With Me In Seattle: Bundle Two (113 page)

I look back and forth between these men and swallow hard.

“Jealous?” Blake asks and winks at me, trying to be funny.

“I love you both,” I reply honestly. “You’re two of my dearest friends, and I don’t have many of those, Blake. So if this falls apart, and I have to choose—”

“God, you’re dramatic,” Blake says with a roll of the eyes.

“I’m being honest,” I insist.

“I’m dating her, yes.”

“Are you fucking her?”

“Alecia,” Dom says, with a shake of his head.

“Yes, I am, Leash,” Blake replies frankly.

“This has disaster written all over it,” I mutter, and take a long drink of my wine.

“She’s different,” Blake says, and stares down into his wine. “I don’t have the urge to run away from her.”

“There are things you don’t know, Blake.” I shake my head and think back on the long conversations that Emily and I have had about her abusive past.

“I know,” he replies and pins me in his sober gaze, the one I don’t see often. “And I’m sticking for as long as she’ll have me.”

I stare at my friend, Dom’s hand still in mine, holding on to me tightly.

“Be nice to her,” I say quietly. “She deserves to have someone be nice to her.”

“I’ve been very nice to her,” he replies with a cocky wink.

“God, you’re a pig.” I scowl at him, but soften when he lets out a belly laugh.

“You’ve never warned me off a woman before,” he says.

“I’ve always found out about them long after they left your bed,” I remind him, and then turn to Dominic. “If I’d known them beforehand, I would have told them to run screaming in the other direction.”

“Oh, they scream all right.”

“Yuck,” I grumble, and then chuckle as I drink more wine. “Have you always been so disgusting?”

“Pretty much,” he replies, as he clears his plate. “Don’t worry, Leash.”

“Worry is my middle name,” I remind him.

He sighs and finishes his wine. “I’m going to head out.” He reaches for his dishes, but Dominic waves him off.

“I’ll handle this,” he says.

“You cooked,” I say with a grin.

“I usually cook and clean when you’re around,” he says as he stands.

“That’s bullshit. I like to clean.”

Blake laughs. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Drive safe,” Dom says with a wave, as Blake lets himself out. He sips his wine thoughtfully as I finish my dinner and sigh in contentment.

“I wish he’d tell me how he makes this mac n’ cheese,” I grumble, as I gather dishes. Dom stands and helps me, and soon we are bustling about the kitchen silently, each of us lost in our thoughts as we clean.

I stack the last plate into the washer and close the door and look up to find Dom leaning his hips against the counter top, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me quietly.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He shakes his head and frowns. “Nothing is wrong.”

“What’s on your mind?”

“You really are just friends. With Blake.”

I tilt my head. “Don’t tell me you were feeling threatened by Blake.”

“I wouldn’t call it threatened,” he replies and rubs his fingers over his lips. “I’ve never spent any significant time with both of you before. I can see that you care about each other, but not on an intimate level.”

I nod slowly. “Like I said, he’s one of my dearest friends. We had a physical relationship a long time ago.” His nostrils flare at that, his eyes narrow, just a bit, but he listens calmly. “It was obvious that we’re much better as friends. He means a lot to me. He’s the one person in my life that I know will never leave me.”

Dom’s eyes narrow as he watches me. “I’m not going to leave you, Alecia.”

I swallow and shrug a shoulder, not sure what to say.

“Okay.” He nods, as if that settles something and crosses to me.

“Okay?”

“Okay,” he repeats and pulls me in for a hug, kisses my forehead, and breathes me in all in one smooth move. “You smell amazing.”

I grin and enjoy the feel of his arms looped around me, pulling me tightly against him.

“You’re a bit tense,” he continues.

“It was a long day.”

“Come.” He pours a glass of wine, then takes my hand and leads me through the house and up the stairs to his master bathroom. He magically produces a single pink tulip and hands it to me with a soft smile. I rub the petals against my nose and breathe the sweet scent in as he turns and runs me a bath, lights candles, and then turns his attention back to me.

With sure fingers, he unzips my dress and pushes it off my shoulders, letting it pool around my ankles.

“You’re beautiful,
cara
.” His eyes roam up and down my torso. “This bra is pretty.” His fingertips skim my skin over the light pink cups of my demi bra, making my nipples pucker before he unclasps it between my breasts and it joins the dress on the floor. With his eyes on mine, he hooks his thumbs into my panties and guides them over my hips and down my legs.

