Page 71 of The Fate Philosophy

“We need to go look at some swatches,” I said, brushing past him and out the door.

Chapter 29

“You’vegotpaintonyour nose,” Dom said, pointing his brush at me.

I stuck my tongue out at him, but swiped my thumb across my nose. He only laughed, throwing his head back as it bellowed from his throat.

He dropped his brush back into the tin of paint and stepped toward me, wiping his hands down his old t-shirt. I was wearing one of his old shirts, too. Both of which he had no issues with getting covered in paint. Which was good, because both were now stained with the rustic taupe color I chose for the accent wall.

We got a ton of swatches from the store, and spent much of last night down in the gallery, comparing swatches to Penelope’s paintings and Carter’s photos. I wanted something that was in contrast to the colors they primarily used in their work, but something that didn’t clash with them, either. I wanted a color that was eye-catching but not overwhelming.

I found a light brown color with just a hint of red that I thought would compliment things perfectly. It also reminded me of the terracotta rooftops in Lake Arrowhead. That was the first moment that I began to feel at home in this new adventure I’d been dragged into with my friends. So the color of this accent wall would be a little homage to that. Something for me to keep to myself. The mark that I’d leave here.

I could only hope that Carter would agree with the color. That he’d be okay with me getting involved. I knew that both Dom and I were being impulsive. Intruding.

But Dom didn’t seem to care, and that made me feel more confident myself.

Dom brushed his own thumb over my nose, taking away the paint sprinkled on my face. He smiled at me as his fingers slowly danced across my cheeks.

We’d been painting for an hour. We aimed to finish before Penelope and Carter landed this evening. I was to pick them up from the airport at eleven tonight. My hope was to have this wall finished before then so I could surprise them with it in the morning before I returned to work. We had a little less than twelve hours to get the painting done.

“You’re beautiful when you’re thinking hard,” Dom said, pulling me from my thoughts.

I felt my expression soften into something like adoration as he leaned into me. His lips brushed against mine, tentative at first, before they claimed me completely. He gripped my face, angling my head up to deepen the kiss, parting my lips gently with his tongue. We both moaned as he swept in, tasting my mouth. I dropped the brush in my own hand so my fingers could interlace around his neck and push myself deeper into him.

I still wasn’t used to it. Kissing him. Feeling him. Tasting him.

I’d never be used to it. I’d never get enough.

I pulled back briefly, just so I could look into his glowing eyes, hoping he could see all the emotion within mine. He looked at me too, read that expression in my face, before closing the gap between us. Swifter, more deeply and purposefully than before. We claimed each other’s mouths, and I sucked his lip between my teeth, eliciting a groan from him again.

“Let’s get this done so I can take you upstairs and fuck the daylights out of you. Please.”

I hummed in approval. “Or you could just do that right here on the floor.”

“Fuck,” he rasped against my mouth. “Yes.”

Too caught up in the feeling of him against me. The way his words made me feel. Completely fazed by the man holding me, I missed the sound of the door opening and closing from the back of the building.

“Please don’t.”

The voices didn’t register, either. Not until Dom pulled back and blinked at me, and we both realized the sounds didn’t come from either of us. I turned, and jumped as I took in the two figures standing by the back door. A brief second of terror passed before I realized that I was staring at Carter and Penelope.

Then, a different type of terror registered within me.

Dom cleared his throat. His hand dropped from my face, but he stayed close to me as he said, “Hey. We…” He shook his head. “We, uh, didn’t think you guys were landing until eleven.”

Carter took a step toward us, the smirk on his face now apparent. “We did. Eleven a.m.”

“Shit,” I muttered. “I’m sorry.” I must’ve read their tickets wrong.

Carter laughed. “It looks like you were a bit distracted, Mace.”

I chewed the inside of my cheek.

“What are you guys doing?” Penelope asked.

“Painting,” Dom said too quickly. “Thought the studio could use an accent wall.”

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