Untouchable (Forbidden #1)

Chapter 16

16

H er body’s response was instantaneous. Heart pounding wildly, adrenaline pumping through her veins, she felt the same rush she had felt all those years ago when he’d held and kissed her.

“Uncle Dominic.” The words were breathless as they left her. He looked the same. Aside from a few silver hairs that reflected the moonlight, he was still all hard, powerful muscle and an imposing frame. It was awkward, to say the least, because all she could think about was what they’d shared all those years ago. Was he thinking the same? Picturing what they’d done?

He stepped onto the patio and moved toward her. Her throat was suddenly bone dry.

“I thought you were overseas.” She blurted out the words before she could stop them. “God, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for that to be the first thing that came out of me.” And now she just felt like an even bigger ass.

“You’re fine, Chloe.”

His voice was deep, husky. It seemed more masculine after all these years, if that were even possible.

“I was overseas.” He didn’t elaborate, and she didn’t probe for more details. If he wanted her to know more, he’d volunteer the information.

A thick moment of silence descended upon them, and Chloe found herself shifting uncomfortably. She cleared her throat and never thought she’d be in a moment more awkward than the day after she lost her virginity to Dominic.

How wrong she was.

“I-I didn’t mean to intrude. I didn’t know you’d be here.” She felt like she was going to pass out. This was uncomfortable and weird, and she hated it. “I’ll go because I don’t want to step on any toes.”

Moving the chair out of the way so she didn’t have to get too close to him and make this even more awkward, Chloe stepped right on one of the pieces of broken plate that littered the ground.

“Shit,” she cried out and lifted her foot instantly. But the awkward positioning had her losing her footing, and she started to fall forward. The ground came closer and closer, but right before she landed face first, Dominic was there, his arms wrapped tightly around her. He lifted her easily, moving her away from the shards that littered the ground.

The feel of her body against his sent a flush of heat through her. “Uncomfortable arousal” wasn’t even a string of words she’d have used to describe what she felt in that moment. When they entered the kitchen and he set her on the counter, it brought back memories she’d tried desperately to suppress. But of course, she’d failed miserably at every turn. He was on his knees in front of her with her injured foot in his hand in the next moment.

“The cut isn’t too deep, but it’s going to hurt like hell. Hang on, and I’ll get the first aid kit.” He stood and stared at her for a moment before striding off.

Could she leave before he came back? Making a quick getaway crossed her mind, but how childish would that look? Not to mention she would be a coward. If he wanted her to leave then he’d tell her; if not, well, maybe they could just talk. That would be really nice after all these years of silence.

When he came back into the kitchen, he held a small red box with a white cross on the front. He grabbed a chair and slid it across the floor until it was right in front of her. Dominic sat down and lifted her leg, resting it on his thigh. He looked at her foot again and made a tsking sound under his breath.

“You should be more careful, Chloe.”

“I tend to hear that a lot,” she mumbled under her breath and looked down at him, their gazes holding.

“If you weren’t so anxious to get away from me you could have avoided this.”

She instantly felt her face heat at his words, and had no retort to his comment. He was right, of course. As the silence progressed and he cleaned and dressed her wound, Chloe couldn’t help but think about the last time she’d sat on this counter in this kitchen.

Trying to steer her thoughts elsewhere, she muttered, “I’m really glad you aren’t hurt. When I heard you’d reenlisted, I was afraid. It wasn’t like I thought you couldn’t handle yourself, but, well, you know.” Yeah, she was rambling. She’d overheard Clara telling her mother about it, and although both women had been really disinterested about the whole thing, Chloe knew they were gossip queens. They were probably glad he was gone, which infuriated Chloe. “Anyway, I’m just glad you’re okay.” She could have ripped out her tongue for how fast she talked. The words all seemed to roll together, and it was clear, even to her, that she was nervous as hell.

He didn’t respond after she spoke, just continued to treat her foot. And that made her feel even more like an ass for saying anything at all.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry.”

After he bandaged her foot, he didn’t let it go right away. He lifted his head and searched her face with his gaze. “You worried about me?”

