“Yes,” he told her blankly. “We’ve been desensitized to many things at birth—guns, murder, drugs—but one thing we don’t fuck with is ghosts. That shit is for the rich and dumb.”
Maria glared at him. “Just because I don’t believe in ghosts doesn’t make me stupid.”
He waved a hand toward the gate. “Then, by all means, be my guest.”
Maria went back to staring through the vined gate, but she didn’t get up.
“So, can we go now?” Matthias got off the hood, going back to the driver’s side door without waiting for an answer. “This place gives me the fucking creeps.”
“Aw … poor baby.” Maria pretended to cry for him as she jumped down from the hood to go to her side. “The only house that gives me the creeps is the one you all live in.” Dominic’s bedroom still didn’t sit right with her.
Matthias threw open his car door. With a serious expression, he reminded her that he was the one who had to live in it. “Tell me about it.”
Thirty-Three
The Indentation She Prayed Would Be There
Maria sat on the couch in the Caruso family penthouse, watching the television quietly play next to a sleeping Leo. She had been there, too afraid to get up, as it might wake him, but she didn’t mind. She liked watching Leo sleep. It was when he was awake that she worried.
Sleep was Leo’s only escape from his reflection.
Hearing a knock on the door, Maria quickly but softly got up, thankfully without waking her brother. Looking through the peephole, she stood on the other side of the door, hoping that he just might go away.
When she saw his fist pull back for another knock about to pound the door, Maria urgently opened it. “Shh … Leo’s sleeping.”
“All right, jeez.” Dominic stared at her like she was a crazed new mother who hadn’t gotten peace in weeks, but he didn’t dare speak above a whisper. “You left without your phone, and I wanted to give it back.”
“I know,” Maria gritted out, watching him pull it out of his pocket. She moved to snatch her device from his hand. “I sent someone to go get i—”
“And I told him to fuck off,” Dominic said, not letting her take it from his grasp.
“You told Vincent to fuck off?” she asked curiously with a smile, forgetting her phone for a second.
“Yeah, he’s a little prick.” Dom made it clear what he thought of the young Caruso soldier. “Is he always such an ass?”
“Why do you think I sent him?” Maria finally snatched the phone from his hand.
Dominic glared at her. “You’re lucky I didn’t kill him, Maria.”
“I knew that was the worst-case scenario, yet it was what I hoped for.” Maria gave him a disappointed look before starting to close the door.
Within an inch of it shutting, Dom stopped her by shoving his foot between the crack.
“He looked familiar …” He thought a second before it finally clicked. “You sent the Caruso consigliere’s son to my home!” Dominic whispered harshly. “Are you fucking crazy? If I had even laid a hand on that kid, like I wanted, my ass—”
“Oh, stop being so dramatic.” Maria shushed him with a roll of her eyes. “You would have not only done me a favor of never having to hear his mouth again, but you would have done Lucca one too.”
“You’re psychotic. You know that, right?” Dom said, glaring at her.
“I’m aware.” Maria went to slam the door again, but this time Dominic stopped it with his hand. “May I help you?”
“I came by to give you the phone this morning, but you weren’t here. I would have come last night, but I thought you needed some space.”
Maria took a breath, trying to be polite for one second. “I was at the hospital. They discharged Leo today.” Okay, long enough. “And he’s finally asleep now. So, if you don’t mind? Good-bye.”
Dominic didn’t let her shut the door again.
“What the hell is your prob—”
“Princess, you have two choices. Option one: you let me inside so we can quietly talk.” Dominic glowered at her. “Or option two: I stand out here all night … not so quietly.”
Maria narrowed her eyes into beady little slits that told him every fucking cursed thought she had of him—motherfucking asswipe, dick-headed bi—
“Fine!” she grumbled. “But be quiet.”
“No problem.” Dominic blew through the door and past her, letting her know, if he had wanted to come in at the beginning of the conversation, he could have.
Bitch! she finished her last thought as she quietly shut the door he left behind him.
Walking into the living room that he showed himself to, Maria saw Dominic’s concern of a sleeping Leo.
“Will he be all right?”
“Physically, yes,” she answered with a bit of sadness in her voice.
Going up the glass stairs, she motioned for him when he still didn’t move from watching Leo. “Come on.”
Staring at him for another second, Dominic then followed behind Maria, through the penthouse and to a bedroom that was obviously hers. The champagne silk bedding and matching, sheer, floor to ceiling curtains were obviously for extravagance and not for modesty as the city lights twinkled below.
“Wow,” Dominic mouthed, going to the window and looking down at the best view in all of Kansas City.
Maria had watched him curiously for a second. It was a view she stared at almost every day and it still amazed her. But to watch someone experience it for the first time tugged at her lips.
After setting her phone down, she slowly walked up beside him, her emerald gaze not going to the city but to his face. She liked the way the colors danced on his tan features, how the light moved through his brown hair, and mostly how the green in his hazel eyes glowed. Dominic was more than handsome … he was beautiful. The life he led made him look rough around the edges, and the full, but short, scruffy beard, along with his coat and hand tattoos only made him ooze that much more of a don’t-fuck-with-me appearance. But the stern look he constantly held in his eyes and brows that caused the two lines between his brows to cut deep, all disappeared when he relaxed … like he was right now.
