She lifted her face. "You were?"
"Of course. I haven't slept in a week, and if I don't convince you to give me another chance, I'll probably get fired."
She gave him a wan smile. "No pressure."
He grinned larger. "Nope. None at all." He cupped her face. "Lily, I was a dick. Forgive me."
She wrapped her fingers around his forearms and squeezed. "I was a bitch. My fault. There was no reason for me to freak out like that."
"Of course there was. The gallery's important to you, and I blew it off like it meant nothing. I realize it was stupid. I honestly didn't mean for you to sell it and become my captive slave or anything."
"Damn. I was hoping that was exactly your intention." She gave an exaggerated sigh and slumped against him. "The captive slave part, anyway … "
He smiled broader, lifting a brow. "Really? Hmmm."
She righted herself and inhaled. "You were right. Stephan can run the gallery for a while. Not forever, mind you, but for a few weeks. Maybe a month or so. It won't fall apart without me. There are plenty of things I can handle remotely on my laptop."
"Seriously? You would do that for me?"
"Yes." She lifted onto her tiptoes and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "I missed you. I really missed you. A lot. I can't sleep or eat. I spent the week snapping at Stephan, and I've hardly heard from Ava. She's probably afraid to call."
"Yeah, about Ava … "
Lily shook her head. "Don't say it. Whatever it is, leave it for later. I want to talk about us right now. Not my sister. I can't handle more."
Dominic smirked. "Okay. Sounds good to me."
"Unless she's in trouble?" She flinched.
He shook his head. "Not at all. She's in good hands."
She rolled her eyes. "That's what I was afraid of."
"Enough about your sister. Let's talk about us and all the things I'm going to do to you before the sun comes up."
He took her hand again and led her into the kitchen. His touch reached all the way into her heart. Electricity zinged through her every time they came into contact.
It was time she admitted it was a real thing she couldn't escape.
When they reached the kitchen, he surprised her by grabbing her around the waist and lifting her onto the island. He pulled off her heels and set them on the floor. He leaned into her and kissed her lips gently. "I can't believe you're here. You're mine, Lily."
Her body turned to mush in the blink of an eye.
He could do amazing things to her pussy with his tone. His dominant, authoritative, alpha tone. She didn't care that her entire list of adjectives was redundant. When he controlled her, he was that potent. Every time.
She squeezed her legs together and reached out to wrap her arms around him.
He jumped back a step, out of reach.
She moaned. "Dominic … "
He leaned his ass against the counter across from her, leaving about three feet between them. He crossed his ankles and his arms. "You're willing to negotiate, then?"
"Yes." She'd do anything for him.
But she misunderstood. He wasn't talking about the next hour of sex. He was talking about the next few months of life. "You're okay with Stephan handling things for a while?"
"I said I was."
"And you'll travel with me? Not every time. Some of the games are too far away to make it worthwhile. But you'll come to the ones that are reasonable?"
"Yes."
"And you'll stay in Miami with me when I'm in town?"
"Yes."
"My parents are coming opening day. And my sister and niece."
She smiled. "I can't wait to meet them." There was nothing he could throw at her that would send her away. Did he not realize that?
He pushed off the counter. His voice dipped into that tone again. "You'll keep weird hours with me so I can spend all my spare time with you?" He reached for a lock of her hair and let it slide over his finger.
"Yes, Sir."
He flinched subtly when she spoke that word. It was like a gate. A portal they used to indicate they were moving from normal, everyday life into a Dominant/submissive role. It was her way of letting him know she was interested, ready, and willing.
He slid his hand to her cheek. His mouth descended on hers.
She moaned against his lips, sliding her tongue out to tangle with his.
His fingers threaded into her hair and held her head more firmly. He devoured her this time.
She craved everything he gave. She wiggled her butt to the edge of the table, her tight pencil skirt staying behind, climbing up her thighs until her legs were free. When she reached the edge, she spread her knees and grabbed his waist to pull him in closer.