She licked her lips and nodded. “Of course.”

Silence descended.

He smiled. “No need to worry. I’m always careful.” She felt him gently stroke the top of her foot with his finger. “I won’t even get into how you found out I reenlisted, because I can only guess and imagine what was said.” He chuckled, his goodhearted nature something she loved about him.

“Yeah, it’s probably best not to get into that part too much.”

They both started laughing.

He let go of her foot and stood. “I’d ask if you want to walk around the lake and talk, but I’m going to take a guess you’re out of commission for tonight at least. Can I talk you into a nice, boring evening on the couch? Maybe a movie?” He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets. “You’re here, and I’d love to catch up.”

He was trying to lighten things up, because no doubt he felt the tension and awkwardness as well.

“I’d love that,” she said and smiled, getting off the counter slowly so she didn’t add pressure to her foot.

He moved toward her and helped her into the living room, and Chloe would be lying if she didn’t admit she loved having him close like this, even if it was innocent. The feel of him next to her, his hardness to her softness, made her close her eyes momentarily and had her praying for strength.

Even after all these years, she still loved him.

He settled her on the couch and sat in the chair across from her. It would be a lie if she didn’t admit she felt a little deflated that he didn’t sit beside her. Either he didn’t know what to talk about either or he was waiting for her to say something.

She licked her lips and looked around the room. “You changed things.” Good. She watched as he shifted his large body in the almost too small chair.

“Yeah, changed it years ago, as soon as I could. Never liked the décor, truthfully.” More silence passed. “Have you talked to your aunt?”

She looked over at him with what she knew was a surprised expression. This had just gone to downright weird as fuck. Chloe nodded once.

“I talked to her briefly before I came up here. I wanted to make sure it was okay. I was feeling nostalgic.” She rambled off those sentences. “But I honestly don’t talk to her. I don’t talk to a lot of my family if I’m being honest.”

His brows knitted. “Really? If you don’t mind me asking, why not?”

“Well. For one, she travels so much I find it hard to keep in contact with her. That and with everything that happened…” God, she was going there. “Yeah, we just don’t talk. Same scenario with my family.” She bit her tongue and gauged Dominic’s reaction.

“Well, I’m glad she found what makes her happy.”

How could he say that after what she’d done to him? She wasn’t about to ask him that flat out, but the fact that he seemed so good natured about it, that he actually wanted her to be happy, told her how he’d moved on with his life, how he wasn’t going to let the past dictate who and what he was.

Maybe it was wrong of her to come here when she knew she had no business visiting, but she’d thought it harmless enough. But now she regretted it because it was going to be nothing but awkward.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here?”

He laughed deeply. “I live here, Chloe. Remember?”

Her face heated in embarrassment. “I-I didn’t mean to imply differently. It’s just, well, Clara is the one who gave me permission to come up here, so I just assumed…”

His face became hard-set. “Clara has a hard time letting go of things, materialistic things, that is. And this house is right up there with the things she refuses to get rid of.” He smiled again, but it was tight.

She wasn’t about to delve into that.

“Oh.” What else could she say?

A moment of silence stretched, and she could see his mind working.

“I got the cabin in the divorce, but she seems to think it's a mutual ownership. I just don’t have the energy to argue with her anymore.” He leaned back. “But she probably thought I wasn’t here, and that’s why she gave you the all clear to come down.”

She did not want to talk about Clara. Thinking it best to change the subject, Chloe said, “I’m really sorry about just showing up. I know I have no right just coming here, not how everything turned out with … everything.”

“You are always welcome here, no matter what. It doesn’t matter that your aunt and I are no longer married. This is as much your home as it is mine.”

She heard the catch in his voice.

Chloe didn’t know what else to do or say, so she started to worry her bottom lip.

“Congratulations on finally getting over that last hurdle, by the way. Your graduation is next month, right? I heard you’ll be valedictorian. I'm so proud of you.” He changed the subject seamlessly.

