Page 29 of Cross Check My Heart
I feel him nod against my shoulder, I can even picture his dopey smirk as I turn back to cuddle against him. We should be getting up, but what’s another five minutes in bed? When I’m settled with my back to his chest, he leans down to nip my ear lobe before he whispers…
“The ice isn’t the only place I dominate.” He kisses that damn spot below my ear that causes my insides to tighten with need. Attempting to ignore the desire he’s stirring in me, I chuckle.
“Something tells me that if I were to ever give in and call you Dominator, your head would explode from too much confidence.”
He tightens his arm around my waist. “I’m twenty-five years old, between Garrett, my sister and my teammates… that and Dom are the only nicknames that have ever fit.” He shrugs.
I shake my head, turning in his arms until I’m fully facing him. As I move, I pull the blanket down from our faces, breathing in the fresh, cool air.
“What about girlfriends? Surely they didn’t call you Dominator.” His brows scrunch together a bit.
“Technically, you’re right, but that’s because I’ve only had two girlfriends. They both just called me Dom.” That damn smirk appears on his face. “Now the bunnies were more than happy to call me Dominator.”
My eyes roll as a smirk settles on my face. Paige told me all about the Puck Bunnies this past Friday. They’re a group of people who practically stalk players in hopes of catching the eyes of the team. Paige described them as hockey dick obsessed and after spending three days with Dominik… I can see why.
The thought of someone trying to get Dom’s attention has my chest tightening. It doesn’t take me long to recognize it as jealousy. Which is silly considering we hardly know each other.
“Are we exclusive?” The question bubbles out before I even realize it. It wasn’t something I meant to voice, but now that it’s out there, I force myself to not regret it. If Dominik and I are not on the same page right from the start, then there’s a higher chance of me getting hurt again. Which is honestly something I don’t have the energy for.
We’re both adults and should be able to talk about what we do and don’t want. There’s no point in trying to lie or fluff details about us to impress someone. I’m too tired to be anything other than myself and I deserve open, honest communication from here on out. If someone can’t do those things, then I won’t waste my time anymore. It’s too draining.
Dominik watches me closely, brows furrowed slightly before answering.
“I would like it if we are.” He traces absentminded circles on my hip as he keeps his eyes on me. “Do you want to be? I know you just broke up with your ex, so if you’re in a different spot—” I cut him off.
“I’m not in a different spot. At least on the exclusivity. That I agree with.” I place a gentle kiss on his cheek before swinging my legs off the bed and getting up. Mind set on making coffee, I head to the bathroom to freshen up. When I walk back into the bedroom, Dom looks up from his spot at the end of my bed. He found his shorts, but his shirt is still on the floor across the room. My cheeks flush at the memory of getting undressed in a rush last night.
I detour into my closet and throw on pajama shorts with an old “Doctor Who” t-shirt. Once dressed, getting coffee is the only solid thought running through my mind.
Coffee is required before everything else. Especially since it feels like I just triggered the “rules to being secret fuck buddies” conversation.
I go through the motions of grinding coffee beans and getting a pot brewing. Dom doesn’t say a word as he enters the kitchen behind me, opening my fridge before pulling out eggs and bacon. We fall back into the same routine we did the other morning. Neither of us talk as we make breakfast, there’s no awkwardness in the air as we move around each other. We don’t say anythinguntil we’re sitting next to each other on my barstools, and I’ve had a couple sips of coffee.
Clearing my throat to get his attention, I choose to just dive right back in like we never stopped talking.
“I do want us to be exclusive, but you brought up a good point. Considering everything I’ve been through over the past couple months, I don’t think I’m ready to go right back into a serious relationship like that again. That has nothing to do with you. I just don’t feel the need to be rushing into anything.” He nods his head as I continue. “If it weren’t for the fact that you work for my dad, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. However, I think it would be best if we got a couple things out of the way.”
I internally cringe as I think of Paige. She would kill me for forcing the “what are we?” conversation so soon. Hell, I should probably be freaking out, but seeing as how he is working for my dad…
“We both agreed that we’re exclusive, so that’s one thing we got out of the way. And we had the birth control and clean convo last night.” My cheeks heat as I pause, thinking over what I need next. “I don’t know how close you are to your family, and you seemed close to Garrett… Are we telling anyone?”
Dom shifts slightly on his stool as he looks back toward his plate. Taking a sip of coffee before he answers me.
“Garrett and I don’t keep anything from each other.”
“Paige and I are the same way.” Nodding in agreement as I take a bite of bacon. “We clearly don’t want my dad to know, so I think it’s best if we keep our families out of this completely.”
When he doesn’t answer right away, I turn to him. As he stares across my kitchen, I notice how tense he is. His jaw is clenched, and his hands are tightened into fists. I think over my words and try to back track.
“I didn’t mean to upset you. If you’re that close with your family that you want them to know of me then by all means, goahead. I just figured that the less people who know about us the better.”
He blinks, breaking his focus before turning back to me, looking defeated. Shaking his head, he runs his fingers through his hair.
“No. Telling only Garrett and Paige is perfectly fine.” When he doesn’t say anything more, I tread carefully.
“Then what’s wrong?” He picks his fork up and mindlessly pushes his eggs around for a few seconds before he answers.
“Garrett is the only family I have left. So even if I wanted to tell them…” My heart breaks for him as he trails off. He told me about his sister, that had explained why singing Miranda Lambert had pained him. There are so many questions about what happened, but as I watch him, I recognize the need to change the subject. Reaching out, I place my hand on his forearm.
