Heidi pushed the strap of her sundress back up her shoulder for the umpteenth time and looked at herself critically in the ornately gilded restroom mirror. Familiar grayish-blue eyes stared out from a face gone way too freckled in the summer sun, unremarkable brown hair waved down her back, maybe a little longer than she'd usually wore it, since Dom liked it a bit longer. But all in all, not a single outward change from the woman she'd been four months ago. Inside, though…

Heidi gave the woman in the mirror a secret smile.

The door to the lobby opened, letting in a burst of loud chatter from the restaurant beyond. Though Cara, Tony's restaurant, was normally closed on a Sunday afternoon, he'd made an exception for today's private party.

"If you don't get out here in the next five minutes, our mother is going to run off with your boyfriend," Hillary joked, approaching the mirror.

Heidi's smile deepened and she grabbed the lipstick from her purse.

"Paul assured me that the whole new-romance, staring-into-space thing would pass once Dom and I hit the four-month mark, but it's still going strong," Heidi confessed, leaning forward to apply the color to her mouth.

"Four months is the standard, huh?" Hillary asked, one eyebrow raised. "No way to cut it shorter than that?"

"Not according to Paul," Heidi said. "He says it takes this long for things to calm down and settle into a rhythm."

She leaned forward and wiped a stray bit of color from the edge of her mouth before continuing.

"I'm sure it works that way for some people, but Dom's a force of nature, you know?" She met Hillary's eyes in the mirror and smiled. "There's a lot to process. I was just standing here wondering how I could possibly look so normal on the outside, when everything's been blown to bits and put back together on the inside." She shook her head. "It's hard to explain."

"I get it," Hillary said slowly, coming up behind Heidi and smoothing Heidi's hair the way she had when they were kids. "It's like… like someone took all the pieces that make you you and didn't—change them, exactly, just—took them apart and put them back together with stronger glue, with a firm foundation. Like you're more solidly yourself when you're with him."

Heidi spun around, startled.

"That's exactly it. Hillie, how did you know?"

Hillary blushed and studied the floor. "Oh, um… Well, I don't actually know what it feels like. I mean, how could I, right? I guess I just… read a lot. You know?"

But the note of pain in her stammered reply made Heidi's heart twist in sympathy.

"Honey," she said, reaching out to push Hillie's hair back from her face. "I can't even imagine what you went through last spring…"

Hillary hadn't wanted to give more than the most basic details about her ordeal at Black Box, and Heidi, with encouragement from Dom, had opted not to push. She'd let Hillary tell her when she was ready. Still…

"I hope you know you can talk to me about it, if you want to. And I hope it hasn't made you give up on the idea of romance completely. Your Prince Charming is out there somewhere, I'm sure of it."

Hillary shook her head, then smirked. "Are we really doing this? You are telling me to hold out for true love? Things really have changed," she teased.

Heidi smacked her lightly on the arm.

"Yeah, well, falling in love is like that," she said, turning back to the mirror to pull up the strap of her sundress once again. "You suddenly see hearts and rainbows everywhere, and you want everyone to be as happy as you are."

"Oooh, so you guys are finally using the l-word?" Hillary asked, her eyes wide. "That's awesome!"

"Well… we haven't said it out loud, not officially," Heidi admitted. "But… I know he loves me, and he knows the same."

She could hear the note of defensiveness in her own voice and grimaced. Why hadn't they said that to one another yet? It seemed like the kind of thing Dom should initiate, but then… Maybe he was waiting for her to do it. As much as Dom was in control of their relationship, he was always careful to avoid rushing her or pushing too hard.

"Honestly?" Hillary said derisively. "Heidi, you know he loves you. You know that he has your back. You know that he's your rock, your anchor. Show him that you know that. Show him that you know you don't need to be afraid of that stuff any more. You're lucky enough to have found the man you love and to know that he loves you back! Don't waste time, Heids."

Heidi frowned. It sounded like Hillary was speaking from experience.

"Hillie, please talk to me," she implored. "I want to help you."

But Hillary would not be sidetracked.

"I know you do. But there's only one thing you can do to help me: tell him you love him. Be brave." Hillary gave her a half-smile. "Set a good example for me, big sister. Remind me that dreams do come true."

Heidi nodded and wrapped her arms around Hillary, wishing she could somehow turn back time and erase everything that had dimmed the spark of joy that had always lit her sister's eyes. The past few months had fundamentally changed Hillary, making her more mature, more introspective, and more subdued.

