Page 32 of Forbidden Passion

Tessa grabbed some clothing and walked into the bathroom. It didn’t take her long and she was headed into the kitchen. She was surprised he’d already cleaned everything and was out in the backyard. She walked to the open sliding door and looked out to find him wrapping up the hose. She could tell he’d watered the tubs of flowers she’d planted a few weeks after moving in.

“Are you ready?” he asked as he walked toward her.

Damn, he looked so hot in faded jeans and a black t-shirt. “Yes. I didn’t take the time to dry my hair.”

Dominik slid his fingers through the strands. “That’sokay. It’s warm enough out.”

She followed him through the house, grabbing her purse from the table by the door. They had just gotten to the truck when his phone rang.

“Hello,” he said as he reached for her door.

She could tell that whatever he was hearing pissed him off.

He stuck the phone in his pocket and sighed. “I have to go to one of the sites for a bit.”

“That’s okay. You can just drop me off at my house.”

His face darkened. “I’d prefer you stay here.”

“I can’t go with you?”

He shook his head. “No, Angel. The place is dangerous, so you’d have to stay in the truck. At least here you can relax. Plus, you know this house is more secure than yours.”

She looked down. God, she was so damn tired of feeling like a prisoner. She knew it wasn’t his fault, though. She nodded.

“I promise to go as fast as I can. I’ll be back before you know it,” he told her.

“All right.”

He led her back into the house. “Set the alarm after I leave. And stay in the house.”

“I will.” She tried to keep the sadness from her tone, but he caught it and came to her, wrapping his arms around her.

“I’m sorry, Angel. Pierce will eventually be caught, and then we can relax a bit.”

She rested her head against this chest. “I know. This is not your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I’m as discouraged as you are. I don’t want you to feel chained.”

She didn’t know how to take that, so she kept quiet. “You better get going.”

He took her hand and pulled her back into the house.“Don’t forget to turn on the security.”

“I won’t.”

He kissed her quickly and shut and locked the door. “I want to hear it, Angel.”

She rolled her eyes and pushed the buttons he’d shown her. “It’s done.”

“Good girl. I’ll be back soon.”

Tessa rested her forehead against the cool wood and listened as his truck drove away. The silence felt almost suffocating. She knew if she didn’t keep busy, she’d go crazy. She walked into the kitchen and looked in the pantry. She was suddenly craving chocolate cake, so she decided to make one from scratch.

A few hours later, she was sitting at the kitchen table digging into a piece of cake when she heard Dominik pull in. She walked to the door, peeked out, turned off the security, and unlocked it.

His eyes ran swiftly over her as he walked to her. “Did you check before you opened the door?”

She nodded. “Yes. How did it go at the site?”

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