Page 54 of Starts With a Bang

Dom positioned himself between my thighs and kissed my neck. “So good.”

I closed my eyes and willed my brain to think only of the way this man made me feel. No thoughts about family—his or mine. Just the feel of his lips on my skin. The weight of him on top of me. The way arousal made my dick swell. But my brain had a mind of its own and wouldn’t fully relax into the moment. It felt like there was unfinished business or something I needed to say to make this a true do-over. But Dom and I had talked everything out. A dawning pierced through my lust daze like the sun dispersing a thick fog. The light grew brighter and wouldn’t be denied. With a resigned sigh, I gripped Dom’s shoulders to halt him.

He raised his head and looked down at me. Arousal and confusion wrestled for dominance in his green gaze. “What’s wrong?”

“We’re claiming this as our fresh start, right?”

Dom nodded as confusion seized control of his expression. “You don’t want that?” He shifted backward as if to move off me, but that was the last thing I wanted.

“I want our fresh start more than anything.” I tugged Dom back into place, and he relaxed against me until I spoke again. “It’s just, I think we need to come clean to someone before it can happen.”

Dom groaned, and I didn’t stop him when he rolled off me. Flopping to his back, he stared at the ceiling. “I suppose you’re right. But I don’t wanna.” He’d said the last bit in a pouty voice that made me smile.

I rolled to my side and nestled closer, resting my head on his shoulder. Dom wrapped an arm around me and pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I mean, we could have fresh-start orgasms to take the edge off,” I suggested. “Then we can call Kerry to fess up.” I pursed my lips and pretended to consider the situation. “That might require us to have another round of do-over sex.”

Dom turned onto his side to face me. “We’re going to redo the do-over?”

I shrugged. “Why not? It’s Christmas. Calories don’t count, and we can have as many fresh starts as it takes until we get it right.”

“Sounds likeGroundhog’s Day,” Dom said. “I sure as hell don’t want to relive this day over and over.” He leaned in and lightly kissed my mouth. “Let’s do this right so I can have you all to myself. I want to experience new things with you, not replay the same things.”

I bolted up, scooted toward my nightstand, and retrieved my phone from the charger. I pulled up Kerry’s contact but didn’t press any of the icons that would connect us. Dom had propped himself against the headboard in my brief absence. Worry furrowed his brow, and his mouth looked as grim as the first night we met. I crawled onto his lap and straddled his thighs.“You have nothing to fret about.” I kissed Dom until his lips softened beneath mine and the tension eased from his muscular body. My phone slipped from my hand and fell to the mattress, but I didn’t care. I needed Dom to know that I was his, no matter how Kerry reacted to our news. “We don’t even have to tell him that his cockblocking attempts two years ago didn’t work,” I said. “It’s none of his business.”

“We said we wanted a fresh start,” Dom said. “That means complete honesty and accountability. Kerry told me to lay off his brother and…”

“You got laid by his brother instead,” I teased.

Dom winced. “That wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to say.” He kissed me gently. “I’m prepared to take whatever heat Kerry dishes out because I’m not giving you up.”

“One more kiss for courage, and I’ll call him.”

“Just don’t FaceTime,” Dom said. “Your lips are already puffy from last night and this morning and—”

A soft giggle and a growly curse came from the vicinity of the bed. The two distinct voices belonged to people I loved dearly, but they were out of place in the privacy of our bedroom. I’d packed many things for the trip, but Kerry and Keegan were not among them. Jerking away from Dom, I glanced down and saw that I’d accidentally dialed my brother’s number when my phone slipped from my hand. I bit back a groan as I put the call on speaker.

Forcing cheerfulness into my voice, I said, “Oh, hey, Ker and Kee. Merry Christmas!”

Keegan snorted. “It definitely sounds merry on your end.”

My best friend gave me the reprieve I needed. “And how’s your holiday going?”

“Nice try,” Kerry growled. “You didn’t fuck-dial me to find out how our Christmas is going. And you didn’t check in last night like you promised. Guess I know why.”

“But hey, at least we know you made it there safely,” Keegan said. “We won’t keep you—”

“Hang on a damn minute,” Kerry said. “No one is hanging up until I get some explanations.”

The color leached from Dom’s face, and I pressed my lips to his ear as Keegan and Kerry playfully bickered on the other end of the connection. “He’s pulling your leg,” I whispered. “I know what Kerry sounds like when he’s pissed, and baby, this ain’t it. I say we give it right back to him.”

Before Dom could form a response, I thrust my hips forward and released a little moan. A shiver of pleasure raced down my spine, and I nearly forgot this was an act of retaliation.

Keegan giggled, and Kerry gagged. Dom’s face turned the color of a tomato.

“Sorry,” I said without an ounce of apology in my voice. “Can’t seem to help myself.”

“Look, I’ll save everyone the hand wringing and unnecessary explanations,” Kerry said. “I knew this was coming. The two of you can’t take your eyes off each other when you’re in the same room.”

“Sooo, you no longer think I’m the walking wounded who doesn’t deserve your brother?” Dom asked.

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