Page 80 of Dominate Me

“To her?” Gabby asked. If she had a bowl of popcorn in her lap, she couldn’t look more pleased at what just occurred. “You’re the one who just threw your cards on the table only to lose to the house. Don’t play games with me, Meredith. You’ll never win.”

Her lip curled and as she spun on her heels. She took a step away before looking back, throwing a deadly look over her shoulder, aiming furious eyes at me. “Neither will you.”

We stood in silence until they disappeared. “Did that really happen?”

Gabby flashed me wide eyes. “I think, yeah...it really did.”

A small snicker fell from my lips unbidden. It was rude of me to laugh. Meredith had just destroyed Courtney and I didn’t know either of them, but I knew enough to know that Courtney had led a rough life.

“Well, nothing we can do about it now,” Gabby said. She shrugged and gestured for me to follow. “Good riddance, I say.”

I followed her toward the benefit, hurrying on my heels.

I had no concept of how long we’d been gone, but when we reached the room, Jensen was just taking the stage, applause filling the air.

With his dark looks, defined jaw, and high cheekbones, I was instantly drawn to this man. As he reached the stage, his gaze immediately found mine and stayed there. Even as he spoke, and I heard him talk about his dad, the history of his business and how important it’d been to him to give back to the community around him, Jensen never once removed his eyes from mine except for the most minute glances to the room.

He mesmerized me. He twisted me up and unraveled me. He took me to heights I’d never known.

Claire’s question from earlier slammed into my chest, making my heart grow tight and hot, too large inside my chest as it pressed against my sternum.

I didn’t love Jensen.

I wasin lovewith him.

The realization hit me so hard that I pressed my hand to my chest, falling back a step on my heels. Next to me where Dylan was standing with Gabby, he reached for me, grabbing my elbow.

“You okay?”

I had no idea what expression I made. Was it possible for a room to be tipped upside down and shaken?

Dylan’s dark brown brows pressed together. “Too much champagne? You look pale.”

Shaking my head, I pulled out of his hold. “Maybe, I’m okay though. Just knocked off balance for a moment.”

His eyes crinkled before his gaze dropped. “Not hard to do in shoes like that.”

“Yeah.” I fumbled over a laugh before I forced myself to look back up at the stage. Jensen, never missing anything, had narrowed eyes set on me.

With just a look he warmed me from the inside out.

I was irrevocably gone for this man. Doubts were just doubts and I had to push them to the side.

This would work—wewould work.

We had to. I’d already loved and lost. With the way Jensen treated me, the way he touched me and cared for me, the way he made me feel when I was with him, if I lost him I wouldn’t be damaged—I’d be destroyed.

My hands curved into fists until the sting of fingernails dug into my palms.

Did Jensen feel the same? Was there any way to know for sure? I had to know. If he didn’t, I might still be able to walk away before I drowned in him.

An idea rushed to the forefront of my mind. There was only one way to find out.

“Dylan?” I asked, regaining his attention after Jensen had introduced Donovan and Talia on stage before exiting swiftly.

“Yeah, darling?”

“Is Luminous open tonight?”

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