Our fourth official “date” starts off as a surprise. Despite my wishes, Dom refuses to tell me what we’re doing. I’m even more suspicious when he opens the back door of a black SUV and I see a driver. I shoot him a look and he just smiles at me.
“Get in, Sunshine.”
I arch a brow at the nickname he rarely uses, but I know his determined look well so I do as I’m told. The drive doesn’t last long until we start to slow because of hordes of traffic and people.
“Oh shoot. I forgot tonight is the Wrecked by Reason concert.”
“The one you tried to get tickets to but couldn’t, right?” he asks, not looking at me, but focused on where we’re going.
“Yeah,” I mumble, still salty about it. I’ve been a fan of the lead singer, Sloane Halloway, for years, well before she started the band Wrecked by Reason. Her songs got me through so many rough days, and I definitely played “When Will You See” more than once thinking about Dom. It felt like she’d written it specifically for me—a girl in love with her best guy friend and wishing he’d see what was always right in front of him.
I’m frugal with my money, but I would’ve splurged to see WbR if only the tickets hadn’t sold out. And the resale tickets were astronomical—higher than could even be considered a splurge. They gave Taylor Swift a run for her money.
The driver stops, I assume to let people pass by because there are crowds everywhere I look, but then Dom undoes his seatbelt and opens his door.
“Good thing you’re friends with a guy who’s got connections.”
He holds his hand out to me, and I stare at him wide-eyed and jaw on the ground. “No fucking way.”
His smile brightens. “Yes fucking way. Now get your sexy ass out of the car so we can go see this thing.”
I squeal and launch myself out of the car and into his waiting arms. He spins me around in a circle, laughing with me, and then sets me on my feet. I bounce on my toes and, without thinking, grab his face in my hands and plant a kiss on his lips.
His hands instantly tighten around me and he pulls me flush against him as he deepens the kiss. A groan escapes his throat, pulling me back to my senses as I break our kiss. My cheeks are hot, and I know they’re likely bright pink. I can feel them get hotter when I see an expression on Dom’s face he’s never given me before. His eyes are filled with such a fierce hunger, it makes me breathless.
“Thank you,” I whisper so quietly I’m not sure he hears me, especially when he just keeps staring at me like he wants to devour me. God, he’s so much better at pretending than I am.
“Should we go in?” I ask a little louder, hoping he’ll lose that expression on his face because it’s messing with my head, and God knows my head’s enough of a mess already.
“Sure,” he finally responds, his voice deep and gruff.
He grabs my hand and leads me forward. Once inside, we make our way to a VIP section.
Throughout the concert, Dom is attentive and joins in on some of the songs with me. When Sloane sings “When Will You See” in homage to her early days, tears form in my eyes as I belt out the words. It’s only as the song is wrapping up that I finally glance over at Dom, and all the air in my lungs evaporates at the longing in his eyes.
No, I must be reading him wrong.
Ripping my gaze away from his, I search for the only reason he’d look at me like that.
“What are you looking for?” he asks, leaning close to be heard over the shouts of fans.
I put my lips against his ear, hoping I won’t be overheard and blow our cover. “The cameras.”
He pulls back, a furrow on his brow, and then it morphs to something else, something sad but determined.
“As far as I’m aware, there aren’t any. Not pointed at us anyway.”
“Are you sure?”
“If there are, I didn’t notice them.”
Despite desperately wanting to be at this concert, I can’t seem to look away from him as the next song starts.
“Dom…”
He leans down, his lips grazing my ear. “I’ll sing it to you when you’re finally mine,” he says, mimicking the words in the song when her best friend finally sees her and declares his love for her.
My heart pinches, and I pull away from him, refusing to look at him. “That’s not funny, Dom.”