Chapter 27 BACK TOGETHER
Ava's POV
I had woken up early in time to wake Dominic up for work.
For a second I forgot everything that had happened. Then it all came rushing back; the fight, the blood, the alley, coming back here.
"You're thinking too loud," Dominic mumbled into my hair.
"How do you know I'm thinking?" I asked.
"Your whole body tenses up when you overthink." He pulled me closer. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I'm just trying to figure out if last night was real or if I'm going to wake up in my apartment alone."
"It's real." He kissed my shoulder.
"You're here and youu're staying. I love you."
I turned in his arms to face his and said that bis hair was messy and he had stubble and he looked perfect and that alone made me laugh.
"I love you too."
We kissed slow at first but it didn't stay that way. His hand slid down my back and pulled me flush against him. I felt him hard against my thigh and I knew what he was going to do again so I quickly got up and made my way to get a towel so if go bathe to avoud being late for work
I found one of his towel but it was to big for me,I tied it anyways. I had brushed my tooth first and left him on the bed. I came back out to get a new bar of soap when I saw him undressing to use the toilet too.
"You want to bathe too?" I asked him and made to take the bar of soap just across him,but just as I reached out for it, the towel fell off and my boobs bounced out freely.
His eyes wandered over me and I could see the hunger and the budge on in trouser which he tried to hide.
"Should we bathe together?" He asked.
"Wha...aattt...?" I stammered, trying to find the right words.
"If it's not fine by you, then we can separately" he said but I knew what I wanted and so I dragged him and we made it to the bathroom and I thought we were actually going to shower. But the moment the hot water hit us he had me against the tile wall, his mouth was on mine.
"Again?" I asked, but I was already reaching for him.
"I told you I have a lot of making up to do." His hand slid between my legs. "And you're still so wet for me."
He pushed two fingers inside and I gasped, my head falling back against the tile. He worked them in and out while his thumb circled my sensitive clit. I was still tender from before but it felt too good to stop. He carried me up the shower and placed me at the center of his mouth.
He rolled his tongue over me and I swore I could've fallen of because of how shaky my legs were. He finally placed me down while I was still rolling in pleasure.
"Turn around," he said, pulling his fingers out. "Hands on the wall."
I did what he said and felt him line himself up behind me. He pushed inside in one smooth thrust and I cried out. From this angle he felt even deeper, reaching places that made me see stars.
He grabbed my hips and started moving, pulling almost all the way out before slamming back in. The water made everything slippery and intense. Each thrust pushed me forward and I had to brace myself against the wall.
"You take me so well," he groaned, one hand moving up to grip my hair.
"Like you were made for me."
He pulled my head back slightly, not hard but enough to arch my spine more. The new angle had him hitting that perfect spot with every thrust.
"I'm close," I gasped. "I'm so close."
"Not yet. Hold it." His hand came around to rub my clit. "Wait for me."
It was torture as the pressure was building and building and I didn't know how much longer I could hold off.
"Please," I begged. "Please let me come."
"Now. Come now."
I shattered, my legs shaking so hard he had to hold me up. He followed seconds later, his grip on my hips bruising as he emptied himself inside me again.
We actually washed after that, both of us too worn out for anything else. When we got out I could barely walk straight.
"I need coffee," I said, wrapping myself in one of his huge towels.
"I'll make it. You get dressed."
I found my bags in the guest room closet where Adrian had put them. Got dressed in jeans and a sweater and went to find Dominic in the kitchen.
He'd put on sweatpants but no shirt and I took a minute to just look at him. His back muscles moved as he poured coffee and I remembered running my hands over them earlier.
"See something you like?" he asked without turning around.
"Maybe." I replied casually.
He handed me a cup and we sat at the island together.
"So we should probably talk about ground rules," I said.
"Ground rules?" He asked, confused.
"For us. Going forward. You said we'd be equals and partners, right?"
"Right." He said
"So that means no more checking my phone without asking. No more having Adrian follow me everywhere and no more making decisions about my life without talking to me first." I stated
He nodded slowly. "Agreed. What else?"
"I want to keep working at Hayes International. But not in some made-up position. I want a real job with real responsibilities."
"You already have that."
"Victoria's been making it impossible. She gives me work that's either too simple or impossible to finish. She's trying to make me quit." I said.
Dominic's jaw clenched. "I'll talk to her."
"No. I'll handle Victoria myself. I don't need you to fight my battles." I took his hand.
"But I do need you to support me. And believe that I can handle things on my own."
"I do believe that. I'm just not used to not controlling everything."
"I know. But you're going to have to get used to it." I squeezed his hand. "What about you? What do you need from me?"
He was quiet for a moment.
"Communication. If something's bothering you or if you're thinking about leaving or if some guy gives you his number, I need you to tell me instead of keeping it from me."
"Fair enough."
"And maybe try to understand when I get jealous. I'm working on it but it's not going to just disappear overnight."
"I can do that. As long as you trust that even when other guys flirt, I'm coming home to you."
"Deal." He pulled me onto his lap. "Anything else?"
"Yeah. We should probably figure out what we're telling people. About us. Are we together? Are we dating? What are we?"
"You're my girlfriend. I'm your boyfriend. And eventually I want you to be more than that but we can take it one step at a time."
My heart jumped. "More than that?"
"I'm not proposing right now if that's what you're asking. But yeah. Eventually. When we're both ready."
I kissed him because I didn't know what else to say.
We finished our coffee and spent the day at the penthouse. Watched movies, ordered food, and just existed together without all the drama.
That night we were lying in bed when he said, "Come back to work tomorrow. Please. I miss having you there."
"You just want to have sex in your office again." I told him
"That too. But mainly I miss seeing you. The office feels empty without you."
"What about Victoria?"
"I'll talk to her about the way she's been treating you. Set some boundaries. If she can't handle that, she can leave."
"Dominic, you can't fire her just because..."
"I'm not firing her. I'm telling her to back off. There's a difference." He turned to face me. "Will you come back?"
"On Monday. I need the weekend to mentally prepare for dealing with her."
"Monday works."
The weekend passed quickly and Maya came over Saturday and we caught her up on everything. She was happy we were back together but warned me to be careful.
"I'm just saying, men don't change overnight. Make sure he's really different this time." She had told me on one of those night.
Monday morning came so fast and when we walked into the building together, heads turned and people whispered. But Dominic kept his hand on my lower back as we rode the elevator up.
On the executive floor, Jenny jumped up from her desk when she saw me.
"Miss Scott! You're back! I wasn't sure if you were coming back!" She looked genuinely happy.
"I'm back."
"Good. I have like a million questions about files that no one else could answer."
I went to my office and everything was exactly how I'd left it. My desk, my chair, my view.
Dominic appeared in my doorway. "Welcome back."
"Thanks."
"Lunch?"
"I'll probably eat with the team. Marcus invited me."
I saw him start to tense then visibly relax. "Okay. Have fun."
After he left I turned on my computer. Over a hundred emails, most from Victoria.
I was going through them when she appeared in my doorway.
"Ava. You're back." Her smile was cold. "I wasn't sure you'd have the nerve."
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked her
"Oh, no reason. It's just that after everything that happened, I assumed you'd realize you don't really belong here." She walked in without being invited. "I've been promoted to COO by the way. Which means I'm now your direct supervisor."
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"Didn't Dominic tell you? The board voted last week. I'm in charge of all operations now. Including special projects." Her smile widened. "Which means you report to me."
She left and I sat there trying to process. Victoria was now my boss and this was going to be hell.