Hillary eased back from the hug and gave Heidi a wink.

"Now, get out there before Mom convinces Dom that he's always had a burning desire to take up naked bongo drumming on a commune in Ohio, okay?"

Heidi laughed. Their mother's first 'meeting' with Dom over the phone had been discouraging to say the least. She'd called her mother the next morning with her heart in her throat, ready to defend Dom's defense of her… only to have her mother gush about how 'wonderful' Dom had been to take charge of things the way he had, and how 'relieved' she was that Heidi had found a guy who 'championed' her needs that way.

"Baby," Dom had told her smugly, when she'd relayed the conversation to him. "I think your mother's needed a firm hand for the past two decades!"

Not an idea I want to entertain, Heidi thought wryly as she stepped from the dimly lit bathroom into the sun-splashed lobby. But the way her mother gushed over Dom and hung on his every word seemed to indicate that he was right.

She put the thought out of her mind as she nodded hello to Tessa, the friendly brunette Tony had hired as a manager and event coordinator just a couple of months ago, who was chatting with Paul's boyfriend, John, by the hostess desk.

"Hey, chickie," John greeted her, dropping a kiss on her cheek.

"Hey, you. Behaving yourself?" she asked with a wink.

"Always," he smirked, understanding the double meaning behind the innocent question in a way that others, like Tessa, couldn't. "Except when I don't."

Heidi laughed, all too familiar with that feeling.

Tessa snickered, too, before turning it into a cough… leading Heidi to question just how much the pretty manager actually did understand.

"Seriously, though," John said, as they nodded goodbye to Tessa and he steered Heidi through the empty restaurant to the private function room where their friends and families waited. "Things are going really well. Tessa just said that they're looking for a pastry chef, and Tony gave her my name. This place is about to explode in popularity thanks to Tessa, and if I could get in here… I think it would be good for both me and the restaurant. Paul says I'm the most talented pastry chef in Boston," he said proudly.

"Really?" Heidi teased as they ducked beneath a suffocating array of crepe-paper streamers to enter the room. "See, I heard Paul say you were talented, but I didn't think it was your pastry he was referring to…"

John's eyes widened in mock outrage, making Heidi laugh. "Oooh! You did not just say that! I'm telling Dom."

"Telling Dom what?" came a deep, gravelly voice in her ear, just as strong arms wrapped around her from behind.

Heidi leaned back, resting her head against Dom's shoulder, thrilling at his touch even as she glared at John. "Yeah, John," she challenged, "Telling Dom what?"

"Er…" John hesitated. "Telling Dom…um… Congratulations!" He smiled widely at Dom. "I mean, of course! It is your party, right?"

"You are the world's worst liar," Paul said severely, handing John a flute of champagne as he joined them. "I couldn't even hear what you were talking about and I can tell you were lying."

John sighed as he took a sip, and Heidi knew he was fighting an eye-roll that would have earned him a punishment… knew it, because she was fighting one herself.

"I was just congratulating Dom on his new job," John told Paul. "It's a huge opportunity! We're really happy for you," he told Dom.

Paul gave Dom a chin-lift. "He's right. We are. Easterbrook's loss is Association's gain. They're lucky to have you."

Heidi couldn't restrain herself. "Now that you don't suspect my boyfriend of embezzlement, you mean?" she joked.

She expected Paul's pursed lips and raised eyebrow, but even after all these months, she'd failed to anticipate Dom's not-quite-painful-but-decidedly-not-playful pinch at her waist, or his sternly whispered, "Heidi."

She cleared her throat.

"I was just kidding," she told Paul seriously. "Especially after everything you did to save the day!"

Paul looked slightly mollified, though she wasn't sure whether that was because of what she'd said or Dom's not-so-subtle rebuke.

"Wait, what? You went all superhero and didn't tell me?" John asked.

"Oh, gosh, that's right! You guys had just started dating when all of that went down," Heidi realized. And she recounted the story of the bribes, the lost income, the scholarship kids who'd have no way to pay tuition, and the way it appeared that Dom had been involved in the whole mess.

"So what did you do?" John asked Paul, his eyes wide.

Paul shrugged. "Well, as Heidi mentioned," he said, giving her a sharp glance that made her squirm, "I fell for it. At least at first. But then Heidi reminded me that there was another explanation."

