"She's busy." Melissa lied to protect her friend.
His face fell. "If you say so." He started taking off his clothes.
"What are you doing?" she asked, taking a step backward.
"Going out. I need you to help me figure out what to wear."
"I'm afraid that's something you'll have to figure out yourself. I'll give you some privacy," she said, furious with him for dragging her over to his house for no reason.
As she left, he said, "I want you to come out with me tonight so we can get to know each other."
"Okay." He'd readily accepted her criticism, and now it was her turn to give a little. Even though she had a sixth sense that nothing good could come of this outing.
As she waited in the living room with the giggly groupies, she wondered if anything had happened between Alice and JP last night. Unable to find Alice at the aquarium, Melissa had taken a cab home from the party. And her friend hadn't answered her cell phone all day. Melissa desperately hoped Alice hadn't pinned any romantic dreams on JP: He was a player through and through.
Alice and JP would never work. Just like she and Dominic never would, either.
Chapter Twenty
Dominic couldn't remember the last time a woman had walked out on him. When he wanted a woman, he got her. Even as the years went by, he'd never felt threatened by the younger players, on the field or off. If a woman wanted to be with some young hotshot she could twist around her finger with a sexy glance, Dominic wasn't interested.
Melissa had never been that kind of girl. As far as he knew, she'd never dated an athlete, and certainly not one of her father's players. And she didn't sleep around.
Just the thought of another guy seeing her naked made Dominic see red. She was his.
He threw their dinner into the trash. JP had called only to fuck with her. Didn't she realize that? He didn't need business advice; he just wanted to get under her skirt.
Dominic yanked a paper towel off the roll so hard that the stainless steel holder broke away from the wall. He had to save her. Had to bring her back where she belonged: with him.
Dominic grabbed his keys and headed for the garage. It didn't matter what her father was going to say; it didn't matter than his practices had gone from okay to crap after two sleepless nights of loving her. It didn't even matter that he did risky-ass things when he was with her, that he was powerless to stop himself from having sex in locker rooms and empty buildings and construction sites.
She was his.
And he refused to let her go.
Guys like JP were religious about their Friday-night partying. Whatever that punk needed from Melissa wouldn't take longer than an hour—which gave Dominic time to buy her flowers.
There hadn't been a lot of wooing yet, and he wanted to change that. He wanted her to know that he cared about her beyond their explosive sexual connection. He wanted her to know that she was unlike any woman he'd ever known. Melissa was soft and warm, yet filled with an inner strength that he wasn't certain she fully recognized.
All at once, he could see her with their children— a big crew of boys and girls with her wide laugh and expressive eyes. She'd been right there in front of his eyes for so many years—how had he managed to miss her?
A middle-aged woman was just turning the Closed sign face out on the flower-store door when Dominic double parked his car in front. She shook her head as if to say "sorry."
Dominic put his hands together in front of his chest, giving her a charming grin and a persuasive glint of his eyes.
She shook her head and laughed, then opened the door. "Come in," she said in a lilting Irish accent.
"Thank you," he said, full of gratitude at her kindness.
She chuckled. "Just so you know, I'm not doing this for you because you're a famous man who plays with balls."
"Whatever the reason, I really appreciate it."
She nodded. "My son watches your games every weekend. When he grows up, he wants to run around and get sweaty and dirty just like you." While she spoke, she pulled various flowers and greens out of plastic buckets. When she returned to her wooden worktop, she nimbly arranged the stunning bouquet. "You badly need these flowers, don't you?"
"I do," he admitted. "They're for a very special woman." It felt good to say the words aloud—not just to the woman but to himself, as well.
She turned her attention back to the thin pur ple ribbon she was tying around the stems. "1 know she is. And that's why 1 decided to make you this bouquet." She handed it to him, waving away his credit card. "You have the eyes of a man very much in love."
The woman's statement knocked around inside Dominic. He felt like she was one step ahead of him. And that she was right.
"You must tell her," she said. "Tonight, when you give her these flowers."
Again, she was correct. He'd screwed up far too many times with Melissa. It was time to do something right.
"I will."
It had taken him thirty-six years to find his perfect mate, and he wasn't going to wait another day to make her his.
He parked in front of Melissa's apartment building, his heart pounding hard and fast. Women had always come so easily to him that he'd never had to put himself out on the line before.
Would she even consider loving him once he revealed the secret he'd hidden from everyone for so long?
He rang her doorbell. The seconds ticked by without a response. Had something happened to her? He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. Her phone rang and rang, and he hung up when he got her voice mail. Something was wrong. He could feel it.
He sat down on the top step. He needed to calm down and think about the situation calmly. In all likelihood, JP was forcing her to sit in his living room and watch every game he'd ever played. The thought brought a lopsided smile to Dominic's face. He'd gotten the sense that she was none too impressed with JP's playing. And why would she be, since it was mostly showboating?
He was just standing up when a Hummer limo rounded the corner, loud rock music blasting from the open sun roofs. Dominic's mouth tightened. He wasn't surprised when the limo stopped in front of Melissa's apartment building and two barely dressed blondes stepped out. He also wasn't surprised that he wanted to wrap his hands around JP's neck, and that he didn't care whether the little pipsqueak lived.
JP hopped out onto the pavement, pulling Melissa along with him. "Well, well, well," JP smirked, looking damn pleased. "Who would've thought we'd find the great Dominic DiMarco hanging out in Noe Valley?"
Melissa's mouth was tight, her eyes wary. "What are you doing here, Dominic?" She looked at the flowers and her lips formed a small O. She dragged her gaze away from the bright arrangement and back at him. "I'm assisting JP tonight. You knew that."
JP snapped his fingers. "I've got a killer idea. Why don't you come out with us tonight, old man? You can show us your retro moves."
Melissa shot JP a killer glare. "Dominic is busy." She gestured to the flowers. "I'm sure he has a date tonight."
Didn't she realize they were on the verge of something really special? He needed to keep an eye on JP—and any other guy who tried to move in on his territory. Once he got her alone, he'd say those three important words.
"A night out sounds good," he agreed.
Melissa stomped up the stairs and pushed him aside to unlock the front door. "I don't want you to go," she hissed.