“Who wants to watch a movie? I think Frozen is on. I bet you love that movie.” The remote shook in his hand, and he tried desperately to find the correct channel.
One of the little fountains of horrifying information blurted out, “Jimmy Miller told me that I have cooties and boobies.” The remote fell from his nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor. He looked helplessly away, not knowing what to say when the younger rammed her finger almost to the knuckle in her nostril before pulling it back out and sticking it in her mouth.
Dominic felt his stomach rolling as the little girl made sucking noises. “Um . . . do you need a tissue?” he asked.
The older one shook her head. “She eats her boogers all the time. I told her she should just wipe them on her shirt like I do.”
“Yeah, ’cause that’s much better,” Dominic said to himself.
“Do boys wipe their pee?” the older one asked as she pointed to a spot near her sister on the floor.
He was getting ready to run for the door when the little one walked up to him and tugged on his hand. “I had an accident. I forgot that I had to pee pee.” He looked down to see a puddle that seemed to be following her. Dear Lord, how many gallons had she been holding in her small body?
“Pee comes from your hole,” the older one said nonchalantly as she picked up a slice of pizza and stuffed half of it into her mouth. “How do babies get in your stomach?” she managed to ask between bites. Right in the middle of eating another piece of pizza, she suddenly tossed it aside and stood, waving frantically. “I . . . ate . . . too fast. My flux is coming!”
“Your what?” Dominic shouted in alarm as he jumped to his feet. He was afraid she was choking, and he started doing what his mom had always done for them. He held one of her hands in the air, for what he had no idea, and began patting her between her shoulder blades. In retrospect, not the best move for someone with reflux because she spewed like a fountain not thirty seconds later. “Son of a . . .” He stopped himself before he could release the last word as he looked upon the scene before him. There was puke all over her and everything in the nearby vicinity as well as what looked like an even bigger puddle of urine covering the floor under the little one. The puker—who he now knew was Megan, thanks to her sister Maddy screaming her name when she got vomit on her—looked right as rain despite the chunks clinging to her clothing.
He was stunned when Megan turned to the nearby pizza box and resumed eating as if nothing had happened. “My uncle Mason has a boyfriend. Did you know that boys could have boyfriends?”
He was trying to process Megan’s statement when Maddy added another level of alarm as she started dancing in place. “I’ve got to poop.”
“Gwen!” he shouted in desperation. She came skipping into the room with a smirk on her face that disappeared as soon as she looked around.
“Wh-what happened?” she croaked out, wrinkling her nose at the foul smell.
“Maddy had an accident,” he answered, indicating the nearby puddle, “Megan ate too fast and triggered her reflux”—he pointed to vomit and then pointed back to Maddy—“and she’s got to poop, stat!” Gwen took Maddy’s hand and rushed her down the hallway. He looked over at Megan, who was munching away and shook his head in resignation. He went to the kitchen for a roll of paper towels and a bottle of cleaner. He grabbed the trash can on his way back to the living room and then dropped to his knees and got to work. He’d seen some nasty shit in the military, but this was right there at the top of the list.
When Gwen returned from the other room with a freshly changed and hopefully bathed Maddy, Dominic had just finished mopping the floor and wiping down Megan as best he could. She smelled so bad that he’d even considered spraying her with the 409 cleaner and hoping that it helped. In the end, he did his best with damage control until Gwen could change her clothes. “You cleaned up,” she said, looking at the once again tidy room.
“Yeah, I think I got it all. Now, if you’ve got this, I’m going to run the bag of trash to the Dumpster and then go shower and change myself.”
“Sure,” she agreed as she motioned Megan toward the bathroom. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” she threw over her shoulder as she turned to follow the little girl.