Heidi nodded. "Turns out Jay Divris from the Finance Department had been getting kickbacks for admitting under-qualified applicants. And then once he learned that the Board of Directors had hired us to do a financial audit, he used Dom's computer to make some money transfers and update some files, to make it look like Dom was the one who'd been doing it. He even went around stealing copies of financial reports, trying to clean up his mess." This time, she didn't fight the eye roll.

"Geez! So, did you make him give back all the money?" John asked Paul.

Paul shook his head. "I wish we could have. Unfortunately, the police felt like there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute him."

Paul's expression showed exactly how he'd felt about that injustice.

"The best we could do," Dom interjected, "was fire his ass. Since the only reason he got the job in the first place was through his connections on the board, I know he'll find it pretty hard to find another position that will help him make the payments on his Lexus."

"But what about the kids?" John asked. "If he didn't pay back the money…"

Paul and Dom exchanged a knowing look and a smile. Heidi giggled.

"Well, it should come as no surprise that our guys are pretty tough negotiators," Heidi told John.

His eyes widened and he nodded.

"There wasn't enough evidence for a confession," Paul said. "But there was definitely enough to tarnish the Divris name. So, Dom and I went to Mr. Divris, Senior, otherwise known as the Head of the Board of Directors. He was happy to make a personal donation large enough to cover the shortfall, as long as we kept the story out of the media."

"Not to mention, he now gets a reputation as quite a philanthropist," Dom said dryly.

Heidi agreed. And she also privately felt that Mr. Divris, whose family had attended Easterbrook for generations and who had been genuinely appalled at his son's behavior, had been moved to write the check for sentimental reasons—for the good of the school.

"Well, no wonder you decided to move on!" John told Dom. "Get away from the drama."

Dom shrugged. "I never liked dealing with the board, so I won't miss that BS. But I'll miss the kids."

Heidi squeezed his hands where they rested at her waist and felt him squeeze her in return. She knew the decision to leave Easterbrook for his new role as Head of Financial Aid for the New England Association of Private Schools had been a difficult one for him. Helping kids was the whole reason he'd been drawn to education in the first place. But as she'd gently reminded him, now he'd be in a position to help even more deserving kids obtain scholarships and help them succeed.

"Congratulations, brother," Matteo said as he joined their group, batting aside more of the crepe paper that hung like Spanish moss from the ceiling so he could clap Dom on the shoulder. "Happy for you."

He nodded a greeting at Paul and John, then ducked his head to give Heidi a kiss on the cheek, handing her a flute of champagne.

"Looking pretty as a picture today, Heids," he told her. Then he glanced pointedly at her shoulder, where her stupid strap had fallen down again.

She tugged it back into place and shook her head. Matteo was a pain in the ass, but he was a lovable one.

"Thanks, Matt," she said. "I'm so glad you could come."

"Wouldn't miss it," he said sincerely. "But honey, could you have toned down these decorations?" He swiped at the multicolored paper and ribbons hanging from the ceiling. "Trees gave their lives for these things," he teased.

Heidi smothered a laugh.

"Don't look at me! My contributions to this party were the 'Congratulations!' banner and the cake from the bakery," she said with a smile, sipping her champagne as she leaned her head against Dom's throat. "Tony coordinated everything."

"Tony did this?" Matteo looked around, bewildered. "Where did we go wrong with him, Dom? We're going to have to stage an intervention."

John snickered.

"Hush! It wasn't his idea. It was Val's," Heidi told them in a low voice. "She told Tony it 'needed pizazz,' and she ran to Party Plaza."

"Jesus," Dom said. She could feel him shaking his head. "And I bet she got his credit card first."

"You can imagine how she felt about Tessa's ideas for redecorating this place next month," John interjected. "Tessa is going for classic, clean lines—that's what draws a high-end clientele these days. But Val said it needs more color, and she's harping on Tony to bring in some interior designer she knows. Tessa's too professional to say so, but I'm pretty sure she's ready to commit murder."

Matteo shot Dom a worried glance.

"We really might need to stage an intervention," he said, and Heidi could feel Dom nod.

Then Hillary walked into the room, brushing aside streamers with an annoyed frown, and all of them stopped talking to watch her. She started towards Heidi and Dom, a smile on her face, then seemed to notice the other members of their group and stopped short. She gave a little wave, abruptly turned and walked in the opposite direction. Heidi frowned.

"How's she doing?" Paul asked, a thread of concern in his voice.

