Authors: Susan Scott Shelley
“Zander? Who was at the
door?” Irisa turned the corner and stopped in her tracks. Her face lit up in a
smile. “Hey you. I didn’t think you were getting back until later tonight.”
“Hi.” Four damn days
since he’d touched her. Too damn long. Talking on the phone, texting, and gifts
were pale substitutes for holding her in his arms. He crossed the room and slid
his arms around her. Her curves molded into him. It was good to be home.
She kissed him, too light
and quick for his preference, and then slipped from his embrace. Color touched
her cheeks.
“Listen, I should tell you—”
Zander strode by them.
“Hey,
Dom, come in the dining room.”
Voices carried in from
that direction. Dom slowly turned.
Platters of food filled
the center of the table. Four place settings covered the rest of the space. An
older man and woman sat on one side of the table. He glanced at Irisa.
“Am
I interrupting something?”
“Family dinner.” The
woman rose and extended her hand. “I’m Mila, and this is my husband Alex.
Otherwise known as Mom and Dad.”
“Dom.” He shook their
hands. “Nice to meet you.”
“Please, join us. Irisa,
get this man a plate.”
He hadn
’t
meant to break into a family scene. “No, thanks. I don’t want to interrupt.
I’ll get out of your way.”
Irisa smiled, looking
almost shy.
“You’re welcome to stay and eat with us.”
Zander handed him a plate
and pointed to a chair.
“Come on, man. It’s not every day that my
sister cooks.”
Dom blinked at the spread
laid out before him.
“You made all this?”
“Surprised it’s not
chocolate?” Irisa’s laughter tumbled over him, warming him. He loaded his plate
with lemon chicken, rosemary potatoes, string beans, and carrots.
The family shuffled their
plates and glasses, creating room for him between Irisa and Zander. Alex peered
at Dom over his glasses.
“You’re the ballplayer.”
“Yes, sir.” The
ballplayer? As in
oh, you play for the Riptide
,
or
you
’re the bastard who made my daughter cry
?
Neither parent looked anything less than welcoming. They may have caught sight
of the kiss, but probably didn
’t know too many details of the
relationship. Relief eased his muscles.
“You had a decent road
trip. I’d expected your team to struggle against that hotshot pitcher in
Phoenix, but you held your own.”
He nodded, almost
expecting Alex to continue with a critique of his performance, like his own
father would do. But no harsh words came.
“Dom played great the
entire trip.” Irisa sent him a smile over the rim of her glass. She’d told him
as much each night they’d spoken, but her sparkling eyes and the pride shining
in her voice made him feel like an All-Star.
“Thanks.” Hauling her
into his arms wasn’t an option with the crowded table and three pairs of eyes
on them. He settled for grazing his knuckles against the back of her hand.
Alex talked about the
first ball game he
’d seen after moving to the States. The
conversation then turned to the tour and then stories of Zander and Irisa
growing up. Loving, teasing, laughing.
Dom polished off the best
food he
’d
eaten in weeks and drank the crisp white wine poured into his glass. He missed
his own family. He and his brothers were rarely home to visit their parents at
the same time. His old man hadn’t called since their fight. Not hearing from
him after a game was odd, but he couldn’t say he missed the criticism. Talks
with his mom had become delicate dances around the topic of why Dad couldn’t
come to the phone. Not that he’d asked to speak with him.
Irisa
’s
hand on his arm drew him back into the moment. “We’re having chocolate mousse
for dessert.”
“I figured you’d find a
way to work chocolate in somehow.” He winked at her.
Mila tapped Alex
’s
arm and said something in Ukrainian. Irisa’s mouth dropped open and her face
turned bright red. Zander cracked up and tried to hide his laughter behind a
fit of coughing.
Dom turned to Irisa,
waiting for the translation. His parents would occasionally slip into Spanish,
forgetting that not everyone around them could understand it.
She shook her head at her
mother, lips firm in a frown.
“No more of that. I’m not kidding.”
Then she turned to him and her blush crept over her cheeks again. “It wasn’t
anything important.”
Her mother lifted her
hands.
“All
I said was that you two would make beautiful babies together. What’s wrong with
that? You’re both attractive people.”
“Oh my God. This is not
happening.” Irisa stood, grabbed her plate, and marched into the kitchen.
Babies? Dom stared after
her. His body tightened, craving her warmth, needing to be inside her—but
babies? He wasn
’t exactly ready for that enormous
responsibility, but the idea of Irisa growing round with his child didn’t make
him want to bolt for the closest exit. That realization gave him pause.
“I’m sorry. My wife
doesn’t watch her words sometimes.” Alex’s apology set off a heated, whispered
discussion in Ukrainian between him and Mila.
Zander, still smiling,
raised his brow at Dom.
“If you’re sure you’re sticking around
after that, you might want to go into the kitchen and reassure my sister.”
Dom nodded. He cared
about her. He wanted her. The rest could figure itself out.
He rose, took his plate,
and headed for the kitchen.
