Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
ROISIN
D espite all the problems I know it’ll cause, hearing Dominic say he’s going to stand by my side, pushes all the turmoil out of my mind and in its place is only elation.
I don’t even think. I’m across the room and throwing myself into his arms without even considering whether he’ll welcome such a move.
But he doesn’t waver. His strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close against his chest as I breathe in his familiar scent–sandalwood and something uniquely him–and feel myself relax for the first time in weeks.
"I've missed you," I whisper into his shirt, my voice muffled.
Dominic's hand strokes my hair gently. "I've missed you too, Roisin. More than you know."
I pull back just enough to look up at his face. His warm brown eyes are filled with an emotion I can't quite name, but it makes my heart race. Without thinking, I stretch up on my toes, bringing my face closer to his.
Dominic hesitates for just a moment, his gaze flicking to my lips, before he leans down to meet me. The kiss is soft at first, tentative, as if we're both afraid this moment might shatter. But then his hand cups my cheek, and I press closer, silently begging him to deepen the kiss.
All the longing and regret of the past weeks pours out between us. I cling to him, my fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt, as if I'm afraid he might disappear if I let go. His other hand slides down to the small of my back, pulling me even closer against him, and I can feel the hard evidence of his arousal. Just knowing I can still do that to him, despite everything, makes me feel powerful. Invincible.
Bulletproof.
I’m not naive. I know I’ll need to be.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathless. Dominic rests his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as if savoring the moment.
"You know this is madness, don’t you?" he murmurs, but there's no conviction in his voice.
"I know," I reply, equally unconvincing. "But I don't want to let you go again."
He opens his eyes, and the intensity of his gaze makes me shiver. "Roisin, you have to understand. If we do this, if we're together, it won't be easy. There will be consequences."
I nod, swallowing hard. "I know. But we can face them together, can't we?"
A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Together," he agrees, and the word sounds like a promise.
It’s all I need. If Dominic is by my side, I can face anything.
“So what now?” he asks. “You need prenatal care, vitamins, check ups, childbirth classes…” His voice trails off. “Fuck!” My normally solid, stoic man sinks down onto the bed like his legs can’t hold him anymore. He looks dazed, like the weight of this thing has just hit him.
And hearing him talk about all those things slams the reality home for me too, and I ease myself down next to him.
“I’m going to be a father,” he breathes, and despite everything, there’s wonder in his voice.
I reach out and take Dominic's hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. His palm is clammy, and I can feel a slight tremor running through him. It's oddly comforting to know that he's as overwhelmed as I am.
He takes a deep breath, then turns to look at me. "We need to be smart about this, Roisin. Discreet. If the wrong people find out..."
He doesn't need to finish the sentence. We both know what's at stake. Not that we can keep this a secret indefinitely, it’ll be obvious soon enough. But one step at a time. We’ve both had enough revelations for one day.
"I know a doctor," Dominic says after a moment. "An old friend from my childhood. He's trustworthy and he owes me a favor. We can start there."
I nod, grateful for his practicality. It's one of the things I've always admired about him–his ability to stay focused and find solutions, even in the face of chaos. But I can still see the worry etched in the lines of his face, the slight furrow between his brows.
"What about my brothers?" I ask softly, voicing the question we've both been avoiding.
Dominic's jaw tightens and he looks away for a moment. When he turns back to me, his eyes are hard with determination. "We'll deal with them when we have to. For now, our priority is making sure you and the baby are cared for and healthy."
“Dominic?” I say his name, hating how small my voice sounds.
“What do you need, Tesoro ?” he asks, his eyes on me.
“Could you just…” I look away and bite my lip, not sure if it’s even fair to ask this of him.
He pinches my chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing me to look at him. His eyes demanding an answer.
“Could you just… hold me, please? Just for a minute.”
“Ah, cara ,” he murmurs, folding me into his arms and maneuvering us both so we’re lying on the bed.
And there, in some cheap motel room, with my head laid on his chest, I feel like I’m home.
