Christ, I didn’t think I’d ever get used to how beautiful my butterfly was. Even ten years later, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen. As I watched her throw her head back in laughter from across the room, my dick stirred in my pants. The rest of dinner had been relatively uneventful, and the night was progressing without any drama. Now I stood away from the crowd, silently sipping my bourbon, my gaze tracking her every movement as she mingled with everyone she knew.

She wanted to be civil for the sake of Lola. I’d give her that play. For now. But I’d waited ten years to get her back. It was safe to say I was running out of patience.

I saw the way her eyes darkened and heard the catch in her breath when I got close enough to whisper in her ear. That catch and that heat in her gaze had nothing to do with being surprised. I still got to her whether she was willing to admit it to herself or not. Just like she got to me.

“Whatever you’re thinking, stop it. Right now. I’m not above begging.”

At the sound of my soon-to-be brother-in-law’s voice, I tore my attention away from Sophia to find him examining me with trepidation. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The hell you don’t. You look like you’re planning a hostile takeover and getting off on it. I swore to Lola that nothing bad would happen tonight, and I plan on keeping that promise. That means I’ll hogtie your ass and throw you in a coat closet if I have to.”

I laughed and clapped him on the back. “Will you relax, man? Everything’s going great. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?” he asked with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. “You have met those women, right?” He tipped his chin in the direction of my sister, Sophia, and their third Musketeer Daphne. They’d been best friends for as long as I could remember so I totally understood Grayson’s point. Those three were trouble with a capital T.

“Okay, fine. I’ll rephrase that by saying you’ve got nothing to worry about from me. I’m perfectly capable of behaving myself.”

“You’re an Abbatelli,” he mumbled flatly. “I don’t think you guys know the meaning of behaving yourselves.”

I chuckled into my tumbler before taking a drink, relishing the way the amber liquor blazed a trail down my throat to my stomach, warming my insides. “We come by it honestly.” I let out a loud laugh at his pain-stricken expression.

“God, deliver me,” he grumbled, looking up at the ceiling.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Sophia on the move, skating through the crowd and disappearing from sight. Before Grayson could say another word, I spoke up. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the restroom.”

He called after me as I began walking away. “Don’t do anything stupid.”

* * *

Sophia

I pushed through the swinging wooden door and found the ladies’ room blessedly empty.

I rested my palms on the cool surface of the vanity and took several calming breaths before looking at my reflection in the mirror. I’d been just fine—well, maybe not fine, but I’d been dealing. Then the asshole had to go and laugh. And that sultry, deep sound skated across my skin like velvet. Dominic always had the sexiest laugh.

“Get your shit together, Vaughn,” I hissed at myself. “It was just a laugh. Just a stupid laugh. He’s not hot. He’s a jerk.”

God, even I didn’t believe the lies coming out of my mouth. He was still the hottest man I’d ever laid eyes on. I’d been far from celibate in the past ten years, but I still found myself comparing every man I took to bed to Dominic Abbatelli. And unfortunately, they all came up lacking.

He’d ruined me for all other men. Multiple orgasms were a thing of the past. Hell, if I wanted to get off at all, I had to take the reins from the dude and guide us both there.

With Dom all I had to do was lie there. There was no taking control from that man; he was too alpha to lie back and let the woman do the work. It was like he’d majored in giving a woman pleasure. He knew every single button to push to get me off, and he pushed them all—often. He never got his until he forced at least two from me.

I squeezed my eyes closed as visions of us together flooded my conscious thoughts. I still remembered it like it was yesterday. And now I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

The alcohol did nothing to lessen the sudden arousal coursing through my blood and making my nipples painfully hard. If anything, it made it even worse. I was no longer just drunk; I was drunk and horny, which was a deadly combination for me.

I turned on the sink and held my wrists beneath the cold water until the fire deep in my belly finally began to subside. It wasn’t gone, but it was at least manageable.

Or so I thought, until I pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway to find him leaning casually against the wall across from the restroom, one ankle crossed over the other as he sipped from his glass. I didn’t need to smell it to know what it contained. Dominic was a bourbon neat man, always had been. And that goddamned suit. The man was sex and sin wrapped in tailored Armani.

