Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36564 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 146(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
“Come on in. Don’t be shy. This is your home for the foreseeable future so you need to be comfortable.”
His words were unexpected, warming yet also causing a flutter of nerves in my stomach. Home. That was a concept so foreign to me yet so desperately desired. On a small table in the corner of the room some framed pictures were displayed, a mix of family photos and candid shots of people laughing, riding motorcycles, a few of them with Dominic right at the heart. He didn’t really seem like the sentimental type so this surprised me. Then again, I’d known him all of two or three hours.
Dominic caught me looking at one photo in particular. It was a younger version of him without the beard, his arm around a woman with a vivacious smile.
“That’s Tina,” he said softly, following my gaze and pointing to the picture in question.
“She’s beautiful.” A knot formed in the pit of my stomach. This woman was special to him, though it was the only picture on the display with her in it. Next to the photo of him and Tina was another woman who looked remarkably like Tina, but had Dominic’s eyes.
“She was.” There was sadness in his voice. Regret?
“What happened?” Immediately, Dominic stiffened, then stepped away from me, and I knew I’d asked the wrong question.
“Fear and misunderstanding. I was too young back then. Neither of us really knew what love was, and I had a dangerous job. She’s gone, but I have my daughter now. That’s the only part that matters.”
My heart ached for Dominic. I could feel how much he was hurting. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
He took a breath, then his gaze softened when he looked at me once more. “You’re not. I haven’t talked about Tina to anyone other than my daughter. We’ve only recently been reunited.” He reached out a hand for me. “Come on. I’ll show you to your room.”
Taking his offered hand, I followed him down a short hallway. The hallway opened into a cozy living area with a large window overlooking the backyard where the afternoon sunlight streamed in, dancing on the wooden floor. Though the place was pretty sparse, it had some rugs on the floor and a big, inviting fireplace. Dominic led me past this room to another door which was slightly ajar.
“This space is all yours,” he said, pushing the door open fully. Inside, the room was simple yet welcoming, painted in soft blues with a comfortable-looking bed covered in a quilt that looked handmade, and good work by the look of it. A small desk sat beneath a window that offered a view of the tall trees bordering the property, and a love seat sat along the opposite wall.
“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, more to myself than to Dominic.
He smiled briefly, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. “Glad you like it. You can change anything you want. Just let me or one of the girls know and we’ll make it happen.”
“No need to change anything.” I smiled up at him, though I felt the distance between us now. “It’s perfect. I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have asked about something not my business.”
“It’s human nature to be curious. If I’d minded you asking, I wouldn’t have left the pictures out where you could see them.”
“But you didn’t know I was coming.”
“No,” he conceded. “But my daughter would have been happy to remove them for me. Suffice it to say I’ve had to come to terms with the past I missed out on. At least, I missed being part of it. Tina made sure I got pictures of Calista as often as she could send them.”
“Calista is your daughter?”
“Yes. She came to me when her stepfather tried to sell her to pay off some debts.” Dom looked me directly in the eyes and held my gaze with his steely one. For the first time, I began to truly see how dangerous this man really was. “We protect our own, Annie. I don’t know what you went through or what Venus pulled you out of, but you’re safe here.”
I swallowed, unsure how to proceed. “There’s something I need to know. I mean, it’s not like I’ve got much of a choice, but I’d just like to know going forward how things work.”
“What’s your question?”
“Why are you helping me? What do you expect to get from me?”
He gave me a startled look. “Girl, I don’t want to get anything from you.”
“I don’t have any money, but you’re welcome to my next paycheck if you want it.”
“Jesus,” he snarled at me. Then, the oddest thing happened. Dominic moved the distance separating us and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close to his body and holding me tightly.
I was stunned. What was he doing? I stiffened, intending to push him away, but, after the initial confusion, I registered the warmth of his body seeping through my skin to warm something inside me I hadn’t known existed.