I listen to the steady thump of Dominic's heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my back and for a moment, I can almost pretend we're just a normal couple, sharing a quiet moment together.
But we're not normal. We never have been, and I don’t know if there’s any chance we ever will be.
"I can hear your mind whirling from here. What are you thinking?" Dominic's voice rumbles through his chest.
I hesitate, not sure how to voice the swirling thoughts in my head. "I'm scared," I finally admit, my voice barely above a whisper. "Not just about the baby, or my brothers, or any of that. I'm scared of how much I feel for you. How much I need you."
Dominic's hand stills on my back, and for a heart-stopping moment, I wonder if I've said too much. But then he shifts, tilting my chin up so I'm looking into his eyes.
"Roisin," he says, his voice low and intense. "I need you to understand something. What I feel for you... it's not something I've ever felt before. I don’t know what it is. I don’t have a name for it…”
Emotions swirl through me at this confession, which is not quite the confession of love I might have hoped for.
"But I know that it's powerful," Dominic continues, his eyes never leaving mine. "It's consuming, like some twisted obsession I have for you. And yes, that in itself is terrifying, because it’s so damn dangerous."
He shrugs. “But we are where we are. I can't promise you a fairytale ending, Roisin," he warns, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw. "Our world doesn't work that way. But I can promise you this: I will do everything in my power to protect you and our child. Whatever it takes."
The intensity in his voice sends a shiver down my spine and his honesty takes my breath away. It's both thrilling and frightening.
I know Dominic is capable of many things, some of them dark and dangerous. But, in this moment, I'm not afraid of that darkness. I'm comforted by it.
"I believe you," I whisper, reaching up to cup his face in my hands. "And I want you to know, whatever comes, whatever we have to face... I'm with you. All the way."
Something flashes in Dominic's eyes–relief, maybe, or gratitude. He leans down and captures my lips in a kiss that's both tender and fierce. It speaks of all the things we can't put into words–our fears, our hopes, our unspoken promises. When we finally break apart, I'm breathless and dizzy and consumed by want.
Pulling at his T-shirt, I manage to clumsily get it over his head.
“What are you doing, Tesoro ?” he asks, pulling my hands away when I make a dive for his sweatpants.
“I want you,” I tell him, boldly. “I want to remember the beauty we shared, before I lose myself in the fear.”
Dominic chokes out a groan and closes his eyes, dropping his forehead to mine. But he lets go of my hands, so I take that as a green light and reach for the waistband of his sweatpants again.
Dominic raises his head, his eyes dark with desire, but there's a hint of hesitation in them. "Are you sure about this, Roisin?" he asks, his voice husky. "With everything that's happening..."
I nod, my heart racing. "I'm sure. I need this. I need you.”
For a moment, Dominic searches my face, as if looking for any sign of doubt. Finding none, he cups my face in his hands.
He doesn’t say anything more, simply nods, before claiming my lips in a searing kiss.
His hands slide down my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake. I arch into his touch, craving more. When his fingers find the hem of my hoodie, I lift my arms, allowing him to pull it over my head.
Dominic's eyes roam over my newly exposed skin and I feel a blush creep up my cheeks. It's ridiculous–he's seen me naked countless times before–but something about this moment feels different. More intimate, somehow.
Maybe because I’m not his captive now–not that I ever really felt I was–but there’s no mistaking either of our motives this time. I’m not begging him to give me the peace of mind of losing my virginity in a consensual act, and he’s not giving me a pity fuck because he’s worried about what might be taken from me by force.
His hands skim down my sides, feather-light touches that make me shiver. When they reach my hips, he pauses, his fingers unbuttoning the waistband of my jeans, and pulling them and my underwear down in one, his thumbs tracing small circles on my hip bones as he slowly undresses me.
"Beautiful," he murmurs, his eyes dark with desire. "So beautiful."
I reach for him, wanting to feel his skin against mine. My fingers trace the hard planes of his chest, the defined muscles of his abdomen. I can feel his heart racing beneath my palm.
Dominic leans down, pressing soft kisses along my collarbone, then lower. When his lips close around my nipple, I gasp, arching into him. His hand slides between my thighs and I part them willingly, desperate for his touch.