“You okay, beautiful? You’re looking a little flushed.”

Why? Why did he have to be so good-looking?

“You stalking me now?” I asked, willing the quiver that was running through my body to stop. “That’s kind of creepy, even for you.”

“Not stalking. Just looking for a quiet place for a few minutes.”

Liar. I arched a single brow. “And that quiet place just so happened to be right in front of the women’s bathroom?”

He pushed away from the wall and moved closer, step by step, until he was merely inches away. His intoxicating cologne filled my nose at the same time his massive frame filled my vision, making me breathless. My forehead barely reached his nose. I’d forgotten how it felt to be around a man so big. I was tall for a woman and had an addiction to stilettos, so it wasn’t easy to find a man taller than me when I was in heels. But Dom had always towered over me, making me feel petite and delicate. No easy feat. My chest began to rise and fall at a rapid pace as desire took hold.

“Are you okay, Soph?” God, I couldn’t handle the gentle concern that laced through his words. “Are you sick?”

I turned on my heels toward what I hoped was an exit. “I need air,” I panted, suddenly feeling stifled. Ignoring the beat of his shoes against the tiles as he followed, I pushed through a set of doors, almost crying in victory when the cold night air whipped against my face.

“Jesus, baby. Are you insane? You can’t stand out here dressed like that. It’s freezing.”

He wasn’t wrong—winter had officially fallen on the Pacific Northwest—but I didn’t have it in me at that moment to care. “I-it’s f-fine. I just n-need a minute.” My teeth chattered as I crossed my arms over my chest for warmth.

“Christ,” he grunted. “Fine. But I’m not going to let you freeze to death. Wear this.” A second later I was engulfed in warmth as his scent swirled all around me. Dominic took me by the shoulders and turned me to face him, pulling his jacket tight around me and rubbing my arms. “There,” he said softly. “Better?”

I wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or if I was just too weak, but as I looked up into his deep brown eyes, shining with so many emotions, I felt myself softening. Little by little the ice that had encased my heart for ten years began chipping away.

His fingers on my arms tensed. “When you look at me like that, it gives me hope,” he whispered, stepping closer.

“How am I looking at you?” I asked, equally as quiet.

Another inch of space between us disappeared. His words whispered across my lips. “Like you could forgive me.”

Part of me wanted to. So badly. “Well, when you look at me like I’m the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen, it makes me want to forgive you,” I found myself saying, the wine and champagne having loosened my tongue.

“You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen,” he declared in a gruff rumble. “Inside and out. No one has ever compared to you, baby.”

“Dominic….” I dropped my head, giving it a shake. “You have to stop.”

His fingers rested beneath my chin, forcing my face back up to his. “I’m just speaking the truth.”

I tried to take a step back but his grip on me was unrelenting, refusing to let me escape. “I can’t do this right now, Dom. I’ve had too much to drink, and I… I just can’t.”

He leaned in close, but just as I thought his lips were going to hit mine, he moved. The course stubble on his cheek lightly scraped against my face. His words made me shiver as he whispered in my ear. “I’m not going to kiss you right now. I want you to have complete control of your senses the next time I taste that pretty mouth of yours.”

I sucked in a harsh gasp as wetness pooled between my legs. God, how I wanted him to kiss me. Right now, my brain screamed. Kiss me right now!

“I’m going to make you so crazy you’ll beg me for it.”

“Dominic,” I said on a sigh, leaning farther into his solid body until my breasts crushed against his chest.

“And when I finally get you underneath me, I’m going to bury myself so deep beneath your skin that you’ll have no choice but to forget the past. I’m going to make every inch of you crave me: your body, your mind, your heart. I’ll drive you so wild you won’t remember how to live without me. Then, once you’ve finally given yourself to me, I’m never letting you go.”

I let out a startled yelp when his teeth nipped my earlobe, sending sparks of pleasure straight to my core.

I was a panting, trembling mess of lust and need when he finally stepped away, releasing my arms.

That velvety tenor in his voice drove me mad as he said, “See you soon, baby.”

Then he left. And I didn’t know what I wanted to do more, scream and curse his name to the stars, or chase after him and beg for him to give me everything he’d just promised.

The bastard.