Page 125 of The Scandal You Started
Rayna sucked in a breath when she realised what she’d said. “No, I don’t mean—”
“Do you want me to stay?” he whispered.
“Dominic—”
“I am not asking you to tell me you love me, only assure me you would like me to stay. That you can picture a life with me.” He stroked his thumbs through the hollows of her cheeks. “That is all I wish to hear. Then we shall work together to find a way to make it possible. I promise.”
“I don’t know, dammit,” she admitted. “I don’t fucking know.” She shook him, hissing out a broken sound. “This was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to want you. So how am I supposed to know—”
He shut her up with his mouth, pressing it hard and heavy over hers.
She didn’t respond immediately, but when she did, she pulled at his neckline and kissed him back, furious with how he’d ruined everything.
The problem was, it felt so fucking good.
It made her heart thump in a way it never had before. It filled her head with thoughts of him. Made her body burn and throb and ache and clench and whine, so starved of touch—
“Fuck me,” she panted against his swollen lips, her legs wrapped around his waist.
The beautiful man gritted his teeth over a groan and shook his head. “No. I will not.”
She reared back. “Why not?”
“Because I wish to make love to you, knowing you are mine. But I cannot if you are not certain of what you want from me. So I won’t.
“I will give you time to decide first.”
Chapter 36
Rayna
The fucking asshole had meant it.
Dominic refused to have sex with Rayna the two times she’d tried to initiate anything.
He’d asked, “Do you want me to stay?”
She’d grumbled she still didn’t know.
He’d kissed her and said, “Decide first, my love.”
It’d pissed her off the second time, and she’d snapped that he was basically trying to force her decision.
But he’d held her arms and shaken his head, assuring her, “No. Never, darling. I only wish to be sure sex is not all you want from me.”
And then she’d felt guilty, and she hadn’t tried again.
Instead, every moment they weren’t at the museum, she’d gone in circles of confusion, denial, and a clawing ache as she’d tried to work out her feelings.
It was beyond frustrating being so uncertain, but Dominic didn’t pressure her for an answer when she climbed into bed beside him at night. Nor when he kissed her and hugged her like nothing between them had changed.
Yet it was entirely too obvious everything would change depending on her answer.
Despite it taking up most of her thoughts, the first draft of Dominic’s research report was due, so Rayna spent the evenings and weekend editing and adding to it while Dominic kept her company, before she emailed it to Monty and River to check over.
It made her wonder if that was what life would be like with him if he stayed. Their working on different reports together between discussions and comfortable silence, before laughter and grumbles over Dominic’s slow arse typing turned into kisses and lingering touches.
It wasn’t a bad thought. But when she’d spent so many years picturing herself enjoying life alone, it wasn’t easy to then create an entirely new vision with someone else in it with her.
