Jade was barely catching her breath after that passionate kiss had stolen it from her, and now she had to give him an answer… She was still tangled in Dominick's arms, lost in the sensation of being kissed that way.
"Answer me, please…" he whispered close to her lips, tempted to taste them again, but held himself back. He had to restrain the desire burning inside him; he didn't want to give her the wrong idea about his intentions.
«How could I say no to him when he clouded my mind just by kissing me?»
At that moment she wasn't aware of anything. She only nodded slowly. Dominick smiled, slid a hand down her back, and took her hand.
"Let's go to your room," he murmured. "I don't want to sleep here."
She didn't reply, only let herself be guided by him, who was clearly pleased. For Dominick, her agreement was like achieving a victory—and the fact that it was the first time he kissed her without ending up hit or arguing felt wonderful.
They entered the room, dimly lit.
"Do you mind if I take a shower?" he asked.
"There's the bathroom," she pointed with her finger. "I have some clothes here I was planning to donate. I think something might fit you…"
Dominick nodded, not very convinced. Jade handed him a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. He didn't waste time and went into the bathroom—he needed a cold shower to calm down. He didn't want anything to show, but it was almost certain he wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of touching her, having her so close, so vulnerable. It had been so long since the last time he'd touched a woman that he feared losing control.
Almost twenty minutes later, he finished. He let out a short laugh—he'd have to wear those clothes without boxers.
He came out of the bathroom and stopped in the doorway to look at her. He smiled and shook his head slightly—Jade had already lain down, covered with the thick quilt. She was nervous, and even after all those minutes since that exciting kiss, she could still feel the light tingling wandering through her body…
Dominick slipped under the sheets like a predator until he was beside her. He took her by the waist and pulled her close.
"Remember, I said I wanted to be close to you," he murmured in her ear. Jade shifted a little.
"Good night, Jade."
Dom got comfortable and left a kiss on her neck, which made her sigh softly. He smiled, satisfied. Fatigue did its job, and Dominick quickly fell asleep—without letting go of Jade for a second. Unlike him, she couldn't sleep, because in her mind, that kiss kept replaying over and over…
Thursday
Jade yawned, stretching. She opened her eyes and turned to the side—where a sleeping Dominick was still pressed against her, his morning erection brushing against her stomach. Somehow, she had turned in her sleep and thrown one leg over him. The quilt was almost on the floor.
She got out of bed carefully, standing still for a moment just to look at him. There was no doubt Dominick was handsome—and the only one who had ever made her feel something so inexplicable. She shook her head and went to the bathroom to take a shower…
[...]
By the time Dominick woke up, Jade was gone, but she had left a small note saying she had things to do. He took his stuff and left for home, telling himself he'd come back later.
~•~
Jade
5:45 p.m.
She worked in the kitchen with Nerea and Floren all afternoon, trying to distract herself, but it was useless—she spent the entire time thinking about Dominick, about what had happened last night, and all the feelings he had awoken again with a single kiss. She sighed, grabbed the teapot without paying attention, and burned her palm.
"Damn it!" she complained, feeling the sting spread through her hand.
"Jade!" Floren hurried over, worried. "Girl, for God's sake, where's your head?" the woman scolded, taking her hand to examine it. "Look at this…"
"It's nothing, don't worry…" Jade grimaced when she felt a pull of pain.
"You're acting strange, Jade. Something you want to tell me?" her friend asked from across the kitchen, leaving a ladle aside and turning off the stove.
"Nothing," Jade hissed.
"Come on, I have some ointment in my room."
Before Jade could protest, Nerea was already dragging her upstairs. Nerea opened the door to her room and led Jade inside, making her sit on the bed before fetching the ointment from the bathroom.
"Now that we're alone, you're going to tell me what's going on with you—you look lost," the brunette said, taking her hand and applying the ointment.
"Ow," Jade winced. "It's nothing important."
The truth was she didn't want to tell her, because she knew Nerea would start forming ideas in her head—and Jade didn't want to hear them, because they'd only confuse her more.
"First, you can't lie to me—you're terrible at it. Second, if it weren't important, you wouldn't look like that. You seem like you did something and now you're questioning why. What happened?"
Jade rolled her eyes.
"It's actually your fault," she said.
Nerea frowned.
"If you hadn't left—probably to sleep with one of your boyfriends—Dominick wouldn't have had to come, I wouldn't have had to ask him to stay, he wouldn't have kissed me, and I wouldn't be so confused right now, much less have agreed to sleep with him…" she blurted out all at once.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa…" Nerea stared at her wide-eyed. "First of all, I don't have boyfriends—just casual friends, purely for pleasure," she said with a dismissive gesture. "Now explain what you mean by confused because Dominick kissed you. Wait—how is it that you slept with him? Oh my God, oh my God! Did you sleep with him?" she squealed.
"I can't believe it—you finally dusted off that cave full of cobwebs," she snorted, then hit her own forehead. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
"Don't worry," Jade cleared her throat. "And no, I didn't sleep with Dominick. Well, yes—but only to sleep. He asked me to lie down with him, promised he wouldn't touch me, and I… well, I was too overwhelmed from the kiss, so I ended up agreeing."
"I admit I still don't like Dominick—and sometimes I plan his slow and painful death," Nerea laughed, "but I've got to give him credit. Just look how he treats Luka. Or how he looks at you when you're distracted. That man's fallen in love with you, and you don't even realize it."
