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walking out of there any second.”
    I looked over my shoulder for any signs of Nikki, and then back up to the building where Dominic had been, but he was already gone. Again. The street suddenly seemed a little colder, and darker, without his luminary presence.
    Apparently, I was out of options.
    “Alright, fine,” I said as I stopped and faced him. His foot came down on the break in perfect sync. “But only because I have no idea where I am, and the thought of running into Nikki again makes me want to dry heave.”
    He nodded, his dimples pressing in as he leaned over to the passenger side and pushed open the door for me. I looked over my shoulder one more time to make sure there weren’t any witnesses, and against my better judgment, climbed in.
    “See, that wasn’t so hard was it?”
    I rolled my eyes as I grabbed the seat-belt and tried to pull it across my chest. The stupid thing locked with every tug.
    “Let me get it for you,” he offered.
    “I can do it,” I insisted, pulling at it harder.
    He waited a whole three seconds before pulling my hand away. I flopped back into my seat as he slinked his right arm around my headrest and then leaned in over me with his other arm. The smell of his cologne—a sort of spicy, woodsy scent that made my stomach pinch—wrapped itself around me like an intoxicating embrace.
    I pushed back in my seat, fighting off the sudden urge to do something embarrassing, like lean in and inhale him.
    Or worse.
    He pulled the seat-belt out easily, and brought it down across my body in one sweeping motion. “There,” he said upon hearing the click .
    “I didn’t need your help.”
    “Clearly.” His face was still lingering just inches from mine, his gripping blue eyes grazing over the edges of my face—studying me.
    “You probably have it rigged so you can like put the moves on girls or something,” I said, feeling flustered.
    “Don’t flatter yourself.”
    “As if I even—” My retort quickly died in the back of my throat as his eyes dropped down to my lips and settled there, making my breath hitch.
    Damn, he was close.
    Too. Close .
    Apparently he thought so too, evidenced by his clenched jaw and hasty return to his own seat. Within seconds, he threw the car in gear and then barreled off down the darkened street, the engine droning as he pushed down harder on the pedal.
    I turned my attention outside the passenger window and worked on steadying my breathing.
    “Sorry about what happened back there,” he said after a few beats of silence. His eyes mapped my body as though he were looking for battle wounds. “Are you okay?”
    “Oh yeah, totally. Best night of my life.”
    I had somehow managed to acquire an enemy and an assault, all in one night—without even trying. One could only imagine what I might accomplish if I put forth the effort.
    On the plus side, at least she only assaulted me with liquids and not her fist.
    “I tried to tell you,” he said complacently.
    “Tell me what?” I glared at him. “That your crazy girlfriend was about to attack me out of nowhere for standing beside you? No. I don’t think you tried to tell me that .”
    “I guess not.” It sounded as though he were smiling through the words, but I kept my eyes fixed outside my window out of fear that I might sock him if I caught him laughing.
    “Anyway, she’s my ex ,” he corrected. His tone was so low I wasn’t even sure he believed it himself. “We’re not together.”
    “Did anyone tell her that?”
    He didn’t look at me when he answered, “It’s complicated.”
    “I’m sure it is,” I grumbled, patting down my whiskey stained jeans, certain that I didn’t want to be a part of it.
    There was no doubt in my mind that there was unfinished business between the two of them. That much I knew. What I didn’t know was how I factored into it. Why had she felt so threatened by something as trivial as a conversation between two people? Surely I wasn’t the first girl to speak to