Irisa
slammed dishes into the sink and ran hot water over them. Mortification didn
’t
begin to cover the way she felt. Damn it. Why? Of all the things her mom could
have said, why did she have to go that route?
Her relationship with Dom
was just getting back on even ground. She wasn
’t even sure what
to call it. What if that comment made him run? She couldn’t blame him.
Fresh heat burst into her
cheeks. The door hadn
’t slammed yet, so Dom hadn’t left. She’d
just have to stay in the kitchen for the rest of the night. One counter held
all the chocolate he’d sent her while he’d been away. At least she wouldn’t
starve.
Footsteps sounded.
Expecting her brother, she turned. And came face to face with Dom.
“Hey.” He smiled and set
his plate on the counter.
She glanced at the floor,
wishing for a hole to open up and swallow her. When that didn
’t
happen, she raised her gaze to his. “I’m sorry about my mom. She’s on some kind
of crazy grandparent timetable. Zander and I have told her we’re not in any
position to help her out with that yet. I hope she didn’t embarrass you too
much. And I hope you aren’t too weirded out by it.”
While her heart pounded
in her throat, Dom came closer. His big hand grasped hers and lifted it to his
lips. He kissed her palm, then drew her close.
“She’s right about
one thing. You’re beautiful.”
Irisa relaxed when his
arms slid around her.
“Says the sexy guy voted one of the best
bodies in sports.”
“My body’s very
interested in a few things.” Strong hands pressed into her low back and brought
her snug against him. Hard everywhere.
She strained closer.
“Maybe
you’ll show me later.”
A low groan sounded in
his throat and his teeth nipped her ear.
“Be prepared to go into
extra innings.” Then he paused, looked into her eyes, and cupped her cheek with
his hand. “Does that mean what I think it means? We’re really back to being
good?”
She nodded. Her pulse
pounded. The intensity of his gaze pulled the air out of her chest.
“I’m
trying. I’ve had a lot of time to think. I really don’t want my past to mess up
my future.”
The biggest smile she
’d
ever seen lightened his features. His arms tightened their hold and he lowered
his head until his lips brushed against hers. “Irisa,” he whispered and hugged
her to his chest, like she’d returned something precious to him.
She basked in the circle
of strength enfolding her.
His phone pinged. He
pulled back enough to extract it from his pocket. Keeping his arm around her,
he angled the screen. A text from Liam.
Ready for me to drop
Champ off?
“I can help you clean up
before I go.” His hand traced a pattern across her back.
She shivered and leaned
into him.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Zander came in, loaded
down with plates.
“Well, they’re really going at it now.
Dom, you should come to dinner more often.”
“Just wait until you’ve
brought someone to dinner.” Irisa pointed at her brother. She’d love to see her
mom’s reaction to Jayne.
He shook his head.
“Don’t
even think about trying to plan something. I’m not subjecting anyone to Mom
until she passes through this crazy wedding planner-matchmaker phase.”
Dom reached over her to
shake Zander
’s hand. “I’m heading out. Good to see you, man.”
“Not staying for
dessert?”
“Nah, I need to get my
dog.” He lowered his lips to Irisa’s ear. “But I plan to have my dessert
later.”
Her knees weakened and
her hands fisted on his shirt.
“I’ll walk you out.”
When they entered the
dining room, her parents stopped speaking. She smiled, hoping they
’d
behave and not say anything else about babies while Dom made his goodbyes. She
ushered him quickly to the door. After a brief kiss, and a request that she
call him later, he was gone.
Following the scent of
coffee, she walked back to the dining room. Zander had the pot of coffee on the
table and cups of mousse at every place setting.
Her mom sat, arms crossed
over her chest.
“I didn’t mean to make him leave.”
“You didn’t. His dog
sitter is dropping off his dog.”
Her dad dug into the
dessert.
“He seems like a good man. But is he good enough for
my only daughter?”
Frustration pricked along
her skin.
“Guys, we’re
dating
.
Got it? Dating. Not engaged, not anything serious.
”
She flopped into her chair and sighed.
“He was looking at you
the way a man does when he’s serious about a woman.” Her mom nodded like a sage
who held all the answers, then added creamer to her coffee.
Irisa glanced at Dom
’s
vacated chair. Did he?
The warmth filling her
had nothing to do with her coffee.
He wondered if she was
alone.
Yep, watching a movie.
Want some company?
Sure. Come on up.
He
got up and made sure the apartment was fairly neat. She hadn
’t
been to his apartment since that awful morning, and he wanted everything to be
perfect.
When he opened the door,
she walked straight to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. More of a
desperate hug than anything else.
He rubbed his hands up
and down her back.
“You okay?”
“Better now. I love my
parents, but oh my goodness, when Mom gets stuck on a topic, she really gets
stuck on it.”
“More babies?”
“Romance in general. I
swear, she should write a book to keep track of all of her ideas.”
He grinned and lifted her
off her feet. Her arms encircled his neck, and her legs wrapped around his waist.
Maybe things weren
’t perfect, maybe they’d still have to
work through some issues, but her words and actions had given him the green
light. He banded his arms around her. “I have a few ideas on romance myself.”
