Chapter Nine
Dominic:
The morning air in my office is thick with impatience.
My fingers drum against my desk as I review the latest reports, but my mind is elsewhere.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Evie since I claimed her for the first time yesterday.
Hell, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her since the moment I first laid eyes on her.
Every muscle in my body is tense with the need to see her, to pull her back where she belongs.
But I force myself to wait. She needs space, and I’m trying to respect that.
My phone rings, and I answer without looking at the called ID. “Vance.”
A strained voice comes through the speaker. “Mr. Vance, it’s Jeremy Ward.”
I frown. Jeremy is the head of my interior design team. Evie’s direct boss. “What is it?”
There’s a slight hesitation before he speaks. “I... I have to step down, effective immediately. I’m sorry to let you down, but it’s a family emergency, Sir. I’m flying out to Chicago today, and I don’t know when I’ll be back. Or even if I will be able to come back.”
I lean back in my chair, my jaw tightening. Jeremy is competent, but replaceable. I should be more irritated by this news, but all I can think about is how convenient this is. How it opens up a perfect opportunity.
I exhale slowly. “I understand, Jeremy. Good luck. I hope that whatever the issue is, that everything works out okay.”
Without another word, I hang up, already knowing exactly how I’m going to handle this vacancy.
I press a button on my desk phone. My assistant answers immediately. “Yes, Mr. Vance?”
“Bring Evie Clarke to my office. Now.”
“Yes, Sir.”
I sit back, inhaling deeply, willing myself to remain in control. I will see her again in a matter of minutes. I will not pull her into my lap the moment she walks through the door. I will not demand she stay by my side where she belongs. I will give her space.
Even if it kills me.
Minutes later, there’s a knock at my door.
“Come in.”
Evie steps inside, and everything in me tightens.
She’s breathtaking, her hair slightly tousled from the breeze outside, her lips soft and pink.
She looks at me, and something inside my chest aches.
To my surprise, she doesn’t appear at all angry to have been called to my office.
And she’s not running from me. These are all good things as far as I’m concerned.
Before I can even speak, she folds her arms and tilts her head slightly. “Why have you been following me?”
I blink, caught off guard by her directness. Then I realize I’m not even surprised she figured it out.
She’s smart. And she knows me.
I don’t bother lying. “Because I can’t bear to be away from you for too long.” My voice is steady, raw with honesty. “And because the thought of something happening to you when you’re out of my sight is unbearable.”
I wait for her reaction. For her to shout at me and tell me I’ve crossed a line.
But she doesn’t.
She just watches me, her expression unreadable. And for the first time in my life, I feel like a man who would burn the world to the ground just to keep her with me for the rest of our lives.
As she looks at me, there is a searching expression on her face, like she’s trying to decide what to do with the knowledge that I’m utterly consumed by her.
The need to close the distance between us is a relentless force, but I restrain myself. I force myself to remain calm, steady. “I didn’t call you here just to talk about that.”
Evie arches a brow and waits for me to continue.
“It’s about your boss, Jeremy Ward. He’s just quit. Starting immediately.”
Her brows pull together. “What? Why?”
“A family emergency. He has to leave the city and isn’t sure if he will be able to come back.” I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk as I pin her with my gaze. “Which means his position is open. And I want you to take it.”
Evie’s lips part slightly, shock flashing across her face. “You... you want me to take it?”
“Yes.”
She lets out a breathy, disbelieving laugh. “Dominic, I... I’m not qualified for that job. I barely just started working here. You can’t be serious.”
I tilt my head. “Do I look like the kind of man to make jokes where my business is concerned?”
Her throat bobs as she swallows. “You can’t just give me a promotion because we...” She cuts herself off, her cheeks darkening.
Because I fucked her. Because I took her. Because I made her mine.
My jaw tightens. “Is that what you think this is?” My voice is dangerously low now. “That I would throw a job at you as some kind of compensation because you were a good girl and spread your legs for me?”
My words are crude, but I want to shock her. I want her to realize just how wrong she is when she suggests such a thing.
Her lips press together, guilt flickering in her expression.
I stand up, moving around the desk until I’m right in front of her. Some of the tightness that has been in my chest since she walked away from my yesterday begins to loosen just from being closer to her.
“Listen to me, Evie. My empire no longer belongs just to me. It stopped being just mine the moment I laid eyes on you and knew I needed to build a future with you. A future for us. This all belongs to you too now.” I place a hand on her waist, firm but not demanding.
“I want you by my side every day. Working together. Building a loving family. I want it all with you, doll.”
Her breath is uneven now. I can see the way my words are hitting her, the way the meaning behind them is sinking in.
“I’m not offering you this because I fucked you yesterday,” I tell her, my voice softening slightly. I hold her chin gently, forcing her to look up at me. “I’m offering you this because I know what you’re capable of. I know your mind. Your talent. I know that you can handle this.”
She stares up at me, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Then, slowly, her lips curve into a small, breathless smile.
“You’re serious about this,” she murmurs.
I nod. “Deadly serious.”
A slow exhale leaves her lips. “Okay.”
I raise a brow. “Okay?”
She laughs softly, like she’s still processing what just happened. “Yes. I’ll take the job.”
Satisfaction floods through me. But it’s not just because she accepted the position. It’s because she understands now. She sees that this isn’t just some fleeting obsession for me.
This isn’t just lust.
It’s forever.
And then I can’t hold back any longer.
I tug her closer, one arm wrapped around her waist as my free hand cradles the back of her head. She gasps softly, but she doesn’t resist. If anything, she melts into me, her fingers gripping the fabric of my shirt.
“This is where you belong,” I murmur against her lips before capturing them in a deep, claiming kiss.
She sighs into my mouth, her body pressing against mine, and now I know for sure that she’s finally accepted the truth I’ve known all along.
She’s mine. Completely. Irrevocably.
Forever.