A long, low noise echoed through the house.
I froze, heat rushing up my cheeks as I remembered the last time I’d heard a strange noise in this place.
Not again, I told myself.
But as I went to put on my boots, I heard it again.
That…no. That wasn’t right.
A second later, the noise became a scream, a tortured one of pain.
I took off running.
I heard it again and in my gut, I knew who it was.
Dominic.
I wrenched open the door knob and shoved it open, staring in, uncertain what I’d find.
Sucking in a breath, I stared at the moonlight streaming down in the bed, centered under a massive skylight.
Dominic…?
He twisted on the bed, a harsh noise escaping him. A wordless sort of denial.
Shrugging out of my coat, I let it fall to the floor as I went to him.
His sheets were tangled around his waist, but his chest was bare. His arms were moving, as if fending off something or someone. His face was contorted as he made another sound. This one wasn’t a yell. It was a whimper.
“Dominic,” I said softly, settling my hip on the edge of the bed. He didn’t wake. I grabbed his shoulders and tried not to think about the fact that his skin was bare beneath my palms.
“Dominic!” I shook him, then harder when he didn’t respond.
Suddenly, his eyes popped open.
I had barely even a second to process it before I was thrown beneath him, his hands gripping my wrists as he pinned me down. Terror blasted through me.
And then, he blinked.
“Aleena,” he said, panting.
“I…” My breath wasn’t coming any easier than his.
“Aleena…”
Oh shit.
His mouth was hard, desperate, and this time, he didn’t seek entrance to my mouth.
He just took it.
Our first kiss had been hot and slow, a tease…a temptation. This one was pure, raw desire, and something primal twisted low in my stomach.
When his hands slid down my back to tug at the back of my shirt, I knew what he wanted.
Fuck it.
I was tired of playing it safe.
I raised my arms and let him pull my shirt off. He came back down on top of me and I wrapped my arms around him, welcoming his weight. I barely processed the fact that he was naked.
I shivered and then his mouth was on me, lips and tongue moving across my collarbones and down to the tops of my breasts. His hands slipped under me, arching me up as he closed his mouth around one nipple, then the other.
I moaned, then, as he tugged on me with his teeth, I whimpered.
I ran my hands up his arms, squeezing as he licked and sucked on the hardening flesh. His teeth teased at it and I whimpered. I ran my hands down his chest, nails raking over his flat nipples until his hands went to my waist. His hand slid past the waistband of my yoga pants as his mouth returned to mine.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. I pushed my tongue into his mouth, eager to taste and explore. I knew this would never happen again. I wanted to make the most of it. I curled my tongue around his and then started to shudder as he slid a finger between my folds, stroking it over my clit.
Hot waves of pleasure blasted at me and I tensed, shudders wracking my entire body. I could feel his cock hard against my hip. I arched up against him as he nipped at my bottom lip. His lips traced down over my jaw to my throat and his hand moved lower.
When he pushed one finger inside me, I cried out.
“So tight,” he murmured against the side of my neck.
I raised my hips to meet his hand. His teeth raked along my neck, adding to the sensation racing through me. Heat built inside and I tensed beneath him, nails biting into his skin.
Dominic’s teeth scraped against the place where my neck and shoulder met and I whimpered. He pulled skin into his mouth as a second finger joined the first. He wasn’t gentle as he pumped his fingers into me, twisting and curling, rubbing against me, sending hot sparks of pleasure dancing across my nerves. Then his thumb started flicking across my clit and I was coming.
I choked on a scream as I rode out my orgasm. I felt Dominic’s hands on my hips, jerking my pants away.
Panting for air, I stared down, watching as he settled his weight across me once more. I didn’t dare look at his face, afraid that any eye contact would break the spell we were under and end this.
I didn’t want it to end, not yet.
He came between my legs, the head of his cock rubbing against me. My heart thudded against my ribs and I whimpered when he passed against me, once, twice.
He propped himself up on one arm and then slowly, he pushed inside. I cried out, unable to silence the noise as he surged against me. When I thought I could take no more, he withdrew and I caught my breath, but then, he retreated and it began again.
He stretched me impossibly wide and pain mixed with pleasure. I squeezed my eyes shut, the sensations overwhelming.
He barely paused when he reached the end of me, drawing back and then surging forward with a primal groan. I grabbed onto his arms as he pounded into me, each stroke harder than the last. It was like nothing I’d ever felt before. Nothing could compare to this.
Dominic dipped his head and rubbed his mouth against mine. At the same time, he slid a hand between us. When his fingers circled around my clit, I clenched down around him.
“Don’t…don’t do…fuck, fuck, fuck!” he growled as he buried himself inside me.
Abruptly, he came down harder against me, grabbing my hands and forcing them high over my head. Any sound I might have made was caught by his mouth as he kissed me, a savage, demanding claiming as he started to ride me, his body moving higher, stroking against my clit with each driving thrust.
His cock swelled. I felt it within me. Pleasure crashed and swelled and the combined sensations sent me flying. I came hard and fast, even as Dominic’s hips jerked against mine.
