Chapter Five
M aya
Maya woke to the scent of expensive cologne and the unfamiliar weight of silk against her skin. For a moment, disorientation clouded her thoughts. This wasn't her bed. The sheets were too soft, the mattress too firm, and the room too large.
Then memory crashed back. Dom's hands on her body. His voice commanding her to surrender. The silk restraints around her wrists and the way she'd begged him for more.
Heat flooded her cheeks as she sat up, realizing she was wearing one of Dom's dress shirts. The white cotton fell to mid-thigh, the sleeves hanging past her fingertips. She had no memory of putting it on, which meant Dom must have dressed her while she slept.
The thought of him caring for her in such an intimate way sent an unexpected flutter through her chest. Maya pushed the feeling aside, trying to focus on the practicalities of her situation. She was in Dom's bed, wearing his clothes, after the most intense sexual experience of her life.
And she had no idea what happened next.
"Good morning, beautiful."
Maya smiled in appreciation as Dom appeared in the doorway, fully dressed in dark jeans and a gray sweater that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders.
He was carrying a tray with two coffee cups and a large assortment of pastries, but there was something different about his demeanor—a careful distance that hadn't been there last night.
"I didn't know what you liked," Dom said, setting the tray on the bedside table without quite meeting her eyes. "So I brought options."
Maya watched him move around the room, noting the way he seemed to be avoiding getting too close to the bed. The man who'd held her so possessively just hours ago was now maintaining careful physical distance.
"Thank you," Maya said, accepting the cup he offered. The coffee was perfect—dark and rich with just a hint of cream. "Dom, are you okay? You seem..."
"I'm fine." His response was too quick, too controlled. "We need to talk."
Maya's stomach dropped. Here it came—the morning-after conversation where Dom would politely but firmly establish that last night had been a mistake.
"About last night—" she began.
"Last night was incredible," Dom interrupted, finally looking at her. But there was something guarded in his eyes now, walls that hadn't been there when he'd whispered her name in the darkness. "But Maya, I need you to understand something about me."
Maya set down her coffee cup, bracing herself. "Okay."
Dom moved to the window, putting the length of the room between them. "I don't do relationships. I don't do emotional attachments or morning-after conversations about feelings. It's not who I am."
The words hit like a physical blow, but Maya forced herself to keep her expression neutral. "I see."
"I'm not saying this to hurt you." Dom's hands clenched at his sides, and Maya caught a glimpse of the internal struggle he was trying to hide. "I'm saying it because what happened between us last night... it was more intense than I expected. And that scares the hell out of me."
At least he was being honest about the intensity, even if he was running from it.
"My career is hanging by a thread right now," Dom continued. "I can't afford distractions. I can't afford to care about someone in ways that make me lose focus."
"Is that what I am? A distraction?"
Dom turned to face her, and for a moment his mask slipped. Maya saw his desire, the way his eyes tracked over her body in his shirt, the visible struggle between what he wanted and what he thought he should do.
"You're the biggest distraction I've ever encountered," he said quietly. "Which is exactly why this can't be anything more than what it was."
Maya’s heart cracked, but she lifted her chin. "And what was it, exactly?"
"Good sex. Great sex." Dom's voice was carefully controlled. "Between two adults who are attracted to each other."
"That's all?"
Dom went very still, and Maya saw the moment he made his choice—to hide behind his reputation rather than acknowledge what had really passed between them.
"That's all I can offer anyone right now," he said finally.
Maya nodded, swallowing the hurt. She'd known this was a possibility. Dom's reputation preceded him—the playboy who didn't do commitments, who kept things physical and uncomplicated. She just hadn't expected it to sting this much.
"I understand," she said quietly.
"Good. Because I'd like to continue... this. What we have. If you're interested."
"What exactly are you proposing?"
Dom moved closer to the bed but stopped just out of reach. "We're both adults. We're attracted to each other. And we're going to be working together for the next few weeks." His voice dropped. "It doesn't have to be complicated."
Maya studied his face, seeing the careful control, the way he was holding himself back. This wasn't the confident proposition of a man who was comfortable with casual arrangements. This was someone trying to protect himself from feeling too much.
