Bondage Buddies (Masters of Marquis #1) - Golden Angel Page 0,82

without realizing it, thinking everything would fall into place, then he could be all in. But that wasn’t how it worked.

After Wednesday night, Domi had good reason to fear being hurt, to hold back. If Mitch was going to show her, she didn’t need to be, he was going to have to give her a little more of himself.

The hostess waved her over, and Domi’s eyes widened when she saw him, her gaze flicking over his body. Appreciation glimmered in her expression before she hid it. Mitch preened.

Yeah, she liked the suit.

“Domi,” he said by way of greeting when she reached him, holding out his hand to help her into the booth.

“Mitch.” Her tone was a little terse, but she took his hand and let him help her sit down.

“I haven’t been here for brunch.” Sitting across from her, studying her expression, he tried to get a feel for where she was mentally and got the impression, she was extremely guarded. He couldn’t really blame her. He was a little envious, in fact. Right now, he felt very exposed and not in a fun, sexy way.

“Me, either, but I heard it’s good.” She didn’t look at her menu, warily keeping her eyes on him.

Their server came by to get their drink order, and Mitch ordered coffee, while Domi opted for an espresso. She still didn’t look at her menu, which was making him nervous. Wasn’t she planning on staying to eat?

“Yeah, the menu looks good,” he hinted, nodding to where she had her arms crossed over hers. Her plump lips twisted.

“Why don’t you tell me why you wanted to meet, and I’ll decide whether or not I should bother looking at the menu.” Her tone was tart, but there was something in her eyes—Mitch couldn’t define exactly what—gave him the tiniest bit of hope.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Domi

Damn him for looking so good.

Mitch in a regular shirt? Hot. Mitch in Dom leathers? Sexy as hell. Mitch naked? Total eye candy.

Mitch all dressed up in a suit with a shirt that matched his eyes exactly?

Devastating.

It was all she could do to keep from throwing herself at him. Which was why she hadn’t managed to get an apology out yet, even though she knew she owed him one. The suit had thrown her. Knowing her attraction to him hadn’t diminished in the slightest—even though she’d cried before going to bed the past few nights—made her defensive. How had he managed to get so far under her skin?

“I wanted to apologize,” he said, becoming more serious at her question. There was something different about him today. Not just the suit. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what, but there was definitely something. “On Wednesday… well, my dad and I don’t have the best relationship. I’ve told you about him and my mom’s relationship.” Domi nodded. “My dad owns a bar that’s also a nightclub up in Pittsburgh, the Outlands. He told me he was down here for business, to talk to another owner to get ideas for expanding the Outlands. Right before you came into the restaurant, he told me the club he was visiting down here is Stronghold.”

“Oh my God.” Domi’s hands flew to cover her mouth, her reaction torn between horror and hilarity as the implications sank in.

“Yeah.” Mitch’s lips twitched with his usual good humor, sparkle beginning to shine in his eyes. “My dad owns a kink club, and I never knew.”

“Oh my God,” Domi repeated, starting to laugh. “I can so see that. The Outlands… is that like an Outlander reference?” That would make some sense since his dad was Scottish.

“No, it’s a Dungeons and Dragons reference. My parents are massive nerds.” Mitch cleared his throat, pausing as the server returned with their drinks and asked if they were ready to order. After telling her they needed a few more minutes, Mitch took a sip of his coffee and continued, fingers twiddling with the napkin in front of him. “Anyway. When we started seeing each other, I thought BDSM would make the big difference, guarantee we wouldn’t have the same kinds of issues.”

“Oh, Mitch.” She reached out to put her hand atop his where he was fidgeting with the napkin. “There are no guarantees in life.”

“I know, but I don’t do well with uncertainty. Especially not after watching my parents go back and forth and never knowing when they’d end up seeing each other on the sly again.” He gave her a wry smile, his fingers trapping hers. Domi could have