by Anne Marck
“I told her that I would help her,” I try to explain in vain.
He shakes his head, bewildered, and slides his fingers through his hair, tousling it into a beautiful disarray. “Go tell her to meet you at my place from now on,” he demands as he points at Jasmine’s door, his eyes no longer on me.
I torn down Dominic’s façade of self-control, and I know he doesn’t like it at all.
I obey, knocking on the door several times, but it seems that Jasmine isn’t here.
Done waiting, Dominic takes my hand, pulling me onto the street. We stop in front of his bike, and he hands me a helmet.
My heart starts to race. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.
He helps me put the helmet on without looking into my eyes once. Then, when we’re on the bike, he tells me to hold on to him tightly.
I feel his heart’s quick beats. Does his heart race for me?
I giggle at the thought and rest my cheek on his back, letting the roar of the bike dominate my surroundings, and enjoy the pleasant vibration on my lower parts.
Luna
Dominic doesn’t drive us home like I expected. With the wind against our bodies and curiosity doing a job on my nerves, I watch the road without recognizing anything until I realize he’s taking us to the northern side of the city, in the high region.
He leads the vehicle off the main road and onto a steep dirt road, forcing me to hold on to him more firmly, not that I have any problem with that. Shortly thereafter, Dominic parks and turns off the engine.
Too surprised to say anything, I take off my helmet, barely believing the perfect sight in front of me.
The city is completely at our feet. It’s indescribable.
I slip off the bike and walk to the edge of the cliff, fascinated. I open my arms, letting the cool wind penetrate my skin, feeling an unprecedented sense of freedom.
“Dominic, this place is incredi—” I am unable to finish the sentence as I turn to face him.
He is still sitting on his motorcycle, his eyes fixed on me, and in his hand is the paper that was recently in my pocket.
“This is you,” he says without expression.
I put my hand in my pocket to confirm that really is the same paper. How did he get it without me noticing?
I’m bristling with so many emotions … Irritation for the intrusion. Fear of being betrayed. Apprehension at what must be going through his head. Everything blends together. Like everything with Dominic, my emotions become an absolute jumble.
“You shouldn’t have gone through my pocket.” I fold my arms over my chest defensively.
“Who are you, Luna?”
The question hits me like a bowling ball. I don’t know what to say. No witty response comes to mind, only the unknown desire to be honest.
I study him, seeing he wants the truth and won’t accept anything less.
I turn my back on him, seeing the world below and gaining courage to speak. “My name is Luna St. Clair. I’m the twenty-one-year-old daughter of Alma and Benedito St. Clair. My father was the owner of the St. Clair Group—you’ve probably heard the name. He passed away when I was eleven. My mother remarried five years ago to Vincent Wine”—I take a deep breath—“the politician.”
Dominic gets off his bike and walks up to me, staying silent at my side.
“I don’t have any siblings. My mother and I were the sole heirs to my father’s estate.” I don’t recognize my own voice. “In his will, he made it clear that I could only have access to my inheritance on the day I turned twenty-one.” Despite myself, my eyes are wet.
I keep silent for a moment, thinking about how money has destroyed our lives.
My innocent mother married the dirtiest and most selfish man of all, one who never really made her happy. She was deceived by Vincent countless times, notable betrayals that were ignored by the public. Being the skilled politician that he is, Vincent knew how to twist everything so it all got wrapped in a damn bow. His sole purpose for all this: to steal from our family. My age restriction imposed by the will was the only thing stopping him from seizing all our wealth.
I tell Dominic all the details of the last years of my mother’s life, how she was used only to sign papers, deprived of a social life because her self-esteem had been beaten down by Vincent.
I tried to stay as far away from their relationship as possible. It hurt to see my mother suffering, but her love for the miserable asshole was unbreakable, like a spell. I only wanted her to be happy.
The day of the accident, I knew something was wrong. I can’t explain how or why; I just knew.
Vincent had strongly encouraged my mother to drive her own vehicle, saying she needed to overcome her fear of leaving the house. The perfect excuse was to take me shopping for a trip that the three of us were taking to celebrate my birthday the next week. The trip, by the way, was his idea.
We were supposed to go to Italy like a beautiful, happy family, full of plans for the future. The bags were already packed, tickets and the hotel were booked, everything was lined up.
I know now that it was his coldly created alibi.
My mother gave in, gaining the courage to drive her car out of the gates. At the first sharp turn, though, I watched her fear at the realization that the vehicle didn’t have brakes. From then on, everything was a blur.
I remember my mother screaming above my own scream. I remember the car crashing through the protective roadblocks and flying freely into the abyss. I remember thinking it was the end for both of us.
Before the car stopped, it crashed into a rocky embankment, crushing the left side. My side was suspended in the air, and soon the airbag exploded in my face. After that, I only remember waking up in the hospital.
Dominic wraps his warm arms around me, holding me while I talk and let the tears flow freely.
