One More Rule: The Blindfold Club Novella (9 page)

“Who’s going to come first?” His gravel whisper asked. “I think it should be you.”

Desire burned across my skin, glossing it, and I hungered for my release. Everything ached and focused in on the end goal. The tingling, lightweight sensation that happened just before orgasm fluttered in my belly.

“Mmm . . .” I moaned through Dominic’s hand, and let the pleasure take me. I convulsed in his embrace, slowed my own touch, and pressed my fingers hard to my pulsing clit. My eyes pinched shut and everything felt warm and amazing as I exploded.

As it faded, I inhaled a breath slowly through my nose, and the hand fell away from my mouth.

“Yes, just like that,” Logan said through clenched teeth. “I’m gonna come.” His grip guided her to go faster, and faster, and . . . “Shit, shit!”

His moans built into a crescendo and peaked, and he held her firm as he came, her jaw locked around him. It prolonged the aftershocks of my orgasm, even as Dominic’s fingers retreated. But when he withdrew, it took the last of the energy from my body. Exhaustion stormed in and made itself home.

What about Dominic?

I set a hand on the bulge of his pants, stroking down, but he took my hand in his and stopped me.

“Can I be honest?” he said. “I’m fucking tired. I need a raincheck, devil woman.”

He couldn’t be more perfect if he’d tried. “Thank God. I am, too. You just saved yourself from a lackluster blow job.”

His eyebrow lifted. “Blow job’s still a blow job.” But his arms tightened around my waist, holding me close. “Tomorrow. You better give me your A-game.”

I shrugged and tossed my hair over a shoulder. “I don’t know. I don’t just give that to anybody.”

The embrace was gone, only so he could flick my tattoo and deliver the tiny sting that reminded me how much I loved him. Even though he knew I didn’t need it.

chapter

SEVEN

I stared at my phone, gnashed my teeth, and slowly lifted my gaze to meet Dominic’s. “They’re late.”

“Give them a minute. You know how traffic can be.”

We sat in the back of the crowded restaurant and nursed drinks while we waited for my parents to arrive. I’d made the call yesterday morning while Dominic hovered over me, ensuring that a decent effort was put in on my part. And I couldn’t fault him for wanting this, but I hated it. My parents were going to disappoint us, and although I wasn’t responsible, I still felt that way by association.

The waiter came by and asked if we wanted to order lunch, but Dominic shook his head and the waiter left.

“You think it’d be rude to order without them?” I asked. Dominic’s expression was pointed, but I shrugged. “Well, I think it’s fucking rude that they can’t tell us they’re running behind.”

I was halfway through my second glass of wine when my phone rang. I glanced at the number and groaned. “One guess who it is.” I swiped to answer the call and tried not to seethe. “Hey, where are you?”

“Payton,” my mother said. “Your father’s in a deposition that’s taking a lot longer than he thought it would. Are you already at the restaurant?”

Was I—?
Seriously
? “Yeah. You said one o’clock.”

She sighed. “I don’t know when he’s going to be finished, and he’s got to be in court by three. This case has been such a mess, I told him he should have given it to one of the other partners.”

“So you’re not coming.”

From across the table, Dominic’s blue eyes studied me, gauging my response. All he wanted was to meet my parents. We’d flown ten thousand miles from Japan, and they couldn’t make it twenty blocks from my father’s law firm.

“We were looking forward to it,” my mom said, “but it’s been such a busy week. I’m sorry. I feel just awful about it.”

“Yeah?” I was done with this bullshit. “You should feel awful.” I pressed the
End Call
button and dropped my phone on the table. Surely my mother was on the other end wondering what had happened. I’d never talked to her like that before, but I’d also never felt more let down by them.

“I’m sorry,” Dominic said.

His unnecessary apology only made me angrier. “
You’re
sorry? For what? Wanting my parents not to be dicks?”

I said it too loud and the couple at the table next to us glanced over.

“No more wine for you.” Dominic gave me a lopsided smile. “You know, it’s easier to talk like that when no one around us speaks English.”

“I told you this would happen.”

He blinked, but his face remained unchanged. “You did.” He flipped open his menu casually. “So, we tried, Payton. We’ll see if they change their attitude when they want to see their grandkids.”

Grandkids
.

We both wanted children, and we’d talked about it in the future, but it continued to throw me off balance how settled and comfortable he was with the idea. Sometimes I’d catch myself staring with disbelief at the enormous ring on my finger. I was engaged, I had to remind myself. I’d found another person who willingly wanted to be a part of my life. Shocking.

His carefree demeanor, and the lunch we eventually ordered, diffused some of my anger. It was pointless to get worked up, and I tried to emulate Dominic’s easy mood.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” I said as we finished up our plates. “We both technically won the bet about Evie and Logan.”

Dominic leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “How do you figure that?”

“The no-sex rule. It didn’t get broken.”

A lazy smile grew on his lips. “Fine, devil woman. I’ll have lunch with Joseph, but only because you want us to. Let’s be clear. You did not win that bet.”

“Whatever.” I climbed out of my chair, and was about to tell him I was heading for the restroom, when something caught my eye. Not something, but
someone
.

Holy shit.

He wove through the tables, moving quickly toward me, a blur in an expensive suit. “Payton.”

“What the fuck?” I stared in disbelief.

