The monster.
The man who’d haunted my dreams.
The bastard who’d interrupted my tightly woven world and fading sense of protection.
I’d thought I was safe, the Undertaker behind bars for the rest of his life. I’d been wrong. So very wrong.
“Valentina,” the judge said in such a quiet voice that with the rain pelting against me, I almost didn’t hear him.
My voice felt lost, stripped from me so all I could do was nod.
The incredible night we’d shared rushed to the forefront of my mind, the passion a breathless moment of sheer joy.
He was still as handsome as I’d remembered; sometimes the good dreams, the ones where he was my savior, had outweighed the bad. Perhaps he was even more gorgeous standing in stone-washed jeans and an untucked polo shirt. With his jaw clenched, he also held the same air of concern that he’d given me on the day I’d broken down in his courtroom. I was completely takenaback, uncertain if I’d done the right thing, even fearful he wouldn’t remember me.
The heated gaze falling from my face to my feet and back up again negated my fears. The spark was still there, warm and wanton.
Forbidden and completely inappropriate.
He was taller than I’d envisioned in my fantasies, his six-and-a-half-foot frame dwarfing me. With his broad chest rising and falling, I was completely aware he filled the doorway. Somehow, just the memory of wriggling under him as his cock filled me so deeply that I was driven into pure ecstasy left me unable to explain why I’d found myself on his doorstep.
Tonight he was even more handsome.
When my daughter murmured in her sleep, the hypnotizing trance was shattered.
“Jesus Christ,” he said as he glanced over my shoulder, immediately pulling me into his house. He took the bag I’d brought with me from my arm, putting it down in the foyer.
I backed away, rubbing Bella on the back. Thank God, she’d remained asleep the entire drive.
“Are you alright?” he asked after closing the door.
“I’m… frightened. I had nowhere else to go. I just… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”
He half laughed. “Come on. Let’s get you a towel. You’re shivering.”
I was. It didn’t matter that the rain was warm or the air was humid. My shivers were from terror, not a chill. Yet being close to him again had already made me feel better. Safer.
He led me into a beautiful living room, motioning toward the couch and group of chairs. As soon as I gently eased her down, taking the rain slicker off her, he volunteered to help by tossing a throw over her. Without questioning me, he walked from the room, coming back seconds later with a thick, fluffy towel. “Take this.”
“Thank you.” I wiped rain from my face and arms, trying to find the right words.
“Would you like a drink? It’ll help you calm down.”
The moment was certainly more awkward than I’d intended it to be. Obviously, I hadn’t thought about my decision to flee my house and drive all the way to his very carefully. I’d shoved a few things in the duffle and barely remembered climbing in the car and heading away from my neighborhood.
“If you don’t mind. I think I need one.” Very gingerly I placed the towel on the coffee table, even taking the time to fold it.
“What would you like?” He narrowed his eyes, his heated gaze fading into concern.
I had no idea at this point. “Whatever you’re having is fine. Like I said, I’m sorry. I just found myself on your doorstep.”
As he headed to a small bar in the corner, I sat down in one of the chairs. This was a crazy idea. What the hell was wrong with me?
He returned less than a minute later with two glasses in his hands. When he handed me one, our fingers touched, and just like I’d experienced inside his chambers, heat rose on myface, my entire body tingling from exhausting electricity. The connection I’d dreamt about was real, perhaps stronger than before.
“Thank you again.”
“There’s no need to continue thanking me, Valentina.”
