He took his eyes off the road for a second and smirked. “Would you say you hate surprises more or less than I hate haunted houses?”
My lips tried tugging up in a smile so I bit my lip to keep it at bay. “Touché.”
“Trust me, baby. You’re going to love it.”
What I didn’t say was that as long as I was with him, I was down for anything.
Chapter Seventeen
Dominic
Sophia was practically vibrating in her seat as I pulled into the parking lot, her voice so high-pitched as she squealed, “Laser tag? You’re taking me to play laser tag?” that I feared for the safety of my eardrums. But the sight of her unbridled delight would’ve totally been worth the loss of hearing.
“Shit. Did I take a wrong turn somewhere?” I teased, earning myself a punch to the shoulder.
“Don’t joke! Please tell me this is what we’re doing.” She clasped her hands in front of her as though in prayer as she pinned me with those beautiful eyes. “Please, please, pleeeeeease!”
A smile split my face. My girl had always been obsessed with competitive sports. It was just one of the many, many things I loved about her. A woman who looked like Sophia and could go on about players’ stats was enough to make any man hard. The fact that she wasn’t one of those chicks who just sat on the sidelines but actually enjoyed playing them as well just made her so much better. “Yes,” I answered on a chuckle. “We have a fun-filled evening of laser tag and….” I paused, dragging out the suspense just to drive her crazy.
“And…?”
“Batting cages,” I finally answered on a whisper.
She emitted another ear-piercing squeal and bounced around in the passenger seat, doing an adorable little happy dance. It only made her that much more irresistible.
“I can’t believe you brought me here,” she sighed happily. “I thought for sure you’d plan something to torture me for forcing you to do all those things you hated.”
“Nope,” I answered, turning the steering wheel. “That wouldn’t help in my long-term goal of making you fall for me again, now would it?” I looked over at her and winked, but noticed her staring at me with a funny expression on her face that I couldn’t quite read. “What?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head and smiled. “I’m just really looking forward to this.”
I parked the car and shut off the engine. When I climbed out and rounded the hood, she’d already stepped out and was bouncing on her toes in excitement. As soon as I reached her side, she grabbed my hand and started pulling me toward the building. “Let’s go! Let’s go!”
I gladly followed after her, laughing at her exuberance. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take this slow. With every passing day, my need to be with her all the time grew and grew. The ache of trying to live without her for the last ten years had never gone away, but having her so close yet still too far away only made it that much worse.
I paid for our entry and placed my hand on the small of Sophia’s back as I led her to pick up our vests and laser guns. She slipped off her jacket and geared up, beaming brightly all the while. I followed suit, handing our coats to the guy behind the counter for holding. We had five minutes until the next game, so we went over to wait by a group of about five teenagers already standing by the door.
“You sure you’re up for this, old man?” one of the punk-ass kids asked, making his buddies snicker. “Maybe you should do something more your speed… like bingo. That’s what the old folks like, right?”
You can’t hit a kid. You can’t hit a kid, I chanted in my head. “I’m flattered by the concern, but I’m fine,” I answered dryly, pinning the shithead with a murderous glare.
“You sure? Wouldn’t want you to overdo it in there and have a heart attack.”
Little fucker. “You know, you’ve got a mouth on you for someone whose balls probably haven’t even dropped yet.”
His friends oohed while Sophia moved close, placing her hands on my chest. When I looked down, I found her trying her hardest to keep from laughing. “Are you really trading insults with a sixteen-year-old right now?”
“Well he started it,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at the little shit over her shoulder.
“I promise not to take it too hard on you, man,” the kid continued to taunt. “Wouldn’t want to embarrass you in front of your sweet-ass honey.”
Sophia’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Did he just call me a sweet-ass honey’?” she asked me, none too quietly.
“Just calling it like I see it, babe,” the kid stated. “You wanna be on a winning team, we’ll be more than happy to take you on.”
My chest puffed out against Sophia’s bracing palms. I was more than prepared to get into a pissing match with the dickhead when Sophia spoke up, her voice holding a challenge. “That’s it, you little virgin. It’s on. The two of us against the five of you.”
Wait… what? “Soph—” I started, but she wasn’t done.
“A hundred bucks to the winner,” the kid declared.
“Make it two and you got a deal.”
Fuck. “Butterfly—”
Her hand whipped out to silence me. “I got this, honey.”
She just called me honey. Yeah, she’s got this. She can have whatever she damn well wants.
But… “Baby.” I leaned down and whispered in her ear as the doors opened, granting us entry. “They’re just kids. I bet they don’t even have twenty bucks between all five of them.”
“Not the point,” she exclaimed, spinning around and pinning me with a serious look. “Teen Bop and his band of hoodlums need to be knocked down a few pegs. No one talks to you like that.”
Fire sparked in her blue eyes, and I was suddenly rock-fucking-hard. “There’s no talking you out of this, is there?”
“Nope.” She lifted her laser gun like she was set for war. “Now let’s go kick some prepubescent ass.”
“How bad is it that I’m totally turned on right now?” I asked as we exited the darkly lit room back into the main space.