He swore against my mouth, his teeth sinking into my lower lip with a force that was almost too much, but in that moment, I didn’t care.
I only cared about the pressure of his body on mine, the movement…and the sound of my name of his lips.
Endless moments passed as our breathing slowed.
He pulled me close, tugging me up against his body as though he’d never let me go. I might have thought he was still asleep, but he pressed his face into my hair and I heard him murmur my name.
I think I also heard my heart crack.
Right down the middle.
Eventually, he slept.
It wasn’t until that moment that I let myself climb out of the bed and dress. I slipped out of the house in silence, hardly daring to think about what I had done.
7
Aleena
I awoke sore.
There was a time when I’d woken in this state before, but the memories hadn’t been anything like this. That time, I’d been flooded with shame and misery and regret.
This time?
There was just…wistfulness.
Last night had been a fantasy. A dream. Something that wasn’t likely to ever happen again and I knew it, but damn if I wouldn’t relish those memories, even if I didn’t wonder about the cause behind them.
His nightmare.
I couldn’t help but recall the scars I’d seen on Dominic and wonder if the nightmare from last night lay behind whatever had caused those marks on his body. Something had marked him, and not just physically.
I can’t claim any great insight, other than instinct, but I’d be willing to bet everything I had that I was right.
Last night, he’d been like a different man, one chased by demons. I could see the echoes of those demons on me even now. The mirror showed the evidence as I dressed, revealing what I hadn’t seen in my haste to hide myself in the covers last night.
The hickey on my neck was only one mark.
My hi
ps bore the marks of his hands. My breath catching, I stared at myself, my breath hitching as I recalled how it had felt, to have him driving into me, his breath ragged in my ear.
“Stop it,” I told myself. “Just stop.”
Averting my gaze, I tugged on a pair of jeans—nice and casual. It was the weekend, after all. I topped the jeans with a pretty blouse and a scarf, hiding the mark on my neck.
I took a little time to deal with my hair and then I brushed on some make-up and glanced at the clock. I’d had four hours of sleep.
Not a lot, but I couldn’t lay in bed when I had work to do.
I’d thought—hoped—that his nightmare, the party, all of it, would allow me some peace.
I hadn’t even had five minutes inside the house before he found me. Leaning against the counter, whittling down the task list for the day, I nibbled on toast and guzzled coffee and had absolutely no time to brace myself.
One moment I was alone.
The next…
“Aleena.” His tone was soft and heat bloomed in my stomach.
Slowly, I lowered my cup of coffee. He stood in the doorway.
Behind him, organized chaos reigned. Pierson and Co—as I’d taken to calling the staff at the main house—were out in full force. Already, they’d made a significant dent and it wasn’t even eight in the morning.
Oddly enough, it was their presence that gave me some modicum of control.
I sipped at my sugar-laden coffee and smiled at Dominic over the rim. I was pleased with the professional slant of said smile, too. “Good morning, Dominic.”
“I think we need to talk.”
I glanced past him into the hall and then looked down at the phone I had just put down, at my agenda, pursing my lips. My heart skipped a beat, but he didn’t need to know that. Nor did he need to know how the sight of him standing there in worn jeans and a battered T-shirt made him look completely and totally biteable.
“Oh?” I glanced at him and then took a sip of my coffee. “Was there something on the agenda for the day? I’m going to be pretty slammed getting everything in order after last night, but I should be able to free up some time within the next few hours.”
Denial, as they say, isn’t just a river in Egypt.
He scowled at me and then reached out and flipped my phone over. “Fuck the agenda. We need to talk.”
A knot lodged in my throat as I slanted a look up at him. The expression on his face was one I hadn’t seen before. Concern…and the slightest edge of panic.
Abruptly, I understood.
I was his employee.
We worked together, and more than that, we had a weird set of living arrangements. I could only imagine where his thoughts were traveling. I drew in a deep, slow breath, preparing myself to say something—anything.
He beat me to it.
“I am so sorry about last night. I don’t know what got into me. I never—”
“It’s okay.” I plastered a smile I didn’t feel on my face. The last thing I needed to hear was that I wasn’t his type, that we didn’t move in the same worlds, or that he hadn’t meant any of it and that it had been a mistake. I knew all of that.
“No, it’s not!” A bit of his control slipped. “We didn’t...I mean, I didn’t...” He ran a hand through his hair. “Damn it!”
“Okay.” I ran my tongue across my teeth and put down my cup of coffee. Crossing my arms over my chest, I studied him. “Why don’t you just tell me what’s on your mind, Dominic?”
He gave me a puzzled look, as if he couldn’t figure out why I was being so calm. “I don’t know what you remember about last night, but we didn’t use any protection.”
Oh, that. I looked away and hoped my flush didn’t show. “Yeah. I’m aware.”
“I am so sorry,” he repeated. “I don’t know what came over me. I know better. And you shouldn’t worry about anything. I get tested every couple months, just in case and I always use protection.” He paused, and then added in a wry voice, “Or at least it used to be always.”
