by A. K. Evans
Dom’s face remained impassive, and that frightened me a bit.
I cleared my throat and just came out with it. “What was with the light-switch mood yesterday?”
“Come again?”
Shaking my head back and forth, I pointed out, “I know the idea of us is new and I hope I’m not incorrectly reading into things that have happened between us. There’s attraction and chemistry and I’m pretty sure we both feel it.”
He gave me a quick nod, indicating I was correct in my assessment of a mutual attraction.
“I like you, Dom. A lot. But I don’t understand what happened yesterday. You were so angry with me over the whole debacle at Ryan’s. You went from being short with me, to silent, to sweet.”
Regret flashed in his eyes.
He let out a sigh and explained, “I was never angry with you, Ekko. The situation made me angry. I was upset that you didn’t think twice about going there without mentioning it to me. If you had, I wouldn’t have let you go alone.”
“I’m not completely helpless,” I returned.
“You think I don’t know that?” he questioned. “There’s a difference between being self-reliant and being smart so that you stay safe.”
My head jerked back. “So now you think I’m foolish?”
“What I think is that you’ve endured so much bad shit in your life that you don’t worry about having something else just as awful to happen to you. It’s like you just expect it’ll eventually come and then you deal with the fallout afterward.”
“I had no idea Ryan was going to react the way he did yesterday,” I defended.
“Maybe not, but you left his place and slept in your car because you learned he wasn’t who you thought he was. Didn’t you consider the possibility that perhaps there was more about him that you didn’t know?”
Sadly, I had no rebuttal because Dom was right. “I guess I didn’t,” I answered, my voice glum.
My eyes dropped to my lap. Between being almost kidnapped a few months ago and now this latest situation, it wouldn’t be unreasonable if Dom thought I was simply reckless. I never considered myself to be that way. In fact, I always thought I was cautious. But things in my life had gotten a bit out of my control and I was doing the absolute best that I could to rein it all in and fix what went wrong.
I watched as Dom’s hand wrapped around mine. “I’m sorry.” His voice was gentle and when I looked up at him, it was clear he felt remorse.
“What are you sorry for?”
“When I called your phone yesterday and the voice that answered wasn’t yours, it did something to me. Hearing you in the background and then having him say that you were injured, I lost all sense of reason. But walking in and seeing the blood pouring down your face sent me over the edge. I’m sorry that I directed my anger at you and then went silent. I needed to calm down and I was afraid if I said something, it wouldn’t have been good. During those moments, I was running on emotions and not logic.”
“Emotions?” I repeated.
“It’s been a lot of months that I’ve been wanting to get to know you, Ekko. Now that there’s an opportunity for that to happen, I’m not alright with something that isn’t my choice or yours coming along and putting an end to it,” he shared. “I was worried about you yesterday…more than I’ve ever been worried about a woman.”
My lips parted in shock.
“I’ll try to manage my emotions better next time,” he promised.
Relief swept through me.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“What?”
Shaking my head back and forth, I spoke freely. “I didn’t expect that. I’m so accustomed to being the one at fault. I’m not sure anyone before you has ever apologized to me for something that I caused.”
“Ekko, I’m responsible for my own actions. Regardless of what you do, if I fuck up, I’ll own up to it.”
Dom was such a breath of fresh air that I inhaled deeply. When I let it out, I stated, “And I’m still left wondering why any of your previous girlfriends ever let you get away.”
I was given a moment to appreciate the dimples that came out before he snaked an arm around my waist and pulled me toward him. “Kiss me so I can take you downstairs and feed you breakfast.”
After I kissed him, he cradled me in his arms and carried me downstairs where he made us breakfast. Following breakfast, we both got ready and went to work. By the time I arrived back at his place, Dom was already there and had dinner ready. He spent the night in bed with me again, but aside from a few kisses, he made no move to do anything else.
This is precisely the reason why I was happy it was Saturday morning and, more importantly, that it was moving day.
I was still in Dom’s bed with him and I really wished he had made a move to do something other than just kissing me last night. I no longer had my period, it had been months since I’d been with Ryan, and I was seriously overdue for some sexual gratification. If I had to spend one more night with him in his bed without any relief, it might unleash a monster inside me.
I had been on my back looking up at the ceiling and was in the middle of thinking about having sex with Dom when he interrupted my naughty thoughts.
“Today’s the big day,” he declared.
Turning my head to the side, I looked at his beautiful face. My body instinctively rolled toward him and I reached my hand out to the side of his head. The only time I ever got to touch the skin on his head was in this bed. He was always wearing a baseball cap or a beanie. Either way, he looked fantastic.
“Are you sure Levi won’t mind helping out today?” I asked. “I’d really hate to inconvenience him.”
Dom had enlisted Levi to help move my bed and dresser. After the showdown at Ryan’s, Dom had his co-workers take my things back to Levi’s house to keep them there until I moved.
The plan for today was simple. Dom and I were going to meet up with the landlord so that I could sign the paperwork, pay the rent, and get my keys. Once that was all squared away, we were going to head over to Levi’s, load up my things, and move them into my new place.
