Page 82 of The Don's Hidden Heir

She hasn’t finished when I jump off the bed, fly down the stairs and run outside. Dominic is leaning against his S.U.V. in front of the entrance. He’s wearing a burgundy, three-piece Tom Ford suit and he looks so handsome.

I jump on him, wrap my legs around him and start to pepper him with kisses. “Oh. My. God, I missed you so much.” I’m almost shouting I’m so excited.

He holds me tight, sliding his fingers through my hair and kissing me back.

When we’ve had enough of each other, I wrap my arms around his neck and tip my head back. “I wasn’t expecting you to be back so soon.”

“I missed you. I would have gone crazy if I had to spend another night without you, Elena.”

I narrow my eyes at him. I can’t help the sheepish smile on my lips. “How much did you miss me? On a scale of one to ten?”

He pushes strands of hair from my face. “A hundred.”

“Then you didn’t miss me as much as I missed you,” I joke. “I missed you ten thousand times more.” I bury my face in his neck and breathe him in. He smells so refreshing, like sandalwood and cedar. I think I’m addicted to him. “I’m just happy you’re home.”

He slides his hand up and down my back. “I’m happy to be home, too.”

We hold each other for a while. We don’t say much, Dominic and I have gone beyond expressing our feelings with just words.

“There’s something I need to show you,” he whispers into my ear.

I drop my legs and take a small step back, not taking my hands from his warm body. “What is it?”

He takes my hand in his. “Go get changed. I’ll wait for you in the car.”

I waltz my way back upstairs and slip on an olive maxi dress, brush my hair and put on a little make-up, then I rush back downstairs.

Dominic holds the passenger door open for me and I get in. He rounds the car and climbs into the driver’s seat.

My stomach churns anxiously when the engine comes alive beneath me. It takes all of thirty minutes for us to reach our destination. It’s an imposing white mansion that looks like it’s been abandoned for a while.

Tall flowers cover the patio and the sculptures of angels lining the driveway are covered with dust.

“Where are we?” I ask when Dominic brings the car to a stop in front of the entrance.

“This place belonged to my parents.” He opens his door, climbs out and comes to open mine, but I’m already out and peering around in awe.

The mansion beckons with an air of unapologetic opulence, from its gilded exterior to what I can glimpse of its lavish interior through dirty windows. It’s breathtaking. Dominic pushes open the front door and ushers me in.

The hallway is lined with roses and candles. I try not to let my thoughts go astray. Dominic wouldn’t propose to me here, in the place his parents died.

“Your parents lived here?”

“They did. My brothers and I grew up here, too.” He pauses and pulls in a deep breath. “We had happy memories here. Lots of them. But after my parents were murdered, those good memories somehow faded from my mind. Whenever I think of this mansion, all I can remember is my parents laying lifelessly on the cold floor, floating in a pool of their own blood.”

My lungs constrict and my heart races. “Dominic…”

“That is the reason I brought you here. I want to get rid of those bad memories.”

My heart is not just racing, it’s sprinting. “What do you mean?”

“I want to start afresh, Elena, and I want you by my side as I do so.” He holds my gaze and the world melts away.

God, the effect he has on me.

“I’m such a fool for not realizing this earlier. I’m a bigger idiot for not saying it as soon as I realized it, too. I can’t live without you, Elena. I’ve lost you once and I can’t fuck up and lose you a second time.”

My cheeks are hot and I wonder if he’s noticed how labored my breaths are. I smile nervously. “That sounds like a love confession, Dominic.”

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