CHAPTER 125: HIS DANGEROUS TOUCH

Dominic leaned back, watching me too closely. His smirk softened into something else. "Ash... be honest with me. You don’t like this, do you?"

I blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

He gestured to the blanket, the snacks, the laptop sitting between us. "This whole... date thing. I put all this effort in ’cause I thought it’d make you happy. But you’ve spent half the night looking around, acting paranoid like you’re waiting to get kidnapped."

I felt guilty immediately. This eyes... they looked like maybe I’d actually hurt his feelings.

"I didn’t mean..." I started, then broke off, dragging my hands through my hair.

"It’s not that. I do... like it. It’s just....this place is creepy as hell. No lights, no people. It’s the exact kind of road they find dead bodies on. I can’t turn that part of my brain off."

For a second, he just stared at me, then let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "Rivera, you’re something else." But the laugh faded quick. His voice was lower now. "I just wanted to do something different. Something that wasn’t hiding in bathrooms or sneaking around. Just us. Real. Simple."

Fuck. My heart actually hurt. I hated myself for doubting him when he sounded like that.

"I know," I whispered. My chest felt tight.

He sighed. "If this doesn’t feel right... how about we just go? No pressure." He tilted his head, his eyes catching mine. "Unless you’d be comfortable... spending the night with me instead."

The air in my lungs got stuck. Stay at his place. Overnight. My whole body lit up like it couldn’t decide if I was turned on or terrified. Probably both.

I hugged my knees tighter, torn between every alarm bell in my brain and the way his eyes were quietly hopeful.

"Dom..." My voice cracked halfway through his name

But then I looked at him.... the way his face softened when he waited for me, like he was terrified I’d say no.

"If you don’t want to, just say no. I’m not gonna push. But I don’t want tonight to end with you thinking I didn’t care enough."

He looked so open in that moment, vulnerable in a way that made me ache. He actually cared what I thought.

That broke me. I couldn’t look at him without wanting to kiss him and also crawl under the earth for doubting him.

"I..." My chest squeezed. "Yeah. Okay. Let’s go."

"Yeah?"

I nodded, hugging my arms around myself. "Yeah."

He smiled immediately, and pushed himself up, dusting off his jeans. "Then let’s go."

We started packing up.

He tossed me the empty soda bottle to hold while he scooped up the half eaten snacks.

Then, he folded the blanket, the laptop, the snacks.

My heart thumped the whole time, loud enough I was scared he could hear it.

By the time we slid back into the car, my nerves hadn’t calmed. But Dominic glanced at me as he started the engine, his hand brushing mine, and whispered, "still paranoid?"

I rolled my eyes, buckling in. "Maybe a little."

He smirked. "Guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong then."

And just like that, we were driving toward Dominic’s place.

The car hummed low as we merged back onto the main road.

Dominic had one hand on the wheel, his free hand slipped casually onto my thigh.

He didn’t even look at me, just kept his eyes on the road while his fingers brushed my thigh every time we hit a curve. The first time, I told myself it was an accident. By the fourth, I wasn’t buying it.

"Dom..." I muttered, squirming in the seat.

"What?" He smirked without looking at me. "Road is bumpy."

My breath hitched. "Liar..."

"Okay," he admitted, glancing at me. "Maybe I just like watching you twitch every time I touch you."

"Mhmmm, I figured. Hands on the wheel. Focus." I pointed to the road.

He grinned, pressing his thumb firmer against the inside of my thigh. "Relax, Rivera. I can multitask."

My head fell back against the seat. "You’re literally impossible."

"Impossible and hot," he corrected smoothly, giving me one squeeze before dragging his hand higher, dangerously close.

I turned to the window, hoping the dark would hide how red I was.

How easy it would’ve been for one push to send me over. My body leaned toward him anyway, betraying me, while my brain screamed not to trust this.

I hated that about him. That no matter how much I wanted to protect myself....to protect everyone, he could unravel me with just a touch. He made me weak, and weakness is what get people killed.

He leaned a little closer. "You’re so easy, Rivera. One little touch and you’re already halfway gone."

"Shut up." My voice came out breathless.

At a red light, he reached across, brushing his thumb across my bottom lip.

"You had something here," he murmured, flicking away an invisible crumb, then dragging his thumb just slow enough over my mouth to make it obvious what he was doing.

My body went hot instantly. "Dominic..." I mumbled around his finger.

His gaze stayed locked on me, almost too intense, as if he wanted to see how far he could push before I snapped.

"Uhmmm..." My voice cracked when he slid his thumb out slow, watching me like he wanted to eat me alive.

I wanted to tell him to stop, but the only thing I could manage was a shaky, "You’re gonna get us killed."

"Then I’ll die happy." He whispered back, pulling his hand away only to let it rest heavier on my thigh this time, his thumb kept tracing lazy circles through my jeans.

I groaned. He was so unfair.

Every nerve in me was screaming: pull his hand away. Instead, I spread my legs a little without meaning to.

His smirk sharpened. "That’s what I thought."

The light turned green and he drove forward like nothing happened, but his hand stayed exactly where it was.

I was practically buzzing out of my skin, trying not to let my voice crack. "You’re gonna make me lose it before we even get there."

"That’s the plan," he said smoothly. "By the time we get to mine, you’ll already be begging."

I squeezed my thighs together. My whole body wanted him, even with the Coil whispering in the back of my head. And God help me, I wanted to believe he was safe.

I turned my face toward the window. "You’re such a dick."

"Yeah," he said casually, giving me another squeeze. "And you love it."

Well. He wasn’t wrong.