Desperate (Cunningham Security Series Book 3)

by A. K. Evans

  “He sounds like a keeper, Kate.”

  She stared off in the distance for a brief moment before she agreed, “Yeah, I think he is. I know it’s early still, but it feels so different with him, Ekko.”

  “I know what you mean,” I chimed in. “I had the same feeling this weekend with Dom.”

  Kate grinned at me. “Spill the beans!”

  A feeling of excitement swept through me at the fact that I was about to share something so personal with someone I considered to be a friend.

  “Obviously, there’s that mutual physical attraction, something I’m sure you’ve got with Brett,” I started. She nodded in agreement. “Well, for me, with Dom it’s been so much more than that. It’s the little things that he does, the selfless acts, that do it for me. He goes out of his way to make my life easier. Better. And he protects me in a way that nobody else ever has.”

  “He sounds so dreamy,” she sighed.

  “He really is. He’s perfect. When we were at his boss’s wedding this weekend, I saw him holding a baby. I stopped walking and could barely breathe seeing that.”

  Kate’s smile grew even larger. “Ah, seeing a man holding a baby. Is there anything better?”

  I nodded and explained, “Yes…seeing the man you love holding one.”

  “Have you told him?” she wondered.

  I shook my head. I wanted to, but I was too scared. “What about you? Are you going to tell Brett how you feel?”

  She scrunched up her nose. “I’m not sure I can do it. I feel like he should know, but I want to be sure he feels the same.”

  I completely understood her mindset because I couldn’t imagine telling Dom what he meant to me only to find out that while he cared for me, the feeling wasn’t exactly mutual. I knew what I felt for him was so strong that if the feelings weren’t reciprocated, it would lead to a heartbreak from which I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to recover.

  “I hear you on that,” I concurred.

  Kate and I spent the rest of our lunch swooning over our men, trying to come up with ways to get them to admit their feelings to us first. Neither of us was going to commit to following through on those plans, but it was still fun to think about.

  I ended up getting a surprise that same afternoon when George walked through the front door of the library. He didn’t smile when he saw me, but it was rare that I ever saw him really smile. When he used to come in to the diner every week, he was always so grumpy. He was harmless and he was never downright rude to me, so I looked beyond it and found it endearing.

  “Hi, George,” I greeted him as he walked up to the circulation desk. “How are you doing?”

  “The diner’s not the same without you there,” he returned. “Figured if I was going to be able to see your pretty face again, I’d have to make a trip here.”

  My heart melted. “Oh, George. I’m sorry. I really need to try to make some time to stop in over there. I miss Jerry and Christie, too.”

  “Make it a Thursday or a Friday,” he instructed. “Those are my days.”

  “Friday?” I questioned.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I had to add another one to the mix.”

  Grinning at him, I promised, “I can do that.”

  At that, George took off and browsed the shelves. I helped him check out a few books and watched as he left the library. It warmed my heart to know that he missed seeing me at the diner and that prompted him to make the effort to come and visit me at my new job. I didn’t have many people in my life who cared about me, so I knew I needed to make a real effort to visit him at the diner soon.

  The weekend after the wedding, I experienced even more good fortune. I finally had my first girls’ shopping trip. Kendall and Jojo must have spoken with their brother because they reached out to me earlier in the week and insisted the three of us plan a shopping trip. Since the Christmas holiday was coming up, they wanted to get their shopping done. I couldn’t spend boatloads of money, but I had been putting a little bit aside for the last few weeks. My only hope was that I’d have enough to get something that Dom would truly enjoy.

  “Please tell me you have suggestions,” I begged his sisters. “I feel like I’ve been going crazy trying to come up with something to get him, but I’m certain he already has everything I think of.”

  “He’s going to love anything you get him, Ekko,” Kendall began. “He’s easy to please and so laidback. Trust me, as long as you’re with him, he’s going to be happy.”

  I sighed. “That’s not very helpful.”

  She shrugged her shoulders and went on, “Maybe not, but it’s the truth.”

