Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100225 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
“You should be,” she snaps, doing her best to keep the laughter out of her voice and mostly failing.
“Baby, I’ll make a deal with you. I’m going to stay on my side. If anyone crosses that line tonight, it will be you.”
“Then, we’re good because there’s no way I’d ever do that.”
“We’ll see,” I taunt.
“Do you realize you flirt without even knowing it?”
“Huh?”
“You call me babe or baby often. I don’t even think you’re aware of it. It just comes natural to you. It’s like breathing.”
“What makes you think I’m not aware of the fact I call you baby?”
“Well, because I’m me. You wouldn’t flirt with me intentionally.”
“Do you hate it when I call you baby?”
“Don’t forget babe,” she murmurs. She’s smiling, her eyes soft as she stares at me. She’s curled on her side, her hands are under her cheek, pressing into her pillow. She takes my fucking breath away and I love that she’s wearing my tee.
“Hmm?” I hum, lost in thought, wondering what I’m not supposed to forget. It’s hard to think when someone so beautiful is in your bed and staring at you.
“Don’t forget you call me babe, too.”
“Oh,” I respond, sounding lame. For a minute I thought she was calling me babe and I really hate she wasn’t. “Do you hate it?” I ask again.
“No,” she laughs. “I’m not as stupid as I was when I was a teenager.”
“What does that mean?” I frown, not liking the fact that she ever thought she was stupid. She’s the smartest, strongest person I know.
“That when I was a teen, and you called me baby, I swooned.”
“Is that right?” I practically purr.
“Stop,” she orders, her voice full of sass. “The point is, I would take it as a sign that you liked me as much as I liked you. I told you I was stupid.”
“Stop calling yourself that,” I warn, not liking it one bit.
“I’m serious. Teenage girls are full of raging hormones and insecurities. I was stupid. We all are at that age. Mine was just worse because I had this crush on someone I should have never looked at. You weren’t for me. I knew it, but I ignored it.”
“Thea—”
“This is kind of an embarrassing conversation, Dom. Can we just let it drop?” she basically pleads.
I take a minute to decide what I should do. It would be smart to let it go. Then again, I’ve never been smart. Why the hell should I start now? After all of the wrong that I’ve dished out, seems like it’s about time I try to make up for it—at least a little.
“Babe is a throwaway. I’ve used it from time to time, I admit it. I also admit that I use it mostly when I’m annoyed. Sometimes I alternate it with the word woman.”
“Dom,” she groans. “I told you I understood—”
“Baby is a word that I only use when it’s someone I care about. It’s not flirting, Thea. It’s plain out saying you’re important to me.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I’m dead serious.”
“Okay, fine. How long is this list of women you refer to as baby?”
“Two.”
“That’s a quick answer, sure you don’t want time to think about it?”
“Not at all, though it may give you reason to hate me more.”
“I don’t hate you, Dom.”
“Maybe not now, but I hurt you in the past, and I know you hated me for a while. I wish I could go back and change everything, but I can’t.”
“I never hated you. I was upset, hurt, and frustrated, but I never hated you. I just…”
“Just what?” I prompt.
“I wanted better for you. I admit, for a while I wanted it to be me, but regardless, I mainly just wanted to see you happy.”
“You were right, you know.”
“Of course I was right. I always am,” she sasses. “But what specifically was I right about?”
“I wish I had listened to you all those years ago. I wish I could go back and kick Gabby out of my life and erase the time I wasted on her.”
“Dom…”
“Most of all, I wish I could go back to that day we kissed, and Gabby interrupted us.”
“It’s a good thing that she did.”
“No, it’s not. I should have told her to fuck off and continued kissing you.”
I watch as my words register. Her eyes go round with shock, and I can’t say for sure, but I think I see fear.
“Don’t do this, Dom,” she whispers.
“Don’t what? Tell you I’ve always wanted you? I have. I pushed it away and buried the feelings you stirred in me because I promised Gabby that we’d be together. She gave me her virginity and her trust. My father always taught me that a man stands by his word. So, I did. I did it blindly because I wanted to be just like my old man. I wanted the life my father created. That’s what I wanted to give any children I had. So, I was determined to stand by the woman I chose and work my way through the club so that I could lead it one day. I wanted to be just like my old man.”