"I don't know," Heidi admitted. "Most of the time, she seems to be fine, but then…" Heidi blew out a breath. "I think graduating from college and moving down here is going to be good for her, but it'll be a big adjustment for her, too. I'm worried that she'll have a hard time finding a job. I'm worried that she'll have trouble with guys…" She shook her head, then turned to look at Matteo. "You know, Matt, I've actually been meaning to ask you—could you keep an eye on her, maybe?"

Dom stiffened behind her, and Matteo's eyes widened with uncharacteristic dread.

"Uh… me? You know, Heidi, honey, I don't think I'm really the best one to—"

"Please," she begged. "I know Hillie likes you, trusts you. You helped her so much in the days after… well, after what happened last spring. And I think it would be easier for her to have someone around who wasn't her big sister… or like a big brother," she added, squeezing Dom's arm. "Someone who could just be a friend, you know?"

Matteo looked at Dom helplessly and swallowed hard. "Well, I… yeah, I guess I could do that. I could keep an eye on her."

"In a friendly sort of way," Dom reminded him.

"Right, exactly. Obviously," Matteo agreed.

"Thanks, Matt," she said, stepping away from Dom and standing on tiptoe to press a kiss to Matteo's cheek.

"Uh… sure," he said. "No problem." Then, turning quickly to John and Paul, he asked, "Can I buy you gents a drink?"

As the others wandered off to the bar, Heidi turned to face Dom and wrapped her arm around his waist while she took another sip of champagne.

"I feel like I've hardly seen you today," she commented.

"Mmm," he agreed. He lifted a hand to pull up the strap of her dress which had fallen once more. "Showing a lot of skin there, baby."

Heidi pressed her lips together to bite back a retort that might earn her a swat.

"Yes. Because these dress straps don't stay up. Which is what I told you this morning, when you picked out this dress, sir," she reminded him sweetly.

He wrapped both his hands around her waist, and his eyes sparkled. "Hmmm… I think I do remember you telling me that."

Heidi smiled. Adorable, infuriating man.

"So, if you heard me tell you that, why did you have me wear it?" she asked.

"Maybe," he said, leaning down to nuzzle her neck, "because I like when you show a little skin."

Heidi shivered. She would never get used to this man, never take this magic for granted. Hillary's words from earlier came back to her. It was time to tell him…

"Dom…" she began hesitantly. "I need to tell you, I—"

At the last moment, her resolve failed her—she couldn't force the words past a lump in her throat. She nervously threw back the rest of her drink, gathering her courage.

Dom frowned.

"That's enough champagne," he warned her.

"Yes, okay," she agreed easily. "It's just… I want to say that…"

"I'm not kidding," he interrupted, grabbing the glass from her hand and setting it on a nearby table with a click. "No more drinking today, Heidi."

She inhaled deeply and gathered her patience. He was ruining her perfect moment!

"Another rule?" she asked crossly.

His eyes narrowed at her tone. "Yeah," he confirmed. "Another rule. Problem?"

Heidi blew out a breath.

"No," she said. Then, seeing his raised eyebrow, grudgingly added, "Sir."

Dom eyed her speculatively for a moment, and a knot formed in Heidi's stomach—a combination of anxiety and anticipation. She was being disrespectful and she knew better, but he wouldn't punish her here, would he? With all of their friends and family around? The knot in her belly grew tighter as she realized that he definitely would. And the rest of the restaurant was empty…

"So, Hillie's moving to Boston in a few weeks," he said, the abrupt change of subject jolting her from her thoughts.

Shoot. Was he waiting so that he could punish her more thoroughly back at home later? If so, that would make it doubly bad—the anticipation would kill her. But she couldn't ask without inviting more punishment and he knew it. His eyes fairly sparkled. Drat.

She was so distracted she almost neglected to reply—and that would've bought her even more trouble, for not listening.

"Uh… Two weeks from tomorrow. Right," Heidi confirmed. "She's going to be staying on my sofa, like we talked about. Now that you and Paul have finally gotten me to buy furniture for the place." She added the last in a teasing tone, inviting him to smile.

It didn't work.

"She needs a place of her own," he told her firmly.

Heidi stepped back to look at him, her surprise no doubt reflected on her face.

"But… Dom, how can she afford it? She doesn't have a—"

"Are you arguing with me, little girl?" he asked.

Crap.

"No, sir," she whispered. "I'm just… um… expressing a concern. She doesn't have a job and—"

"I'm aware of that, Heidi. Which is why I think she should live at your place," he said, his eyes sparkling.