Sophia was grinning from ear to ear as the teens ambled out behind us, all of their faces twisted in a sour expression.
We’d destroyed them.
After a heroic leap—if I do say so myself—where I took the shot meant for Soph, I’d been out of the game for two minutes. She’d defended herself like a goddamn pro. Merciless, out for blood. It was some serious ninja-type shit. When I reentered the game, I was psyched and took out two of those bastards within a minute.
Maybe it was wrong to be so proud of demolishing a couple of kids, but if that was the case, I didn’t want to be right.
She giggled herself silly, breathing heavily from the exertion. The hair she’d pulled back into a ponytail right before the game started was beginning to come undone, and I couldn’t help but reach out and tug on a few strands. “God, that was fun!”
“Holy shit,” the kid who’d done all the shit-talking earlier said. “You guys are pretty damn good.” There was a hint of respect in his voice as he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet.
“Keep your money,” I told him.
“But—”
“It wasn’t about the money,” I stated plainly. “It was about teaching you a lesson in manners. Maybe next time show a little respect, yeah?” I looped my arm around Sophia’s shoulder and began leading her away, mumbling under my breath, “Christ, just saying that made me feel old as hell.”
She let out a rich, husky laugh that I felt all the way from my chest to my balls. “Come on, Grandpa,” she joked. “Teach me how to bat.”
Sophia
The night had exceeded any expectations I might’ve had. From the time we pulled into the parking lot to watching Dominic take a flying, goalie-style leap in front of me in the laser tag arena, I’d had the best time. Every evening out with him just got better and better.
It made it impossible to keep that wall up between him and my heart.
“Okay,” he called
from outside the batting cage. “Widen your stance a little more.”
I tried to do as he said, but the clunky protective helmet I was wearing made me feel like a bobblehead, and I certainly hadn’t picked the right shoes for swinging a bat. I might have loved all things sports, from watching to playing, but that didn’t mean I had a knack for all of them. I could rock volleyball and flag football like a boss, but judging from how many strikes I’d made so far, I sucked at baseball.
“Don’t choke up so high on the bat. Bring your hands lower. Yeah, like that. Now loosen your grip, butterfly.” My chest expanded at that pet name so much my ribs actually ached. “Okay, get ready.”
I tried to stand how he told me, hold the bat how he’d explained. The ball came out of the pitching machine at what seemed like a million miles an hour, and despite swinging with all my might, I missed by a mile. The momentum was too much, and I spun in a circle before falling flat on my ass with a loud “oomph.”
“Jesus, baby. You all right?” Dominic rushed in and shut off the machine, then crouched in front of me. His honey-brown eyes glowed with concern as he pushed the helmet off my head and brushed my hair from my face. He cupped my cheeks, his gaze pinning mine in place. “Did you hurt yourself?”
I nuzzled into his palm a bit more as I stared up at him. God, he was so handsome.
“Soph, answer me, sweetheart. Are you okay?”
I blew out a heavy breath. “I’m fine. But my ass might be bruised tomorrow.”
“Shit. Come on, let’s get you home.” He helped me from the ground, but I dug my heels in and tugged on the hand he was holding when he tried to pulling me out of the cage.
“I’m not leaving until I hit a damn ball.”
He stopped and looked at me over his shoulder, smiling at the determination on my face. “Fine,” he chuckled, knowing me well enough not to argue.
Releasing my hand, he moved back to the machine while I placed the helmet back on my head. I positioned myself back at the plate as he’d instructed before, expecting him to hurry to safety outside the cage. However, instead of leaving, he moved to me and pressed right up against my back. His hands landed on my hips and he pulled me closer before skating up my ribs, along my arms, and finally coming to a stop on top of my hands that were wrapped around the bat.
“Loosen up,” he whispered in my ear. The feel of his breath on my skin made me shiver. The heat of his body flush against mine was almost too much to bear, and I was suddenly acutely aware of everything that was him. “Good, just like that.” He continued to speak in a hushed tone as he maneuvered my body to his liking.
“Inhale deeply,” he directed as the machine whirred, gearing up to launch another ball at me.
I pulled in a stuttered breath. I’d all but forgotten what it was we were doing as overwhelming desire for the man behind me took over.
“Now exhale past your lips and get ready.”
Oh, I was ready. I was so ready. But not for anything having to do with baseball.
My body was putty in his hands as the machine expelled another ball. I barely paid attention, and had it not been for Dominic’s hands on mine, his strong arms surrounding me, I would’ve let the damn ball whirl by without so much as blinking. But thanks to his talent and determination, he pulled our arms back and swung. The bat cracked as soon as it connected with the ball, startling me back into reality.
“Oh my God!” I cried, spinning around in his arms. “I hit it!” Unable to contain my excitement, I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him down just enough to press my lips against his.
He froze the instant I kissed him and embarrassment crawled across my skin. I moved to pull back, my entire body heating with humiliation at my stupidity, but I barely got an inch before his arms clasped around me. One hand tangled in my hair, the other prevented me from moving as he slammed his mouth down on mine in a fevered kiss that melted every bone in my body.
Sparks detonated behind my eyelids and I knew, I just knew, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I didn’t want to.
