Page 4 of Forbidden Passion

Fury, unlike he’d felt before, twisted his guts. “Don’t even think about it, fucker. Do you understand?”

“But, man, it doesn’t look like you’re going to do anything besides stare at her. Give the rest of us a chance.”

Dominik leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “Let me put it this way. If anyone tries to get together with her, I’ll bury you in the concrete foundation of one of our buildings. Tell everyone that.”

Rey held up his hands. “Jesus. Yeah. I get it. I’ll put the word out.”

“Hi.”

Dominik turned abruptly to face the person talking—the woman of his dreams. It took a moment to realize she was in front of him and talking to him. “Hi.”

He couldn’t believe when she stepped closer to him, almost in between his legs. He wanted to snatch her up when she became submissive. Fuck. She was even more beautiful up close. The blue/green color of her eyes was bright, and her smile was friendly.

He tried to determine if his appearance repulsed her, though he couldn’t see anything but interest and warmth.

Dominik fought the urge to pick her up and carry her out of the bar. When he raised his arm to pull her closer, he panicked. What the fuck was he doing? He’d already decided it wouldn’t be smart to give her a chance. She gave him the out he needed, and he called her cute.

He could tell right away as the light faded from her eyes that he’d done what he intended. He had to grit his teeth when she walked away from him. The fact that her posture and animation had changed told him how much he’d hurt her, and he could have kicked himself.

He watched Tessa say goodbye to her friends and walk out the door without glancing at him. Jesus, the pain he felt was surprising, and it enforced his decision to stay away from her. If it hurt that bad after one short conversation, he’d never recoverif they tried and he failed.

Dominik caught sight of one of the guys that had stared at her all night. He had thought he was harmless but then caught the look in the man’s eyes before he snuck out the side door. Every male instinct pushed him to make sure she was okay and got home okay. He could do that and stay hidden, so she didn’t see him. He threw some bills down and walked out. He’d only gotten a half block from the bar when he heard a scuffle and a woman crying out.

He raced around the corner to see the fucker had Tessa up against the building, trying to pull her pants down and cursing her. She fought, but she was so tiny she didn’t have a chance against the guy. By the time he got to them, the bastard had hit her on the head with his fist.

Dominik yanked him away from her and slammed him against the side of the building, several feet away from Tessa. The guy fought the hold he had on his throat. He could tell he was strangling the guy when he started to turn blue, but he didn’t care. When he heard Tessa crying and saw her trying to move, holding her clothing in place, he tossed the guy away from him.

“I will find you, fucker, and then you’ll pay for touching her.”

He walked over to Tessa, hearing the man running the opposite way. He didn’t care. His whole focus was on her.

She stood on shaky legs and tried to walk out of the alley. He got to her and caught her when she stumbled. She cried out when he lifted her. He hated the fact that he was frightening her, but he could tell she wouldn’t make it another foot on her own.

“Easy, Sweetheart. It’s just me. Let me take care of you.”

Dominik watched her turn her head and look up at him. When she recognized him, she immediately curled her arms around his neck and pressed her face there. The fact that hertrust in him was immediate wasn’t lost on him.

He made it to her house. “Where’s your key, Sweetheart?”

“I … it’s in my jeans pocket,” she whispered.

He set her on her feet and waited while she fought to get her key out. He held his hand open, and she dropped it in it. He opened the door, picked her up again, and walked in, slamming it shut with his boot.

He carried her to the sofa, sat her down, and then knelt next to her on the floor. Fuck, with the overhead light, he was able to see her clearly, and he wanted to howl.

“I think we need to go to the hospital, Sweetheart.”

Tessa wrapped her arms around her waist and shook her head. “No. Just give me a minute, and I’ll be fine.”

“How about we clean you up, and I’ll check out the damage? If I feel it’s bad enough, I’ll take you, and I won’t care if you argue.”

She opened her mouth before it snapped shut, and then she nodded. “Okay.”

“Where’s the bathroom?” he asked.

She pointed at an open door. “Through my bedroom.”

He carefully lifted her again and walked into her bathroom. Everything about it was feminine and smelled like her. He set her on her feet and held onto her arm until she was steady.

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