He grinned, surprised. “Wow, nice language.” His glance went from top to bottom. “And, wow. You look great.”

Dominic’s hand was warm on my waist, but his expression painted in a scowl at this man he didn’t know. I would have laughed if I could get over what I was seeing.

“You must be the fiancé. I’m Kyle McCreary.” My brother extended a hand.

Once the information settled in, the tension in Dominic’s shoulders relaxed and a smile broke on his face. He took Kyle’s hand and shook it. “Hey, yeah. Dominic Ward.”

“Okay,” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“Mom told me what happened. I thought I’d see if I could catch you before you left.”

There was a thin gloss of sweat on Kyle’s forehead as if he’d hurried, and the purple plaid tie he wore with his gray suit was askew.

“So you ran from New York all the way to this restaurant?”

Kyle’s soft smile froze. “No, I live here now.” He pushed his suitcoat back so he could rest his hands on his hips and catch his breath. “You didn’t know?”

He looked so different from the last time I’d seen him, which had been . . . when? My college graduation? Kyle’s hair was more like Dad’s, the color of maple syrup. He’d let it go long on the top and it was a little wild. Soft curls turned up at the ends. I couldn’t tell if he’d skipped shaving for the last three days, or if it was perfectly maintained scruff.

Either way, it was a good look on him.

My arms moved without thought, and suddenly I was hugging him. Kyle stood straight and immobile, confused. My family did
not
hug. But then again, I’d always been the black sheep.

“No, Mom didn’t tell me,” I said. “She’s
too busy
, I guess.” I stepped back from him and curled into Dominic’s embrace. “When did you move?”

“About six weeks ago. Dad got me a position with his firm.”

“What happened to New York?”

Kyle’s eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn’t interpret. He looked . . . unhappy? But in a flash, the emotion was replaced with an empty one. “That’s a story for later.” His gaze held mine. “Look, I can’t stay. My schedule’s crazy while they’re bringing me up to speed on my caseload, but . . . hell. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

We certainly hadn’t. My older brother and I weren’t close growing up. I’d done my own thing while Kyle had been the golden boy. I didn’t envy him; the crown seemed heavy. Mom and Dad laid enormous pressure on him, so I understood when he’d high-tailed it out of Chicago, not a week after graduating law school. My parents felt disrespected he hadn’t come to the firm that carried the McCreary name.

But that had been years ago. Now he was back?

“So you ran twenty blocks in a suit to see me?” I asked.

“Mom said you were upset.” He took a deep breath and smoothed a hand down his tie. “Mom and Dad don’t get it. They think their stuff is more important than anyone else’s. I used to try really hard to make them understand, and honestly, my life got so much easier once I stopped.”

My mouth dropped open. It was the most honest I’d ever heard him, and he made his living spinning truths and twisting words.

“I also came to meet Dominic.” Kyle’s focus shifted to my fiancé. “As her brother, I’m supposed to threaten you with bodily harm if you don’t treat her right, but that’s not really my style. So enjoy my threat of litigation instead. I’m very good, and it wouldn’t be pleasant.”

“Aw, you’re sweet,” I said, my voice mocking. “But Dominic’s smart. He knows if he fucks up with me, I’d be his biggest threat.”

“Yes,” Dominic said instantly.

Kyle blinked again at the profanity. Not like he was offended, but more amused. Shit, how far apart had we’d been these last few years? He barely knew me anymore, and I’d never really known him.

“Okay, well, that’s good, I guess.” Kyle fiddled with his watch and checked the time. “I have to run. As in, literally.”

“Thank you for coming,” I said, hoping my voice matched how sincere I felt, because I was a little blown away.

“Should we grab drinks some night this week?” Dominic asked, but Kyle shook his head.

“I’d like that, but everything’s a mess with the move. You two will be back for good in a few months though, right? We could do it then.”

“Sure.”

We said our goodbyes, and I watched Kyle go. It was such a simple gesture for him to come over, and yet it meant so much.

Dominic had a strange half-smile on his face.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Running here and back just to say hello. Your parents don’t get it, but your brother does.”

“Yeah,” I said.
Who would have thought?

The premium leather of my driver’s seat was buttery soft. I’d narrowly avoided reunion tears when I’d picked my car up from Logan’s place. Well,
technically,
our place. Evie and Logan would move out in mid-December so Dominic and I could move in when we returned from Japan.

I felt bad about kicking them out, but only for thirty seconds. The view was to die for, and Logan had known this day was coming since leasing the place from his friend.

“It looks different in the daylight,” Dominic said, gesturing to the blindfold club entrance. He wasn’t wrong. The black door looked smaller, and the wear on the façade seemed greater in the harsh light.

“Yeah, this place is way less sexy during the day.” A fact I’d discovered the first time Joseph had asked me to fill in for him. I hadn’t a clue why Joseph wanted to meet here now, but since the club was a good twenty-minute drive from our hotel, and I had my hands on my Jaguar F-Type, it was fine with me.

“Any chance you’d let me drive the car back to the hotel when we leave?” Dominic’s hopeful expression wasn’t enough to pry my grip from the steering wheel.

He hadn’t driven a car in almost two years. “No way, get your own.”

“Half of this car will be mine when we’re married.”

I shut off the engine and let my expression go serious. “Yeah, the passenger half.”