Page 6 of Forbidden Obsession

She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem to be moving.”

I turned again, and she grabbed my arm, clutching my bicep in her soft grip. My eyes dropped to her fingers, then back at her.

“You shouldn’t touch me, Penelope.”

“Why? Are you going to choke me out again?”

I sucked in a breath and faced her fully. “You want answers. Is that why you’ve followed me down this aisle?”

Her eyes widened. “Yes and no.” She stumbled over her words. “You just admitted it.”

My brows rose. “You’re surprised.”

“Yeah, because…” she shrugged, “…what if my intentions were to get you to own up to what you did to me? You could lose your job.” She snapped her fingers. “Like that.”

I smirked. She was feisty. That only made me want to dig my fingers into her flesh, grip her hard, and fuck her against a bookcase.

“Are you recording me, Penelope?”

“What?”

She appeared confused as if she hadn’t offered a possible threat. I eased closer to her, closing the gap between us.

“Have you followed me to record my admittance to choking you so you can report me to the dean?”

She frowned, then relaxed her face. “No. But…but…that’s not the point.”

“Then what is?”

“I’m just surprised you admitted it so fast. If I weren’t someone who liked you, I might have ruined your life.”

Dark laughter, low and vibrational, dropped from my lips.

She quivered. “What’s so funny?”

“I can assure you, Penelope, nothing you or anyone else does can ruin me.”

She swallowed, and her eyes were stuck on mine. My voice changed—the nocturnal sound, the timbre I reserved for those who were taking their last breaths.

“I fear no man, Penelope. Do you understand me?”

She saw the shift in my demeanor, remembered it from our last meeting, and the fear I expected her to feel returned to her face.

I lifted a hand to her chin, lightly touched her with the tips of my fingers, smiled, and then turned to leave.

Penelope took in a sharp breath. “I’ll be at Romeo’s tonight to let my hair down. You should stop by if you’re into that sort of thing,” she rushed to announce.

I paused again but didn’t look back, and instead, moved from the row to get as far away from Penelope as I could.

Before I did something that I would regret.

3

Dominic

The sky was a deep shade of navy when I arrived at Dameon's compound. Shrouded in a veil of darkness, the cold winter weather nipped at my skin.

Security at the entrance was tight, as expected. Despite the biting cold, I was greeted by the sight of Dameon’s loyal guards standing watch outside the gate. I passed through the iron gates without being stopped and walked through the compound. The gardens were barren, and the fountains were frozen over. The cold weather had taken its toll on everything, including the staff. The few servants that were present outside were huddled together in heavy coats, their breaths visible in the frigid air.

---