Free A Little Broken by Juli Valenti Page A

by surprise. She hadn’t felt anything other than grief and guilt for so long that it took her a moment to realize what she was feeling. Desire.
    Dominick moved his head slightly toward her, and she felt a flare of panic - she didn’t know what to do. Before she had the chance to make a decision, his lips came down, and he kissed her.

 

     
    Chapter Thirteen
     
    Jessie was lost the moment his lips touched hers. They were soft, so soft, against hers as he pressed firmly to hers. She molded against him, her arms going around his neck to hold him closer. His hands tightened their grip on her hips, holding her in place, while his tongue swept across her bottom lip. She gasped and he used the opportunity to intensify the kiss.
    He tasted sweet, like chocolate and mint, and as he explored her mouth, she found that she was doing the same. She kissed him with awakened passion, unable to keep herself from balling her fist in his hair. His grip at her waist was almost painful now, but it only fueled her fire. She needed more - more of him, and this feeling of being alive. The minute she thought it, it was like an ice-cold shower. She was alive, and her precious baby wasn’t.
    She pulled away, gasping, tears running down her face in black tracks. She had to get out of there, and without saying a word, she turned and headed to the open doors. It looked like they led to a terrace of some sort, but Jessie didn’t care. As long as they got her away from Dominick, away from the party, away from this farce she’d gone through with tonight, she’d be fine.
    “Jessie! Wait!” she heard Dominick call out from somewhere behind her. She never glanced back. She couldn’t bear to see him, to see the look on his face. She continued to run, almost there, and then she was free. The humid night air hit her, filling her lungs. Her breath came in gasping pants, her tears choking her as she tripped on the curb and fell in a heap onto the sidewalk.
    “Jessie,” Dominick’s voice drifted down at her and she saw his shoes through the blur of her tears. His tone was one of confusion, pain, and concern. It was just too much. Covering her face with her hands, she sat there on the sidewalk, sobbing. Through her pain, she was vaguely aware of Dominick sitting next to her, though he didn’t move to touch her or console her.
    After a few moments, though it could have been hours - she wasn’t sure - her sobs turned to soft hiccups. Wiping her face with her hands, she realized that he was still sitting beside her. He was quiet, not looking at her while she recovered from the things that plagued her. She waited for him to ask the questions he had promised not to, but he didn’t. He remained silent.
    “I’m...I’m sorry,” she said softly, words catching on a tremor that ran through her.
    “Jessie, don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have kissed you like I did. I promised you that I wouldn’t ask questions, and I won’t, I’m just sorry that I’m what set this off in you.”
    His eyes were sad, self-destructive almost, as he glanced at her. The look hurt her heart. She’d never wanted to see a look like that cross his face, and hated that she caused it: her inability to talk to him, to confide the worst parts of herself to him. If she kept going the way she was, she was going to push him away – and she didn’t truly want that. She felt… different when she was with him.
    Standing, he lifted her up off the ground and without saying anything further, guided them to the valet stand. While the man ran off to retrieve his car, Dominick turned to her, his face sad in the soft lights of the night.
    “I’ll just take you home,” he said, solemnly.
    Jessie wanted to tell him, No, they could stay, but the words wouldn’t come. She stood there mutely waiting, and when he ushered her inside the passenger’s side, she still said nothing.
     
    ***
     
    Pulling up outside her condo, Dominick shut off the car. The quiet of the night seemed to be loud