Her hand was literally twitching and wanting to knock on his door. She stood there for a few moments, chewing her lip before squaring her shoulders and moving down the hallway to her apartment. She had put the key in and was pushing the door open when she heard a commotion behind her. Whirling around, she saw Dominic burst from his apartment, causing his door to fly back against the wall with a loud whack. She stood gaping at his disheveled appearance. His short, spiky hair looked as if he’d slept on it the wrong way. His clothes were rumpled, and he had a crease in the side of one cheek. Yep, from the looks of it, he’d been sleeping and woken abruptly. “Hey,” she croaked out, and then wanted to cringe at how high her voice was. Ugh, if saying one word could make you sound desperate, then she’d nailed it perfectly.

“Hey . . . babe,” he replied softly, as he seemed to drink her in. She’d noticed his hesitation over the use of his usual endearment and tried not to make a big deal out of it. He’d been asleep, and probably wasn’t thinking too clearly yet. “Did you . . . um, have a good time at your sister’s house?”

Blinking in surprise, she tried to figure out how he knew where she’d been. She didn’t think he’d ask Mia or Crystal, so it had to be Shannon. Was it evil that she hoped Megan and Maddy gave him hell? “I did.” She nodded. “Wendy and Peter are great. She’s a bit bossy, but you never have to worry about her holding back.” Gwen hadn’t really meant for that last line to be a dig at him, but when he flinched, she had to wonder if he’d taken it that way. Maybe a guilty conscience.

Looking very unlike the usual confident Dominic that she knew, he stuck his hands in his pockets and studied the floor before abruptly asking, “Have you had dinner yet?” When she shook her head no, he asked, “Can I . . . I mean, do you want to go—with me to get something?” Looking at his clothes with a grimace, he added, “I can change clothes in just a few minutes.”

Gwen was tired and still hurt over his week of silence, but he was making an effort. Wasn’t that what she wanted? If he hadn’t wanted to see her, he could just as easily have stayed in his apartment, but he hadn’t. And dammit, he looked so adorably hopeful that she didn’t have the heart to play hard to get tonight. Her stomach, which always seemed to betray her, growled loudly right before she agreed, causing them both to laugh. “I guess that’s a yes then,” she joked. “Just let me take my suitcase inside and freshen up. I’ll come to your place when I’m ready, okay?”

Maybe it was her imagination, but he looked thrilled as he hurried toward his door. “Great, I’ll hurry, babe.” As he disappeared through his door, Gwen followed suit more slowly. She couldn’t help but marvel at how much things had changed between them in a short amount of time. The old Dominic would have kissed her senseless by now. God, she missed that easy connection that they’d had from the beginning. Now it was almost as if they were going on their first date. Had things changed that much because there was no longer the possibility of a baby? And what about the conversation she’d overheard between Gage and Dominic about Kandi?

Running a hand through her hair, Gwen fought the urge to knock her head against the door until either her thoughts had cleared or she passed out. One day at a time, right? She’d promised herself and Wendy that. So now, this was day one and it was time to sit back and see where things were going to go.

*   *   *

Oh my God, I’m a complete failure at this, Gwen thought as she listened to the door close behind Dominic. Slumping back against her pillow, her mind wandered to the previous night as she tried to figure out where she’d lost control.

Since they both loved Italian food, Dominic had taken her to a new place in North Myrtle Beach called Nino’s. They’d ordered the lasagna for two and after that . . . things had gotten strange. Gwen had been at her bungling best, and Dominic hadn’t been much better. Between them, they had managed to knock over a glass of wine, and then the bottle before Dominic stuck his elbow in his antipasti salad followed by Gwen dropping a huge bite of her lasagna onto her white top.

When they left, they were both splattered in food and wine, and she was certain the restaurant hoped they’d never come back again. She didn’t know if she’d ever felt that socially awkward before. She should have known it was a sign of the evening to come when she rolled her silverware from her napkin and directly onto the floor where it made a loud bang.

Even the conversation had been sweet and shy. They had each talked more about their families and their teenage and college years. He had opened up about his time in the military with Mac, Gage, and Declan. He had said that it had been very hard being away from his family, but that he’d mostly enjoyed the time he’d served and the brothers that he’d grown to love. Gwen came away from the meal with new insight into the man who had come to mean so much to her.

When they’d returned home, she and Dominic had stood outside her door looking everywhere but at each other. It seemed that the good night kiss stress that usually came after a first date was back, which was absurd since they’d slept together numerous times. If it was possible to turn back the clock on a relationship, then they seemed to have done it. She cleared her throat nervously while Dominic actually scuffed his foot back and forth. To have something to do with her hands, she’d shifted to unlock her door. When she turned back to say good night, Dominic had given her a shy grin, and then she had no idea how it happened, but before she realized what was happening, she was in the entryway of her apartment with her mouth crushed against Dominic’s and her legs around his waist.