He takes his time, kicking off his sweats, then teasing and exploring as if we have all the time in the world. As if we're not in some cheap motel room, hiding from the chaos of our lives. Right now, nothing exists beyond this bed, beyond the feel of his hands on my skin and the taste of his lips on mine.
Dominic's fingers find my center and I moan at the contact. He works me skillfully, building the tension inside me with every stroke of his clever finger against my aching clit. Then he dips a finger inside my wet sheath, first one, then two, plunging them into me then dragging them out and coating my nub with my slick arousal. I writhe beneath him, my hands gripping his shoulders, nails digging into his back, as I search for an anchor while my climax erupts.
"Dominic," I gasp. "Please."
He lifts his head, his eyes meeting mine. The intensity of his gaze makes my breath catch. Slowly, deliberately, he pulls his fingers away from me and watches me as he sucks them into his mouth.
"I like hearing you beg," he shocks me by saying as he licks each individual digit. “We’ll have to find time to explore that some more, sometime when I have you completely at my mercy.”
My eyes roll back in my head. I never knew dirty talk got me off before. Panting lightly, I decide to use it to my advantage. I might be new to this, but I’m a quick study, and since he’s still not inside me, I play him at his own game.
“Please Dominic,” I plead, my voice strained and breathy.
With a groan, Dominic positions himself between my thighs. I can feel him, hard and ready, pressing against me.
In response, I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him closer. "Take me," I breathe into his ear. “Take me and make me yours.” As I say the words, I rub up against him, wanting to feel every inch of him.
“Fuck!” The curse fires from his mouth as Dominic drives into me with a single thrust. The feeling of fullness, of completeness, is overwhelming. I cling to him as he begins to move, setting a slow, deep rhythm that has me gasping with each plunge.
Our bodies move together perfectly, as if we were made for each other. Every touch, every kiss, every shared breath feels like coming home. In this moment, all the complications, all the dangers that await us outside this room, fade away. It's just us, Dominic and Roisin, two bodies intertwined and finding pleasure in the other.
Dominic's pace quickens, his movements becoming more urgent. I match his rhythm, meeting him thrust for thrust. The tension builds inside me, a coiling spring ready to snap.
He dips his head and pulls a straining nipple into his mouth, grazing the tight bud with his teeth until I’m arching against him, balanced on the precipice of release, about to fly.
"Look at me," Dominic commands, his voice rough with desire.
I open my eyes, meeting his intense gaze. The raw emotion I see there takes my breath away. Dominic's hand slides between us, his thumb finding my sensitive spot, and with a few expert strokes, I'm falling apart beneath him.
"Dominic!" I cry out as waves of pleasure crash over me.
My release triggers his own and with a guttural groan, Dominic follows me over the edge. He collapses on top of me, his weight a comforting pressure as we both struggle to catch our breath.
For a long moment, we lie there, tangled together, our heartbeats gradually slowing. Dominic presses a soft kiss to my temple before rolling to the side, pulling me with him. His hand slides down to rest on my stomach where our baby nestles, and this moment is just as moving, just as intense, as our passion; a gesture that's both protective and possessive. "We should get some rest," he murmurs. "Tomorrow, we start planning."
I nod, suddenly aware of how exhausted I suddenly am. The emotional roller coaster of the day has left me drained. I snuggle closer to Dominic, relishing the warmth of his body against mine.
As I start to drift off, I hear Dominic whisper something in Italian. I'm too tired to ask what it means, but the tenderness in his voice wraps around me like a blanket.
I don’t know how long it’s been, but I wake to the sound of Dominic's voice, low and urgent. He's on the phone, speaking rapid Italian. I can't understand the words, but the tension in his body tells me something's wrong.
I sit up, blinking sleep from my eyes. "What is it?"
Dominic ends the call and turns to me, his face grim. "We have to move. Your brothers are on the way home.”
I don’t bother asking how he knows, but just like that, our little bubble is burst, and reality rears its ugly head once more.