Chapter Five
Dominic
The drive back from the jeweler was heavy, but the air felt different from what it did when I first snatched her up.
The silence wasn't that jagged, ice-cold tension anymore; it was something warmer, like the hum of a live wire after the storm had passed.
I kept my hand on Donny's thigh, my thumb tracing slow, rhythmic circles against the cream fabric of her dress, feeling the way she'd occasionally shiver under my touch.
She was staring out the window at the Atlanta skyline, the massive rock on her finger catching the afternoon sun and throwing shards of light across the leather interior of the SUV.
She looked like a dream, but I could tell her mind was still miles away, probably back in that cramped apartment, trying to figure out how her life had flipped upside down in a matter of hours.
"You quiet back here, Donny Rae," I noted, my voice dropping into that low, smooth register that usually made people stop and listen.
I didn't move my hand. If anything, I let it slide a little higher, feeling the heat of her skin through the knit.
"You over there counting all the ways you hate me, or are you just mesmerized by how good that ice looks against your skin?
Because from where I'm sitting, that diamond looks like it was made specifically for your hand. "
She didn't look at me at first, her eyes staying glued to the blurred buildings of downtown.
"I'm trying to figure out if you're always this sure of yourself, or if it's just a show you put on for the cameras," she whispered, her voice sounding small but steady. "You talk as if you own the world, Dominic. Don't you ever get tired of being the big bad wolf?"
I let out a low, breathy chuckle, shifting my weight so I could see her better.
"A wolf is only bad to the sheep, baby. To his mate, he's just a protector.
And yeah, I'm always this sure. When you come from where I come from and build what I've built, you don't have room for second guesses.
But I ain't all bite. I got a sweet side, too.
You just gotta be the right person to see it. You think you're the right person?"
She finally turned her head, those light brown eyes searching mine, looking for a lie she wasn't gonna find. A tiny, shy smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, the first one I'd seen since we met.
"You think you're really smooth, don't you? Talking all that king of the jungle talk while you're dressed like a CEO. You're a trip, Dominic Masters."
"I'm the whole vacation, Donny. Don't play with me," I shot back, a smirk playing on my lips.
"I'm just saying, I could've been a real jerk about this.
I could've just thrown you in a room and told you to deal with it.
Yet, I'm out here taking you to the gym, buying you rocks that could pay off a mortgage, and trying to make sure you're comfortable.
I'm a refined menace, baby. Get it right. "
She laughed then—a real, genuine sound that hit me right in the chest, making my grip on her thigh instinctively tighten. "A refined menace? Is that what we're calling it now? You're just a hood nigga with a really good tailor and a platinum credit card."
"And a beautiful wife-to-be who's starting to realize I'm the best thing that ever happened to her," I added, leaning in closer until the scent of her jasmine perfume filled my lungs.
"You can front all you want, but I see you looking.
I know I'm a lot to handle, but I promise the ride is worth the price of the ticket.
I'm gonna take care of you in ways your daddy couldn't even imagine.
Not just with the money, but with the heart.
I know that's a foreign concept to you, given where you came from, but I'm real with mine. "
The laughter died down, replaced by a gaze that was suddenly very intense and very vulnerable.
Donny looked down at her lap, her fingers nervously twisting the new ring on her finger.
"Dominic… there's something you should know.
If we're really doing this, if I'm really gonna be the one to give you an heir and carry your name... "
I went still, sensing the shift in her energy. "What is it, Donny? You know you can tell me anything. I might have a lot of things, but I ain't a judge. I'm your man."
She stared down at her lap, her fingers nervously twisting the multimillion-dollar ring on her hand.
I could see the internal war playing out across her face; she was calculating if it was safe to drop her armor with a menace like me.
But after three weeks of trying to show her, she was safe under my wing, I watched the tension finally leave her shoulders. She chose to trust me.
."I'm a virgin. I've never… I've never done anything with anyone, not like that. I know you're used to women who know how to move in your world, women who are experienced and fast, but I'm not that. I'm scared that I won't know how to be what you need me to be."
The air in the car seemed to stop moving.
I felt a surge of something powerful—protectiveness, possessiveness, and a deep, soul-level respect that I hadn't felt for anyone in years.
The fact that Donny was pure, that she had saved herself in a world that tried to take everything from girls like her, made her ten times more valuable to me than she already was.
I reached out and cupped her face, my thumb brushing over her bottom lip as I forced her to look at me.
"Donny, look at me," I softly commanded, my voice thick with an emotion I couldn't quite hide.
"That makes you even more precious to me.
You think I want some girl who's been around the block?
Nah, I want you. The fact that I get to be your first and your last—that's a gift, baby.
I ain't gonna rush you, and I damn sure ain't gonna pressure you.
We're gonna move at your speed. I might be a menace to the world, but with you, I'm gonna be as gentle as you need me to be. "
I saw the relief wash over her face, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You mean that? You're not just saying that because you must?"
"I don't have to do anything, Donny Rae.
I'm Dominic Masters. If I say I'm gonna wait for you, then the world stops until you're ready.
You're my queen, and a king waits for his queen.
Besides," I added with a wink, trying to lighten the mood, "I like a challenge.
It gives me more time to spoil you and show you why I'm the one.
By the time we actually get to that part, you're gonna be begging me to stop being so patient. "
She giggled, blushing a deep, beautiful red, and for the first time, she reached out and touched me back, her hand resting shyly on my forearm. "You are so full of yourself, I swear."
"Only because you're making it easy for me," I replied, leaning down to press a soft kiss to her temple. "Now, let's get you home. I got some business to handle, but after that, I'm all yours. We can watch a movie, talk, or whatever you want. I just want to be near you."
As the SUV pulled into the gates of the estate, I realized I was in deep.
I had started this as a business arrangement, a way to satisfy my father and secure my future, but looking at the girl beside me, I knew it was so much more than that.
She was my peace, my purity, and my future—and I was gonna spend the rest of my life making sure she never regretted being mine.