“Step out of those killer heels, please.” He takes my hand in his and leads me to the bathtub, watching as I sink into the steamy water and settle back with my head leaning on the ledge of his vast bathtub. “Here’s your wine,” he says with a grin as he sits on the ledge.

“It’s pretty in here.”

“With you here, yes it is.”

“You’re a charmer.”

“I’m just calling it like I see it,” he replies with a half-smile, showing off that sexy dimple.

“I like your dimple.”

“I hope that’s not all you like.”

I shrug. “Probably not.”

He chuckles and drags his fingertip down my cheek.

“Actually, there’s more to you than the flirty, charming Italian that I’ve known you to be.”

His blue eyes find mine, and he watches me calmly as I take a sip of wine.

“You’re not going to ask me what I see?” I ask boldly.

“What do you see,
tesoro
?”

I take his dry hand in my wet ones and plant a kiss to his palm. “I see a professional, intelligent, kind—”

“Just don’t call me
nice
.”

“Sexy, sweet man.”

“You’re the sweet one, Alecia.”

“This bath is nice.”

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“You’re not joining me?”

“No.” He sweeps my hair off my forehead with one fingertip. “I want you to relax. Take a deep breath.” He leans in and kisses my head, then stands and leaves the room.

Damn, he’s sweet.

I set the wine glass on the ledge of the tub and sink as far into the water as I can without sinking my mouth and nose under the water, take a deep breath, and the next thing I know, strong arms are lifting me out of the tub.

“No falling asleep and drowning, sweetheart.”

“I’m getting you wet,” I murmur against his chest and burrow closer to him, my arms around him, my nose pressed to his neck. “But don’t put me down.”

He chuckles and kisses my forehead. “I have to set you down for a second to dry you off.”

He dries me off quickly, and before I can get cold, I’m back in his arms, being carried into the bedroom, where he gently lays me in the bed and pulls the covers up over my nude body.

I watch him with heavy-lidded eyes as he quickly sheds his clothes and joins me, pulls me against him, into him, his arms folding around me and hugging me tightly, as if he’s afraid I’ll roll away from him.

Not a chance in hell of that.

I never knew that falling asleep in someone’s arms could be so comforting.

Because it never has been before.

I sigh deeply and press a kiss to Dominic’s neck. “This is delightful.”

“Mm,” he replies and kisses my hair. “Sleep, sweet girl.”

“We’re not going to have sex?” I ask with surprise, and pull back far enough to look him in the eye. His fingertips dance down that sweet spot on my neck, sending shivers down my arms, just as his other hand takes mine and he laces my fingers through his, then brings them up to his lips.

“I want to sleep with you,” he whispers roughly. “I don’t mean have sex with you, although I always want to be inside you. I want to sleep with you, in my bed, with your head on my chest and my arms wrapped around you. With my nose buried in your hair so I can breathe you in all night long.” He takes a deep breath and kisses my fingers again. “I want to sleep with you, here in this chilly room, so we have to cuddle closer. No talking, just being here, with you. I just want to
be
with you, Alecia.”

I swallow hard, my eyes pinned to his lips as he speaks, and feel my heart trip and my stomach tighten at his words.

“I can live with that,” I whisper hoarsely.

“Good. Sleep,
cara
.” He kisses my fingers again, rests our hands on his chest and guides my head down onto him, where I just seem to fit perfectly, despite our immense height difference.

I take a deep breath and feel myself relax against him. I feel him grin against my head as his fingertips tickle my neck again.

“Keep doing that and I won’t sleep,” I whisper.

“You’ll sleep,” he replies confidently.

I don’t speak again. I simply lie with him.
Be
with him, and after long minutes I feel him slip into sleep, but I lie awake for a while, listening to him breathe, listening to his heartbeat against my cheek.

Listening to the silence around us.

Is this what it feels like to be in love? This contentment, this attraction? This trust?

I can’t resist planting a kiss on his chest, and I feel his arms tighten around me in his sleep.

I’m quite sure that if this is what love is, I’ve tripped over and fallen right in.