“I’ll be back as soon as I shower,” Dominic assured her as he held the foul-smelling garbage bag in front of him. She just waved as if she didn’t believe him, which made him feel a bit guilty. Truthfully, he’d love nothing better than to go to his place, take an extra-long shower, and pop the top on a cold one, but Gwen needed him. Look at how out of control things had gotten in just a few minutes tonight. There was no way he was going to leave her there alone. Those two little girls could probably take down an entire team of Army Rangers without breaking a sweat. No, they were in this together, and regardless of how much he wanted to run, he wouldn’t do that to her. She needed to know that she could depend on him and that meant even when he had puke squishing in his shoes. Holy shit, Linda Blair had nothing on that kid.
* * *
Gwen couldn’t believe that he’d come back. Earlier she’d sat in the kitchen, dying of laughter as Maddy and Megan had tortured him with their favorite topic of discussion, body parts. Actually, that one was pretty mild. Apparently, their grandfather was quite a character and they picked up a lot of not-so-great tidbits of wisdom from him. Poor Shannon, she had her hands full.
“What are you doing back?” she blurted out in surprise. He looked puzzled as he walked through the doorway, shutting the door behind him. Oh, sweet mother, he looks and smells so good. She was pretty sure he had just caught her sniffing him as he threw an arm over her shoulders.
“I told you I’d be back, babe. I would have stayed, but I figured you’d appreciate me washing the stink off. Where are the girls?”
“I . . . I was just tucking them in,” Gwen murmured, still in shock that he was here. The man was certainly a glutton for punishment. He had not only cleaned up a mess that would have had most parents gagging, but he had returned for more. She had to admit that Dominic Brady now officially had more staying power than any man in her past. Then he further impressed her by following her down the hall instead of dropping into a chair and leaving her to it.
He walked to the center of the girls’ room and put his hands on his hips. “All right, you little monkeys, which one of you threw all of the super slime on Uncle Dominic earlier?” The sound of giggling filled the room as both girls broke into fits of laughter. Then Maddy and Megan started pointing at each other. So much for having your sister’s back under fire. Dominic teased them for a few more minutes before walking to the bookshelf and thumbing through the books there. “I don’t know about you ladies, but I’d love to hear a story. Anyone else?” Gwen raised her hand along with a very enthusiastic Megan and Maddy. Dominic settled onto the floor with his back against the nightstand and began reading Cinderella. Looking at the two small girls, Gwen could tell that she wasn’t the only female in the room completely riveted by Dominic.
When he shut the book, both girls were asleep, and she was yawning. He held out a hand, pulling her to her feet before putting the book back on the shelf. “Thank you,” she whispered, after shutting the door quietly behind her. “You’ve gone above and beyond tonight.”
He pulled her against his chest, dropping a kiss on her head. “I’d say it was my pleasure, Red, but you might not buy that.”
She giggled against him, remembering the scene she had walked into earlier. “I can’t believe Megan threw up on you. I never expected that.”
Dominic pulled back slightly, looking down at her with raised brows. “So, you expected the other stuff?”
“Um . . .” She squirmed, trying to get away. “Of course not. I’ve never heard them talk like that . . .”
“Gwen.” Dominic stared her down, and dammit, she had to look away, unable to contain her grin.
She took off running, trying to quiet her shrieks of laughter as Dominic gave chase. He finally cornered her in the
kitchen, tickling her with one hand, while putting the other over her mouth. “Keep it down before you wake the girls, babe. Now . . . I believe there’s a little matter of some payback for your earlier evilness.”
“What?” she croaked out against his hand.
“Drop the innocent act. You totally set me up, didn’t you? You knew good and well that they would eat me alive.”
“No . . .” She giggled, unable to keep a straight face. Dominic’s hand was just beginning to slide down her ass when the sound of someone clearing their throat sounded behind them.
Shannon stood leaning against the kitchen counter trying hard to keep a stern expression. “Is everything okay in here, Gwen?”
Gwen felt her face heat up as she looked into the amused eyes of her friend. “Yep, Dominic was just helping me . . . clean up.”