  While Jojo didn’t give me any specific ideas, she at least attempted to help me out. “He’s all about having a good time. For Dom, life has always been about doing what he had to do to make it fun. Kendall is right. He’s going to love whatever you get him; that’s going to be because it’s coming from you. But if you want to get something that you know is really going to make his day, try to figure out something that’ll incorporate the things he likes most. You and having fun.”

  She was right.

  They both were.

  Dom loved having a good time. And he always seemed to have a good time when he was with me. I just needed to figure out how I was going to put those two together to give him something he’d remember.

  After a full day of thought and running ideas past his sisters, I finally came up with the perfect gift. I shared part of my idea with Kendall and Jojo and they both agreed it was brilliant.

  Sure enough, just over a week later I started wondering if my bad luck was going to start rearing its ugly head. It was Monday morning and it was Christmas Eve. Dom and I had originally planned to spend the day together yesterday, but something sudden came up at work for him and he needed to go in. Even though I told him to come by when he finished, he never showed. I wasn’t too worried about him because he reached out to me late last night and explained that he might be a while and not to wait up.

  I knew he had an incredibly important job and I would never give him grief about having to work late or unexpectedly. Even still, I couldn’t help but worry that our first Christmas together would fall victim to my usual misfortune.

  Deciding that sulking in bed would do me no good, I got up and made my way out to the kitchen.

  Breakfast first.

  If after breakfast I still hadn’t heard from Dom, I’d send him a quick text message just to make sure he was okay. I had a feeling he probably worked so late that he was just catching up on sleep.

  As I stood in front of the open refrigerator contemplating what to make for breakfast, I decided that breaking out the bacon to eat alone wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable as it would be if Dom were with me. I barely had an opportunity to peruse the shelves when I heard a knock at the door.

  Considering the only people who knew where I lived were Dom, Levi, and Elle, it was safe to assume Dom had arrived. I raced over to the door, unlocked it, and yanked it open. I was stunned at the sight before me.

  Dom was standing there with a Christmas tree.

  Stepping back from the door to allow him to come inside, I shared my surprise. “You got me a tree?”

  Dom carried the tree into the apartment and set it down in front of him just inside the door. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and said, “I wanted you to have one for our first Christmas together.”

  My heart.

  This man.

  I put my hands to his shoulder, pressed up on my toes as he lowered his head, and I kissed him.

  “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I rasped when I pulled back.

  Dom gave me a wink and suggested, “How about I get this set up and then we can go out to get decorations for it?”

  “Can I make us breakfast first? I splurged and bought bacon.”

  He chuckled. “Well, we can’t have that going to waste. I’ll get this in the stand while you start breakfast.”

  That afternoon, following a b
acon and egg breakfast, Dom took me shopping for decorations for the tree. After deciding on the decorations I wanted, we went back to my place. As I stood there in my living room, hanging ornaments on my tree, I couldn’t help but steal glances at Dom. I managed to do it for the longest time without being caught, but he finally noticed.

  “You’ve been giving me that weird look ever since we got back here,” he started. “Care to tell me what it’s all about?”

  And here I thought I was doing a great job of being sly.

  I shrugged my shoulders, feigning nonchalance as I looked away with a smile tugging at my lips, and answered, “I just like you.”

  Not looking up, I heard movement before I felt Dom’s arms around me. One was at my waist, the other in my hair on the side of my head opposite of him. He gave me a gentle nudge, encouraging me to look at him. When I did, Dom pulled me close to him and whispered, “The feeling’s mutual.”

  I smiled at him, letting the feeling of pure happiness wash over me. While I couldn’t be certain, I had a feeling Dom was doing the same because his dimples were on full display.

  He lowered his head to mine, his lips just barely brushing mine. My eyes closed and my mouth swept across his. When he was through with allowing me to take my time teasing, Dom’s grip in my hair stiffened a bit and he completely captured my mouth. His tongue slipped past my lips into my mouth and I gave mine in return.

  The arm he had around my waist tightened as he lifted me up off the ground. My legs immediately wrapped around him. Keeping his mouth connected to mine, Dom started walking.