"No strings attached?" Maya asked.
"No strings attached," Dom confirmed. "What happens between us stays private. We keep it separate from work. And when the assignment is over..."
"We go our separate ways," Maya finished.
"Exactly."
Maya considered his offer. She needed this assignment—her career depended on it. And despite the hurt of his emotional withdrawal, she couldn't deny that she wanted him. Last night had awakened something in her that she wasn't ready to walk away from.
"What would that look like?" she asked.
"Professional during the day. Personal after hours. I can teach you things. Show you parts of yourself you didn't know existed. But it stays physical. It stays simple."
Heat curled through her at his words, even as her heart protested the limitations he was setting. "And you think you can keep it simple?"
"I have to," Dom said, and for the first time she heard the vulnerability beneath his control. "I don't know how to be any other way."
Maya looked into his eyes and saw the truth—he wasn't being cold because he didn't care. He was being cold because he cared too much and didn't know how to handle it.
"Okay," Maya said finally. "But I have conditions too."
Dom's eyebrows rose. "Such as?"
"Complete honesty about what we're doing. No games, no mixed signals. If this is just physical for you, then be honest about that. Don't make me feel things you don't intend to reciprocate."
Something tight around Dom's eyes relaxed slightly. "I can do that."
"And if either of us starts wanting more than the other can give, we end it. Cleanly. No drama."
"Agreed." Dom moved closer to the bed, his hand reaching out to touch her face before he stopped himself and pulled back. "Maya... I wish I could offer you more. But this is all I have right now."
Maya saw the regret in his expression, the way his hand had moved toward her instinctively before his mind overruled his heart. This man was fighting a war with himself, and she was caught in the crossfire.
"I know," she said softly. "And I'm choosing to take what you can give."
"Why?"
"Because last night was the most incredible experience of my life. And because I think you need this as much as I do, even if you won't admit it."
For a moment, Dom's walls cracked completely. Maya saw the longing there, the desperate need he was trying so hard to deny. Then he stepped back, the careful control sliding back into place.
"I should let you get ready," Dom said. "We have a photo shoot this afternoon."
Maya nodded, recognizing the dismissal. But as she gathered her clothes, she couldn't shake the feeling that Dom was as trapped by his own rules as she was.
"Dom?" she said as she reached the door.
"Yeah?"
"For what it's worth, I don't think you're as good at keeping things simple as you think you are."
She left before he could respond, but not before she saw the flash of panic in his eyes. Because Maya was right—what was happening between them was anything but simple, and Dom's attempts to control it were only making it more complicated.
As Maya walked back to her own suite, she made a decision. She would play by Dom's rules, but she wouldn't pretend that's all this was. The camera didn't lie, and neither did the way Dom looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching.
If Dom wanted to keep things physical, she'd give him that. But she'd also document every moment of real connection, every crack in his armor, every sign that what they shared was more than just good sex.
Because Maya had a feeling that Dom needed someone to see past his walls, even if he was too scared to admit it himself.
***
T HREE HOURS LATER, Maya stood in the resort's photography studio, reviewing Colleen's detailed notes while Dom positioned himself by the windows. The afternoon session was supposed to focus on the campaign strategy—authentic shots that would help rehabilitate his image after the Milan incident.
"So according to Colleen's vision," Maya said. "she wants to show the real you. Not the polished model, but the man who stands up for what's right. The protector, not the playboy."
Dom crossed his arms. "I'm not some broken man who needs saving. I made a choice in Milan, and I'd make it again."
"No one's saying you need saving. How do you feel about doing this?"
"I don't feel anything about it," he said curtly. "It's a job. A way to fix the damage and get my career back on track. Nothing more."
Maya lowered her camera, studying his defensive posture. "I want to show the world a man who was willing to risk everything to protect his sister."
"Is that what you see when you look at me?"
"I see a man who's spent so long controlling his image that he's forgotten the power of being real," Maya said honestly. "But when you stop performing, that's when you're most compelling."
Dom's eyes flashed with something dangerous. "Compelling, am I?"
"Don't let it go to your head," she said dryly, raising her camera. "Now show me what real looks like."