Forbidden Passion

Chapter One

Tessa walked into the town bar with her friend, Michelle. She couldn’t help when her gaze automatically went to the end of the bar where Dominik, the man of her dreams, always sat.

She froze when she saw he was staring at her. She always caught him looking at her whenever she turned to him and smiled, but he never took a step toward her. She’d lived in the town of Parkersburg for five months and had probably seen Dominik a few dozen times, but it hadn’t gone farther than that.

She was tired of waiting for him to make a move and decided that that night, she was going to pull up her big girl panties and go to him. That’s if she didn’t pee her panties first.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. He caused shivers to race up her spine, but she knew it had to do with pure hormonal need and never fear. Oh, she knew some, or actually a lot, of people were terrified of him. But never did he make her feel it.

Everything about the man was large, powerful, and dominant. Even though she never said a word to him, she could tell from across the bar. He had to be close to six and a half feet tall, and she guessed over two hundred pounds. But he was also dark—dark skin from working outside, dark hair, and eyes. The scars from an accident he’d had years before were noticeable, but it didn’t lessen her attraction to him.

Someone handed her a drink, and she sipped it while she listened to her friends from work. She tried to be attentive to the conversation, but her attention always strayed to Dominik.

Several hours later, she finally decided to make a move.

“Hey, Michelle, can you hold this for me, please?” Tessa asked.

Michelle reached for the glass and focused on what she was looking at. “Girl, are you really going to talk to him?”

Tessa nodded. “I’m sick of waiting.”

“I’m not sure you’ll be able to deal with him,” Michelle said.

Tessa glanced at her and frowned. “Why?”

“First off, he’s huge, and you’re tiny. You’re also as sweet as can be, and Dominik is the opposite. I’ve known him for ten years, and he’s always been hard to be around, but after his accident…” Michelle shrugged. “He’s ten times more difficult. A lot of people are afraid of him, and the damage that was done to his face makes the fear worse. Maybe it would help if he did more than growl and scowl at people.”

Tessa scowled. “Are you talking about the scar on his face bothering people?”

“Well, it’s hard to ignore. Don’t get me wrong. He’s still a hot guy but rougher looking.”

“I noticed it, of course, but I really don’t see it.” Although she hadn’t gotten really close to him, it was hard not to see a scar on the side of his face. She knew when and if she got closer, it might look worse, but it didn’t matter to her at all.

“I know. I’ll never forget the first time we came here, and you saw him.” Michelle chuckled. “God, your face was flushed from the attraction, and it looked like you might burst into flames or have an orgasm standing there.”

Tessa felt her face grow hot from the blush. Her friend was right. Just looking at him was enough to make the gate to her desire burst open, and she was as close to orgasm as she’d ever been. The fact that they weren’t even touching surprised her but also told her they already had a connection.

“I’m going to talk to him.”

Michelle grabbed her arm. “Are you sure about this? I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Tessa patted Michelle’s hand. “Yes. I don’t want to wait any longer.”

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Michelle said.

Tessa smoothed her shirt before turning toward him. With every step she took closer to him, her heartbeat raced faster. She was glad he had his back turned as he listened to the guy next to him. It gave her a few seconds to calm down.

Her arm was taken abruptly, making her stop in her tracks.

“Hey, Beautiful, how about a dance?”

Tessa barely glanced at the man and yanked her arm away from his grip. “No, I’m sorry. I’m on my way to talk to a friend.”

The man was forgotten when she was two feet from Dominik. “Hi.”

Dominik turned to her, and his eyebrows shot up. “Hi.”

“My name is Tessa. What’s yours?” she asked, even though she already knew. She just wanted to keep him talking. The tone of his voice made her nipples harden into tight little stones, and she could feel her cum saturate her panties.

“Dominik.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

He scowled. She could see why many people were afraid of him. With his eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched, she could tell he wasn’t happy.

“Lady, what the hell are you doing?” he asked.

She looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“Standing here talking to me,” he said.

Tessa blinked in confusion. “I … I wanted to meet you.”

“Why?”

“Because…” A thought popped into her head. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“Fuck, no.”

“Are you gay?” she asked and fought not to smile.

“No.”

“Then what’s the problem with wanting to meet you?’ she asked.

“Because you belong on the other side of the room with the preppy guys.”

She frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“Don’t waste your time with me.”

“Why?”

“Because we come from two different worlds,” he said. “Add to that the fact you’re small enough to put in my pocket.”

She would have laughed at that if she wasn’t so confused. “Why do you think we’re so different besides our sizes?”

“Jesus, woman. You look like a fucking angel, and I look like a monster.”

Her teeth snapped together. She hated the thought that he saw himself that way. “That’s bull … poo.”

He smirked. “It’s bullshit, Baby.”

The endearment made her want to smile. “All right. It’s bullshit.”

His scowl darkened. “You’re right. I don’t like you cursing.”

Her smile widened, and she took a small step forward to stand between his widespread legs, surprising him. “Okay.”

If anything, he looked angrier. “Don’t do that. I can’t tell you what to do.”

“What if I want you to have the right?” she asked.

She watched as several emotions skittered across his face before it went blank.

“Look, I think you’re cute and all, but…”

She felt her stomach tighten in dread. She wanted him to think she was pretty and maybe hot. “You think I’m cute?”

He shrugged. “Yeah.”

She took a step back. She wanted to yell at him because she knew he was pushing her away, but he didn’t want to. She wasn’t going to beg him to like her or take a chance with her. “I see. Well, I’m sorry I bothered you.”

She turned without another word and walked away. With each step, she prayed he’d call her back, but it didn’t happen.

Michelle took one look at her face. “I’m sorry, hun.”

Tessa shook her head. “No. Don’t be. You warned me.”

“Yeah, but I was hoping it would work out for you.”

“Hey, look. I’m going to head home.”

“How about I drive you?” Michelle said.

Tessa shook her head. “No. It’s only a few blocks away, and I need the fresh air.”

Michelle hugged her. “Call me if you want to talk.”

Tessa squeezed her friend. “I will. Thank you.” She waved at a few more of her friends and walked out the door. She didn’t know if she’d be able to go back to the bar because seeing Dominik every time and knowing he didn’t find her attractive hurt too much.

Life had kicked her down so many times, but she’d always been able to get up and move on—she would do it this time, too.

When an arm reached out for her, grabbing her in a tight, violent grip as she passed the alleyway, it took her a second to understand what was happening. Then her back hit the brick wall, forcing the air out of her lungs at the impact.

“You fucking cunt, all you had to do was dance with me.”

The man started to tear at her clothing. She heard her shirt rip and started to fight.

He slammed her against the brick. “If you don’t fight me, I won’t kill you.”

That just made her fight harder.

He started hitting her with his fist and cursing at the same time, trying to get her jeans down.

One second, she was fighting for her life, and the next, there was nothing. She heard something off to the side and thought this was her chance to run, but she couldn’t get her legs to move and slid down until her ass hit the concrete. Her head throbbed so much she drew up her legs and rested her forehead on her knees.

She just needed a minute so she could get enough energy to move.