“Not at all. He’s my friend and that’s what you do for your friends,” Dom assured me.
My thumb stroked back and forth on Dom’s cheek as I said, “I know that, but he’s got a wedding coming up in a few weeks. I don’t want him being pulled away from something else he could be doing for that.”
Dom laughed.
“You obviously don’t know Elle that well yet,” he remarked. “She’s probably the most laidback woman you’ll ever meet. She’ll be happy just knowing that she and Levi are getting married. And while I’m sure she has a few details that are important to her for the wedding, she’s not going to be one to stress over them. She’s got Lexi to do that for her.”
“Lexi?”
“Cruz’s woman. She has her own PR firm and handles all of Elle’s events for her music. They’ve become really good friends and Lexi’s good at handling that kind of stuff. She won’t see it as the job that Elle will. Ultimately, it’ll give Lexi practice for when it’s her turn because I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before Cruz proposes to her.”
Wow. I hadn’t met Lexi, but it sounded like she had it all together. Elle had been so nice to me, so I was happy she had a friend that would help her with the details of planning her wedding.
“They all sound wonderful,” I sighed.
Dom squeezed my hip and confirmed, “They are.”
A sense of longing washed over me. I wished I’d one day be fortunate enough to find myself constantly surrounded by people like Dom, Elle, Lexi, and Levi.
Before I had the opportunity to get too consumed by the ache I felt at not having that, Dom suggested we get up, have breakfast, and get ready so that we could take care of getting me settled in my new place.
Not much later, Dom and I were on our way to Levi’s place. When we arrived, I grabbed Elle’s top out of the backseat. Levi met us outside.
“Hey, Ekko. How�
��s your face feeling?” he asked.
“Much better, Levi. Thank you,” I answered.
“Why don’t you head inside out of the cold while Dom and I get your things loaded up? Elle’s in the library.”
He didn’t have to ask me twice. I gave him a quick nod and took off inside with Elle’s shirt. Walking into the library, I found Elle curled up in an oversized reading chair playing her guitar in her lap with a journal beside her. She was lost in her music and I stood there in awe of her beautiful voice.
She stopped singing, jotted down some words in her journal, and when she looked up, she noticed me.
“Oh my goodness,” she started. “I didn’t see you there, Ekko.”
“You have an incredible voice, Elle,” I praised her.
She waved me over to come and sit by her.
Once I was seated, I apologized, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Levi told me you were here and that I should come in.”
“No worries at all.”
I held her top out to her. “Thanks for letting me borrow this. I really appreciate it. I washed it at Dom’s yesterday; I didn’t want to return it to you without washing it.”
“How was it?”
“How was what?”
“Your date,” she stated.
I smiled as I thought back to that night. The way that my time with Dom put the events from earlier that day out of my mind was more than enough to make it wonderful. But he did so much more than that. He gave me the best night of my life. Even with the revelation I had learning he had been watching out for me for months, it was still the most incredible night.
“That look alone says enough,” Elle broke into my thoughts, her tone joyful.
I shook my head trying to bring myself back to reality. “Sorry. I get so distracted thinking about it. Dom was absolutely wonderful and I had such a good time.”
Her face lit up. “I am so happy to hear that. What did you guys do?”
“He took me out to dinner before we went bowling. I’ve never been before and I had so much fun.”
“That’s great. When are you going out on your next date?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “We didn’t officially set up another date.”
“But you are going to go on another one, right?” she pressed.
“I think so. Things went well on Thursday and he did say he was going to take me out on his bike some other time, so I’m guessing that means there’s at least one more date with Dom in my future.”
Elle didn’t respond. A look of contentment fell over her face as she sat back on the oversized chair. I decided to take the opportunity to change topics.
“I love this chair,” I announced. “It’s got to be the most perfect place to read. One day I’m going to have to get myself something like this.”
“Thanks. It’s one of my favorite spots in the house,” she declared. “I actually—”
Elle was cut off when Levi and Dom walked in.
“Ready?” Dom asked.
I gave him a nod.
“Are you driving separately, Levi?” Elle wondered.
“Yeah. We split Ekko’s things between our two trucks,” he replied.
She stood and walked over to him. “I’ll ride with you if you don’t mind. I could use a break from the songwriting.”
“Works for me, sunshine.”
He called her sunshine. His name for her described her perfectly.
The four of us filed out of Elle’s library and out to the trucks. An hour and a half later, Dom and I said goodbye to Elle and Levi. While they hadn’t done anything to make me feel bad, I had to admit that I felt ashamed and embarrassed.
Neither Elle’s nor Levi’s demeanor changed when they walked into my apartment, but once my two pieces of furniture were brought in, I realized just how little I had compared to the rest of them. It made me uncomfortable to look around my new apartment that I’d worked extremely hard for and see just how empty it was.
Even still, I tried not to let my disappointment with myself show. They had all been so kind to me and I didn’t want their pity; I was certain it would only make me feel worse.
