Page 24 of One Last Chance

“Am I now?” His eyes travel to my cleavage, then back up to mine. I feel heat in the apex of my thighs, so I clear my throat then say, “Yes, you are. Now, let the past be in the past, and let’s move on. I’ll be out of your life again after this weekend.”

“What if I don’t want you to be?” His words are low, almost silent, but I heard them.

Pushing my chair back, I stand and finish off my wine in two big mouthfuls. “Look, I’ve had enough of these games… I’ll see you tomorrow at the photo shoot. I hope you can be respectful and let bygones be bygones. It was nice seeing you, Domenic.”

I turn to walk out of the bar and feel a sense of relief when the fresh air hits my face. He’s too much. What was I thinking coming back here? I walk down the street, knowing the falls are on the edge of town.

I choose to walk there to clear my head—the falls were always my place of solace.

As I feel the mist caress my skin, large arms grab me from behind and drag me back. I scream, but it’s muted when a hand covers my mouth. I’m pushed up against a tree, and when my assailant spins me around, I see exactly who it is.Domenic Reed.

He slowly removes his hand from my mouth, his face savage. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Shocked and stunned, I yell, “What do you think you’re—” My words are silenced when his lips smash down to mine in a heated kiss. Feeling anger burn within, I try and push him off me, but he’s too strong. His mouth covers mine, and his tongue delves into my mouth, making it difficult to breathe.

Domenic grabs my face with one hand and then pulls back. “You have no idea what you’ve done to me, do you?”

“Domenic… I—”

“You’ve ruined me, and I hate myself for still wanting you. I can’t even be in another relationship because no one can compare to you. Do you understand how frustrating that is?” Feeling uncertain about what to say, I just stare at him.

He wants me?

Me?

Angrily, he pushes back, letting go of my face and curses, “Fuck!” He heads to another tree and kicks it hard. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”

I want to run to him. I want to comfort him and let him know that I also have never been able to be with anyone else, that when I do go out on a date, I’m too busy comparing them tohim.

Domenic turns and threads his hands through his hair, pulling it between his fingers in frustration. “Fuck!”

He looks at me in anguish, then he drops his arms and moves closer to me. I’m still glued to the tree the way he left me, unable to move, wondering if this is really happening.

“But… you hate me. You don’t want me here, you said it yourself.”

He inches closer, and his cologne hits my senses.

God, I love him.

I always have and always will.

Can I tell him that?

I push myself off the tree and break the gap between us. “Domenic, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have left you that morning. I thought—”

“You thought what?” he cuts in, snapping his head to me. His green eyes glare into mine, and I whisper, “I thought you wouldn’t care.”

“Wouldn’t care!” he shouts.

I quickly glance around to make sure we haven’t caught anyone’s attention. “Are you crazy? I wanted for you for so long, and that night, I couldn’t believe you felt the same about me. And to know I was your first… that has stayed with me all this time.”

Threading his fingers through my hair, he cups the back of my head, bringing me in closer, our lips only a hair’s breadth away. “And even though it was your first time, I can’t forget the way your body responded to mine.”

Swallowing hard, memories of our night together come to mind. So many nights of lying in bed, going over every single detail of our night together, remembering every single touch, every kiss, every stroke was all I thought of.

I’ve had sex with other men since Domenic, but none of them compared to him or even came close. The chemistry, our attraction, the way he made me feel was something I can never forget. Nothing can compare to the way our bodies came to life when we finally gave in to our desires.

Now, here he is, standing in front of me admitting, admitting what?

---