Underneath it all, if Dominic had been born outside of this city and the mafia world, he would have been behind a camera or on a catwalk, just like she would have been. Both of them might have looked like models, but only Maria got the luxury to keep it up. The money she was born into, and the endless time of not having to work, afforded her things she wanted to do to be the most beautiful woman in Kansas City. She had never seen Dominic in a different jacket than the one he wore now, and still he was easily the hottest man in town.
“One thing about you, Carusos”—Dominic reached out, touching the glass with a fingertip as he stared at the other tall buildings around—“you sure are fucking brave.”
Smiling, she drifted her eyes to his cheeks. Carefully she studied them, trying to find the indentation she prayed would be there from her dreams. If the dimples were there, it only solidified his beauty. “They’re bulletproof. All of them are.”
“So, brave and smart.” He dropped his finger from the glass, finally looking away from the city and to her. “I’m sorry that I put you through hell yesterday.”
The pure apology that slipped from his mouth stunned her for a moment. “It’s all right,” she assured him.
“And I’m really sorry about Cass throwing your heels. I—”
“You didn’t get mad at him, did you?” she asked before he could finish. Dom seemed pissed enough when Cassius had taken her to see him at the restaurant.
He stared at her strangely, seeing the worry in her eyes about whether he punished Cassius or not. “No, I didn’t,” he soothed before a fire lit in his eyes. “But I should have. I liked those. They were new, weren’t they?”
“Yes.” Maria laughed. “And good, because Cassius was actually trying to help you, you know.”
“Yeah, he told me.” Dominic went back to looking at the city, kn
owing she meant about forcing her to feel the pain she had caused him. “But I wouldn’t have wanted you to see that, or feel anything close to the pain I felt. I only ever wanted you to understand my pain, but I wouldn’t ever want you hurt by it.”
Maria’s throat suddenly became tight. “But Cassius was right; I would have never understood without seeing you with her. She is pretty ….”
“Don’t talk like that,” he demanded.
“Like what?” Maria was confused. “I meant what I said. She is very pretty.”
“I know you meant what you said.” Dominic didn’t think she was trying to be malicious in any way, knowing her girl code went too deep. Taking a step closer to her, he forced her small, pointy chin higher under a tatted finger. “But I don’t want you talking about me liking another woman ever.”
Maria raised a brow. “You don’t like her?”
He shook his head, staring down into her jeweled eyes. “No.”
“What’s wrong with her?” Maria glared up at him, appearing offended. “She’s beautiful.”
Dominic’s eyes went down to her pouty lips. “She’s not you, princess.”
His admission made her stomach do a somersault, but Maria couldn’t help whispering the obvious. “But she’s in love with you ….”
Seeing she needed to hear the story and not wanting to keep secrets, he let his finger drop from her chin as he began. “Bristol and I went to school together our whole lives, and she was not only my only friend in school but in all of Blue Park. When I realized she developed feelings for me, I should have cut her off, but I … couldn’t. I didn’t have anyone else, and Bristol made me feel like I was almost a normal kid when I talked to her. I didn’t want to lose that and the only friend I had. So I turned her down over and over, and I selfishly had to watch her heartbreak every time I did. I swear to you, throughout our friendship, I’ve never once kissed her or gave her any sign to think we were anything but friends. You could ask her yourself, and she would tell you. But”—Dominic cleared his throat, having to look away from her face and to the city below—“you’re not the only one who chose Kayne over me.”
Instantly Maria’s stomach sank. The story that he was telling her to give her a peace of mind was taking a turn.
“We all grew up together in Blue Park. Me and Kayne never got along in school. There’re multiple reasons, but it mostly came down to our fathers. But when Bristol started dating Kayne senior year, I knew she had done it, at first, to make me jealous, in hopes that it would make me realize I loved her. But Kayne had gone out with her for the same reason. Bristol wasn’t his type. He wanted easy and available all throughout high school. He used her the same way she used him. The only difference was”—Dominic looked back sadly into Maria’s eyes—“Bristol fell for him in the end.”
Swallowing down the bile that tried to rise from the pit of her stomach, Maria realized her part in letting history repeat itself ten years later.
Dominic was right; Kayne had never changed from the boy who had grown up in Blue Park. He just became a man from Blue Park instead.
“W-Why are you telling me this?” she asked, sensing the ultimate “but.” She knew Dominic no longer wanted to hurt her or guilt her anymore for choosing Kayne, so why is he telling me this?
“Because, Bristol has a son ….”
“Oh,” Maria breathed. “And I’m guessing he’s about nine or ten years old?”
Dominic nodded solemnly. “I just didn’t want you to find out and not hear it from me.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “Thank you for telling me.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Kayne didn’t kn—”
“It’s okay,” Maria told him again.
Dom raised a brow. “It doesn’t bother you—”
“No,” she told him truthfully, her own words shocking her. That piece inside of her that thought she had loved Kayne died the second she had found out that he lied to her. Anything she felt since were aftershocks. They were mostly the fury she held against him for using her. “It doesn’t.”
