Dance For Me (Strip in the City, Book 2)

22 • Hot Date

But Dominick didn't walk away. He showed up in my line of sight again. But this time, he didn't have a question in his eyes. This time, he looked devastatingly sad. It was carved into all the lines of his face. Even with his glasses on, I could see how much his heart was breaking.

"I'm so sorry that I put that idea in your head. That I don't want you around," Dominick said, his voice as rough as sandpaper. His hands gripped my upper arms, anchoring me in place. "Because that ain't true at all. I do want you around." He came a step closer. His eyes softened. I couldn't look away from him if I tried. "I want to eat with you. Sitting up in my bedroom. While I show you all the embarrassing pictures you wanna see. And there's a lot." A half smile tipped up his lips, and I found myself smiling too. "But I want to know more about you, too. Even the things you think are imperfect."

He was saying all the right things, and I wanted to believe him, but I couldn't. History told me I shouldn't. "You say that now, but when you find out that I only listen to K-pop and that I eat with my fingers more often than I eat with a fork, you're going to be running for the hills."

These were things that I'd been told by other guys.

Dominick took another step forward, and our bodies were almost touching. People passed by, and the sounds of conversations and traffic filled the silence between us. "Neither of those things makes me wanna run."

How was he still standing here, staring at me like I hadn't just told him my weird quirks? Maybe he needed to hear more to get the picture. "I have other really bad qualities. I'm too loud. I bite my nails. Oh, and I forget everything. If it's not in my phone with three alerts, it doesn't exist."

"Still not scaring me away."

The reassuring press of his gaze was too much, and I cast my attention to the pavement. We were right back where we were inside the pool. Me asking him if this was just a dance, and him telling me no. He'd apologized for pushing me away after we had sex, but if I let him get close and he pushed me away again, it would destroy me.

He was everything I wanted in a partner, and that scared the hell out of me.

His finger slipped under my chin, guiding my attention back up. When our eyes met, there was a stone-cold seriousness cradled behind his glasses that made my breath hitch.

"Listen, baby. If my job at the Hope Foundation has taught me anything, it's that most people never get to do the things they always dreamed of doing. Their bucket list, or whatever. Life gets in the way, and all of a sudden, you're sick and now you can't do it the way you wanted to." He studied me for a moment. "Let me tell you one thing, Tanushree. Getting to watch you eat with your fingers while we listen to K-pop is on my bucket list."

Even though it was so hard to believe him, deep down, I really wanted to trust him. "No, it's not."

"Yeah. It is. I just want to be with you. You're perfect, just the way you are."

His hand slid to the back of my neck, and my head tipped back, opening myself up to him. I took a second to appreciate all the beautiful things about him. The dark blonde hair falling in his eyes, the unwavering sense of surety in his green eyes, the sharp lines of his face that were covered in stubble, and, of course, the way his lips were parted.

We were on a collision course, him and I. Head on. Full throttle. Neither one of us turning away. I knew the second his lips crashed into mine, that would be it. Everything would change. The person I was before would no longer exist, and I'd be forever changed by the damage he'd do to me. By the way our bodies would wrap around each other, twisting and burning together in a smoldering heap.

As horrible as this whole thing could end, I wanted to believe that he'd protect me. Keep me safe through all the chaos. Wanting me despite everything that I was or wasn't. Because right now, the only thing I could think about was the thrill of his mouth on mine.

My hands traveled to his hips and I pulled him closer. Heat rushed into the places where our bodies connected, starting a fire that consumed me. Mind, body, and soul. Burning me from the inside out. This was more than just lust. This was the painful ache of longing. It was too late to turn around now. There was no going back, as scared as I was of getting hurt again.

I was helpless to stop myself from colliding with Dominick.

His nose brushed against mine, our lips grazing together in an almost kiss that had me shivering with desire.

"Do you want this, baby?"

Words spoken over my lips that seemed to bury themselves deep, deep down inside me. I was scared, but I pushed it aside. I could be brave enough for this. For him. To withstand whatever damage he may do.

"Yes," I breathed.

With that one word, his mouth crashed against mine in a punishing kiss that said everything I needed it to say. Lips and tongue and teeth meeting. Right there on the street, Dominick didn't hold back. One hand on the back of my neck, the other on my low back, our bodies melted together. Consuming each other in gasps and sighs and moans before slowing into a deeper, more intentional kiss that felt like an apology and a confession at the same time.

When he finally pulled away, still holding me, a smile split across his face. It was a smile I wanted to see over and over again.

"Let's get you some food, then I'll let you look at those pictures. Okay?"

I pressed my lips together, hesitating for a second but needing to know. "Dominick, is this a date?"

He brought our mouths back together for another slow kiss. When he pulled away, he said, "It's whatever you want it to be."

All the old reasons why this couldn't be more than just two friends going out together percolated in my mind, but for once, I ignored them.

"Then I guess it's a date."