She cuddled in closer.
“Like
this?” Her lips teased over his.
He fisted her hair and
angled her head, then dove in deep. The thrill of having her in his arms spiked
with the need to hold her tight. After a long moment, he drew back and lowered
her. Her slow slide down the length of his body fired all his synapses. He
fought the urge to drag her to the floor and finish the dance of desire they
’d
started hours before.
He led her into the
living room.
Her gaze swept the room.
“Where’s
Champ?”
“My bedroom. That’s where
I was watching the movie.” He’d left the dog in there so he could greet Irisa
without interruption.
“Oh.” The hesitant word
and her faltered step drew him up short.
Memories of the last time
she
’d
been in that room had to be playing in her head. The best way to fix that was
to create a new memory. He squeezed her hand, then, keeping them linked,
continued walking down the hall. “Come say hi.”
When he opened the door,
Champ roused and trotted over. She stooped and rubbed his back.
“Good
boy. I missed you.”
Dom smiled as something
sweet twisted inside him.
“I have some things of yours.”
“You do?”
He pointed to the bra and
heels on the chair.
Her smile sobered.
“I’d
forgotten about those.”
Shit. He didn
’t
want to make her upset or remind her of what had happened. “I can’t forget
about how sexy you looked in them.” He nudged her toward the bed. “Get
comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
He returned a minute
later with the specialty chocolate ice cream he
’d bought with her
in mind, and two spoons. Irisa sat at the edge of the bed, ramrod-straight,
legs hanging over the side, shoes on. He frowned. “That’s not a very
comfortable position for watching a movie.”
She bit her lip.
“Maybe
this wasn’t a good idea.”
He set the ice cream
aside and knelt before her.
“You promised me a chance. And
remember what you said about not letting the past screw with things?”
“Yes, but I can’t help
that memories are attached to something.”
He slipped her sandals
off her feet.
“Okay, so we have two options. One, you get rid of the
clothes. Two, you create a new memory to override the old one.”
“Good idea. I guess I
could try the new memory idea first.”
“My vote is for you to
wear them now.”
Her laughter filled the
room.
“You
want me to eat ice cream and watch TV with you and your dog while wearing
nothing but a sexy bra and heels?”
“Yes. Please.”
“Not happening.” But she
smiled and relaxed.
He gestured to the side
of the mattress she
’d slept on. “Come on, get comfortable.”
She stretched out beside
him and they balanced the ice cream between them. Dom wrapped his arm around
her shoulders. On screen, the fight against the monster dragged on. He glanced
at her in the darkened room, cuddled close while the dog slept on the floor.
This felt so right.
He set the ice cream on
the bedside table, then turned back. She smiled at him, and the urge to kiss
her was too strong to ignore. Leaning on one arm, he lowered his head and let
his tongue tease her lips. His other hand lay against her ribs, fingers
restless against her shirt
’s thin material. Her hands roamed
under his shirt, exploring muscles denied her touch for too long. On a groan,
he closed his hand over her breast. Irisa arched closer, rubbing against him
and murmuring for more.
The mattress dipped down,
too far away to be caused by her movements. He lifted his head.
Champ sat on the end of
the bed, tail wagging.
“Oh no.” On a laughing
moan, Irisa buried her face in Dom’s neck. “He’s watching us.”
“Champ, go to your room.”
The dog didn
’t
budge. With a bark, he turned in a circle and then curled up on the mattress.
Irisa shook with
laughter.
“It’s okay. Let him stay. But I’m sorry, I can’t
do…anything…while he’s here.”
Dom rolled off the
mattress and extended his hand.
“Let’s grab a soak in the
whirlpool.”
He closed the bathroom
door behind them, then locked it for good measure. The water ran hot, steaming
the bathroom. He kissed her and slipped the silky shirt over her head. The deep
purple fabric couldn
’t match the softness of her skin. Her
bra, a temptation of black satin and lace, was the next to go. He followed the
line of fabric with his lips before unhooking the garment and tossing it aside.
Her hands grasped his
shoulders then trailed down his back, and around to tease the button of his
jeans, then slipped inside, reminding him how talented those fingers could be.
He groaned, thrusting into her hand when it closed around him. Too close. He
pulled back, stripped off her shorts and the scrap of satin riding high on her
hip, rid himself of his clothes, then drew her against him. No barriers. Skin
to skin. Heart to heart.
They sank into the water.
His lips sought hers. He cradled her head, kissing her as pulsations soothed
and aroused. Her nipples pebbled against his chest. He lowered one hand to cup
her lush breast. So damn perfect.
“Dom.” A whispered plea.
“You ready for me?” He
slid into her. Her legs locked at his waist and she tightened around him. He
rocked back and forth and fused his mouth to hers. Her nails scored his back.
The sensation of Irisa's heat gripping him and jets pulsing on his back pushed
him over the edge seconds after her release. She clung to him and he held her
just as tight until their breathing slowed.
Nothing felt as good as
having her in his arms again.