Page 5 of A Seed Of Peril

The safest arms in this world wrapped around my waist, guiding me into his warmth. Setting my drink on the balcony railing, I rested my head on his shoulder, reveling in the feel of our hands on my belly and his tender kisses peppering along my neck.

“Three thousand.” He brought his mouth to my ear, his feathery kisses tickling me, his breath bringing me a welcome, pleasurable shiver. “I know you’ll never be accustomed to such a lavish life, but three grand is a drop in the bucket for a man like me.” His cigarette sizzled as it was ground out into the stone. Slipping his fingers under my chin and aligning our eyes, his everlasting adoration for me in his eyes was a blessing. “Whatever my family needs, they get. Understand?”

I nodded, cracking a smile. Turning in his arms, I slid my hand along the side of his face, taking every ounce of it in before kissing him. Slow and steady—that was our pace. I wanted to savor every moment, every second.

Without warning, my emotions took hold, tears sneaking into my eyes.Why did this man find me attractive?What was it about me he loved?He could’ve had prettier women;why me?

Concern found its way into Dominic’s eyes. Threading one hand up through the hair at the back of my head, he guided me closer, our bodies gently pressing together. “My love… What is it?” He rubbed his hand up and down my back.

I placed my palms against his chest, my hands the barrier between us as I took a breath.

“I’m here,” he tenderly reminded me, kissing my forehead. I closed my eyes, releasing tears. They rolled down my cheeks as I parted my lips to speak.

“Why do you stay with me? I’m no catch, and I’m certainly nosoldato.” My hands were my focus; I couldn’t look up at him. “All I do is let you down.”

“Look at me, Lilith,” he commanded, his tone gentle. I did as he said, my next breath getting caught in my throat under my emotional weight. “Don’t talk; just listen.”

I nodded, sniffing.

“I brought out your inner fire. I made you grab onto your inner warrior and yank her to the forefront. That was the first time you showed me and proved to me that youarestrong, that youhavethe confidence to succeed. You’re a highly intelligent woman, Lilith. No one can take that from you. No one can take your strength and your beauty, so stop letting the voices in your head win.” Dominic cupped my face in his palms, absolute adoration in his eyes. “Do you know why you’re myBellissima?”

I sniffed again, more fresh tears escaping. “Because you somehow find me beautiful?”

He sighed, clearly fed up with my self-hatred. “There’s that doubt again.” Tilting my head back slightly, Dominic pressed his thumb to the corner of my mouth, teasing my bottom lip. “You’re myBellissima,not just because of your physical beauty, but also the beauty that is your soul.”

The moment he brought his thumb close enough, I gently grazed my teeth and tongue along its tip. His tone was soft again, caressing over my skin.

“There’s beauty in every word that spills past your lips.” He moved his thumb away from my mouth and toward my chin. “In the way you treat a person, no matter how broken they are.” Suddenly, Dominic scratched my mouth with his, his lips kneading with mine as he spoke. “You’ve made me a better man, Lilith, and I’ll never stop trying to convince you of the remarkable warrior that is you,amore mia.”

We held each other, drawn together in a passionate kiss. Pleasure ripped through me at the spark that ignited between us here and now. After a moment, Dominic cut off our kiss and cupped my cheeks again.

“You need to see what I see, Lilith. You need to be stronger because, from where I’m standing, you’re allowing those voices in your head to win. You’re allowing yourself to be weak, and that’s not you.”

While it wasn’t easy at first to accept what Dominic was saying, he was right. I needed to stop listening to my negativity and get my head in the game. I would never see the exact beauty that he saw, but I needed to at least stop hating myself. Mr. Rosini was one of the most powerful men in New Jersey who could have anyone he wanted, and he still choseme. He was drawn to something about me.Somethingabout me held his affection. I needed to trust when he told me things like this. I needed to believe him. I had to fight harder against my insecurities.

He let me go, leaving a thin gap between us—a gap I hated. Dominic looked down at my belly, feeling it. Cradling it.

I put my arms around his neck, kissing him and nuzzling my nose against his face. “I’ll try, I promise.”

“I love you,Bellissima.”

“I love you,amore mio.”

A soft smile stretched his lips.

We let each other go again, and then, he picked up his pack of cigarettes and lighter off the balcony railing before heading back for our bedroom. As soon as I started taking a sip of blood, Dominic spoke. I stared into the fog, hearing his words.

“I was once where you are. Hearing Lorenzo berate me for years in between beatings obliterated whatever shred of self-worth and confidence I had. Constantly being told you’re a worthless piece of shit fucks a kid up.”

There was a brief silence, and I thought Dominic was back inside our room until I heard him speak again.

“It wasn’t easy. It took years to break free of those fucking chains. Hector and Nadia helped open my eyes, and then, you came along and blew them wide open. That’s what I’ll always try to do for you.”

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Not botheringto change out of my black, ribbed tank top and pink pajama pants I slept in, I took another bite of my homemade salad—with steak tips and the rest of the animal blood from my latest cup as its dressing—on my way into the basement. Dominic, his brothers, and a couple more of his men had spent the morning picking up their orders of ammunition and blood.

I tried getting Katrina and Bianca to join me, but they were too engrossed with the classic game Operation®.

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