Chapter Thirteen

“Seriously, this is like hot man overload,” Emily whispers to me as we sit in the white chairs before the arbor Dominic’s brothers made for Will and Meg’s wedding. The whole family is here for the rehearsal. All of the Montgomery siblings and their spouses, all of the parents, even the kids. It’s a huge family party, and they’re having a great time ribbing each other.

“And here,” the pastor says patiently, as two of the brothers, Matt and Caleb, snicker at something Isaac whispered to them in the front row. “Is where you recite your vows to each other. Will, you first.”

Will, with a perfectly sober and serious expression on his impossibly handsome face, takes Meg’s hands in his and stares down at her intently.

“Megan, I promise to never make you work out with me. I know how you value your laziness.” His lips twitch as his brothers snicker. “I vow to send cupcakes to your work regularly.” He grins wickedly, and I know we’re about to get an earful of something fun. “I vow to remember where all your sweet spots are on that fantastic body of yours, and pay the appropriate amount of attention to them on a regular basis.”

“You’re the reason we have to put instructions on shampoo bottles in this country,” Samantha calls out, earning a fist bump from Brynna.

“I’m not going to say the
real
vows today,” Will says, his eyes still pinned on his bride. “Those are for Saturday.”

“Your turn, Meg.”

“I’m not saying mine either,” she says with a grin. “I want to get to the kissing part.”

“That’s my girl,” Will agrees and leans in to kiss her, but she slaps her hand over Will’s lips and leans away, looking at the pastor.

“Wait! How are we supposed to kiss?”

“No tongue!” Leo yells out, making us all laugh.

“Mmph hump smeethart,” Will says against Meg’s hand.

“What?” she asks, pulling her hand away with a smile.

“I’ve never needed instructions on how to kiss, sweetheart.” Will slips his hands around Meg’s waist and pulls her flush against him, bending at the knees to match his lips up with hers, and suddenly they’re in a passionate embrace, kissing with great enthusiasm.

“Stop it right now!” Jules cries and covers her sleeping infant daughter’s eyes where she’s perched on Nate’s shoulder. “There are children here!”

Will dips Meg dramatically, never taking his mouth from hers. Dominic turns in his seat and smiles at me, shakes his head, and then shrugs as if to say, “What can you do?”

“Okay, we get it, you love her,” Steven says as he stands. “Let the poor woman breathe, son.”

“Sweet Lord, if a man kissed me like that, I’d die,” Emily whispers in awe, making me laugh.

“I hear Blake has been kissing you just fine,” I murmur, and watch her face flush.

“I was going to tell you.” We watch quietly, not looking at each other, as the Montgomery family stands and chats, the girls fussing with babies and kids, the guys admiring their handiwork on the arbor.

“As long as you’re happy, I’m happy,” I tell her honestly.

“I’m happy.”

I nod once and drop the subject, standing to get back to work.

“Okay, guys, good job.” I clap my hands as I walk to the happy couple. “Dinner is being served in the tent. We might as well break it in, right?”

“Alecia, this is spectacular,” Meg says with a wide grin. “It’s so pretty.”

“If you like it now, just wait for Saturday.”

“You heard the woman!” Will announces almost urgently. “Food!”

“Will hasn’t eaten in about an hour,” Isaac says with a roll of the eyes. “He thinks he’s starving.”

“Be nice to my boy,” Gail, their mother, admonishes Isaac as she lifts Luke and Natalie’s daughter, Olivia, into her arms and kisses her cheek, then follows the others toward the tent, where the servers have set up a vast buffet spread. A DJ is playing soft music, and the twinkle lights have been turned on, giving the space a dreamy glow.

Emily marches ahead, talking into her earpiece, alerting the kitchen staff that we’re moving into the tent and ready for drinks.

I bring up the rear, but before I can get far, Dominic joins me and brushes his fingertips down my neck, in that way he does that sends shivers down my spine.

“How are you?”

“I’m great. Meg and Will are happy, that’s all that matters.” I grin up at him as he takes my hand in his, kisses my knuckles, and walks with me into the tent.

He and I hang back, taking in the scene before us. The tables have been set up for Saturday, and five of the round tables have been covered and dressed prettily for tonight’s dinner. The flowers Meg chose as her wedding flowers, tiger lilies, roses and calla lilies, serve as centerpieces. The lights hanging above are pretty and cast a glow about the room.