Page 18 of Forbidden Passion

“Because we’re staying at my house from now on.”

She lifted to her elbow. “Why?”

He let his fingers skate up and down her back. “Because I’ll become broken and twisted if I have to sleep in this bed again, and my house has great security, which will make you safer.”

He watched as she thought about it for a moment and then relaxed when she nodded. “Okay.”

“How about you go get dressed?”

Her nose wrinkled. “I should shower…”

He shook his head. “No, I want you to smell like me all day.”

She smiled and blushed at the same time.

He liked the excitement that burst from her. “Go. Get packed. I’ll shower, and then we’ll be ready to go. I want us to stop somewhere and get breakfast.”

“I’d like that. I’m very hungry.”

He didn’t want to bring up the fact that she still hadn’t regained the weight she’d lost after the attack. He knew the reminder would dull her happiness, and that was the last thing he wanted. Within twenty minutes, they were heading toward a diner that had great food.

“Coffee?” the waitress said after they sat down.

They both nodded. She set down cups and filled them. “I’ll be back to get your order.”

“Thank you,” Tessa said.

He reached for the menu the woman handed him andglanced at the vast selection. When he decided, he set the menu to the side and took a sip from his coffee cup.

Dominik reached across the table and took one of her hands. “Is there anything you need to get done today?”

“I was planning on cleaning my house, but that’s not important. It doesn’t really need it. It’s just routine to clean every Saturday.”

He nodded. “I should stop by one of my construction sites. Although I trust my foremen, I still like to check in at least once a week.”

“That would be nice. I’d like to see what you do.”

The waitress interrupted them and took their order. “I’ll get that out to you.”

“Thank you,” both said.

“Did you always want to be a nurse?” he asked her. He had wanted to ask about her childhood but decided to do that when they were home. Knowing her life had been so hard bothered him more than he thought.

She nodded. “Yes. I had a lot of medical issues when I was young, and the nurses were always so good to me. I want to be able to give that to children because it makes a difference.”

“You’re pretty special, you know that?” he told her. He smiled when she blushed.

She shook her head. “Not really. Oh, I try to be the best nurse I can be, but there is always room for improvement.”

“That’s with anyone. I never stop reading and learning about new innovations or tools I could use.”

“What made you want to be in construction?” she asked.

“I started working for a guy when I was fourteen.”

Her eyes widened. “Fourteen?”

He nodded. “Yeah, my mother was irresponsible and I spent some nights without food, or I grew out of my clothing and she never had any money for more so I got a job. That was thetime I sprouted up, so I was going through clothes regularly.”

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