  I quickly pulled back and cried, “Wait!!”

  He stopped and waited for an explanation.

  “We need to put the star on the tree,” I pleaded.

  “We’ll do it later.”

  My eyes went to the nearly-completed tree and my smile faded. Dom set me down and urged, “Get your star, Ekko.”

  I darted over to the couch, where I had set all of the bags from our trip to the store. I fished the tree topper out of its bag and held it out to him.

  “I can’t reach,” I mumbled.

  He closed the distance between us, but instead of taking the star from me, he bent down and wrapped his arms around my thighs and lifted me up. Dom walked back toward to the tree and declared, “Now you can.”

  Once I had successfully affixed the star to the top, Dom set me back down on my feet. He gave me about five seconds to marvel at it before wondering, “Is the tree good now?”

  I gave him slow, gentle nods in response as I whispered, “I love it.”

  The next thing I knew, Dom bent and pressed his shoulder into my belly as one of his arms wrapped around my thighs again. I was off the floor the next instant with the perfect view of his stunning backside as he walked us down the hall toward my bedroom.

  Dom and I had planned to spend Christmas Eve at his place, so after a couple rounds of fun in my bedroom and a home-cooked dinner that we ate in front of the tree, we packed up my things, locked up my place, and left.

  The next morning, enfolded in Dom’s arms, I looked up at his face to find him already awake looking down at me with such adoration. He gave me his dimples before he said, “Merry Christmas, sugar.”

  His words and the look in his eyes warmed me to my core. I’d been awake for mere moments, yet I already knew this was going to be the best Christmas ever.

  “Merry Christmas, baby,” I returned the sentiment. After giving me a kiss, I asked, “What’s the protocol for presents? Do we need to have breakfast first or can I give you your present now?”

  Dom let out a chuckle. “We can do whatever you want.”

  “Presents!” I exclaimed, jumping out of the bed in my camisole and panties. Dom was in his birthday suit and I planned to use that to my advantage.

  I had set my bag with Dom’s wrapped gift and my counterpart to it on the bed just as he sat up. As I pulled the present out of the bag, Dom eyed me curiously. He took the wrapped box from me and I felt it necessary to give him a heads up about what to expect.

  “It’s nothing fancy,” I warned him. “Just something fun.”

  When Dom’s eyes went to the gift and were no longer focused on me, I slid my hand back inside my bag preparing for what was ahead. Quickly, Dom tore the wrapping paper away from the box.

  “Ahhh,” he sighed. “This is going to be fun!”

  I moved quick. Lifting my arm from the bag, I aimed the high-capacity dart gun at Dom and blasted a few shots at him while I shouted, “It’s only fun if you can get your opponent!”

  Dom jumped out of the bed, snatched up a pair of boxer briefs, and started tearing the box apart for his weapon. He would still have to get his darts loaded into the magazines, so I eased up on shooting him. Once he had it open, I watched him work like a professional. It was then I realized he probably worked with real guns on a regular basis and I might need to rethink my approach.

  I slowly crept toward the door of the bedroom, blasted off a few more shots, and ran out of the room as I yelled, “Good luck finding me!”

  Descending the stairs as quickly as possible, I took off toward the dining room. I was small enough that I was pretty sure he wouldn’t see me when I draped my body, belly down, across the seats of three chairs on one side of the table. As I waited for Dom to come searching for me, I did my best to calm and control my breathing from my sprint down the stairs.

  Apparently, Dom was in the right profession because I saw him before I heard him. He slowly paced around the room, easily using his height and size to scan the area for my whereabouts. Unfortunately for him, his height was a disadvantage in this particular match.

  I held my breath as he entered the dining room and walked around the table. When he began to retreat, I took my shot at his backside, aiming high and hitting the middle of his back. Dom spun around, clearly caught off guard by the blast. Pulling my bottom lip in between my teeth, I bit down hard in an effort to stifle the burst of laughter threatening to give away my location. Unfortunately, I didn’t succeed and accidentally let out a snort.