I really was an idiot, I thought. Nausea pitched and rolled through me, but I’d deal with that later. Looking away, I jerked a shoulder in a shrug. “You…look. I didn’t think about it either. You don’t have anything to worry about on my end. I’m clean.”
“It’s not…” He swore. “Damn it, Aleena. It’s not just that. I know better.”
“I’m twenty-one years old,” I snapped, shooting him a dark look. “I’ve been aware of what sex—and the consequences—are for quite a while. So technically, I know better, too.”
He sucked in a breath, then stopped. “Okay. Okay. Look, I’ll have Maxwell drive you to the pharmacy in town. Plan B is covered by your insurance—”
“No.” I sucked in a breath as I realized just where his train of thought had gone.
Plan B. So that’s what this is about. He was freaking out because he was worried he might have knocked me up. Turning around, I picked up my coffee and stared out over the lavish gardens.
“Relax, boss. I’m on the pill.” I fell back into matter-of-fact, professional mode. That explained things. Bad enough to fuck an employee, but to knock one up would’ve been worse.
I mentally thanked Molly for persuading me to go on the pill four months ago.
“You are now dating and condoms are not hundred percent safe,” she’d insisted.
Dating…
It was the only guy I’d dated since moving to Manhattan and it’d been a disaster. He’d turned out to be a complete prick but thankfully I found out before sleeping with him. I was still on the pill, however.
I fought not to cringe as I heard Dominic heave out a sigh of relief.
All that panic, I thought dismally. Apparently, the thought of having a baby with a woman like me was just too hideous for him to comprehend.
Casually, I gathered up my dishes and moved to the sink. “There’s nothing to concern yourself about, sir. It was a heat of the moment thing. Neither one of us was expecting what happened.”
I turned to face him, ready to excuse myself, but that just didn’t seem to be in the cards. Dominic cleared his throat, shifting his weight uneasily. “Okay. Well…yeah…”
He cleared his throat, looking humiliated as he turned away. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way…” He went to the refrigerator and took out an energy drink. “We really should talk about what happened.”
No. I mentally shook my head at the very thought of it. I wasn’t going to do this. Maybe that was crazy—weren’t guys the ones who were supposed to be resistant to the idea of talking about things? As I stood there, feeling awkward and uncertain, I realized that I was the one who didn’t want to talk about this. I didn’t want to have the emotions I was already feeling for him laid bare.
Clearing my throat, I said, “Look, Dominic, last night was a fluke.”
It was the truth and I knew, but admitting it made it no less painful. I forced myself to smile, like it was no big deal. But it was…and it hurt.
As I spoke, his brows shot up, but Dominic said nothing.
“I don’t know how much you remember,” I said, turning away before I could read the answer on his face. I didn’t want to know what he really thought about last night. “I came into the house because I’d forgotten my phone. I heard a noise from upstairs and thought you were in trouble.” I kept things simple. “It looked like you were having a nightmare of some kind.”
“You woke me up,” he said softly. “I remember where things went from there.”
I shrugged. “Like I said…it was a fluke. It was the heat of the moment. Neither of us was thinking clearly.”
“Aleena.”
No. I wasn’t going to think about the way he said my name. It didn’t mean anything special. Not to him.
“It didn’t mean anything,” I said. The words almost came out harsh. “I’m not expecting anything from you. I don’t think we’re in a relationship and I’m not going to accuse you of sexual harassment.” I turned sligh
tly and gave him the best smile I could. “No blackmail, or lawsuits. It was just sex. End of.”
“Just sex.”
I looked over at him. His expression was blank.
Silence stretched out, and then after a moment, he cleared his throat. “Okay.” He took a drink and then continued, “Okay, look…yeah, last night complicated things. For the record, I never assumed you would try and accuse me of harassment, although…” He turned away and braced his hands on the counter. “If you did, you’d probably have a case. I put my hands on you, Aleena. We both know it.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t knock them off,” I muttered.
He glanced at me through his lashes.
I glared back.
After a moment, he looked away. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have happened.”
“Agreed.” I inclined my head.
He nodded. “I don’t do this. I don’t do relationships and complications. With anyone, especially not an employee.”
“That sounds…” Lonely, I thought. “Wise.” Then I smiled at him. “Stop worrying. We’re good. We’ve got a working relationship and believe me, that’s all I want.”
He smiled at me, that polite, professional smile that I was sure made a lot of women swoon. But I’d seen his real smile, the one that made his eyes light up. This one was only a shadow compared to the other.
8
Dominic
I’d seriously fucked up.
I knew that if I told Fawna what I’d done, she’d not only agree with me, she’d probably slap me upside the back of my head for doing something that stupid. The kiss at the ball had been dumb enough, but what happened that night was even worse.
But to be honest, my mistakes had started far earlier than that. It had started almost the moment I’d seen her standing at the door of my penthouse.
It had gotten worse over the past few weeks and had culminated last night. The moment I’d had her in my arms, I’d known I’d made a mistake. She’d fit there perfectly, as if we’d been made to dance together.
That accidental kiss that hadn’t been as accidental as I’d made it out to be…if I’d just not done that, then maybe I would have been okay.