“Is that the kind of thing he’s into?” Avery asked, bemused, as she followed Rae and Domi to Domi’s room.
“No idea. I’m not sure when the last time he dated someone, if ever. He’s not exactly Mr. Commitment.” Domi smiled wryly, heading to her closet and flinging the door open. “Hmmm… maybe I shouldn’t try too hard.”
“So, what am I looking for then?” Rae asked, rolling her eyes. “Something with holes in it?”
“My clothes don’t have holes in them.”
“Maybe something tacky… some mismatched accessories…”
“You’re an accessory,” Domi muttered.
“Thank you,” Rae said breezily. “I consider that a compliment.”
“I didn’t say you’re a pretty one.”
“Bitch, please.”
Avery started cracking up, and Domi and Rae winced, exchanging a look. Oops. They’d almost forgotten she was there. Yeah, they needed to be better about that.
“You guys are awesome,” Avery said, lifting her glass in tribute. Domi smiled back at her, relieved she didn’t seem upset at being left out, but she and Rae were still going to work on including her more.
“What do you think?” Domi asked, pulling out one of her favorite shirts. Cute, dark blue with big pink and white flowers on it, and incredibly comfortable, not something she’d normally wear for a date, but it would still look good. Also, it was worlds away from what she’d usually wear to Stronghold.
“Oh, that’s cute,” Avery said, stepping into the closet with them and reaching out to touch the material. “Oooh, soft.”
“So, he’ll want to get his hands on you,” Rae said, grinning and nodding. Domi rolled her eyes.
“Like his hands haven’t already been all over me.” They were doing the relationship thing a little backward, but that was okay. At least she didn’t have to worry about whether the sex would be good.
Just whether or not they could do anything other than the sex.
Yup. No big deal.
Chapter Thirteen
Domi
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Domi panted, ducking down behind a large wall, pressing her back against it. A moment later, Mitch slammed into position beside her, the lights on his chest blinking ominously.
Glancing at them, she snickered.
“Quiet,” he said defensively. “You’re a much smaller target than me.”
“Should have thought about that before we got in here,” she told him with a smirk. She wasn’t the one who had chosen laser tag for their first date. “Besides, I warned you I was awesome at this.”
He flashed a quick, hot grin and winked.
“Which is exactly why I chose it. I wanted to see you in action.”
As first dates went, it wasn’t exactly ripe for conversation, but Domi was still learning a lot about Mitch. He was competitive but a good sport. He wanted to win but accepted defeat gracefully. He was also a show-off and a goof, even in the middle of trying to win.
“I have to admit, I’m not doing as well as I usually do.” Domi groaned as she pushed herself into a crouching position, a spot in the small of her back aching slightly. “I’m getting too old for this shit.”
“Okay, Murtaugh,” Mitch said, laughing. He bumped her shoulder, leaning down to sneak in a quick kiss that sparked some heat, even though it couldn’t go anywhere. He was turning out to be a tease. “You’re only what, three years younger than me? I’m thirty.”
“I’m a mom,” Domi countered. “That means the last five years have operated more like dog years. Now, move it, old man.” She leapt into action rather than letting him kiss her again, sprinting across to the next barricade, shooting in the direction of the other team.
The birthday party of ten-year-olds were far more vicious opponents than any adults could be. They were smaller, faster, and didn’t have any hesitation in throwing themselves in any and all directions, whereas Domi kept worrying about throwing out her back. Yeah, yeah, she knew she wasn’t that old, but it was times like this when she felt like it. At least half of the birthday party was on her and Mitch’s team, even if that half didn’t seem super happy about it. Kind of demoralizing to realize they were the weakest link.
It was still fun as hell… especially since she was kicking Mitch’s ass. Maybe he’d spank hers later to make up for it.
Mitch
Last place. Not second to last, that spot belonged to Domi. Nope, full-on last place. Most number of times killed and injured, least number of hits on anyone else. Embarrassing. Mitch put his hand over his heart as he looked up at the board, shaking his head mournfully.
“This is the last time I play laser tag with a bunch of people half my size.”
“Hey, I’m not that short!” Domi elbowed him in the side, making him grunt.
Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around her. As petite as she was, she tucked in nicely next to him. She was more like two-thirds than half his size.
“What was that?” he asked, leaning down. “I couldn’t hear you all the way down there.”
“I will end you,” she threatened, but she was laughing and jabbing her fingers into his side, trying to tickle him… or something. Mitch tensed his stomach muscles, blocking her attempt. “I don’t have to stand here and take this.”
“That’s right, you could bend over the table and take it.” He curved his fingers around her ribcage just under her breast, feeling the softness of her breasts before she wiggled away.
“Mitch!” she hissed, half-laughing, half-aghast. “The kids!”
“They aren’t watching… or listening,” he said, glancing around. The kids were involved in their own little party world. The only ones looking at him and Domi were the ones who had been on their team and weren’t too happy about losing. Pretty clear who they blamed. “Come on, let’s go get dinner. I’m starving.”
Then she wouldn’t be able to scold him about anything else filthy that fell out of his mouth. What could he say? He had a one-track mind when she was around, especially with the shirt she was wearing. His fingers stroked down the sleeve. It was so
