“More or less,” Estrella said.
When Misty pulled away, she was sad to see that although the girl was smiling, it didn’t reach her eyes. Misty stroked Estrella’s dark hair. “I swear, if I ever come face to face with the monster who hurt you, I’m going to cut him to pieces.”
The whole room became silent.
She colored.
“War freak?” Alessandro, one of Domenico’s younger brothers, finally asked. “The Faeries, the gentlest race of all, turned you into a war freak?”
Everyone burst into laughter.
Misty made a face. “Hahaha.”
“Seriously, what happened?” Alejandro, twin to Alessandro, asked.
She beamed proudly. “I’m now a Level 2 swordswoman!”
The twins whistled in appreciation.
“Really?” Emilia, the baby of the Moretti family, gasped.
Esmeralda interrupted, “But don’t you have to be, like, graceful to do that?”
Misty’s eyes narrowed. “Are you implying something?”
Everyone became silent again.
“Well…” Esmeralda hedged, and the whole room erupted into laughter once more.
The door opened and Domenico came walking in, and the room fell silent for the third time. Try as she might, Misty couldn’t stop staring at him. He had changed into a white cotton sweater, sleeves pushed up to his elbows to reveal his muscular arms. His tan-colored corduroy slacks had a semi-loose fit, like his sweater, but even so they failed to detract from Domenico’s sheer sexiness.
Something inside her responded, making Misty squeeze her thighs uncomfortably.
Domenico didn’t appear to notice the tense silence in the room, his stride relaxed as he nodded at Misty before bending down to kiss Estrella on the cheek. “Hello, little sister. Feeling better?”
“Now that Misty’s here, I’m doing a lot better,” his sister replied innocently.
Misty choked.
Domenico grinned. “I swear I didn’t teach her that.”
Everyone relaxed at the teasing tone of Domenico. She wanted to relax, too, but she was too busy trying not to show how dazzled she was at Domenico’s grin. The old Domenico Moretti she knew never grinned that easily. Back then, she had to crack a hundred jokes just to have Domenico Moretti flash teeth and not fangs.
Misty knew she had changed, but it was beginning to be clear to her that she wasn’t the only one who had changed.
Domenico remained carefree throughout their visit, which made Misty feel confused and wary. Hurt, too, because it made her wonder if Domenico had been faking all along. Perhaps he really hadn’t wanted her back?
Either way, it didn’t matter, she told herself furiously. Things were over between them.
When Estrella’s nurse bid them to leave, the twins begged her to join them for dinner.
Her smile tight because it pained her to think about all the dinners she had with the Morettis and the dinners she would no longer have a right to join, Misty shook her head, mumbling, “I’m sorry. I can’t right now. I have lots of stuff to do.”
“Then next time,” Alessandro pressed. “We haven’t seen you for almost two years, Misty. Don’t blow us off like this.”
She glanced at Domenico helplessly.
“Of course,” he said gently. “Whatever happens, we’re still family.”
After the meal, which was even more bittersweet than she anticipated, Domenico insisted on taking her back to her hotel, where Daryl was waiting. She acquiesced, seeing no reason why she shouldn’t, when he was being oh-so-agreeable. Inside his also painfully familiar limousine, Domenico made no move to engage her in small talk and even took the seat across her.
Misty told herself that it only meant he was seeing things the way she did, that he finally understood what he had done to her was unforgivable.
Miserably, she wondered why she was bothering to convince herself of something so pathetically untrue.
“Misty.” Domenico suddenly broke the silence, making Misty look at him, startled.
But he was still gazing outside the window, and his next words would make Misty thankful that he wasn’t looking at her.
“I’ve presented our papers to the Council.”
Misty’s heart stopped beating for a second when the words sank in her mind.
They really were going to separate.
She had asked for this, demanded for it even, but now that it was truly happening, Misty suddenly felt lost and helpless. What was she going to do now?
Domenico finally glanced at her, his green eyes quietly probing. “This is what you wanted, yes?”
She nodded, mutely.
“You’re not going to change your mind?”
Misty’s brows furrowed as she sought to read behind the blandness of Domenico’s voice. Was he teasing her? Right now, she couldn’t tell at all. “What happened?” she asked finally. “You suddenly…changed.”
He shrugged.
His refusal to answer deflated her, and the heaviness in her heart grew as she saw her hotel in the distance. Just a few minutes more, and he would be gone from her life. Again. For good.
An unexpected sob escaped her.
It was the cue Domenico was waiting for, and he seized it.
Misty blinked in confusion when Domenico suddenly sprang forward, and she gasped when his hands spanned her waist before carrying her to him. Her legs automatically spread open when she landed on his lap.
“Domeni---” The rest of his name was lost in his kiss.
Domenico splayed one hand on Misty’s bu**ocks to push her forward. His other hand took a fistful of her hair, using it to angle her head so he could kiss her as deeply as his tongue could reach inside her mouth.
This kiss was the greatest gamble of his life. And it scared him, so much that Domenico gave it everything he had, using all the skills and techniques he had acquired over the years. She didn’t have to be still in love with him, but dammit, she had to be in lust with him! That was a good enough start for him.
Domenico sucked on her tongue, his lips coaxing, caressing Misty’s back with light touches, and finally he felt it.
Misty sobbed without knowing why even as she twirled her arms around Domenico’s neck. Suddenly, she couldn’t get close enough, couldn’t feel enough of his skin. Frantically, she tugged his sweater up even though she couldn’t make herself let go of Domenico’s lips.
He solved the problem quickly by ripping it away.
Misty gasped, but her hands were already busily reacquainting itself with the silky hardness of Domenico’s na**d chest, loving how his muscles rippled at her slightest touch. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Domenico felt so much…harder. Stronger. Larger than life. The thought made her shiver with desire, and she felt even more frantic to feel the rest of his body naked. She tugged at his belt, frustrated at how slow and clumsy she was. As Domenico lifted his h*ps so she could pull his slacks down, his hands also went to the back of her dress.