“The first night at the hospital, something happened.” I shrink at the memory. “I was drowsy, struggling not to succumb to the effects of medication when a large, dark-haired man approached the bed with a pillow. At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but then he aggressively pulled my respirator mask off, and I knew I was in danger. He put the pillow over my face, crushing me.” I grab the base of my neck, struggling to breathe at the memory. “I-I was so scared, Dominic. He couldn’t finish the job, though, because a nurse came in and screamed, and he fled. I owe my life to her.”
“It wasn’t Vincent Wine?” Dominic says softly, but I feel the vibration of his muscles around me.
“No,” I whisper.
“Did you know him?”
I nod.
I didn’t recognize him at the time, so foggy from the painkillers, but something about him was familiar. I just couldn’t remember what. My stomach heaves at the vivid memory.
“It was his smell.” I swallow the bitter taste flooding my mouth. “Frank, Vincent’s younger brother. It was him. The scent of his cologne mixed with tobacco is unmistakable.”
“Damn coward,” Dominic seethes.
I bite my lip and nod weakly. He is a coward.
“According to the nurse, Frank tried to get to me again the next morning.” I close my eyes in disgust.
“What did he do?” Dominic can no longer mask his anger.
“The nurse saw a man dressed as a doctor hanging around the hospital room door. When she called security, he managed to escape.”
The nurse knew I wasn’t safe and asked if I knew who might be trying to kill me. It was then that something clicked. I had overheard a conversation between Vincent and him.
How stupid was I to not figure things out sooner? I could have avoided all this if I had looked more closely at what was happening right in front of me. Stupid!
I hate the asshole for plotting such a horrible thing against the woman who loved him with unbridled devotion.
He will pay. Vincent will pay for destroying my family. This is my only goal, and it has become my life mission.
I’m drawn from my thoughts when Dominic grabs my c
hin and turns my face toward him.
“Luna, I see a spark in your eyes that I don’t like.” The intensity of his gaze feels like he can see right through me. “What’s on your mind? Tell me.”
I breathe heavily, facing his concern. “I’m sorry, Dominic, but this is all about me,” I tell him with conviction, hatred for Vincent flowing through my veins.
His gray gaze fixates on me. “Everything that concerns you, Luna, now concerns me. I’m not going to let you do anything foolish. Do you understand that?” Sympathetic Dominic is gone.
However, this is my battle. I, and I alone, must end this.
“You can’t save everyone, Dominic. You’ve already done enough by helping me physically. But you can’t solve all my problems.”
“We’ll see about that, baby,” he whispers, accepting the challenge, a deathly calm taking over his handsome face. “It’s up to you. But know I won’t let you do anything stupid that puts your life at risk.” The warning is as transparent as water.
With a deep breath, I decide to break the tension between us and move away. There is no reason to start a fight with him when the matter is already settled.
Vincent is too powerful, and I will not drag Dominic into this. Besides, I have a plan, and I’m close to setting it in motion. Vincent will fall by my hands, and what the damn bastard can’t imagine is that my Taj Mahal school project will land him straight in jail.
Dominic
You don’t have to be smart to know that Luna is planning something. She’s transparent and doesn’t even know it. The problem is finding out what exactly is causing that dark glow in her eyes.
Being raised on the streets, surrounded by danger, has given me the ability to recognize signs preceding some big shit about to happen. Not if I can help it, though.
I will keep an eye on her. If she thinks I’m going to allow her to put herself in danger, she has never been more wrong.
I haven’t accepted her attempt to walk away, and I don’t intend to give her a chance to do so. Luna is burrowing into me, and my need to keep her safe is stronger than anything else.
Seeing her surrounded by the kids in Raid’s gang made me see red. I felt sick and overcome by a fury that had long since been asleep. I don’t want to think about what could have happened if my instincts hadn’t warned me that she was going to do the exact opposite of what I asked her. She wouldn’t be Luna if she weren’t stubborn, would she?
If she’s so naïve as to put herself at risk with something so simple as going to that place, what is she planning to do about the fucking politician?
I snort in disgust. Luna is fucking with my self-control. And every day, it gets worse.
Kissing her for the second time was the best fucked-up thing in the universe. I was ruled by the desire to punish her for putting herself at risk and, at the same time, desire to take her as mine and protect her. My brain melts into paste when the girl is at stake.
These feelings are enough to squeeze my gut, but now I have a new problem: Vincent Wine.
Luna
Dominic has been very quiet since giving lecturing about not putting myself at risk. He’s worked tirelessly at the community center and barely spoken to me, while I’ve stayed in a corner like a grounded child.
Jasmine didn’t show up again. I don’t have a good feeling about that. And even if Dominic doesn’t approve, I need to know what’s going on with her. If this is going to cost me another problem with him, so be it. I’ll just end up getting another one of his angry kisses … That won’t be so bad.
The fact is that I have already decided I only have two more days in his house and I don’t intend to stay longer. But now I feel like Dominic wants me as much as I want him—nobody indifferent would kiss me like that—and I have to do something about it before I leave.
Upon our return from the community center, as soon as we enter his apartment, he walks into the hallway, seeming to be avoiding me.
“I’m going to take a shower,” is all he says.
