Chapter Twenty-Four
Domi
Damn him for looking so good.
Mitch in a regular shirt? Hot. Mitch in Dom leathers? Sexy as hell. Mitch naked? Total eye candy.
Mitch all dressed up in a suit with a shirt that matched his eyes exactly?
Devastating.
It was all she could do to keep from throwing herself at him. Which was why she hadn’t managed to get an apology out yet, even though she knew she owed him one. The suit had thrown her. Knowing her attraction to him hadn’t diminished in the slightest—even though she’d cried before going to bed the past few nights—made her defensive. How had he managed to get so far under her skin?
“I wanted to apologize,” he said, becoming more serious at her question. There was something different about him today. Not just the suit. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what, but there was definitely something. “On Wednesday… well, my dad and I don’t have the best relationship. I’ve told you about him and my mom’s relationship.” Domi nodded. “My dad owns a bar that’s also a nightclub up in Pittsburgh, the Outlands. He told me he was down here for business, to talk to another owner to get ideas for expanding the Outlands. Right before you came into the restaurant, he told me the club he was visiting down here is Stronghold.”
“Oh my God.” Domi’s hands flew to cover her mouth, her reaction torn between horror and hilarity as the implications sank in.
“Yeah.” Mitch’s lips twitched with his usual good humor, sparkle beginning to shine in his eyes. “My dad owns a kink club, and I never knew.”
“Oh my God,” Domi repeated, starting to laugh. “I can so see that. The Outlands… is that like an Outlander reference?” That would make some sense since his dad was Scottish.
“No, it’s a Dungeons and Dragons reference. My parents are massive nerds.” Mitch cleared his throat, pausing as the server returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. After telling her they needed a few more minutes, Mitch took a sip of his coffee and continued, fingers twiddling with the napkin in front of him. “Anyway. When we started seeing each other, I thought BDSM would make the big difference, guarantee we wouldn’t have the same kinds of issues.”
“Oh, Mitch.” She reached out to put her hand atop his where he was fidgeting with the napkin. “There are no guarantees in life.”
“I know, but I don’t do well with uncertainty. Especially not after watching my parents go back and forth and never knowing when they’d end up seeing each other on the sly again.” He gave her a wry smile, his fingers trapping hers. Domi could have pulled her hand back, but it felt too nice to be touching him again, even in a small way. “So, on top of finding out what my parents get up to in their free time, suddenly wasn’t sure what that meant for us. Then you walked in, and it was the worst possible time. I already needed to get away from my dad and think for a minute, but then I couldn’t, and yeah...”
“I owe you an apology, too,” she said, a sense of relief flooding through her saying the words. “I shouldn’t have chased after you, but even after I did, when you asked for space, I should have respected that. I wanted to make you listen so badly, but I wasn’t listening to you.”
Mitch tightened his grip on her fingers, his blue eyes boring into hers.
“I want to try again, Domi Darling,” he said softly. “Not to be like my parents, but because I don’t want to be like my dad. I want to give us a real shot. I don’t want to hold back. I… fuck. The past few days have sucked. I miss you all the time. I hate not hearing your voice at the end of the day. I hate being apart from you.”
Tears started forming in her eyes, and Domi blinked rapidly. She’d worn her waterproof mascara, just in case, but that didn’t mean she actually wanted to cry. A little ball of unhappiness curled in her chest, pressing down like it was actually trying to crush her heart.
As much as part of her wanted what he was offering, as much as she wanted to try again…
She pulled her hand away.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she said slowly. Mitch’s face fell, which made the ball of unhappiness inside her grow. She felt like the Grinch, with her heart three sizes too small and shrinking. “Like I said, there are no guarantees in life, and… the past few days have been awful. I missed you, and it hurt being without you, but there was a part of me also relieved I’d kept my life separate. I have Ana, and even though I felt like half my life was falling apart, her life was unaffected. I think… I think you were right, and it’s better we end this before we get more involved.”
Seeing the hurt, the disappointment on his face was too much for her. She shoved out of the booth as quickly as she could, espresso untouched, and headed for the door, tears already blurring her eyes. This felt even worse than Wednesday. It felt so final.
Turn around! Go back! Part of her head screamed.
Yeah, she was a masochist, but not for this kind of pain.
Mitch
Staring dumbfounded after Domi, it felt like his insides were cracking open, and there was nothing but ice inside. She was walking away. Maybe it was for the best?
No.
Do something, you stupid fool.
Grand gesture.
Tell her how you feel.
What do you have to lose?
Domi. Domi was what he had to lose.
That meant he had everything to lose if he stayed silent. In the face of that, what was his dignity worth?
He would hate himself forever if he didn’t at least try.
Scrambling onto the booth, Mitch stepped onto the table, barely aware of the clatter of silverware or