Sitting up straighter, she was surprised he knew that. It wasn’t as if he spoke to the family any longer, so that meant he was keeping up with her. The fact that he was proud of her made her feel good.

“Yeah, but how did you know?”

He smirked and shrugged. “You know what they say about knowing someone who knows someone.”

She chuckled softly. “Yeah, well, I’m just glad it’s finally over with.”

He stood and walked over to the small bar in the corner. She watched him move, like a predator in the wilderness, all graceful movements and stealth power. Still, after all these years, she couldn’t get over how much she wanted him.

“Would you like something to drink?”

Chloe thought about the last time he’d offered her a drink. “Sure, but no lemonade this time.” He looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. “Graduated to something stronger?

He faced the bar again and a few ice cubes into two square cut glasses. The sound of the ice clanking together seemed almost deafening. His shirt sleeves were rolled up his forearms, and she couldn’t help but watch his muscles move.

Instantly her pussy became wet. Chloe crossed her legs to try to control herself, to ward off the desire, but it only added pressure, which had her biting her lip to stem off the moan.

“I wish I was still in my twenties. Your life is just starting.”

She could hear him swallow, even from the distance, as he said the last part, as if he hadn’t meant for it to come out. When he handed her the glass, she could tell he was trying to keep that iron composure he was known for, but she didn’t miss how his hand shook ever so slightly.

Chloe took a sip of the liquor, swallowed it, and instantly fire moved through her. She sputtered once, the fire water sliding down her throat. Her eyes started to water, and she looked over at Dominic. Amusement laced his face even as she continued to cough.

“A little stronger than the lemonade you’re used to?”

For a second she couldn’t speak. “Yeah,” she finally wheezed out. Her voice sounded as if she had gargled with stones. She set the glass aside and watched as he took several long drinks from his own.

Silence filled the space between them again.

“So where do you plan on doing your residency?” She could tell he was trying to fill the void.

Her throat still burned something fierce. “Not sure yet. I’d like to stay local, but I haven’t decided yet.” She wiped a stray tear off her cheek and finally let a small laugh leave her.

He stared at his glass for several long minutes, and she wondered what he was thinking about. She didn’t know what else to do, so she grabbed the glass and swallowed more of the alcohol that felt like acid down her throat.

“Holy shit. What the hell is this?” she gasped out those words.

He chuckled. “It’s called Diablo. It is a rare whiskey that I got when I was overseas. It's been aged longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Well, it tastes like shit.”

“It is an acquired taste.” The way he watched her was consuming. “I’m really proud of you, Chloe.”

She shifted on the couch. Her foot throbbed, but what was at the forefront of her mind was Dominic. It was always him. “Well, you’re about the only one.”

He shook his head. “You shouldn’t say that. Your parents love you. Your whole family loves you, even if they don’t show it like they should.”

She wanted to argue how her parents had never been there for her. Aside from school related functions or anything that would make their reputation excel, they paid little attention to her.

“I wish you were right, but you know what, it really doesn’t matter.”

The look on his face told her he didn’t believe her.

“Look.” He glanced away from her to stare at the television that wasn’t even on. She longed to go over to him and run her hand along his cheek, to make him stare into her eyes again.

All the things he might be about to say rushed through her. What if he told her again that what they had shared was a mistake, that it was wrong? She didn’t think she could stand to hear those words come from him again.

“There are a lot of things I've wanted to tell you over the years. I can’t remember how many times I sat down to write to you but ended up throwing away the letter. What could I say to possibly rectify the situation?” He turned and looked at her then, and she could see so much anguish in his eyes. “I stole your innocence. Took it from you without any consideration to how it would make you feel, how it would affect your life.” There was so much pain in his voice. “I shattered your youth.”

He lowered his gaze to the ground, as if he were ashamed.

Her heart broke in that moment, his words playing over and over inside of her.

All those years ago she’d told him it was right, that what they’d done had felt so good. He hadn’t believed her, and she knew he wouldn’t believe her now. For eight years he’d been living with this guilt.

But despite the fact he might not believe her, Chloe had to try because she still loved him … so much.