Once we were forced to break apart in order to breathe, I whispered four words that were guaranteed to change my entire world.
And I didn’t care one little bit.
“Come home with me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Sophia
As soon as the words passed my lips, Dominic had my hand in his and all but dragged me out of the batting cage. I had to jog to keep up with his quick, determined pace.
Oh my God. Is this happening? This is happening, isn’t it? Yep, it’s so happening.
My brain struggled to process what was happening at the same time my skin started to heat. Endless questions flitted around in my head as we practically ran to the car. Did I remember to shave my legs last night? When exactly was the last time I had a bikini wax? Am I wearing my good panties or Sunday laundry day panties?
I was in such a state that I couldn’t remember the answer to any of those questions.
Dominic pulled me to a dead stop right beside the passenger door of his car. “Are you sure about this?” His expression looked positively manic, like he was just two seconds away from tearing my clothes to shreds and taking me right there on the hood of his car. Yes please. “Are you completely, totally sure? If you aren’t, you need to say so now because the moment you get in that car, there’s no going back.”
If there’d been any doubt in my mind before, the heat in his gaze telling me that he was just as gone for me as I was for him blew it away. My answer was to push him out of my way, jerk the car door open, and throw myself inside. I hadn’t even managed to get my seat belt buckled before he was in his seat, leaning over the center console to devour my lips once again.
“Dominic,” I sighed between kisses. He groaned in response to his name on my lips. “Dominic.”
“Hmm?” He trailed openmouthed kisses from my jaw to my neck. His fingers squeezed the flesh at my hips so hard I’d probably have bruises the next day. And I didn’t. Fucking. Care.
“Dom!” I snapped.
He pulled away, breathing raggedly. “What? What is it?”
“Drive. Now. It’s a ten-minute drive to my place.”
He pulled back and shoved the key in the ignition. The engine purred to life just as he looked at me with the most delectably sinful smile on his face. “I’ll make it in five.”
I’d have laughed and called him cocky if I hadn’t been so turned on I was about to lose my effing mind. I pretty much counted down every second as it ticked by of those—thank the merciful Lord above—five minutes.
The car was barely thrown into Park and shut off before we were both barreling out of the car and up to my front door. We hit the porch and he had me backed against the door before I had a chance to pull my keys from my purse.
The kiss was frantic, consuming, soul-destroying. It was as if we were trying to absorb one another. His air was my air. His skin was my skin.
Oh God. His skin was my skin. He was completely under my skin. The more time we spent together, the harder it was for me to imagine my life without him again. Dominic had done exactly what he said.
“You’re under my skin,” I panted as he trailed kisses along my collarbone. My words caused him to stop. He stood tall so his eyes could meet mine.
“What?”
“You’re under my skin. I crave you constantly. You’re so deep I don’t think I’ll ever get you out. And I don’t want it to stop.”
His forehead rested against mine as he exhaled so heavily I wondered if there was any breath left in his lungs. “God, butterfly. You have no idea what hearing that means to me.”
“Then show me.” I fisted my hands in his shirt at the waist. “Come inside and show me.”
In the next beat, the door was unlocked and I was in his arms. He moved up the stairs at a fast clip, taking some of them two at a time, like I weighed no more than a feather.
I hardly registered the sound of him kicking my bedroom door closed before I felt my m
attress beneath me. He ripped at my clothes like every article offended him.
In the blink of an eye, I was completely naked and spread out on the bed before his roving eyes. Most women might have shied away from such attention, but it made me feel powerful, so damn powerful.
I’d been completely confident with my body and appearance for as long as I could remember. I was a woman. I was beautiful, strong, empowered.
And Dominic’s heated gaze on me right then made me feel all of that tenfold.
“Get undressed,” I all but begged when he did nothing more than stand there and stare. “Dominic, please.”
“Sophia.” He whispered my name like a prayer. “Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?”
The backs of my eyes began to sting. “I’ve been right here this whole time.”
“No you haven’t,” he murmured. “Not like this. Not in so long.”
I felt that to my very soul. I was dying. God, he’s killing me. “Then please, take your clothes off and show me how much you’ve missed me.”
He was naked in an instant, and I gasped in pleasure at the sight of him. It was amazing how much a person could change in ten years. He was no longer the boy growing into a man—he was all man. Every inch of his skin covered tight, straining muscle that bulged with his ragged breathing. He was more defined, more pronounced, more everything.
But his cock. Sweet Christ, his cock. I remembered it and everything it was capable of doing to me like it was yesterday.
“I need you,” I murmured, my baser instincts having completely taken over.
I spread my thighs, leaving room for him as he placed his knee on the bed and moved to hover over me. “You need me?” he asked on a growl, sounding positively feral with his desire.
“Yes.”
“You crave me?”
Boy, did I. “Yes, Dom. Please.”
His fingers brushed my inner thighs, causing me to moan and arch my back as they crawled across my flesh. “Tell me, butterfly.” I whimpered as his thumb found my clit and began rubbing in tight circles. I grew wetter with each rotation until I thought I might scream. “Tell me your heart craves me. Your body and mind.”
Tempting Sophia Page 11