“Dominic,” I whisper.
He stops, and then I hear his heavy exhalation. “Yes, Luna?”
“Can I take a shower with you?” I ask in a chaste tone.
I watch as his back stiffens and he clenches his fists as if I just challenged him to a duel. It takes everything I have not to laugh. I know I went too far, but if I want something, I’ve already seen that I’ll have to fight for it.
He takes another deep breath. “Don’t tease me, baby. It’s dangerous. You don’t know what you’re getting into, and you may not be able to handle it later.”
All my hairs bristle at the veiled threat. He’s so threatening and stimulating at the same time. I feel like I’ve touched something electric that could bring me to my knees.
I should feel fear, listen to my instincts and retreat, but I want it more than I’ve ever wanted anything.
My heart pounding, my legs weak, moisture crawls through my most intimate parts, feeling like a deep pain begging to be healed. I’ve never had intimate contact with a man, yet something inside me screams that I’m more than ready.
“I can handle it, Dom.” I use the nickname with courage, holding my voice strong by a thread.
He turns around. In the dim light of the corridor, his eyes darken and air brutally escapes his flared nostrils. His strong, lean body is rigid. The view is absolutely stunning.
Like a feline in attack mode, he approaches, step by step, intimidating, deliberately arrogant, holding my gaze and my breath. And then he stops in front of me, sliding his warm fingers gently down my cheek. There is nothing poignant in the gesture; it’s more like a warning.
“Can you, baby?” I feel the challenge amid the harshness.
With bold, shaking hands, I touch his face, too, showing that I’m game for whatever he has in mind. “If you doubt it, try it,” I whisper with calculated recklessness.
He clenches his jaw until I hear his teeth grinding.
I need to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing.
“Luna, Luna … You are so innocent that sometimes you don’t even know what you’re getting yourself into.” His countenance takes on a deadly calm. “I appreciate your attempt, I really do.” He brushes his fingers across my lips. Then a cold smile tilts the corners of his lips. “But I have my own kinks, child, and I don’t think you can handle them.”
Air escapes me. Lord, his energy incinerates me. I’m flooded with a mixture of wanting and retreating from the unknown. And he notices.
His smile becomes evil, his eyes triumphant, as if he’s proven his point.
I keep silent, unable to move a muscle.
Dominic seizes the moment to head back into the hall.
Dominic: one.
Luna: zero.
Not that I’m not going to try to change that.
Dominic
I press my hand against the shower wall and dip my head into the icy-cold water.
Fuck! What is she doing to me? Why don’t I just claim her once and for all and get her out of my system?
Because Luna is just a girl, one who’s just been mindfucked. It wouldn’t be right for me to take advantage. I want her with my whole body—there’s no doubt about that—so much so that my cock is rebelling against me. But she was just testing me. She’s still not ready.
Luna
If Dominic thinks he can run, he’s wrong. After his shower, he went into the kitchen to take refuge from me, claiming to prepare something to eat. I gave him a few minutes—a strategy to get him to relax—but now I’m going for a more persuasive onslaught.
I take a shower then put on one of his huge T-shirts. Nothing else.
My days in this house are numbered. I refuse to leave without surrendering to this need. I will not let fate take its course without intrusion, not this time. Life has already taught me that waiting for an improvement is illusory. I have been too passive.
I enter the small kitchen, and as soon as Dominic notices my presence, his attitude becomes indifferent
. Deep down, I want to believe that this is just a front.
Dominic
I hardly believe what I’m seeing. Luna, wearing one of my T-shirts, only covering the tops of her slender thighs, leaving the rest bare. Shit, this girl wants to drive me crazy …
With her testing my resistance, I don’t know how much longer this can last.
I slide my hand through my hair, scratch my beard, and then finally face her. “Come on, Luna; what are you doing?” I’m going for objectivity, wanting to get all the shit out of the way.
With a pretend innocence and a determined glow in her blue eyes, she jumps onto the marble countertop beside me. Her fiery red hair falls over her face, and she tosses it to the side sensually, as a woman would. The T-shirt goes up a few inches, exposing more of her soft skin.
I clench my jaw when I feel my body react.
“Waiting for food?” she answers innocently.
Okay, I get your game. And yes, I can play, too. I even like it.
I smile friendly and lean over her body slowly, catching her off guard. Resting one hand on each side of her waist without touching her, I watch as her breathing quickens, her pupils dilate, and the blood flows through the vein in her delicate neck in a beautiful rhythm. Then I position myself a few inches from her face and have to work hard to stay focused and teach her a lesson in seduction.
I watch as she slides her soft, tasty fucking tongue across her red lips and have to lock my muscles, wanting to devour her mouth.
“Luna …?”
“Y-yes,” she murmurs with a small moan.
Damn, I’m dying here.
I smile, contradicting the kick in my chest. “Will you lean over so I can get the salt behind you?” My tone is impassive, falsely composed.
Shock is evident in her wide eyes. Then she swallows hard.
I walk away and just watch as she jumps off the counter, crosses her arms, and storms out of the kitchen.