Shannon’s eyes dropped to where Dominic’s hand was still wedged in the back of her jeans. “Really? Just what kind of cleaning does he do and where can I hire someone like him?”
Dominic jerked his hand out, and Gwen was surprised to see him actually flushing as well. He recovered quickly though and gave Shannon a lazy grin. “Just a little retribution. Hi, you must be Shannon. I’m Dominic.” Gwen noticed that he kept the hand that had been in her pants to his side and offered the other one to Shannon, who by this time was literally swooning.
“Hi, Dominic, nice to meet you. I’ve seen you around the grounds before . . . jogging.”
Gwen wanted to roll her eyes. Geez, apparently every woman in the building watched him jog. Maybe she should suggest he start wearing some loose-fitting sweatpants and a shirt. He needed to stop displaying so much of his man candy to the world. Gwen quickly filled Shannon in on Megan’s reflux issue but left the rest out. She knew how much it embarrassed the other woman when her girls went into detailed discussions of their body parts. She figured after a long evening at work, she didn’t need any added stress. Dominic seemed to be of a like mind and didn’t mention it, either. They all talked for a few more minutes before they left.
Once outside in the hallway, Dominic took her hand, leading her to his apartment. She pulled against his hold, causing him to stop. “It’s late and I really need to get some sleep tonight.”
“I know, baby,” he said, before pulling her forward once again. “I’m tired too so we’ll just go home and crash.”
“But . . . I should go to my place,” she protested. “I don’t have any clothes to wear to work tomorrow.”
He stopped again, turning to face her. “Gwen, do you want to go home tonight? I want you to stay with me, but I’m not going to force you.”
She stood there uncertainly, wanting to be with him, but feeling like she needed to put some space between them. They barely knew each other and already they were spending every available moment together? What would she do when he was gone? She needed to keep some distance; it would be easier in the end, right? “I’m just going to go on home.”
Without another word, he turned them toward her apartment and waited while she fumbled with her keys. “See you tomorrow,” he whispered huskily against her lips as she stepped in the door. “Lock up,” he instructed.
She stood in the entryway of her lonely apartment and wanted to kick herself. Way to go, Gwen, this is so much better than going home with Dominic. There was no changing her mind now, though. She’d made a decision, and she had to live with it. Dammit, she was already way too attached to a man who would walk away soon.
Chapter Five
Gwen felt a hand touch her shoulder as she stepped into the lobby of Danvers International. “Good morning, babe. You look gorgeous today.” Spinning around, she felt her heart knock in her chest as she looked up at a grinning Dominic. It should be illegal for a man to look that good before nine in the morning. He was wearing his usual work uniform of cargo pants and a company shirt, but holy wet panties, was he a sight to behold. Speaking of hotness, Gage stood behind him, watching them with interest. She wished at that moment that she had worn something other than the snug, black wrap dress that seemed to stick to her butt like a second skin. Fashion did not cater to women with a big booty. It was always a challenge to find clothing that didn’t make her look like she was on her way to a street corner.
“Good morning,” she managed to reply as she tried to get a handle on her out-of-control body. Did he seriously have to be that hot? Mac had been one handsome guy, but her body had never reacted to his closeness with the same intensity as it did with Dominic’s. He pulled her close, dropping a kiss on her surprised lips.
“I missed you this morning,” he whispered for her ears alone.
“Me, too,” she admitted before she could stop herself. God knows it was true. After sleeping over at his place only twice, she was addicted. She had been at loose ends at her apartment this morning as if she hadn’t lived alone for years.
Gage, seeming tired of waiting to be included in the conversation, walked closer and gave her a mischievous grin. “It’s good to see you again, Gwen. Dom’s right, you do look great this morning. I like the dress.”
Dominic scowled at his friend while Gwen smiled. “Thanks, Gage. It’s good to see you as well.”
Gage looked nervous for a moment before asking, “So . . . I saw you with Crystal the other day. Are you two friends?”