“All right.” Dominic lifted her chin once more with his tatted finger only, this time, he smiled.
Holy … fuck.
Thirty-Four
“Love On The Brain” Part Two
“What?” Dominic asked, still staring at her with that smile that made her stomach flutter.
Apparently, her “holy fuck” hadn’t been spoken in her head.
“Y-You have dimples ….”
“I’m aware.” He laughed, raising her chin higher. Dominic liked looking at her long neck stretched out to him. “I feel like I should be offended you never noticed before.”
“I don’t think you ever smiled for me,” she told him breathlessly. Raising her hand, she let the pad of her fingers gently rub over and dip into the perfect indention. “This might sound really strange, Dominic, but I think I dreamed about you.” Maria couldn’t believe her admission until it was too late. The only thing that saved her were the next words that passed Dominic’s lips.
Putting his forehead against hers, his breath was heavy. “Oh, princess, I have too.”
Letting her fingers go from his cheek to the nape of his neck, she let her hand graze through his thick hair until she took ahold of it when he denied her seeking lips. Maria’s voice came out frustrated when she said, “This is the part where you kiss me.”
“No.” Dominic smiled wider, making his dimples deeper. “This is the part where you beg me to kiss you.”
Maria’s mouth dropped open, starting to pull away. “Excuse me?”
Laughing, he strengthened his hold on her by gripping the small of her waist, pulling her to his body and not letting her go anywhere. Then Dominic tilted her chin to one side before he dipped his head to her now exposed neck. He let his lips trail up from the base to top, his hot breath tantalizing the sensitive flesh as he spoke, “I promised myself that I would only kiss you after you gave me permission.”
Maria’s head slightly fell back, enjoying whatever the fuck he was doing to her. Everything burned like the scent he carried, and she desperately wanted Dominic to put it out. “Well, in case you missed it, this is me giving you permission.”
“I know.” He tilted her head to the other side with a finger, but this time when he dipped into the needy flesh, he didn’t give it the same attention as the other side. Slowly licking the part of her neck that he hadn’t been able to resist, he then sucked the wet flesh between his lips. “But now I want to hear how you sound when you beg.”
Neve—
Dominic repeated the same motion, now higher up her neck, making the ice princess shiver and turn into a puddle into his arms.
“Please!” she cried out.
Pressing his lips into the part of her neck that now glistened, he smiled. “Please, what?”
“Please, kiss me,” she begged, sweeping her tongue over her wanting lips in order to soothe them. “Please.”
Dominic suddenly grabbed the back of her head, protecting her head as he shoved them up against the strong glass window.
It wasn’t the action of hitting the glass that knocked her breath away, as it would take a lot to break her. It was Dominic. The need and want he displayed for her already told her he wasn’t planning on being tender. That was what made her unable to breathe well before his lips came crashing down on hers.
This wasn’t a tender first kiss between two lovers; this was a violent kiss that only ended with the other taking your soul.
It was no wonder Dominic wouldn’t kiss her without permission. It was clear he thought they were meant to be, and it was as if he predicted this would happen. Maria, however, really wished he would have started with this. It would have saved her a lot of trouble.
Letting her tongue sink into his hot mouth, the fire in her belly sunk lower when he savagely sucked, capturing it there for his to keep forever, if he so pleased.
Maria ran her hands up his chest. Not giving a single fuck that they had only shar
ed their first kiss, she quickly ripped off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor. Dominic kissed her deeper, his tongue taking a dive into her mouth.
Repaying the favor, because she was nice, of course, Maria mimicked him, sucking his thicker tongue into her mouth. She wasn’t as gentle with her teeth as he had been.
Both of them had clearly decided to fuck it in that moment. They would fuck with their clothes on, then later without. Both of them were at a dire point of need, unable to wait any longer to put out the fires that had begun to sear their souls together as one.
Maria reached her manicured hands to his jeans, unbuttoning them. She was about a second away from seeing the scene from her dream come to life as her hungry eyes eagerly waited for his dick to come jutting out—
Her eyes suddenly closed shut when a callused middle finger slipped between her folds.
He had found nothing underneath the silky satin short set she wore, discovering her more than wet with need.
Maria opened her eyes when his finger left her.
She thought Dominic had already reached the pentacle of hotness, but then she watched him slip his middle finger into his mouth, sucking her juices off in one, satisfying second.
“Tell me, princess”—licking off the last of her, Dominic’s sexy demeanor would have been terrifying for the weak—“how did your dream go?”
One thing was for certain…
Taking his hand, she brought his middle finger to her lips before sucking his long finger to the back of her throat with the tight seal she created as she slowly pulled it out from her mouth.
… Maria had finally met her match.
At first, Dom was shocked as he watched her action, but then desire fired in his hazel eyes brighter, to a scorching point, when his wet finger hit the cold air. Capturing her lips with his again, she wanted him to see just how ready this princess was for him when he slipped two fingers suddenly deep into her pussy.
Dominic (Made Men Book 8) Page 25
