Chapter 14
AOIFE
Iwake up to an empty bed. I don’t need to look around to know he’s gone. And you know what’s worse? I’m not sure if I’m relieved or disappointed.
The memory of his hand on my arm, and how I put it back there, sets a wave of heat flushing my cheeks. ‘Relax, sweetheart. Stop worrying. Trust me when I say I’ve got this. I’ve got you.’
Oddly enough, I’m starting to believe him.
And I’m so fucking tired of fighting the world alone. Fighting with my father about my engagement. Fighting for a life away from the hellhole I grew up in. It’s been so long since anyone even listened to my worries, let alone shouldered them for me.
Is it any wonder I found comfort in his touch?
Part of me hates myself for it.
Yet, the other part of me sees him for what he is to me—my protector.
When he started stripping last night, I almost blurted, ‘I’m ready to discuss that frankly feral attraction right about now.’ I have no sexual experience whatsoever, but every cell in my body is certain that Dominic would be dynamite in bed.
I might not actually survive it.
Which is why it’s imperative I never find out.
I drag myself out of bed in search of coffee. Oh, who am I fucking kidding? I’m searching for him. I push back the covers and check my feet. They’re still grazed but improving with every passing day.
When I’m ready, I descend the wide staircase and pad across the pale stone floors towards the kitchen. The sunlight streams in through the big windows. The house is hot already. Or maybe it’s just me? Maybe it’s the Dominic effect.
‘Good morning.’ My fiancé hands me a cup of coffee, black and strong, just the way I like it. The man pays attention.
‘Morning,’ I accept it gratefully, willing myself not to stare. He’s dressed in a suit today. Those forearms are covered by a black tailored jacket.
‘You slept well.’ There’s no missing the fire dancing around the edges of his ebony irises.
‘I did.’ I take a sip, forcing a neutral expression. ‘Did you?’
‘Like a baby.’ He fires me a wink. ‘Thanks.’
We stare at each other for several seconds. I should look away, break this bizarre intensity pulsing between us, but his big brown eyes have me in a chokehold.
‘I have to go away for a few days. I have some business that I need to take care of.’ He leans back on the kitchen counter. ‘You’ll be safe here. I’ve doubled security around the grounds.’
A stupid ripple of disappointment rips through me.
I should be relieved to have the place to myself. To not be sharing a bed with a man who can flip from, ‘I have an incinerator in the garage and a power washer in the shed that would take care of that’ to ‘Now how about dessert?’
He pushes his glasses up onto his nose, and his bicep strains beneath his suit. The urge to touch it tickles my fingertips. ‘Sheila will be over later.’ He glances out at the blue sky. ‘You should go for a swim, chill out by the pool. It’ll probably piss rain tomorrow.’
‘I don’t have a swimsuit,’ I admit.
‘Buy one. I left a credit card beside your iPad. You’re going to need it for the wedding stuff.’ Those ebony eyes bore into mine again. ‘And buy yourself whatever you want. You’re going to be here a while.’
It’s not exactly how I planned the next year of my life, but it beats the alternative.
‘The wedding planner is expecting your call today to discuss the finer details.’
A sharp surge of anticipation swirls through my stomach.
Shit’s about to get real—very real.
‘Okay.’ I nod.
His gaze drifts to the phone in my hand. ‘I noticed you haven't called anyone.’ He rubs a thumb over his chin. ‘I’m sure I don’t have to tell you this, but you can’t tell any of your old friends where you are. Kavanagh is still stripping the city apart in his quest to find you.’
‘I don’t have many friends,’ I admit. ‘I’ve always struggled to make them. Most of the girls I went to school with were more interested in scoring boys and booze than studying.’
‘What about the girl you used to go to the cinema with?’
I can’t believe he remembered that.
‘I’ll call her at some point, but I don’t want to put her in danger.’
‘Fair enough.’ His gaze shifts to my mouth, then back to my eyes. ‘One more thing, Aoife.’ The way my name rolls from his full lips is positively pornographic.
‘What?’ I wet my lips.
‘You need to book us a honeymoon.’
‘Honeymoon?’ My jaw swings open.
He can’t be serious.
But the steely glint in his eyes assures me he is. Deadly serious.
Surprise swoops through me. ‘But why?’
‘I told you, it’s imperative we convince my family that our union is real.’ His tone is nonchalant, like he’s said we need to go to the grocery store. ‘It’s non-negotiable.’
Fuck.
At least the past few days he’s been in and out of the house. Now I’m going to have to spend twenty-four hours a day with him, somewhere fucking romantic.
Shit.
The prospect sets an inappropriate wave of arousal through my stomach—and lower.
He drains his coffee and strides across to the sink. My focus falls to his impossibly firm ass again. He places his cup in the sink and spins to face me. I avert my gaze, but not quickly enough.
‘Will you miss me?’ He drawls in that low, teasing tone.
‘No,’ I lie, the memory of his hand on my arm last night looping around my mind like a newsflash.
‘Liar.’ He closes the distance between us.
I hold my breath as he towers over me. His now familiar scent fills my senses as he lowers his face to mine. I stand like a rabbit caught in the headlights. ‘I think you liked having a big bad man beside you in bed last night.’
I don’t speak because I’m physically unable to, which is probably a blessing given I’m liable to blurt anything.
He lowers his face to mine. His sheer proximity sucks the air straight from my lungs. His lips inch closer, finally grazing my cheek in a tiny fleeting gesture that sets my heart rate soaring.
‘I’ll call you,’ he says, before stalking out of the room.
And I don’t know if it’s a threat or a promise.
I press my fingers to my face, to the spot where his lips just touched.
My skin is on fire.