5

Sahara picked up her phone. Put it down. Then brought her hands up to tug her hair and groaned really loud when Jami laughed. Today was not her day.

Jami had shown up at her door about twenty minutes ago, acting like she just wanted to visit. Except, Luke Carter was with her. Sahara had no problem with her friend’s fiancé, but Jami wasn’t in the habit of bringing him along when they hung out. What the hell was he going to do while they chatted about the insanity of Sahara’s life? And discussed how Dominik had left her a message asking her out like it was the most normal thing in the world?

She’d let Jami hear the message, and they’d sat on the couch and discussed how she should respond, but Luke sitting in the kitchen playing Angry Birds on his phone was still weird.

Jami and Akira had probably talked about what had gone down with Cort. After all Jami had been through in the past, right down to having her very own demented stalker, her men were understandably protective. But it wasn’t like Sahara would invite Grant over while Jami was here and let him—damn it, he wasn’t some kind of animal! He’d never hurt anyone without reason.

So he had a reason to hurt you?

Yes. No. Hell, she didn’t want to think about him now. She wanted to think about what to say to Dominik. And she needed her best friend’s help.

She wouldn’t ask Akira. At this point, she’d be lucky if Akira ever spoke to her again. But she needed Jami not to be laughing at her. This was serious. And messed up. And damn confusing.

“Stop it!” Sahara tossed her phone on the sofa beside Jami and sat on the coffee table. “You may have done great throwing yourself at Seb, but I—”

“Whoa, Sahara. You really want to go there?” Jami’s eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, her hands on her knees. “If you want to do bitch-chick mode, I’m up for it, but that’s fucking low. Yes, I went after Sebastian, but I don’t judge you for being scared of starting a new relationship. It’s a fucking date—”

“Jami, boo, please retract the claws.” Luke came into the room and Sahara groaned again. There was no way he could improve the situation. And he only had to open his mouth to prove it. “You’re friends. Sahara needs to get back in the game. How about telling her why she should go out with Mason? He’s big and sexy and has a nice ass—”

“You are taking Sebastian’s suggestion of embracing who you are way too seriously, Luke.” Jami cocked her head as Luke sat on the arm of the sofa. “You do know Mason would dismember you if you hit on him, right?”

“Naw, he’d just laugh at me. Seb, however…” Luke smiled and closed his eyes as though picturing their Dom’s reaction. “He might beat me within an inch of my life. He’s so possessive lately.”

“Umm, yeah. You are a freak.” Jami patted Luke’s knee fondly before returning her attention to Sahara. “Look, here’s the deal. Neither you nor Dominik are looking for anything serious right now. He’ll treat you great, you’ll have fun, and I insist you make it perfectly clear to Grant that going back to him is not an option.”

“Annnnnd we’re back on that.” Sahara sighed. So much for not thinking about him. “Jami, I’m not an idiot. Grant is…a friend.”

Jami covered her face with her hands. “And you’re not an idiot?”

Luke grabbed Jami’s ponytail and tugged, frowning at her. “Jami—”

“Luke.” Jami made a face at him. “In the kitchen, man of mine, before I beat you to death myself.”

Hopping off the arm of the sofa, Luke turned, leaning down to take Jami’s head between his hands and kiss her long and hard. He rose, winked at Sahara, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

“Don’t mind him. He keeps telling me I should be nice, but with how cold he is to his sister…”

Yes! Sahara sat forward, motioning for Jami to go on. Talking about Luke’s sister was a much safer topic.

“Oh, fine, I’ll change the subject, but only because I love you.” Jami gave Sahara a crooked smile and sat back against the sofa. “She’s a hot mess, but she’s such a sweetie once you get past the attitude. We had another ultrasound just the other day. She’s really starting to show, and our baby boy is getting so big! Sebastian is helping me set up a nursery. Luke helps too, but only when Sam’s at work.”

“She’s working? I thought she got fired.” Sahara could remember at least two jobs Sam had gotten and held for no more than a day. The girl insisted she wanted to support herself, but she’d stolen from both her employers. It was almost like she couldn’t help herself.

