Page 22 of A Seed Of Peril

The incident at Consign Hive wasn’t random. At least, that was what the voice in my head wouldn’t stop screaming. It just felt… Off. I knew men bothering women wasn’t unusual in today’s world. It was the answers found after the incident. It was all too common—a severely mentally disturbed individual failed by society and the system who harassed women on the streets because he could. Nothing remotely mafia-related traced back to Wyatt. No sketchy personal connections. Everything was clean. Cookie-cutter. Too quiet.

Was what happened really what Dominic said—wrong place, wrong time? Coincidence? Like him, I wasn’t a big believer in coincidences either. There was something more. There had to be. Somewhere. I had the sense that a new threat lay on the horizon.

On cue, like he heard my thoughts and concerns, Dominic’s scent carried in the breeze the moment he approached the threshold to the balcony. His warm, naked arms enveloped me and held me against his bare chest. He brought one hand up over my breasts and around to the side of my neck, cradling the side of my face. I leaned into his palm, kissing its skin. His other hand was on the underside of my belly. I held his forearm and his other hand, smiling. Turning my head, we shared a kiss.

Dominic’s touch, let alone his presence, never ceased to bring me comfort. Safety. He was the soothing fire I desperately needed right now.

Staring back ahead, I broke our silence. “I could’ve sworn you were asleep.”

“I was until you weren’t there.” He held me tighter and kissed my temple. “Still thinking about what happened?” I nodded. “It’s over, Lilith. You’ll never see him again.”

That Ididbelieve, but what I refused to accept was the end of any looming threats. Sure, in the mafia, you constantly had to keep your head on a swivel and look over your shoulder. You felt moments of peace; however, you never trulyhadpeace, and it was a fact of life I would never get used to like Dominic and the others had, especially now that we were to be parents. Eyes were always on us. Enemies were everywhere. Whether it be jealousy, families bored with what they had and wanting more, or even those we had in our pockets could turn at a moment’s notice. Nothing was guaranteed. Danger never stayed hidden, and the creatures eventually came out to play.

“Maybe not, but everyone’s so damn calm, and it’s driving me nuts.”

Dominic turned me around, refusing to let me go. Gripping my arms, he dipped his head, his blue eyes so beautiful. I placed my palms on his chest, syncing my breathing with his.

“Trust us. Trustme.”

“I do.”

“Then, believe me when I say it’s over. We’re safe.”

I bit my bottom lip, flitting my eyes to his chest, watching it rise and fall. “For now.”

He grasped my face in his hands, moving my head back so I had no other choice but to look him in the eyes. “We’re safe,” he reiterated, clearly tired of trying to nail that in my head. I didn’t blame him. Wyatt was nothing, and Dominic wouldn’t waste his time on him. “Why do you insist that we’re not?”

“Because that’s what that annoying voice is telling me. Like you’ve said—go with your gut. Well, mine won’t shut the fuck up.”

His chuckle rumbled in his chest. “What is that little fucker telling you?”

I grabbed his hands and moved them from my face, holding onto them between us.

“That there are no coincidences, and this wasn’t something random. The dread I felt then is the kind I feel now, and I can’t shake it, Dominic. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t.” I steadied my breathing, my heart beginning to beat faster. My gut twisted, and I squeezed his hands as if that would keep me balanced. My chest tightened, and my throat tickled with the threat of tears. I fought to speak my words. “It scares me when I feel this way because I’m usually not wrong.”

Dominic’s eyes told me it pained him to see me hurt, to watch me struggle.

“What if I make some calls and have Wyatt put away? Would that ease your fears?”

Tears filled my eyes, escaping the moment I blinked, nodding. Wyatt in jail or a facility wasn’t only what I needed, but it was best for the state as a whole. If the cops wouldn’t do what was morally right and continued to leave women at risk, then vigilante justice was best. If Wyatt bothered or hurt anyone else, that would fester on my conscience forever.

“It would,” I said, crying. Dominic removed his hands from mine and once again grabbed my face, this time dipping down to kiss me.

“Then you have my word. I’m sorry I haven’t done it already.”

Shaking my head, I told him not to apologize. Being this close to him, breathing in his heady scent of cigarettes and his Dior Sauvage Elixir cologne, all I wanted tonight was to be close to him. Not sleep. Him.

“Take me to bed.”

Immediately, he picked me up and turned around with the intention of bringing us inside. I wrapped my legs around him and wrapped my arms around his neck, resting my head on his shoulder.

“Would you like me to sing to you?” he asked, and my heart melted at his suggestion. Listening to him sing and play the piano were all the ASMR I needed on sleepless nights, only… One of his songs wasn’t what I craved. Not yet. Afterward.

We reached the balcony door when I said, “I want you to fuck me first.”

A devilish smirk curled Dominic’s lips.

I neededa release from this stress and anxiety. So did Dominic. He flipped on the light and then kicked our bedroom door shut, his hands firmly holding my ass, my nails scratching his back while I pulled and grabbed his hair with my other. We were hungry for each other. Wanton. I groaned in disappointment when he abandoned my mouth for my neck, but I leaned my head back and off to the side anyhow, moaning softly.

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