You Are Mine Little Sister (by Syra Tucker) novel Chapter 190

We stepped out into the evening together, the two drawings tucked into the canvas bag I carried. The air outside tasted like the day; clean, cold, a sugar-lick of last night's carols, and the streetlights made the snow read like spilled glitter.

"Are we heading home now?" I asked, hugging my arms to my chest as we walked along the snowy path.

"Not yet."

"Are you serious? We've been out here for hours."

"You tired?" He looked down at me with that careful face, a look that said he'd stop everything if I asked.

"Well, no. But don't you think you've spent too much already?"

We've had lunch before now. Then we went to the park where we played a lot of games. Though it was me playing most of them while he'd simply watch and cheer me.

I was definitely having a lot of fun and didn't want to be the fun-ruiner, but I also didn't want to bankrupt him with my company.

He smirked. "Don't worry, I already won fifty bucks from you. Slowly but surely, I'm getting my money back."

I narrowed my eyes, my fingers itching to bop his arm. Jerk.

......

By the time we reached our next stop, I was convinced Dominic secretly planned to end my life.

"I—I'm not doing that." I shook my head, staring in horror at the massive pendulum of death swinging before us. The last pair of riders shot past with a scream that could wake the dead. "Nope. Absolutely not."

"You backing down? That'll cost you another fifty."

I shot him a wide-eyed stare. He couldn't be serious.

One of the attendants who looked too cheerful for a man assisting in public executions walked up. "Would you like to ride now?"

Dominic told him yes while I shook my head so fast I probably looked like a bobblehead on caffeine. The man, clearly taking orders from the wrong person, took the tickets from Dominic and waved us forward.

"Domi—"

"You'll be fine," he said, slipping his hand into mine. "Trust me."

As he led us forward, my eyes dropped to our joined hands. The strangest thing was I didn't pull away. The contact didn't burn or jolt me.

Well, did anything about Dominic still need to be surprising? It was quite obvious the guy was breaking doors I'd built for my safety.

A minute later, we were strapped into a single seat, helmets on and all that. I grew nervous by the second and barely heard the staff counting down.

Gradually, we began our ascent. The city shrank beneath us, the wind licking at my cheeks. My stomach tried to crawl up my throat.

"Shit. I never should've agreed to this. Fifty bucks isn't worth my life," I said through gritted teeth.

The higher we went, the faster my fear climbed. I clamped my eyes shut, every muscle in my body locking up

The breeze blew hard at my face. I knew the moment we were extremely high in the air and knew it was time to scream. But just as I set my lungs to, a cold hand wrapped around mine.

My eyes opened, stared down at the hand holding mine, and there was Dominic, watching me.

I looked away, took the dare and stared down at the ground far beneath me. Somehow, I didn't feel the need to scream anymore.

And just before the ride came to an end, I laughed at some point.

....

After the swing, we ended up at a small Chinese restaurant glowing under red lanterns. The place smelt like soy, sesame, and heaven.

Dominic insisted I try xiao long bao. I wasn't sure I'd like it, but he insisted and well, these days, I tend to do everything he suggested. Weird.

The little soup dumplings looked innocent until one exploded in my mouth.

He stood there like a scene straight out of a commercial. The poor salesgirl behind the counter blushed so hard she could've melted the freezer. I didn't miss the way her hand intentionally brushed his when she passed him the cone.

I sighed. 'Geez, girl. He's not a topping you can add to your order.'

By the time he turned back to me, I'd forced a polite smile over my jealous scowl. "You didn't get any for yourself?"

"I'm good. Not really a fan."

I chuckled. "Thanks."

I took the cone and my first lick came with a brain freeze of pleasure.

We continued walking down the street. There seemed to be a festival taking place somewhere ahead. I'd been hearing the drums for miles and wished we'd get there.

"You seem to be quite popular among the ladies," I teased between licks.

He gave a small shrug. "It comes as a free package."

Hmph.

We reached a busier part of the street where there were children running, confetti falling, lights blinking like stars. I barely had time to react before two kids came hurtling toward me, shrieking with glee. I knew they were going to hit me and sidestepped to avoid collision. I bumped my side into Dominic in the process. It wasn't hard and didn't hurt, but one of those flashes I usually had in my dreams body-slammed me.

'You got this for me? How?' I asked, standing in a large empty hall filled with mannequins and fabric.

'You're my woman, Rali. The Torturer's woman. Do you really think anyone deserves to have you working under them when you could easily become your own boss?'

The faces were unclear; it was mostly the voices I heard, but somehow I could interpret the image. It was a new space. A space that felt like mine.

"Hey, you okay?"

Dominic's voice dragged me back.