Page 62 of Boss Level

For the next few hours, I distracted myself with work. When I heard Dom’s car in the driveway, I dropped what I was doing and strode to the kitchen to meet him.

The instant he walked through the door from the garage, I pulled him in and claimed his mouth in a hard kiss, pressing him into the wall until he was all I could taste or smell.

He gripped my shirt in his fists. His moan mingling with my groan was divinity.

“Not that I’m complaining.” His voice was breathless when we broke apart. “But where did that come from?”

“I can’t keep us a secret anymore.” Desperation drove my words. “I need the world to know you’re mine. I can’t—won’t—keep hiding it.”

The way he searched my face, I braced for an argument, but when a soft smile tugged up the corners of his mouth, the tension inside me finally uncoiled.

“All right.” Dominic’s words made my heart soar. “Let’s stop hiding.”

This felt so right. The timing. The decision. All of it.

So why did it also feel hollow, like the center had been carved out and misplaced?

21

judith

My Tuesday at work was filled figuring out the logistics of a dev team without the best Director in gaming, and making a plan in case Elliot didn’t come back.

I’d find someone new, possibly promote from within, but it felt like betrayal to be considering those measures when he was supposed to be returning.

When I got home that night, it was almost nine. Not unusual for me. Claire was on my couch watching TV.

It was good to see someone using both. When did I last have time for that?

She scrambled to her feet as soon as she saw me. “I made myself some dinner, I hope that’s okay, there are leftovers in the fridge.”

“Of course it’s okay. You’re not supposed to sit here and starve.” My bigger concern was—“I had the ingredients in my house to make food?”

“I had groceries delivered.”

Not what I gave her access to my delivery account for, but it worked. I found a bowl in the fridge with some form of potatoes, eggs, and cheese in it. That’d be a nice change from pizza and Chinese.

I heated some up and joined her in the living room. I still had no idea what to do with her long term. Picking her up was easy, but she’d need work, a place to go…

Or to reconcile with Dale, I supposed, but thinking the words made my gut churn.

“How was your day?” I wasn’t used to having someone else around, especially a mostly stranger, but I should probably talk to her instead of myself. That would help with figuring out next steps, too, but I didn’t want to scare her off.

“It was okay. I was going to straighten up for you, to thank you for letting me stay here, but… umm…”

Ummm? “Yes?”

“It’s already really clean in here, and I can’t figure out how, because I couldn’t find the cleaning supplies.” She sounded sheepish.

Ah. “I spend a lot of time at work. Someone comes in and cleans for me a few times a month.”

“Oh. Wow.” She sounded genuinely impressed. Dale didn’t have a maid? A cook? “Is Dominic going to be okay with that?”

Right. She thought I was engaged. “He does the same in his place, so I assume.”

“It must be nice.” Claire tugged her knees to her chest and hugged them.

“Having a maid? These potatoes are really good, by the way.” I might consider getting a cook, too.

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