Page 27 of The Replay

Good thing he can't see the way my heart beats fast. Like in college, when we were at the library, and all I had to do was give him all my attention— eye to eye, a small smile, wetting my lips— and he'd be gone, and we'd have to find a secluded corner to do something about it.

Is he getting hard? The possibility alone has my blood pooling in places it shouldn't. But, God, it feels good.

So I check. I lower my eyes and see movement in his tight playing pants that shouldn't be happening here, surrounded by all these people. Then lift challenging eyes back to him.

"If you could see the way you look at me," he utters.

"I'd see a woman who is in control."

He smirks. The sparkle in his eyes intensifies.

"I'd love to make you break." His voice comes out gravelly. "But I'm too proud to come that close."

"And I'm too proud to break. Though proving I can break you would give me a lot of pleasure."

"I would like to see you try." His eyes turn to stone. "It would balance the scales, to get to tell you no."

"I wouldn't ask."

"You'd rather go find someone else."

"Yes. Yes!" I hiss. "And we both know it. So why do we end up talking about this stuff all the time?"

"It's our unresolved history." He purses his lips. "That's all."

A different assistant approaches us to finalize the set up. They're about to start the shoot.

"You know what?" I say. "In this one thing, I think you're right. We're annoyed."

And it's a much easier feeling than hurt, or nerves. I could drown in both, if I'm not careful.

Evie approaches and I stop recording. I let it end the simmering tension of the moment.

"Everything okay?" she asks.

"Perfectly okay," Dom says with a saintly smile.

"I'll send you what I got later." I make my grin beatific.

Evie's eyes go from Dom to me, back and forth.

"Okay." She smirks. "Got it."

As soon as the photoshoot director starts yelling out instructions, I take several steps away. When Dom braces his arms on the Swedish ladder and lifts his lower body with the grace of an acrobatic performer, I take a break and walk away from the set for a while. The view got seared behind my eyes anyway.

It's still there when I go to bed at night, and go over everything I recorded. I tell myself I'm editing out any parts that were too telling of the tension between us. The kind that would have Evie assuming things neither Dom or I want herto think. But after I'm done, I can only send half the material to Evie and, while I should have deleted the rest, I don't.

I sigh. Where we used to crave learning everything about one another, now we argue. Where the idea of seducing each other was a comforting, all-consuming fire, now it's fuel in our verbal battles. Where he used to hold me and gaze at me like I was the moon, he now looks at me like I'm a burning sun searing his skin.

Things are nothing like they used to be. The Dom of today is a far cry from the man I adored so intensely, back when not seeing him for a single day caused me trouble breathing.

I should be thrilled he's making it easy to forget how much I loved him. It will help when we're forced to spend time around each other. Without that melancholy following me everywhere, I'll get to focus on work. I'll impress everyone— Selena as the Strike's owner and my parents and hell, even the mayor if he accepts the invite to the gala in December. Then I'll leave with the satisfaction of everything I've achieved and maybe, just maybe, I will let life surprise me one day. Until then… who knows. I'll have to keep focusing on survival.

Especially when I get Evie's text.

Evie: I sent you an invite for a meeting in a few days! I heard from the university and I think this project would be a great fit for you and Dom. You'll see! I'm excited.

Dread weighs down my chest. I put the phone down. Something tells me Dom and I failed at preventing their meddling.