Page 86 of The Scandal You Started
He gritted his teeth over the urge to pick her up and shake the stubbornness from her.
“It’s not just you,” River added. “The protocol applies to every Study who falls sick.”
“Well, it is ridiculous. If I say I am well, then my word ought to be taken as the truth.”
River gave a pursed-lip shrug. “You have to have a checkup. Just to be on the safe side.”
He glared at the historian, wanting to shake him too for siding with Rayna. As a man, River should have understood that keeping him confined for a fever and sore throat that modern medicine had solved with ease was outrageous. He should have been outragedforDominic.
“Bye,” Rayna said, heading towards the open door of the sitting room.
“Now wait just a minute.” Dominic followed her out into the corridor and snuck around her. He grabbed the handle of the front door before she could, blocking her exit.
She scowled. “Dominic, you’re going to make me late.”
“I am coming along with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
The vexed line between his brows deepened. But her demeanour remained rigid.
Kelly’s voice filtered through their intense stare-off. “Sorry for interrupting, but River and I are gonna go make some coffee.” She didn’t look sorry. She was grinning from ear to ear like she was watching her favourite theatre production. “So play nice while you work this out, okay?”
Kelly sashayed towards the kitchen, dragging River in tow by the arm.
“Uh, Kelly…” River muttered just before they moved out of sight through the archway.
Dominic lowered his attention back to the maddening woman before him.
Rayna sidestepped towards the door. “Move.”
“This is entirely unnecessary.”
“I know you think that, but if I take you with me, I will get in trouble for not sticking to the correct procedure. Is that really what you want?”
His resolve collapsed beneath his feet, almost bringing him to his knees before her. “No. Never, sweetheart. That is the last thing I want.” He released the handle and shifted towards her. “But I have been cooped up in here for days now. I cannot spend another minute simply resting. It will drive me mad.”
Rayna’s expression softened, and she mulled over her thoughts before sighing. “Okay, fine. You can leave the farmhouse and go to the stables or forest, but you can’t go for a swim. That’s all I can offer you.”
But her offer was inadequate.Because it didn’t include her.
She would still leave, but Dominic couldn’t bring himself to let her.
Agitation at the very thought was gnashing on his muscles. Because while he didn’t want to leave her side, she didn’t seem too bothered about leaving him. In the same way, she hadn’t complained about waking up in his arms, but she hadn’t been eager to stay either. And that had warped the bliss of holding her during the night into a troubling realisation that Rayna hadn’t given him any indication things had changed between them.
What if…what if she…
A gritted sound of frustration escaped his mouth before Dominic grabbed her wrist and stomped past her. She stumbled along behind him with a hiss of his name, but he pulled her into the small library-cum-office on the right of the corridor and shut the door.
Drawing her back against the wood, he placed one palm by her head, then enclosed her in with the other. He bent over her, so their faces were inches apart.
Silence.
The subtle frown on her brows lifted as she watched him. His heart raced as he stared back.
“What?” she muttered, a little clipped yet breathy too.
He searched her eyes. “Did you mean what you said? That you no longer wished to pretend?”
