Page 37 of Kingpin
Alannah
Ohmygodohmygodohmygod.
It’s him.
He’s here.
He’s right here in front of me.
I just landed an hour ago. I haven’t even had a chance to check into my hotel room completely, and Dominic is already here. It’s really him. Oh. My. God.
He’s staring at me, and I’m staring back. He’s blinking, but I don’t think I am. I don’t think I’m breathing either, because the sheer beauty of this man is making it hard for my lungs to function properly.
He’s bigger than I remember, which should be a given since it’s been ten years, but my brain isn’t firing on all cylinders right now, so I’m surprised by it when I shouldn’t be. He’s about six-feet tall now, and at least two hundred-five pounds with thick arms and the same pink, pouty lips I’ve always loved. He’s gorgeous and intimidating, and I can’t stop staring. It’s Dominic. A bigger, sexier Dominic, wearing a suit that’s not quite black and not quite gray, but it definitely looks good on him.
“Alannah?” he says to me, his voice low, and sultry, and sexy, andholy shit.
“Oh my god,” I manage to utter. “Dominic. Is that you?” I know it’s him, but I don’t know what else to say.
“Yeah. Yeah, it is. I can’t believe this. What are you doing here?” He looks confused and adorable with that furrow in his brow that always turned me on and scared me all at the same time. His voice still carries the subtle Italian accent but has dropped an octave.
“I’m here,” I answer. I realize that sounds confusing so I try to clarify, but even that’s difficult right now. “I mean, I just landed. I’m here. I’m back. Umm, I just moved back here. To St. Louis.”
Dominic raises his eyebrows.
“You moved back to St. Louis? For good?”
“Yeah. My flight just landed about an hour ago. I’m just now checking into my hotel room until my place is ready. Umm, what are you . . . I mean, it’s really nice to see you. I was wondering if you were still here.”
He smiles before he answers, and I’m pretty sure my heart skips a few beats, then resuscitates itself.
“Of course I’m still here. I’d never leave St. Louis. I don’t understand. You’re here. You’re back,” he states like he’s confused by his own words. Then he suddenly snaps back into reality and looks at the man standing behind him, and I realize there actually is a man standing back there that I didn’t even see before, because I was too focused on Dominic.
This guy isn’t someone I recognize from school. He’s a little shorter than Dominic, but I can tell he’s buff even in his suit. He’s got really short hair and a scowl etched on his face like it’s permanent. The two of them together look like businessmen—the kind of businessmen that would hang you off the roof of a balcony if you owed them money.
Dominic whispers to the guy who I’m already convinced is a hitman, and while the two of them talk, I realize I’m standing here in a pair of jeans and a white Homegrown Alaska t-shirt that I soaked with my sweat on the plane. I’m a hot mess, and Dominic is over there dripping with sexy gorgeousness. Shit. I try to run my fingers through my hair like a brush but before I get two strokes in, Dominic turns and walks over to me. The other guy exits the building without saying a word.
“You’re staying in this hotel?” Dominic says, his expression harder now.
“Umm, yeah. Why?”
“You can’t stay here.” Dominic scoots his way behind me and places some cash on the counter. “She’s checking out. Now,” he says to the clerk, who looks puzzled.
“I’m not sure I understand,” the young clerk replies.
“You don’t have to understand. Just check her out of the room.”
“What are you doing?” I interject. “What’s going on?”
When Dominic faces me, his expression has softened again and he’s smiling.
“Nothing. Why pay to stay here when you can stay in a suite for free?” he replies.
Now it’s my turn to look puzzled.
“A suite? Free? Am I supposed to be this confused?”
Dominic smiles again as the clerk finishes checking me out of the room I never stepped foot in.
