“Only as my lawyer?” I ask boldly.
His hands stop moving, all of him stills, but it’s only for a bare fraction of time. “If I get to refer to our obvious connection, and the bond we share as part of my argument, then I would tell you before we do anything else, I want to lock you safely in my home while I take Hendrix and Ryder with me in order to give Mr. Henderson a healthy dose of his own medicine. Perhaps even an overdose of it.”
I lean up so I can look in his eyes.
“You want to beat him up?”
He tips his head to the side unapologetically. “I want to rip him into small pieces before burning each piece to ash. Then I’d scatter his remains in four rivers on different continents for what he did to you,” he says sincerely. He doesn’t hide the rush of his Alpha from me.
It’s a big moment. The both of us know it. I’m trapped about the situation I am in, but coming face to face with Dominic’s Alpha side is worlds apart from staring at Brody’s.
The air in my nest hangs heavy, there’s most certainly a hint of danger in Dominic’s challenging stare. But being this near to him, I don’t get a sense of personal danger.
“As someone who is interested in exploring our scent match bond, I’d ask if you would trust me enough to show me the bruises so I could tend to them like I desperately want.” He rises up so I can’t misread his expression in the low light. “The flipside of what I am saying, Simona, is you could tell me no, and I would respect your answer. I wouldn’t start to play games and pressure you to reconsider or ridicule you later. I would be proud you answered me honestly and would find another way to care for you.”
“We don’t know each other. I don’t even know yourmiddle name or when you were born,” I whisper, barely catching myself from leaning in more.
“I have a feeling, similar to what I felt when I met Hendrix and Ryder, that ultimately, we will know everything about each other. This,” he waves his hand between the space we share, “isn’t a done deal, set in stone. But I want you to know that given half the chance, I’d dive headfirst into exploring the draw we share. If we decide not to pursue anything outside of what’s happening right this second, I will respect your decision and treasure the chance we had. Included in our journey is me looking after you. Tending to your pain and lending you my strength until you regain yours.”
I truly believe every word he speaks.
Holding his gaze, still full of tender care but also the determination I’m slowly starting to associate with these Alphas—Ryder and Hendrix included—I scoot out of the nest and show him.
Watching as he witnesses for himself the bruises I’d already told him about isn’t as difficult as I made it out to be in my mind. While a gamut of emotions flickers over his face, he keeps blitzing my senses with his scent, giving me praise without saying a word.
Dominic rolls out of my nest and approaches me slowly. I watch his sock covered feet as he nears. And as odd as it might be, it’s watching him wiggle his toes when he’s in front of me that confirms the peace I am feeling inside is as real and tangible as he is.
“So,” he says, while steering my chin up so I can’t avoid looking at him. He also has my top and helps me dress. Once my head has poked through the neck, he guides each of my arms in. “I have a confession; I really want to hurt him now.”
“Okay,” I say, taking his hand. He leads me back towardsmy nest but changes his mind and picks me up so I sit on the edge of his desk.
“I’m not a doctor, but I have had experience with similar injuries. I think some warmth on those bruises will be enough.” Dominic is attentive but careful in the way he helps, keeping his designation well contained so it’s like a low soothing hum. “How do you feel about us working through some of my ideas about what you do next?”
“We can do that.”
As soon as I agree, his shoulders relax slightly, and he heads to the kitchen area in his office. I watch as he makes a hot chocolate for me and pours himself a cup of black coffee. He also fixes another plate of food from containers similar to the ones from last night.
“On my desk next to you are some ideas of what I was considering.”
His notebook is where he said, and I get a pleasant puff of his scent when I lift the top onto my lap. Unable to stop myself, I lift the whole thing up to take a better smell of his notebook. Like everything else in his office, there’s a subtle reminder of him ingrained on the pages. A small sniff and I’m ready for the next part which is reading his suggestions.
Dominic’s writing matches his personality. Each letter has been penned with impeccable precision, each word perfectly spaced. There’s no dramatic embellishment in his style but he doesn’t need it either. There’s elegance and ego hidden in the preciseness. Once I start reading his notes, my attention shifts to what he wants us to discuss.
He leaves me in peace to read. I know he’s right next to me; I feel his presence brush over me every now and then, a gentle reminder that he’s there. His scent wraps around me.
I like that he hasn’t reverted completely back to only being my lawyer. The lines between us are blurred anyway,so when he sits on his leather chair and pats his lap, I don’t hesitate to climb on.
“Now it’s time for the warmth therapy I was referring to,” he says from behind me.
My feet dangle awkwardly until he reclines back and lifts his legs, lifting mine with them. He rests his feet on top of his desk and hands me the mug of hot chocolate before moving his closer to the edge of the desk, and then he buries his hands under my clothes and settles them on the worst bruises. It is instant bliss, and like holding a heat pack against the dull aches.
He starts talking, and I simply relax and enjoy the tranquil moment.
“I remember best by writing detailed notes. No one ever sees them,” he says as I hold the sheet up for us both to read.
“Why do you want me to tell my girlfriends I have a stalker?”
Out of all his options—and a lot of them have merit—introducing a stalker was the strangest.