"I… Okay, I'm confused," Heidi admitted. "Isn't that what I just said?"

Dom laughed. "Hillary can live at your place, and you can move in with me."

"Y-you… and I?" Heidi stammered, a spark of hope igniting in her chest.

It was the first step in a future she'd been thinking about practically since their first meeting—moving in together, getting married, having a family—seeing how their relationship would change and grow at each stage of the journey, how they'd work together to make it beautiful. Still, the idea of it happening, of it starting right now took her breath away.

"You're there practically every night anyway," he reminded her.

"Well, yes, that's true…"

"Princess's bowl is in my kitchen, and my key is on your key ring," he added.

"I know, you're right, it's just…"

"Just what, baby?"

"It's just… I didn't think you'd want to do it so soon! We've only been together four months!"

"So?"

"So! So—that's—only four months!"

He shrugged. "Four months is long enough when you love someone."

He said it as if it were a simple statement of fact, a given.

"When you… love someone?" she repeated. She felt tears come to her eyes, and her face softened as he looked at her.

He led her to the furthest corner of the room, a darkened alcove mercifully free of decoration, and pushed her gently back against the wall, bracing a hand above her head so that his body blocked her view of the room.

"Heidi," he said, lifting his free hand to stroke his thumb over her cheek. "Why do I give you all those rules, baby?"

Heidi glanced up at him, and his tender expression nearly brought her to her knees.

Why did he give her rules? So many reasons, and they all swam in her head. He liked being in control, that was the simplest answer—the smartass answer she'd have given him when they first met. But now she knew that was only the smallest part of his motivation. He was a dominant because he had a need to protect—he gave her rules because he wanted to keep her safe. And, she admitted to herself, he had known, even before she was ready to admit it, that she liked giving him control, needed to give him control… and he met that need for her.

"Because…" she licked her dry lips. "Because you… want to take care of me and keep me safe, and because you know I need those rules."

He nodded, his fingers playing with the hair at her temple.

"I've never wanted to do that for anyone before," he said. "Not this way. I never felt the need to protect someone, to take care of someone, the way I do for you. I love you."

Heidi's breath caught in her throat and a rush of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her. Happiness, possessiveness, relief, joy, protective tenderness, unbreakable connection… She'd once thought those emotions were for other people, until Dom. This man made her feel so much!

"And why do you follow the rules, Heidi? Why don't you tell me to back off? Why do you put your phone away before you drive? Baby, why are you wearing this dress?"

Heidi took a deep breath and found that she didn't need champagne courage, or a perfect moment, she just needed to trust Dom. And she did, in every part of her. She always had.

She slid her hands up around his neck and looked directly into his eyes.

"Because I love you, too," she said. Her voice was low, but she spoke the words clearly and confidently. They were a statement of fact. It was a given.

Still, she could tell by the fire in his eyes that Dom had needed to hear it.

"Yeah," he said softly. "You do."

Heidi burst out laughing, her arms tightening around his neck as he leaned down to brush his lips gently over hers.

"Later," he promised her, when she would have deepened the kiss.

He stepped back, smiled at her, then oh-so-slowly slid the strap of her dress back into place once again.

She felt her nipples tighten at the caress, and knew by his smirk that it was one hundred percent intentional. He knew exactly what he was doing to her.

Her eyes narrowed. Submissive she might be, but two could play at this game.

As Dom wrapped an arm around her waist and led her back to the party, Heidi signaled to one of the many waiters circulating with trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres, who immediately approached and offered her a glass of champagne.

"Thank you," Heidi told the waiter with a bright smile, accepting the glass.

The waiter nodded and moved on, but Dom had frozen solid beside her.

"Was I not clear about the rule?" he asked, his voice deceptively casual while his eyes surveyed the room.

"The rule?" Heidi pursed her lips and pretended to think about it. "Oh! The brand new no-more-drinking rule!"

"That's the one," he said, turning his head to look at her. "And I warn you, little girl, that was no joke."

It just wasn't fair the way his stern voice did things to her belly!

"No joke?" she asked, infusing her voice with just the right amount of innocent disappointment. "So, you're saying that if I take even one teeny, tiny sip of this champagne," she swirled the bubbly liquid for effect, "you'll have to punish me?"

"I will," he said, and his tone left no doubt that he was serious… even as his eyes lit with excitement he couldn't contain.

"I understand, sir," she told him meekly.

Then she drained her glass.