The dishes in the large steel sink crash together, and it draws my eyes up to the busboy. He’s new. His arms are skinny as twigs. His eyes dart to mine and then back to the dishes.

“Break any?” I ask lightheartedly to put him at ease. I try to muster up a smile, but I can’t.

“Don’t think so.” He pulls them out carefully, one by one.

At least it wasn’t at the bar. That would’ve been a pain in the ass. Like yesterday. I close my eyes and breathe in deep. I wish I still had Vicky here. She was one of the managers Dom put in charge while I was “recovering from a fall.” I roll my eyes and rub my shoulder as I walk out of the kitchen to the back room. I had to dump her though. I didn’t trust her or the others. I felt like they were always watching me. Like they were going to report back to him.

Just thinking about him has my chest tightening with pain. I haven’t heard a word. Nothing. Tears prick my eyes. I know I didn’t want it, well I didn’t want to want it. But fuck, I do want him. I shake my head and try to calm myself down. My throat seems to close up every time I think about him. It physically hurts me. I can’t explain it. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I lean against the wall of my office and lay my head against the wall. I can’t fucking breathe in here.

After a moment I push open the door to go outside. It groans, and the bright light makes my eyes squint. But at least it’s fresh air. Or as fresh as it can be for a tiny ass alley between my restaurant and the gallery next door. I prop the door open with a brick and take a seat on the crates a few feet down, closer to the empty street and away from the dumpsters.

I wish I was over this by now. Over him. Everything seems so much harder since I left him. Exhaustion weighs down on me. But it’s not just physical; I’m emotionally overwhelmed.

“You alright, doll?” My body jumps at the sound of a deep, masculine voice in the silent alley. A small scream of shock forces its way out of my mouth and my hands fly up to hold it in. Dom. He walks toward me down the alley with a sexy ass smirk on his face.

My heart swells in my chest, and the tears flow. I can’t hold them back. Fuck my hormones. Fuck my emotions. I don’t care.

He takes another step toward me, and I fall into his embrace. My body feels weak; my wretched heart hurts. “Don’t cry, doll.” His strong arms hold me tight, and I want to pretend I can have this forever. Just the thought combined with his masculine smell and his soothing strokes on my back has my heart beating calmly and my body relaxing. It feels so right, so natural.

This is what I’ve needed.

“What’s wrong?” He pulls back slightly to look down at me. I don’t even lift my head; I keep my chin firmly against his chest and just breathe. My fingers dig into his back, holding him to me, but also fearing he’s going to leave. I’ve never felt so weak and vulnerable. I don’t know why I can’t stop, but I just don’t want to let go.

I shake my head against his chest and press my lips together. After a long moment, I answer, “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I want you, Becca.” I finally pull away and stare into his eyes. I want him too, but I can’t.

“You know I can’t.” I whisper the words. I know he understands. He has to understand.

“But you want to. I can make it right, doll. I’m just asking for a chance.”

I want to. He’s right about that. My breathing grows shallow. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. A chance. Just one chance. Could I risk that?

“Let’s make a bet,” he says with a grin.

I snort and reply, “I’m not stupid; you’re a bookie.”

“It can be anything you want, babe.” His smile softens, and he kisses my lips tenderly. “Just bet me.” His lips barely touch mine.

“What do you get if you win?” I ask him with clear hesitation in my voice.

His hand travels to my ass and squeezes as he says, “You know what I want.” I repress my moan and try to ignore how my core heats at his playful touch. I shake my head and bite down on my bottom lip to restrain my smile.

“Well, what do I get if I win?” I finally ask, looking up at him through my thick lashes.

My voice is breathy, and I wish it wasn’t. I wish I wasn’t so desperate for his comfort, but I am.

Dom’s hand cups my chin, and his thumb runs along my bottom lip. His body brushes against mine as he takes a step forward, backing me into the brick wall. “Exactly what you want.” My hands go to his chest, and I push him back slightly.

“Not here,” I whisper into his mouth as his hands push my blouse up my waist. The cool air feels so wrong against my heated skin.

“You don’t want me to fuck you against this wall, doll?” My pussy clenches with need, and moisture gathers in my core. Fuck yes I want it. “I need you, babe; it’s been too long since I’ve had my dirty girl.”

“I can’t.” I tilt my neck farther as he kisses down my throat to my shoulder. This is so bad, so wrong. But I want it. His breath, his kisses, his touch – they're everything I want. I want him to take me however he wants, whenever he wants. I want my back to scrape against the hard brick as he pounds into me. I can picture it so clearly. His hips keep me pinned with his hard-as-steel erection digging into my belly.

And then he stops. I nearly fall over from the loss of his touch. My body tilts forward, and I stumble in my heels and barely catch my footing. I hear Dom’s hard steps on the pavement, his body slamming into something. Another man. I hear them barrel into the wall and fall hard on the ground. Fuck! Someone saw us! Shit, shit, shit.

I adjust my shirt and try to see what’s going on. What the fuck is going on? I try to catch my breath.

“Dom, stop!” I yell out as I watch him push the man down on his stomach and twist his arm behind his back. I don’t know him. No one fucking comes out here. My body heats with anxiety.

Dom grips his arm and shoves it up in an unnatural way. The man’s face distorts with pain. Holy fuck! Fuck, he’s really hurting him. “Stop!” I screech with a hoarse voice. My hands cover my mouth when I spot the gun falling from the stranger’s grasp. Then I see what he’s wearing; leather gloves, all black. A gun complete with a silencer. My heart drops to my gut. He was going to shoot Dom. My body goes cold and numb.

My feet naturally take a step back, and my body bumps into the brick wall. I can’t turn away. I can’t stop watching. I feel paralyzed as Dom relentlessly smashes the man’s face into the concrete. The crushing sound of his bones crashing against the unforgiving ground makes me sick to my stomach. Oh my God. My breathing comes in short, shallow pants. I can’t. I can’t watch this.

“Not you! Wasn’t you!” The man tries to speak. His face is distorted, covered in dark red with more blood bubbling from his busted lips.

“Who? Tell me who.” Dom speaks hard and low into the man’s ears, but I hear it as though he screamed it.

“The girl.” The girl. Me.

“Who hired you?” Dom asks. My head goes dizzy watching the scene play out.

“Jack.” The man’s head sways, and then he takes in a hiss of breath as Dom pulls his arm back even further. And then Dom lifts the gun to the back of his head and pulls the trigger. The man falls forward, the raw bullet hole open and spilling blood onto the pavement.

My vision flashes before my eyes over and over again. No sound. No warning. He was alive, and now he’s dead.

My eyes widen as I watch Dom shove the man behind the dumpster. There’s blood everywhere. Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Time passes in slow motion. It doesn’t feel real. This can’t be real.

The bang of the thin metal walls of the dumpster brings me back from the haze.

He’s dead. I stare at the limp body. He was going to kill me. But Dom killed him first.

My throat closes, and I struggle to breathe. “What are we going to do?” my voice croaks. He’s dead. Dom just shot him. “It was in self-defense.” My voice raises, “You were only defending me!”

“Hush, doll.” Dom walks to me with ease, gripping both of my arms at my side. “You don’t have to worry about anything. The next people who come down this alley will be my clean-up crew. I already sent them a message.”

What the fuck? I’m shaken and on edge. My body shivers as though I’m freezing. This is why we can’t be together. But if he hadn’t been here... My shaking hands cover my mouth. I would’ve died. I cry into my hands and barely realize Dom’s dragging me away.