DOM: Chapter 11

My blankets shift, warm air escaping, and I moan.

“Go back to sleep,” a voice tells me from beside my ear.

I do.

“Take these, Shorty.”

I blink. And awareness floods my brain in the form of a headache.

“Drink at least half of this bottle, then you can go back to sleep.”

My vision clears, and Dom’s hand is in front of my face.

I’m face down, how I usually sleep, so I shift up onto my elbows and grab the pair of white pills out of his palm with my right hand.

I pop them into my mouth, then take the open water bottle and swallow down half.

Dominic looks tired.

“What time is it?” My voice is quiet, and I can feel that I haven’t used it in a while.

“Eleven,” Dom answers as he takes the water bottle back.

My eyes widen, then close, that small amount of brightness from around the blackout curtains enough to make the pain in my head spike.

Dom screws the cap back on the bottle, then sets it on the nightstand. “We were up late. Go back to sleep.”

“You joining me?”

Dom nods. “In a minute.”

“Alright.” I drop my weight back to the mattress, then lift my head to look down at what I’m wearing.

I’m in a white T-shirt that has to belong to Dom, and I wiggle my hips to feel what must be a pair of his boxers.

I don’t remember changing.

Or going to bed.

But it hurts too much to think, so I lower my head back to the pillow.

My hand reaches out, missing what I’m trying to grab… And my eyes snap open.

The dream fades, and the room slowly comes into focus, the color of the light surrounding the curtains now a dark gold.

Dominic’s room.

Or rather, Dominic’s suite.

A few hours ago, I shuffled through the room to use the bathroom. So I know it’s nice. More than nice, it’s extravagant. And I think there’s a separate living room on the other side of the double doors, because I heard Dom on the phone once. But I haven’t looked. I’ve just slept.

And slept.

I try to roll over but finally notice the heavy weight pressed into my back.

I’m still sprawled face down across the king-size mattress, and apparently, Dom sleeps the same way I do. Only he’s on top of me, his body covering about half of mine.

It’s cute.

But it would be cuter if I didn’t have to pee and if he wasn’t so heavy.

I squirm to free myself.

Dominic groans. “Stay still.”

Groggy Dom is adorable.

“I have to get up.”

“Not yet.” He leans into me.

“Stop.” My laugh is smothered. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

Dom sighs but lifts his weight enough for me to slide out of the bed.

I try to keep my eyes half-closed as I shut myself in the bathroom and find the switch that turns on just the lights behind the mirror. My headache is mostly gone now, but I don’t want to chance it with bright lights.

I run my tongue across my teeth and grimace.

Standing on the tile floor, I realize how gross I feel all over. I haven’t showered since yesterday morning, and I think it’s probably close to sunset. A day and a half without showering is too long when you’re sharing a bed with a sexy-as-hell man.

I turn on the shower, letting the stall fill with steam while I quickly use the toilet.

I didn’t think we drank that much last night. But maybe I had more margaritas than I think I did. Or maybe we stopped for more drinks on our way back here.

After shuffling over to the sink, I’m rinsing off the hand soap when I realize what I’m looking at.

My toothbrush.

In Dominic’s bathroom.

How did…

I use the mirror to glance around the spacious bathroom, and my brain finally registers what it jumped over before. My little roller suitcase is sitting in front of the tub.

Did we go get my stuff last night? I feel like I would’ve remembered that.

I spot my phone on the bathroom counter, having left that in here, too.

Picking it up, I see a text from the group of girls I came here with saying have fun.

Thankfully, I apparently texted them to let them know I’d be staying with Dom.

Conscious that the shower has now been running for too long, I let my eyes drift closed while I hurry through brushing my teeth. And then I open them just enough to zombie my way through a shower.

Since I didn’t feel like digging my toiletries out of my suitcase, I use Dom’s stuff. And the hotel’s hair conditioner, because apparently, Dom’s haircut doesn’t need conditioner.

The bodywash smells like him, and I lather myself in it twice, but I still need to hunt down that cologne.

Just thinking about his cologne triggers a scent memory from last night. Him holding me while I ground against him, inhaling against his neck.

Heat blooms low in my belly.

I remember his hand between my legs. I remember his mouth on mine.

I reach out and turn off the water.

We didn’t have sex last night. We’ve had sex before, so I know what I feel like down there afterward. I feel sore. Swollen. But I don’t feel any of that right now, so I definitely didn’t have Dominic’s dick inside me last night.

I appreciate that we didn’t do it while we were both completely wasted. But if Dom’s also feeling better, then we’re gonna change that.

I reach out with my left hand to open the glass shower door. But instead of connecting with the metal handle silently, my hand connects with a clink.

I jerk my hand back and look at my palm.

The lights are low in here, but there’s no missing the thick gold band visible on the underside of my ring finger.

I stare at it.

For three breaths, I stare at the bottom of the ring.

The ring on my wedding ring finger.

My next breath is choppy as I slowly rotate my hand.

The next breath stops altogether.

A giant round-cut diamond stares back at me.

It’s…

I choke on my next breath.

It’s so pretty.

Stunning. Beautiful.

A row of diamonds is inlaid into the wide band, highlighting the large stone.

“Oh my god,” I whisper.

I reach up with my right hand to touch the diamond.

“Oh my god!” I say louder this time.

Because I’m married.

I’m married to Dominic.