All the while he thought of her.

Wondered what she was up to. The morning before he’d tried to let her sleep but failed. Every moment he’d lain there in the predawn darkness, giving himself a lecture about how she needed her rest, had been agony. Until he’d given in and touched her.

She’d come awake quickly, into his arms without hesitation. She’d even offered to drive him to the airport and reminded him to check the warding on his hotel room.

And now he’d be there in New York until Thursday night while she was back in Seattle. His bed would be empty. Damn it.

Simon had cornered him in his office on Saturday night as she’d been at the bar, conning his bartenders to show her new recipes. In a cocktail dress.

“So what’s the story?”

Dominic had looked up from the papers he was signing. “Story?”

“Don’t be coy, dumbass. What’s the status between you and the lovely Ms. Owen?”

“You know the story.”

“So you accept the bond then?”

“You’re like a dog with a bone.” He snorted and Simon flipped him off. “I like her. She likes me. There’s a bond, I admit that too.”

“Are you going to screw this up? Yes, yes, I know you’d rather I just stop bugging you over it. But though I’d deny it if asked, I’ve watched you searching around for something real for years now. Meriel is something real. What you have, no matter how fantastical, is real.”

“I can’t even think with her around. I need some distance and some perspective. I’ll be in New York until Thursday. Maybe I’ll come back clearer.”

“What’s she say about that?”

“I don’t have to check all my business dealings through her. Anyway, she’s got her own job; I can’t imagine why she’d be upset.”

“About your continued hemming and hawing.”

“Look, I don’t like the idea of not being in charge of my own destiny. Okay? I didn’t grow up in an alternate dimension at the right hand of my dad the king or whatever. You and Meriel both had that experience.” He pushed to stand. “She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before. I want more. That has to be enough right now until I figure out the rest. She’s giving me the space I need. Every time I push her to finally have sex with me, she reminds me about how it’ll only make our mutual attraction deeper.”

Simon had laughed then. And laughed some more, the sound of it echoing all the way down the hall in his wake after he’d left the room.

He’d told Simon that he’d hoped the trip would give him some distance and perspective. And it had, only not in the way he’d imagined.

Yes, she was on his mind. Yes, he wanted to be with her. But he wasn’t debilitated to be so far away. It didn’t affect him physically to be apart from her. He was getting work done.

What he did miss, in addition to all the sexy stuff, was her laugh. The way she indulged him and let him be bossy most of the time but pushed back when he got out of hand.

He missed the way she smelled. Hell, he even missed the way she so effortlessly used her magick. He’d learned a lot from her just by watching.

He’d come to really like her. As he sat there pushing his dinner around on his plate, he found himself making notes to tell her about this or that thing he’d seen during the day.

His pocket buzzed and he looked down at his phone to see who it was.

I think we should go see the Alien/Aliens double feature on Saturday.

Oh, that was me.

Meriel

He laughed and Evan sent him a questioning glance.

“No, no, it’s fine. I just need to handle this.”

Evan shrugged and went back to the conversation.

Charmed, he tried to ignore the warmth in his belly. She’d reached out to him. He knew she was purposely holding back, trying to give him room, which only made him want her more. Her being impulsive and texting meant she missed him just as much as he did her.

All right. Will you hold me if I get scared?

Oh, that was me — Dominic

He paused, wondering if she laughed. Hoping she had as big a smile as he did.

Only if you try to touch my boob when you put your arm around me.

It was probably right then that he fell in love with her.

I think we both know that’s a given. I have a special relationship with your boobs.

He briefly considered asking her for a picture, but that was best left for when they were alone.

It wasn’t long before she wrote back. I miss you. Are you having fun?

Right then as he texted with her he was having more fun than he had the whole day.

I am now. Good dinner. I’ll bring you here when we visit. I miss you too. What are you up to?

He ordered another drink and waited for her to answer. Ray was talking about how gorgeous the beaches were in Maui in the background and Dominic imagined what it would be like to lay on the beach with her, alone and far away from the troubles of the world.

Spent the night at Nell’s last night and had so much fun I’m back again. We’ve ordered Chinese food, looked at lots of great vacation photos, going to watch a movie in a bit.

“Dom, we’re going to head out after this round.”

He looked up at his friends, all in various modes of getting ready to leave. Evan, the one who spoke, owned three businesses. A nightclub in Manhattan, a wine bar upstate and the upscale martini-cum-piano bar they were headed to.

He’d told Meriel a little about his first break into nightclub work because of his friend. Evan had been someone he’d looked to as an example of how to make a success of yourself. Evan, Ray, Dominic and Trey had gotten up to a lot of trouble together in their early twenties when Dominic had left Oregon and moved to L.A.

Trey was a witch too. Dominic discovered that when they’d been a little, um, light-fingered and they’d been able to break into a door with a quick flick of Trey’s fingers.

The four had sunk to various levels of lawlessness and one by one, they’d found a way out of the darkness. Evan first, when he bought a pub in Portland and nursed it back to life. He’d taken the profit from that sale and bought the first of his clubs on the East Coast.

It had been enough to convince Dominic that the path he was on was destined for jail. Or worse. Trey showed up on his doorstep, someone hot on his tail for some infraction or other and they’d said fuck it and went to New York.

Evan had hired them both. Trey went to business school and worked the bar at night and Dominic had learned to run a club.

Over three years he scrimped and saved and built up contacts and earned enough to buy the building he and Simon built Heart of Darkness in.

“Hang on a minute,” he said and then called her instead of texting.

“Hey, we’re getting ready to leave but I wanted to hear your voice.” The talk in the background silenced and Dominic knew they all eavesdropped.

“Why, hello there, Dominic.” He heard the smile in her voice. “It’s really nice to hear your voice. I suppose you look rather dapper just now.”

“Sweet witch, how did you know?” He did take a glance down at himself, flattered she’d noticed. And he happened to have a really nice suit on. He’d just picked it up the week before. He made a note to wear it when he took her out.

“See? You’re very charming.”

“Are you trying to convince me? I believe it.” He laughed. “You’re having a lovely time then? With your friend?”

“Yes, yes, I am. She and her husband would like us to have dinner this weekend. Or she says a lunch since you work at nights. William, that’s her husband, he’s selling half his interest in his club in Vegas and moving up here full-time. You’ll like him. He also has good taste in clothes.”

There was talking in the background and then Meriel laughed. That twinge of yearning at the sound startled him.

“Nell also says, you both have good taste in women.”