Jami shrugged, hunching her shoulders and staring at her hands. “Silver pulled some strings and got her working at one of the concession stands at the Forum. I hated asking because Silver wants me to talk to my dad and I can’t, so it’s weird. But…anyway, Sam doesn’t work at the cash register, so all she can steal is pretzels. She’s doing all right.”

“That’s good.” Sahara rolled her eyes as Jami picked up her phone and handed it to her. The temporary reprieve was over. Either she called Dominik or Jami would force her to explain why she was avoiding him. Not that she was, exactly. She clasped her hands around her phone and chewed on her bottom lip.

“Do you want me to stay here or give you some privacy?” Jami’s tone was soft, like she finally understood how hard this was. She knew about Sahara’s casual lovers, knew that Sahara had been crushing on the Cobras’ owner for way too long, but she couldn’t seem to let go of her concern over Sahara not moving on.

And maybe she was right to. Grant coming over was messed up. Sahara wouldn’t deny that, and she wouldn’t deny that dating would be healthy and liberating, and it would close and lock the door to Grant in a way that saying “We’re just friends” couldn’t do.

Besides, she liked being around Dominik. Liked the way he smiled at her, the way he watched out for her at the club, the way she’d felt ready to go along with whatever he suggested.

If only he’d taken the lead with all the chances she’d given him. Then again, they’d either been around other players, or her friends, or at the club. They’d never truly been alone. And now they would be.

“Go keep your fiancé busy. I don’t care if you make out, but if you fuck on my table—”

Jami snickered as she stood. “That was my table too until this morning. And I always washed it after—”

“No! I didn’t need to know that!” Sahara shoved Jami toward the kitchen, laughing. Her friends were out of their minds, but she loved them anyway. She searched for Dominik’s name on her phone and dialed before she could think about it too much. She was in a good mood and she wasn’t scared anymore. Nothing would happen unless she let it.

Which was one of the most wonderful things about the man. He always gave her a choice, and maybe one day, the choice would be she didn’t want the option to run away anymore.

“Hello, sunshine.” Dominik’s voice sent a dark thrill right through her. Deep and rich, like a mouthful of Black Forest cake so delicious she’d never forget the way it tasted even after she licked her plate clean. “I wasn’t sure you’d call me back.”

“I wasn’t sure if I should.” Sahara moved to the sofa, tucking her feet under her as she toyed with her hair. “What made you decide to call?”

“I missed you.”

“Did you?” Inhaling, Sahara shifted, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them with one arm. “You were the one who told me not to come to the club until I knew why I wanted to be there.”

“This is true. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you.”

“You’re a Dom. You should be looking for girls at—”

“I’m a man, Sahara. Let’s not make this complicated.” His gentle chiding reminded her so much of how he’d treated her at the club. As a Dom who cared for her, but would never push her to submit. “We can have dinner as friends if you’d like. No pressure.”

Saying yes would be so easy, but she didn’t want “just friends” with him. Not today, not after putting that wall up between herself and Grant. She didn’t need a wall between her and Dominik. “I thought it was a date. I…I wanted to know when you were coming to pick me up.”

Silence, and then a soft laugh. “I’d braced myself for a polite no. I need time to get ready, so let’s say around five thirty?”

Less than an hour. She giggled, feeling unexpectedly giddy. A deep breath and she was able to give him a coherent answer. “That works. If you need time to get ready, I’m guessing I should dress nice?”

“Don’t tempt me, girl.” The low growl in Dominik’s tone had Sahara pressing her thighs together and holding her breath. “If you give me the opening, I will tell you exactly what to wear.”

“What if that’s exactly what I want?” Sahara was playing with fire, but she didn’t care. With Dominik’s control wrapping around her like the sleekest silk ropes, she’d never felt more freedom. “Tell me what will please you, Sir.”

A chuckle that made all the hairs on the back of her neck rise and Dominik replied. “So naughty. Wear a red dress and leave your hair loose. I’m warning you now, Sahara. No matter how much you beg, you will get no more than a kiss from me tonight.”

Sahara’s lips parted. She swallowed hard. “Why would I beg?”

He let out a soft, amused sound. “I’ll see you in a bit.”