Dom asked me to go out for a late lunch with him before I had to head into work. I took him up on it partly because I had no food in my house, but mostly because I enjoyed spending the time with him.
After we finished lunch, I thanked him again for all of his help getting me moved in. He shrugged it off as though it was no big deal. Then, Dom pulled me in for a hug and hesitated to let me go.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hugging him back.
Keeping one arm around my waist, he lifted the other one and used his fingers to brush my hair back from the side of my face. “Would you mind letting me know once you’ve made it home?” he questioned me, his voice soft. “You’ve got a warm place to put your head tonight and I know it’s in a safe area, but I’m going to worry about you anyway.”
I thought I might cry at the concern he showed for me.
I fought against the urge and agreed, “Of course. I can do that.”
“Thanks, Ekko. Have a good day at work.”
“I will.”
At that, Dom and I parted ways. Over the course of the last week, I’d grown so accustomed to having him there when I finished work. It felt awkward leaving because I knew that when I got off work, I wouldn’t be seeing him. As proud as I was for finding a way to get myself back on my feet, I couldn’t deny how much I was going to miss him.
When I left the diner that night, I made a quick trip to the store to pick up necessities before I went home. After putting away the food and toiletries I purchased, I sent a text to Dom to let him know I was home and then took my first shower in my new place.
When I climbed into my bed that night, hours after I’d last seen him, that’s when it hit me. After having Dom there to hold me close to him the previous two nights, it felt strange to be by myself.
I missed him.
I was alone again.
And I hated it.
My bed never felt so big before tonight.
I had been trying to distract myself with television for the last two hours, but I would have been lying if I claimed that it worked. My mind had been consumed with thoughts of Ekko.
My pint-sized fighter.
One week of having her in my home—in my bed—and I had already become so addicted to her. The last two nights, I held her in my arms while we slept and I knew I never wanted to let her go.
But today I did.
I let her go.
And I knew it was something she needed to do. I knew that after everything she’d been through that she needed the time to stand on her own and take care of herself. But that didn’t mean I liked it.
I hated it.
I already knew how strong she was. Living on her own, struggling, wouldn’t change any of that for me.
I tried convincing myself that I was so high-strung tonight because I wasn’t out there watching out for her and I didn’t know for sure that she was safe. That wasn’t it, though. It was something so much more than that.
Twenty minutes ago, my phone vibrated on my nightstand.
I’m home.
She was safe.
I waited a minute to see if she would say anything else, but I got nothing.
Thanks for letting me know. Sleep well, sugar.
I wanted to tell her I missed her, but I didn’t.
Ten minutes later, she replied.
You too! xo
And for the last ten minutes, I laid here in my bed craving her.
Wanting her.
Needing her.
Desperate for her.
The events from the last two nights played over in my head and that didn’t make things any easier. I had had her tiny body writhing against mine as we kissed. It took everything in me not to take her and consume her. I wanted her so bad, but I didn’t want to do anything before she was ready for it. I didn’t have any doubts that her body was more than ready for me, but I
wanted to be sure her mind and her heart were, too.
I needed to know that what she felt for me went beyond appreciation and thankfulness. Because I knew that once I had Ekko, I wasn’t going to give her up.
It was finally Friday and I had been in my new apartment for just under a full week. Saying that I was in my apartment only referred to the fact that I had been sleeping here because my week had been incredibly busy.
Other than the stop I made at the grocery store Tuesday evening after work, I hadn’t done anything but work at the diner from the time I woke up on Sunday. Work had been my life all week until Thursday, when I had the morning off. I used some of that time to sleep in, but had to make a stop at the library before going to get my stitches removed.
Today, I went into work for the breakfast and lunch shift. Before I left work at three o’clock, I had already decided that I would be spending the rest of my evening at home. I needed a break and since I didn’t need to be back at work until tomorrow afternoon, I was planning to do nothing but relax.
Aside from my trip to the library yesterday morning, there was only one thing that brightened my week.
Dom.
While I didn’t get to see him, we managed to talk to each other several times throughout the week. Sometimes, it was simply a quick text in the morning or the afternoon just to check in. Other times, it was me sending him a message after my long days at work to let him know I had made it home and to tell him that I hoped he had a good day.
The only times I had a chance to talk to him were on Tuesday night and Thursday morning. Sadly, those conversations were brief.
I felt awful. Dom was currently paying for my cell phone and I hadn’t had more than a five-minute conversation with him.
And I really wanted to talk to him. I loved talking to him. Unfortunately, my schedule made it virtually impossible to do much else besides work.
Now that I’d just gotten home from my shift, taken a shower, and felt like I finally had a moment to breathe, visions of Dom filtered through my mind. I had truly missed him.
I grabbed a book and made my way out to the living room. One thing I’d been thankful for is a partially-furnished apartment. It not only had major appliances like a refrigerator, stove, washing machine, and a dryer, but also a sofa, armchair, and coffee table in the living room.
