She narrowed her eyes like she was trying to piece together a puzzle. Please tell me she wasn’t putting the pieces together successfully because that would mean two people knew. Two people! “He didn’t leave his car here,” she practically shouted, ignoring me. She turned her attention toward him, her body language signaling that she was indeed putting the pieces together as she pursed her lips and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
Dom tucked his hands in his pockets. “Nope. I did. Now I’m picking it up.”
Allie gasped that horrendous gasp again—seriously, it was going to be in my nightmares—and jumped up, her eyes fleeting from Dom to me and back again. “Holy crap! You two are lying. You two are—” She let out a shriek, and I placed my hands over my ears. “Ewww, but also ahhh!”
I glanced at Dom and shrugged. What was I going to do?
She touched her chin. “You two are sleeping together.” Then she turned to me. “He’s the one who’s nailing you down.”
Dom coughed, trying to hide his shock. “What?” he questioned, cocking a brow.
I shook my head, shutting my eyes briefly to really drive my point home. “You don’t want to know.”
“You’re not denying it,” she directed at me. “So, it’s true then?”
I placed my tongue in my cheek and nodded. “If I said no, would you believe me?”
“Nope!” she yelled. “I knew there was something different about you because you have that freshly fucked look.”
Told you she’d know when I had that. “Is there really a look for that, though? Or is that just something people say?”
“Hell yeah there is, and you, Maria, have it.” She wiggled a finger in front of my face, like that could prove something.
“You have to keep this information to yourself,” Dom said, and if I could’ve kissed him right there, I would’ve.
“Oh, come on! No. You can’t ask me to do that. Why aren’t you telling everyone? What’s the big secret? I mean, it’s a little weird because you’re like a brother to me, so gross, but also we’ve seen this coming for a long time.”
Shaking my head, I rushed to explain. “We’re not dating.”
Allie shook her head. “I don’t understand.”
“We’re not a couple,” I said, trying again.
“Then what the hell are you?” Allie asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.
“Friends with benefits,” Dom supplied, something sounding off in his voice. I didn’t have a chance to think too much about that, though, because Allie peered at me, a look of disappointment written all over her face, and that got to me most.
And that was just one reason why I hadn’t wanted my family to find out. They had their own ideas about me and Dom.
“When did this happen?” Allie questioned, her eyes darting from me to Dom.
I crossed my arms. “Vito’s wedding.”
She blinked. “That was—” It looked like she was digging in her brain, searching for a timeline. “Around three years ago.”
“Yep,” Dom replied, his blank expression unchanging.
Disappointment morphed into surprise quickly with Dom’s confirmation. The shocked look on Allie’s face said it all—her eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of her head, and her lips were slightly parted as she tried her best not to let her mouth hang open and hit the floor—but if that wasn’t enough, she added, “What. The. Actual. Fuck.”
Chapter Nineteen
Maria
Dominic:You and Allie talk any more about us?
Maria:No, and honestly, I’m glad she flaked on yoga because I have a lot of work to do so I headed back into the office.
Dominic:Don’t forget to tell your family about the shoot.