Page 34 of Deceitful Oath

I quietly get up and wander into my bathroom, focused on making myself look presentable again. I quickly braid my hair back and splash some cold water on my face. Dominic wouldn’t be here, dealing with shitty Roger, if he didn’t care about me, right?

I’ve been with plenty of guys, some for longer than Dominic and I have been together, who bailed at the first sight of my bad luck. A warm memory of only a few hours ago floods my mind—Dominic making our relationship official.

I smile to myself, unraveling my braid, and remember how shy he seemed in that moment.

“You know what I love about you?”

I nearly jump out of my skin. I was so lost in the memory of tonight I didn’t even notice him sneaking into the bathroom. He lounges against the doorframe, smiling and watching me.

“What?” I ask, batting my eyelashes. “My incredibly good luck?”

He snorts, shaking his head, and wraps his arms around me. I sigh, settling back into his embrace. Even in my flooded apartment, with five inches of water circling my ankles, this feels like heaven.

“No Luxy,” he whispers into my hair, “I love that no matter what life throws at you, your smile still shines brighter than the sun.”

My heart melts and I find myself falling even more in love with him.Wait—LOVE? I need to squash these thoughts, stat.

I spin around, playfully batting his chest. “That was cheesy…but thank you.”

He laughs, pulling me out of the bathroom. We survey the damage together and he sighs, clapping his hands.

“Okay, so, that landlord of yours isn’t the most pleasant guy,” he starts, pulling me over to my bedroom. “But he said he’ll take care of this mess. In the meantime, how do you feel about moving in with me for a while?”

“Like roomies?”

“Like…roomies who are also dating?”

I grin at him and he laughs again, leaning in to give me a soft kiss. “I’ll take that as a yes. Why don’t you pack a bag?”

I quickly gather some clothes and toiletries, tossing them into a duffle bag that miraculously survived the great flood. As we head back to the car, Dominic takes my hand and I can’t help thinking about how right this feels.

Anyone would probably think I’m insane—tossing around the L-word, moving into his place temporarily, trusting him so openly. Maybe I am insane, but I’ve never lived my life according to what others would think, and I wasn’t about to start now.

As we cruise through the sleepy city, the sun just peeking over the horizon, I can’t get the word love out of my mind.

Am I really falling in love with him?

Chapter Thirteen

Rafael

The second we walk through my door, we both strip off our soggy clothes and tumble onto the bed. Lux shimmies herself into my arms and I pull her close, reveling at how soft she feels against me. I bury my nose into her hair, cinnamon wafting all around me.

We’re both exhausted, but she falls asleep first. Her soft snores make me smile, and I feel my eyelids getting heavy. Her softness, her warmth, her scent, all conspire to lull me into a deep sleep.

I have zero problems with insomnia when she’s in my bed, I realize as I drift off.

Sometime around noon, my body forces me awake. I glance over at Lux, sprawled out like a starfish, and quietly slip out of bed. I head to the bathroom, take care of business, and hop in the shower.

My phone lights up and Vince’s name pops up. I ignore it, not ready for his grim voice just yet. Although his call does jerk me back into the reality of what I’m supposed to be doing here.

I’ve made her fall for me, most of her sources of income are gone, and her apartment isn’t habitable. She’s pretty much reliant on me, and it all happened faster than I expected.

So why do I feel so shitty about it?

Part of me wants to come clean about this little game, make her confess to the murder, and just kill her already. The other part of me—the darker, sadistic one—can’t bear to see this end yet.

I get out of the shower and towel off, throwing on my gym clothes. A good workout always helps me clear my head, so I head to the rooftop gym. Enzo calls me and catches me up to speed on his recent activities as I jog on the treadmill.

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