  Suddenly, my vision was filled with the sight of Dom’s body lowering to the ground. When his eyes met mine, he grinned and teased, “Killer hiding spot, fun size, but I’d say you’ve got yourself in quite the predicament now. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “You wouldn’t shoot me in the face,” I dared him.

  “You shot me when I was unarmed and naked!” he countered.

  “I stayed away from the important bits!” I defended my actions.

  Dom shook his head before he stood and pulled the chairs out slowly. Cautiously, I rolled to my back and sat up.

  “I’m grateful you are willing to see there was an obvious disadvantage there,” I offered as I stood up.

  He nodded and admitted, “There was a pretty significant disadvantage, but I think you’ve failed to realize that there is always going to be one between us in this game.”

  “How so?”

  The look on his face turned devilish. “I might be big, but I’m still pretty nimble. I’m betting, considering you probably don’t have much shooting experience, that your aim is going to be off. I’ll be able to avoid a majority of your shots. I shoot regularly and rarely miss a target.”

  Crap.

  Dom held his gun up and added, “Let’s not forget that you’ve already blasted through twenty-six darts. I still have all of my ammo.”

  Twenty-six? How did he know?

  Pointing my gun at him, I started to shrink backward out of the dining room, never taking my eyes off him. Dom kept his feet planted and laughed at me. When I had cleared the room and knew I could take off, I pulled the trigger and ran. Magically, Dom avoided all of my shots and somehow managed to fire three shots, all of which hit me.

  We raced throughout the house, firing our weapons at one another. I fired randomly whenever I saw Dom. He was precise and accurate, only shooting when he knew he’d hit his target. Before I knew it, I was crouched down beh
ind a wall around the corner from him and I was out of ammo. I wouldn’t have been surprised if Dom knew it, too.

  “Care to give up?” I goaded him.

  He let out a grunt and called back, “I’m just getting warmed up, Ekko.”

  “Shit,” I hissed under my breath.

  “What’s wrong? Are you out of ammo?” he taunted me.

  I needed a plan.

  Taking in a deep breath, I stood and turned the corner into the living room, where Dom had his body shielded behind the couch. The floor and furniture were covered with lime green darts. I couldn’t even fully assess that situation, though, because Dom’s eyes were narrowed on me. I held my empty hands up and admitted, “I’m out. You can take your shots now.”

  He cocked his head to the side, seemingly unsure of why I was giving up.

  My fingertips slipped under the straps of my camisole at my shoulders. My hands went through, followed by my arms. I pushed the shirt down over my breasts and exposed them to him.

  His eyes focused on my breasts.

  I moved the shirt over my hips and allowed it to fall to the floor. Dom followed the camisole’s journey down my legs before his gaze went to my hands gripping the material of my panties. I shimmied my legs back and forth until they joined my top at my feet. Dom still had the gun in his hand, but his knuckles had turned white.

  My plan was working; I had to keep going.

  I brought my hands to my breasts, cupping their weight in my palms and brushing my thumbs over my nipples.

  Dom swallowed hard.

  Keeping one hand at my breasts, the other traveled down my body right between my legs. I touched myself for not more than ten seconds before Dom moved. He was on his knees and he set the gun down at my feet. His hands instantly wrapped around the backs of my thighs, holding me in place as his mouth closed over me.

  My hands left my body and gripped the back of his head, pulling him closer, urging his tongue inside. Dom didn’t disappoint. He worked me harder, relentlessly pleasuring me and bringing me to the brink of an orgasm in a matter of minutes.

  “Baby,” I moaned.

  I was nearly there when Dom pulled away. He stood and opened the bottom drawer on the end table where he’d put a stash of condoms a couple weeks ago. While he worked to open the packet, I sat on the edge of the couch and pushed his boxer briefs down his legs. His erection jutted out from his body and I couldn’t help but to wrap my mouth around him. Dom cupped the back of my head gently as I moved my mouth along his length, sucking him in, wanting to make him feel just as good as he made me feel.