Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 26605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26605 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 106(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“Where are you going in such a rush?” Mischa asks.
“I’m going to visit my mom, and Dom is coming with me.” I shift nervously in my chair.
“This is very serious,” Genny states.
“He insisted.” And for once, it’s the absolute truth. Dom didn’t hesitate for a single second when I mentioned the visit.
The girls stare at me for a minute, and a collective sense of realization settles over the group. Alex already accepted it, my little traitorous friend. One day, I’ll get her back.
“Go, don’t keep him waiting, and give your mom our love,” she states.
“I will. Love you guys.” I stand up, offering them a bright smile and a quick wave before turning on my heel and moving quickly through the maze of people.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
dom
“What are you doing out here by yourself?” I’m leaning against the concrete pillar, brown liquor swirling in a cut crystal glass, when I hear Cory’s voice from behind me. The Seattle skyline is glittering gold and deep violet. From my view from above, the city looks small, manageable, and entirely under my control.
“Waiting for you.” I turn around, taking in Cory’s sheer beauty. We’ve spent the last couple of weeks executing our plans flawlessly. Everyone who matters has seen Cory and me around town, hand-in-hand, out to dinner, at charity galas, and whatever else needed my attention. The board has been pacified, the public is captivated that one of Seattle’s most eligible bachelors is off the market, and I’ve accomplished exactly what I set out to do.
The next phase should be the engagement, but tonight, looking out over the water and the city meant absolutely nothing to me. The only thing I care about is the woman standing in the doorway, her soft gaze fixed on the horizon as the cool evening breeze dances through her hair.
I adjust the collar of my shirt. My dick throbs while I watch as she makes her way toward me. I’m not usually a man who hesitates, yet as I look at her, I notice a subtle familiar tension in the line of her shoulders. Over the past few days, a quiet shadow has settled beneath her eyes. Cory’s fighting a battle, and I know exactly what it is.
The crushing guilt over taking my money.
When she signed the contract, things were different, we were different. The structure surrounding the arrangement changed. But the cold reality of the ink on the paper dissolved weeks ago when she let me into her body in front of the master closet mirror. The contract didn’t exist to me anymore. This is real. We’re real. Every touch, every late-night confession, and the fierce protectiveness that comes out of me whenever she enters the room have fuck all to do with business.
“I can hear your thoughts, sweetheart.” I pull her into my arms once she’s in reaching distant before turning us around to stare at the view, her back to my chest, and settle my chin on her shoulder.
“Dom.” She tilts her head over her shoulder. “I feel like a fraud, taking your money.
“Why?” I ask softly.
“I can’t keep taking your money, Dom. Not anymore. The way I feel about you, because of us, because of this,” she whispers, gesturing between the two of us. “The way you look at me, the way you make me feel. It’s not a transaction for me, and I hope it’s not for you.”
“Then let’s change the rules.” My voice is steady. She turns around, and I take her hands, lifting them up between us. “If the contract is making you feel this way, Cory, I’ll rip it to shreds. Tonight. I’ve told you that before, sweetheart. And whatever the board members want, they can have. It’s only fucking money. I should have given it to them anyway since they thought I was such a waste of time in investing in what I know is a shoo-in deal.
“Dom, you can’t,” she utters.
“Watch me.” I lean down so there isn’t space left between us, ensuring she hears every single word I’m about to say. “The arrangement was for them. This, this is for us. I want you, Cory. At the end of the day, every day, for the rest of my days. Everything I have, everything I am, it’s yours.” Before she can process the weight of my words, I reach into the breast pocket of my button-down shirt, my fingers closing around the ring. I pull it out. The massive pink diamond is flanked by a delicate band of platinum that glitters a lot like the Seattle skyline behind us. It’s striking, unique, and breathtaking—just like Cory
“Dom, oh my god,” she gasps, hand flying to her mouth as her eyes water. Without waiting for her permission, I take her left hand in mine and slide the ring onto her finger, the diamond settling against her skin like it’s always belonged there. She looks down. Her lower lip trembles as she shakes her head in beautiful defiance. “It’s too much. Dom, I can’t accept this. It’s too beautiful and far too expensive.”