Page 115 of The Bad Girl List

I think of Dom’s tattoo, of how the sight of it had hit me like a fist in the stomach. What if I’d completely misinterpreted it? Rather than being a reprimand from Elle, could it have been … her blessing?

When I finally walk out from under the tree with Tequila at my side, my heart feels lighter than it’s felt in years.

* * *

I’m nearly back to the house when my phone dings. Several messages pile in from Thomas now that I have reception.

Bro, I bailed you out last time. It’s not going to work a second time. Kevin won’t touch any of the tequila shots I buy. He’s sticking with his vodka martini tonight.

This is followed by a picture of Dom and fucking Kevin Durham. They’re standing at the bar in Platitude, their backs to the camera. Dom is wearing a dark blue dress and holds a Cosmo in one hand. Kevin’s hand is around her waist in a manner that is way too intimate for my liking.

Several more messages from Thomas follow the picture.

Get your ass down to Platitude.

Dude, are you there? Write me back.

If you’re passed out drunk, I’m going to come home and kick your ass.

I’ve been thinking of Dom non-stop for the past few days. It took all my willpower not to text her and beg her to let me take her out. Hell, I even considered driving to her VRBO to see her.

Her reason for turning me down stopped me. She admitted to liking me as much as I like her. She’d turned me down because she wants more than she thinks I’m capable of giving.

So I stayed away.

That doesn’t mean I’ve let go of the idea of us. Far from it. It’s the reason I said my goodbyes to Elle. I planned to give Dom space, knowing she’d be back to the winery for design work. There would be plenty of opportunities for me to see her, to show her I was ready to be the man she deserved.

All my plans to be patient go out the window as soon as I see her picture with Kevin. That little fucker, with his hands on her. All I want to do is punch him in the face and tell him to go fuck himself.

I remember something else Dom said, words that have replayed themselves in my mind at least a thousand times since I last saw her.

I kept hoping you’d show up and get between us. That’s what she’d said to me. She’d wanted me to show up at Zeke’s on karaoke night and give her an excuse not to take a body shot off Kevin.

And I’d fucking failed her. Even when Thomas texted me, I hadn’t gone to get her. I hadn’t kept my promise to sing karaoke with her. If she’d decided to go home with Kevin, I wouldn’t have been there to stop her.

Fuck if I am going to make the same mistake twice.

I drop the shovel and run for my car.

CHAPTER 38

Double Parked

DOMINIQUE

I walk down the sidewalk with Kevin, his arm around my shoulders as he rattles on about a fancy vacation home his family is building in Hawaii. I pretend to listen.

I’ve only had one Cosmo. I didn’t need to get drunk to talk myself into leaving with Kevin. As soon as he tapped me on the shoulder, I knew he was the one I would go home with.

Maybe it’s because I’ve let go of Trevor. Maybe it’s because I know my family will love me no matter what. Maybe it’s because I sent Trevor’s dad a few rounds of sketches, and he likes the new direction I’m going with the labels.

Whatever the reason, I’m not nervous. This is going to be a new experience for me, just like getting a tattoo and skinny-dipping. I intend to embrace it for what it is.

“My car is over there.” Kevin’s hand drops to my hip as he leads me across the street. “It’s the Audi. I’m going to trade it in for a new one when next year’s models are released.”

“Cool,” I say, because there’s nothing else to say about his uninteresting, shiny red Audi. If I was going to draw his car, his Audi would be the super villain, the one who over-explains before committing a dastardly crime.

“You’re going to like my place,” Kevin says as he turns on the car. “It has a great view. I’ll open a bottle of wine and we can look at the stars.”

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