Gwen tried desperately to keep a straight face, remembering Mia’s story of how Crystal had kneed Gage in the balls in the parking garage. Was it just a coincidence that Gage’s hand was hovering close to his crotch? Maybe he remembered what had happened as well. “Er . . . Crystal Webber?”
“Yeah, that’s her.” Gage nodded. Dominic just stood between them, shaking his head.
“Yes, we’re friends. She’s an amazing person.” Oh crap, maybe she should have left that part out. It sounded a bit like a sales pitch. Gwen didn’t think Crystal needed that because Gage appeared to already be sold on her.
“Hmmm,” he muttered, “do you think that maybe we could . . .”
Before he could finish his sentence, Dominic put his hand against the nape of her neck and began leading her toward the coffee shop at the other end of the lobby. “Pick up women on your own time, bro. My woman needs her morning coffee.” Both Gage and Gwen were gaping at Dominic as he ushered her to the rapidly forming line. “Sorry, honey. I didn’t want him to put you on the spot. I’m certain he was going to suggest a double date and I think we should spare ourselves that.” He gently tucked a strand of her wayward hair behind her ear. “Now, what kind of coffee do you want this morning?”
Clearing her throat of the sudden lump there, Gwen said huskily, “Vanilla latte—skim.” Dominic ordered an Americano for himself and a decaf vanilla latte for her with skim milk.
“I don’t think you need to avoid whole milk, babe. You’re sexy as hell just as you are.”
“You might actually be the perfect man,” she said before she could stop herself.
Quirking a brow at her, he asked, “Why’s that?”
Blushing, she haltingly said, “Because . . . you don’t think I need to lose weight or that my . . . backside is too big.”
He took her elbow, leading her toward a quiet corner. “Whoever told you that you weren’t perfect as you are must be blind. And your ass, sweetheart . . . my cock was damn near coming out of the top of my pants watching you walk to the coffee counter.” Before she could stop herself, Gwen looked down, immediately spotting the truth that he wasn’t able to hide. The bulge in the front of his pants was readily apparent for all to see. He inched closer to her, whispering against her neck, “Your ass has been the star of many of my fantasies. . . .”
“Dominic . . .” she moaned shakily. “You’re killing me.”
“Ditto, baby,” he replied flashing his signature grin. “I’m going to need you to walk me to my office.”
“Why?” she asked, confused. Surely, he didn’t want a quickie in his office with Gage somewhere near. The thought thrilled her more than she cared to admit. Apparently
, she had a bit of an exhibitionist in her.
“I’m going to need a little cock cover. . . .”
Following his gaze down to the tent that remained in the front of his cargo pants, she said simply, “Oh.” So, in what was a first for her, she provided a human crotch cover for the man who was becoming an alarmingly important part of her life.
When they reached his office, she stopped outside the door, knowing that she was going to be late if she didn’t leave now. She wanted nothing more than to have the right to throw her arms around Dominic and kiss him good-bye. They had had sex quite a few times now, but it was still too soon to consider it a relationship. She’d learned better than to assume anything like that where men were concerned. Heck, the last man she thought she was in a relationship with had just gotten married to another woman in Vegas. Maybe casual sex was what she needed to focus on now. No strings equaled less pain when things ended. Men, it appeared, understood that concept much better than women. It wasn’t that she was desperate to get married and have a family because she wasn’t. She was just tired of being let down and disappointed. Maybe Crystal was right—a good vibrator was the only thing that a single girl could depend on.
Yet Dominic, it appeared, had no problem moving in for a good-bye kiss. He embraced her as if he had done it every day for years. His lips met hers with no hesitation, and he kissed her senseless right there in front of East Coast Security. No doubt, Gage was somewhere close by enjoying the show. “I’d love to take you out for dinner tonight if that’s okay with you?”
“Mmmm K,” she muttered as he released her. So much for trying to be tough. One good swipe of his tongue against hers and she was agreeing with everything he said. Damn, she was in so much trouble.