"That's not true…"
"Stop thinking no one could love you for who you are. You have so many wonderful things to offer, Jade. One of those should be giving Dominick a chance. You've got nothing to lose—if it doesn't work, you can always end it. Luka deserves a real family, but don't do it just for him," she clarified. "Do it because at least you like Dominick. Though you already know that…"
"I…"
"No," she interrupted. "It's not me you owe an answer to."
"You sound just like Dr. Ernes," Jade complained, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe we just see what you refuse to accept. Anyway, I've got things to do outside the restaurant."
Jade stayed there a little while longer, applied a bit more ointment, then went back to the kitchen. Luka was with Casmin in the park. She took care of distributing menus since she couldn't do much with her burned palm.
"This isn't what I ordered!" a customer yelled at one of the waitresses.
Jade turned toward the shout that had silenced half the restaurant. She approached the table where the angry customer was about to explode on the poor girl.
"What's going on?" she asked, looking from the girl to the furious man.
"I told this idiot not to put onions in my sarmale, and she completely ignored me!" he roared.
"And for that you think it's okay to yell like that, bothering customers and insulting my employee?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow. People like him always irritated her—those who thought they were above others because of their money. "You're not much of a man, are you?"
"I don't give a damn what you think!" he jumped up, his chair scraping the floor. "I'm a customer here, and I demand respect!"
"I care even less what you believe. Everyone here has the same rights, and I'm not going to let someone like you—" she looked him up and down "—who thinks he's better than others just because he's got a few extra bucks—insult my staff."
"Listen, lady," he stepped closer to Jade, "don't make me lose my patience or—"
"Or what?" Dominick's voice interrupted, startling Jade, who had no idea where he had come from. "I hope you meant you won't come back to this restaurant again, because if that was a threat, you'd be in serious trouble with me—and trust me, you don't want that, idiot."
"And who the hell are you to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?"
"I'm the father of her son, and you'd better pay your bill and leave, or I'll throw you out myself," Dom said, so calm it was frightening.
"You can all go to hell!" the man yelled, leaving the money on the table before storming out of the restaurant.
Jade stood there staring at Dominick. The people around started clapping, and the waitress thanked him. Jade just smiled.
"Jade, come on. I need to talk to you," he said softly, taking her by the arm and quietly leading her upstairs, to the apartment door.
She tried to open the door with her left hand, but struggled.
"Could you…?" she handed him the key.
"Of course. Did something happen to your hand?" he asked while unlocking the door.
"I burned it with the teapot. I was… a little distracted," she cleared her throat.
"Do you need anything? Maybe some ointment for that? You know you can count on me for whatever you need," he said.
"Thank you," she smiled, looking away—again that strange sensation invaded her. A mix of nervousness, anxiety, fear, and embarrassment, a feeling that made her stomach twist. She wanted to look at him, but she couldn't… Because deep down, she thought if she did, he'd be able to read her mind and know exactly what she was thinking.
"And Luka?" he asked as they sat on the couch.
"At the park, with Casmin," she replied. "They'll be back in a few hours."
"I guess I'll have to wait to see him, then," he said, glancing at her profile. To him, she was beautiful—simply beautiful in her own way, with her peculiar manner of being. She had awakened feelings in him he thought were long dead. Jade had captivated him completely, and now, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He only wanted to be near her.
He leaned closer, leaving only a small space between them, struggling not to lose control and make her his right then and there.
"Jade…" he purred her name near her ear. She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to turn toward him. "No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss we shared," he murmured, brushing his lips softly along her cheek. "And all I want is to do it again. Can I, Jade? Can I kiss you?"
Although Dominick knew kissing her first was usually more effective, this time he wanted her permission—and risked being rejected. But he'd find a way to make her change her mind if she did.
Jade turned slowly, exhaling through her parted lips, overwhelmed by the heat he had created, her skin prickling as he slid his lips over it.
"Kiss me, Dominick… before I change my mind," she said, her eyes half closed, intoxicated by the sensations he stirred inside her.
Dominick cupped her face and brought his lips to hers gently, savoring the moment—unique, because it was the first time she had asked him to kiss her.
Dom leaned back on the couch, urging her to climb onto him, and Jade—caught in the fervent kiss—straddled him for a more comfortable position.
The kiss Dominick had intended to keep slow and soft quickly turned wild and demanding. He devoured her mouth, and Jade didn't hold back—she returned the kiss with equal intensity, clutching his shirt as he squeezed her waist and pulled her even closer.
Dominick slid his tongue to meet hers, tasting her completely, the kiss turning into a battle of desire neither wanted to end.
He trailed down to her neck and sucked gently—he was completely lost for this woman who had driven him mad—then ran his tongue over the reddening skin before returning to her lips.
"I want you so much…" Dom whispered between kisses, sliding his hand down Jade's back. She trembled under his touch, moving slowly against him, overwhelmed by the lust he ignited in her.
They touched each other desperately—Jade careful with her injured palm—over their clothes, crazed to feel skin against skin, to lose themselves completely in each other.
A soft moan escaped her when he pressed her again against his hardness, which throbbed against her damp panties.
Dominick reluctantly pulled away from her addictive lips and looked straight into her eyes. Her hair was tousled, her breathing heavy, her lips swollen. He lifted his hands, undoing one of the buttons of her dress, his fingers deliberately grazing the hot skin of her chest. He looked at her intensely, then paused, silently asking for permission to continue…