Page 12 of Ava After Midnight

“You heard her.” This time it’s my voice, stronger than I feel.

As the door slams behind her, I realize Domingo has been watching, silent and observant. His eyes meet mine, and the heat there makes me forget everything else.

“Hot tub?” he suggests, pulling his shirt off.

Miami glitters like scattered diamonds beneath us as we slip into the water, and I take a second to tie my hair up, securing it high enough to keep it from getting wet. Steam curls between us like phantom touches.

Jade and Zoe make a show of taking the far side, giving us space while pretending not to watch.

“You okay?” Domingo asks softly, arm sliding around my bare shoulders.

I lean into him, letting the heat and his touch strip Mia’s words from my skin. “I don’t know what I am anymore.”

His fingers trace slow circles beneath the surface of the water, each stroke a question my body aches to answer. “Looks like you’re exactly where you need to be.” He presses a gentle kiss against my forehead, his lips soft against my heavily made-up skin. “And I think,” he murmurs, his accent thicker in the steam, “this suits you. Almost as much as that bikini.”

“Almost?” I arch an eyebrow, shifting closer until our thighs touch underwater.Two can play this game.

“Mmm. Though I bet you’d look even better without?—”

“Keep it PG-13, kids!” Jade calls out, splashing water our way. “At least until I get more tequila in my system.”

“Since when do you need tequila for these things?” Zoe laughs, climbing out. “But I’ll grab the bottle. Someone’s engagement went up in flames tonight—we should toast to it.”

“It didn’t go up in flames,” I protest as Domingo’s fingers move to draw slow, dangerous patterns on my knee. “I just... took a break from it.”

“Princesa,” he breathes against my ear, “breaks don’t taste like what you did to my neck back at the club.”

Heat floods my cheeks. My mind flickers back, and suddenly, I remember—the heat of his skin, the way my teeth scraped against him, the way he growled when I bit down.

“Oh.”

“You absolutely did,” Jade interrupts with a wicked grin, cutting off any attempt at denial. Zoe chuckles, poorly containing her entertainment. “That hickey’s gonna last longer than Mia’s dignity.”

I reach up instinctively, fingers brushing against the spot. It’s tender. I did that.

Domingo just chuckles, the sound reverberating through my bones, making my stomach flip.

“Worth it,” he murmurs, voice softer now, just for me. “You’re worth every mark.”

“Shots!” Zoe announces, returning with the bottle and no glasses. “Let’s play Never Have I Ever!”

“What are we, college freshmen?” I’m laughing, letting the night’s magic settle over me.

“Never have I ever,” Jade starts, eyes glinting, “wanted to climb a sexy bartender like a tree.”

“That’s targeting!” I splash her, but drink anyway. Domingo’s hand slides higher under the water, each inch stealing the breath from my lungs.

“Never have I ever,” he joins in, voice like silk against my skin, “wanted to taste every inch of a bride-to-be.”

Our eyes lock as he drinks. The tension crackles between us, electric enough to power the whole city below.

“Never have I ever,” I whisper, turning to face him fully, “wanted someone to ruin me this badly.”

Bottle forgotten, Domingo’s hands cup my face. The world narrows to his eyes, his lips, the breath between us?—

A phone shatters the moment. It’s not mine this time; it’s Zoe’s.

“Shit,” she hisses, checking the screen. “The club called. Mia’s there making a scene, threatening to call Matthew.”

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