He startles a laugh out of me. “Dom!”
“What?”
“I don’t want your entire family thinking we had sex in the bathroom.”
He grins. “We did have sex in the bathroom.”
“Dom.”
“Valentine, I hate to break it to you, but my mom knows I’m not a virgin anymore. She’s known since she accidentally walked in on me and Stacy having sex on the couch when I was in high school.”
I narrow my eyes. “Who the fuck is Stacy?”
Dominic leans down until we’re eye to eye. “A name I made up just to make you jealous. Now come with me so I can watch you eat your fucking dessert.”
Watch me?
Dom grabs my hand, lifts it into the crook of his arm, and then guides me back into the main dining room.
No one stops talking.
No one stares.
Even the table of guys that cheered me earlier keep their conversation steady and their eyes on each other.
I don’t know if they all really don’t care about our little disappearance or if they were told to act this way after I left. But either way, I appreciate it.
When we reach our table, Bibi smiles and pours me a cup of coffee to have with my dessert, pointing out that it’s decaf.
Bibi starts talking about some Christmas market that the family will be going to soon, and I do my best to tune it out. I can’t add my Christmas baggage to tonight’s tension. That’s too much.
As if he can sense my building stress, Dominic leans closer.
I put the spoon in my mouth, expecting him to tell me to relax when he says something completely different.
“For the record, I wouldn’t mind watching you drip out the cum I filled you with. I stepped out of the bathroom because I figured you’d prefer the privacy.” His voice rumbles low so only I can hear him, and I nearly choke on my mouthful of cream.
A finger trails down the side of my neck. “You just let me know if you want me to stay and watch next time.”
I force myself to swallow, then hold the cloth napkin over my mouth. “Jesus, Dominic.”
He hands me my coffee. “Just being honest, Wife.”
“You’re a menace,” I scoff.
But when he grips my chair and pulls me closer to him, I let myself rest against his side.
CHAPTER 52
Val
I take as long as I can to get ready for bed. But when I can’t delay anymore, I turn off the bathroom light and step into the bedroom.
Our bedroom.
I know Dominic is going to ask me about tonight—why I reacted the way I did.
And I’m going to tell him.
Because I’m sick of pretending that I don’t want to stay here. That I don’t want to stay with him.
And I know what he did isn’t okay. And I know how he did it was shitty. But the more of his family I meet, the more I accept it.
I’d do just about anything to protect his mom, and I only met her tonight.
So if we’re going to do this, I need him to know the truth about my family. All of it.
And there’s a part of me that’s terrified. Because what happens when I explain to him that I’m not that close to King?
Will he regret choosing me as the linchpin?
CHAPTER 53
Dom
The ceiling lights are still on, so I watch Val walk around the bed and notice her thick sweatpants and my Yale sweatshirt.
I’m starting to recognize this as her comfort outfit, and as much as I wish she didn’t need it, I can’t help but feel pride that my wardrobe is a part of it.
Instead of lying on her side, like she does when she’s ready to fall asleep, she lies on her back.
I roll onto my side, facing her profile.
Her eyes are open, but she’s staring at nothing.
Something twists inside me, and I move closer until her shoulder is against my chest.
“Want to tell me?” I ask quietly.
She bites her lip even as she nods her head. “It’s a lot.”
“We have time.”
Val pulls the blankets up to her chin, and I slip my arm under the covers. She only tenses for a moment when I rest my hand on her stomach. She’s so soft. I want to be touching her always.
“I’m… I’m just gonna start at the beginning.”
I nod against my pillow. “I want to know everything about you, Valentine.”
I watch as her throat works.
She opens and closes her mouth. “Hold on.” She leans away from me, reaching out to turn off the ceiling lights.
There’s still ambient light from the city, but darkness settles around us.
Val lies back, and I put my hand back where it was, feeling her body rise and fall with breaths.