press my lips to hers.
I don’t push for more. Just a kiss.
A simple kiss. One that only lasts for a second. But one that makes my heart thud a little harder behind my ribs.
Pulling back, I let her go. “Put something comfortable on. We’ll watch a movie while we eat.”
CHAPTER 43
Val
“Wife.”
Something touches my shoulder, so I pull the blankets higher.
There’s a chuckle near my head. “Valentine, open your eyes for me.”
I crack one open.
The sunrise is starting to break through the skyline outside the windows, but it’s still early.
“Why?” I drag the blankets over my mouth, covering my morning breath from Dom, who is crouched right in front of me. Then I blink both eyes open. He’s dressed in a suit. “What’s going on?”
“I gotta go to California for a bit.” I try to sit up, but Dominic keeps his hand on my shoulder, holding me in place. “Stay in bed.”
“You’re leaving?” Panic flares around my throat, making the words come out scratchy.
I grip the blanket tighter.
Last night was so… nice.
It was the first time since everything fell apart that I felt a tiny bit of hope that maybe we could come back from what happened. And now he’s leaving.
His blue eyes lean in closer. “Just for a few days, Angel.”
I don’t reply. I don’t know what to say.
He lifts the hand from my shoulder and strokes it over my hair. “We have a lead on someone who might have information on who’s coming after me.”
“And you have to go in person?” My question is muffled by the blanket.
Dominic nods. “But I’m leaving Rob here to keep an eye on you. I put his number in your phone. He lives a few floors down, so even when he’s not in the hallway outside the door, he’s nearby.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “I’d prefer you stay here. But you’ll use him if you want to go to the office.”
When I don’t say anything, he pulls the blanket down from over my face.
“Tell me you won’t go anywhere without Rob.”
I yank the blankets back up over my mouth before I reply. “I won’t go anywhere without Hot Rob.”
Dominic narrows his eyes, then yanks the blankets out of my grasp and off my body.
I shriek.
And before I can reach for the blanket, Dom is shoving me onto my back and crawling on top of me.
“Dominic.” I try to push him off while trying to cover my mouth with my other hand.
He shoves both my hands away, pinning me to the bed. “Why do you keep doing that?”
“Because I have morning breath!” I say, exasperated.
Dom shakes his head. “Angel, I don’t really want to introduce you to the darker side of my life, but I will if it’ll reassure you that I’ll never be bothered by some morning breath.”
I keep my lips together while I glare at him.
Dominic flexes his hips against me, and I can feel him getting harder.