Page 36 of Graves

When I finally get up the strength to leave the closet, I come out to find the bar empty and my two remaining customers’ bills covered by the cash left on the bar. It made closing easy enough, and before I know it, I’m shooting Dominic a text saying that I will just meet him at home.

As soon as I step in the door, I see him at the stovetop, his back to me, as something aromatic and delicious fills the air. He looks over his shoulder and smiles at me, that smile that practically turns me gooey on the inside, like I’m sunlight, and he’s lived in nothing but darkness his whole life.

“Hey, baby. How was your shift?”

“Good,” I swallow, images of our little tryst in the back flashing to the forefront of my mind.

He smiles, but his brows furrow slightly as he watches me.

“You okay?”

I shake the images away, nodding and rising up onto mytoes before I place a kiss against his lips.

“Yeah, can I help?” I ask as I gesture toward what I now see as spaghetti and meatballs.

He shakes his head.

“I’ve got this. Go sit on the couch.”

I smile and nod before making my way into the living room. I turn on the first thing that comes to life on the TV as he walks into the room, two plates in hand. We eat in relative silence, but that’s definitely not unusual for us. However, I can’t shake this nervous energy that I certainly know is coming from me. It’s practically palpable, the endless questions rolling around in my head. I know I have to speak them, and have to get them off my tongue, but my nervousness wins each time.

Once we’re finished, Dom takes my plate and sets it on the coffee table before taking my feet into his lap. He begins massaging the balls of my feet, causing my eyes to roll into the back of my head as I melt into the couch.

Dominic gives me a gratifying smile as he continues his godsent work. In my hazy, blissful state, the words I’ve been harboring since I got home finally spill out before I can overthink them for one more second.

“Tonight was different, not in a bad way either. I liked it, a lot. It was just…different.”

He turns to face me with that same easy smile.

“What do you mean?”

I rest the side of my head against the couch cushion as I shrug, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed.

“I didn’t know I liked a little pain with it all. It was new,and I wasn’t sure at first, but it was kinda…fun, I guess.”

His smile slowly begins to fall as confusion clouds his face.

“Baby, what are you talking about? What pain? Did you get hurt at work?”

I let out half a laugh that comes out as more of a scoff than anything. Is he really gonna pretend that it never happened? Talk about whiplash.

“Uh, the closet in the back? Tonight? You practically shoved me in and fucked me until I saw stars,” I hedge, staring at him as I wait for the pieces to come together.

Instead, he just continues to stare until a few seconds go by, and his body goes rigid.

“Excuse me?” he asks, his voice deathly low.

“Jesus Christ, Dom. You fucked me, and it was hot. I loved it, and I just wanted to talk about us trying more of that, but you’re making it weird with this whole ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about’ thing. Fucking forget it,” I say as I shove away his hands, standing to my feet and crossing the room. Embarrassment fills me from head to toe. He could have just told me it was never going to happen again, or he didn’t mean to, or whatever his excuse is. He doesn’t have to make me feel like I’m an idiot who hallucinated the whole thing.

His hand wraps around my arm, whipping me around to face him in a flash.

“No, don’t go. I need you to tell me everything that happened tonight. Every. Detail.”

“Have you lost your mind?” I ask with a shake of my head.

“We had sex?” he asks. “Tonight? At your work?”

“Yes, trust me, you were there!” I laugh hollowly.

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