Unlucky in Love

“I don’t want to leave—ever.” I said to Dominic as we got settled into the suite. I finished brushing my teeth and went into the bedroom. Dominic was on his laptop (the hotel had Wi-Fi—isn’t that great?) and I slid into bed. The room didn’t have as good of a view as our room in Paris, but it was nice, and it’s not like we’ll be in the room 100% of the time.

“We have to go home eventually,” he replied, closing the computer and setting it on the nightstand. “We can’t leave Emma with my sister for too long.”

I smiled. “That’s true. She’s probably teaching her the history of Chanel and Prada.” Saying this, I thought about it and realized that I probably wasn’t too far off in my assumption. “And Poppy’s probably starving for attention.”

“Probably.” He agreed.

“You okay?” I asked. He looked unbelievably drained.

He nodded. “Just tired.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, trying not to pry.

“Em, I’m fine.” He kissed my forehead. “Nothing to worry about.”

* * *

“Is everything going good over there?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine, Ember.” Daveigh reassured me. “Emma’s a really sneaky little thing, and I, like, constantly have to watch her. But other than that, there are no problems. Poppy has been acting weird, though.”

“How so?”

Daveigh sighed. “I don’t know—she’s just kind of mopey and doesn’t like to get up a lot. She’s been whining a lot this morning—and she’s kind of fatter than when you left.”

Okay, that kind of worried me.

“Daveigh, can you take her to the vet or something? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay. And Emma’s fine? No illnesses or choking incidents?”

“Ember, I swear she’s just fine. So how’s Rome? I haven’t been there in, like, four years.”

I sighed and lay back on the bed. “I haven’t been able to get out. Dominic is so tense, it’s not even funny.”

Daveigh scoffed on her end. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, my brother has never been able to let something go very easily. You’re just going to have to give him a little space, maybe wait it out until he’s normal.”

I bit my lip.

Was he still mad at me?

I’d thought he’d have gotten over it by now.

“What else should I do?”

“Spend his money?” she suggested.

That actually didn’t sound half bad.

“Okay…I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye,” she said, and then clicked off.

I got back up and went into the living room area and sat next to Dominic on the couch. He was doing some more work on his laptop—at least this time it was schoolwork.

“Whatcha doin’?” I asked.

“Just an exam,” he replied. “I’m almost done, and then we can go out.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Anywhere that has good shopping. I need new shoes.”

He scoffed. “Just remember that I’m not paying for an extra suitcase for you to take home.”

I kissed him. “Who says you have to?” I asked against his lips. He met my lips again and kissed them harder, rougher. I parted my lips slightly to allow him entrance, which he accepted.

He let his laptop drop as he lowered me onto the sofa. I wound my leg around his hip and kissed his neck. He took advantage of our position and undid my jeans and slipped them off. I broke away and took off my shirt while he took off his own clothes.

Our lips met again, and he entered me after a moment. I grabbed his arm, not expecting the tightening sensation. I got comfortable after a minute to let go, leaving the red marks from my fingers on his forearm.

My breathing was rapid and very shallow, as was his. I leaned my head back, relishing the moment.

Even if I wasn’t forgiven, this was pretty damn good.

Dominic sucked my neck below my ear, and I let out a shallow little moan.

There were times when I felt absolutely lucky, and this was one of them: I had a fantastic lover/husband.

The sudden vibration and music coming from my phone on the coffee table made me jump. I reached for it and saw that it was Daveigh calling, and that it was probably about either Poppy or Emma.

I pulled away from him and answered it.

“Hello?” I said, practically out of breath.

“I think you guys should probably get home.”