Page 8 of Forbidden Passion

Dominik sat at his bar seat like he did every Friday and Saturday, hoping for a glimpse of Tessa. He was just taking a drink of his beer when he heard the door open. He automatically turned to see who it was and about choked on the liquid in his mouth.

She was finally there. His frustration grew when he sawthe noticeable changes in her. There was no animation, and she looked pale. She was also thinner and had dark circles under her eyes, telling him she wasn’t sleeping.

Tessa glanced his way and smiled slightly before turning toward one of her friends. He went to stand and go to her but caught himself. For the hundredth time, he reminded himself that she wouldn’t be happy with him. They were from two different worlds. She was angelic and had a great childhood. If she knew where he’d come from, she’d run. He made so many excuses, hoping they would help keep him from going to her.

“Hi.”

It was like déjà vu. He turned toward his angel.

“Hi,” he tried to sound casual.

“I … I just wondered why you didn’t call me back when I left a message,” she said.

“Why would I?” Fuck, he hated the pain that flashed in her eyes.

“You’re right. I just wanted to thank you again for saving me.”

He scowled. “You don’t have to thank me again.”

“I think it will help me get back to normal. I’m close, but that was one thing I thought would help.”

“It doesn’t look like you’re even close to normal. Are you getting counseling?”

“What do you mean? I’m doing fine,” she said.

His face darkened. “Hell, you are. You’ve lost too much weight, and it doesn’t look like you’ve had a decent night’s sleep recently.”

“I’m trying the best I can.”

“You need help,” he told her.

She shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. “This is not your problem.” Tessa shrugged. “I guess I just had to say itone more time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, and you probably already forgot about it…”

“That’s not something I’ll ever forget,” he told her.

She looked away. “Is there any chance we can go somewhere and talk?”

“For what purpose?” The longer she stood next to him, the harder it was getting to push her away. “Listen, any relationship between us would never work. You and I are from two different worlds.”

Her brows snapped together. “What does that mean?”

“I’m from the wrong side of the tracks. I grew up with a mother who was a drunk and only cared about me because she got extra money for me every month.”

Her face paled. “So that’s the reason you think we’re different?”

He nodded. “That’s the main one. There are others.”

“What are they?” she asked.

God, he was about ready to lose it. He spotted one of the female bartenders who always had a thing for him, but he’d never been interested. “Hey, Monica.” He waved over Tessa’s shoulder.

Monica walked over to him and wrapped an arm around his neck before kissing him on his cheek. Jesus, the pain that filled Tessa’s eyes made him furious at himself.

“I’ll leave you to your date,” Tessa said. “But you shouldn’t assume anything about a person because you’ll most likely be wrong.”

“What does that mean?” he asked.

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