✧

DOMINIC

As Dominic watched Claudia sleep, he couldn't help but reflect on how far the two of them had come since they first met. It's been exactly three weeks since she applied for a position at his company. A job that lasted all of four hours before she chose to quit to see where their budding romance would lead.

Saving her from this mess involved more than just taking a risk. It was a nail in the universal coffin. Dominic had separated from his father and committed several murders in her honor. Both of them would be followed no matter where they went.

His life during the past few years had been pleasant and tranquil, despite how much he hated being a part of the Mafia sometimes. He had thrown that away with precision, and why?

Dominic rose on his elbow, careful not to disturb the beautiful woman who lay beside him.

There were five freckles on Claudia's nose and cheeks, forming a constellation of sorts.

For the first time in his entire life, he found himself envying regular families.

Other people had the one aspect that he never had growing up—choices. When Dominic was in the bathroom, he would have given just about anything to pursue a career in medicine, to help soothe Claudia and help fix the aches she had experienced. If he was never involved with the Mafia, neither of them would've been hurt or had hurt anyone else.

Mine.

That whole way of thinking was faulty. Mafia members in his circle rarely settled down with anyone on the outside and doing so with a random person was rare for a shit-ton of obvious reasons, but even his sister had settled with a woman she cared about. So had Vinny.

Dominic didn't want to claim Claudia as his woman, and it would be better if he didn't. But he never did the denial crap until now. Why all of a sudden? He wanted her, he desired to be one with her, and not just physically but legally and emotionally. He didn't feel like that could ever happen. Not for a man like him—a criminal.

He lay back, letting out a low groan. He hadn't fought anyone in the last few hours, but he was already itching to rip somebody's head off like a damn addict. And that is what many men in his group had become. An addict bred over decades of fighting with enemies. They had to protect what was theirs.

Spouse.

He was restless, skin itchy and his throat was parched. His dick was stiff, too, but that had more to do with the curvy body beside him than the lack of killing somebody in cold blood.

Dominic was still mind-blown by the fact Claudia had asked him to lie next to her, knowing how horny he was. He wanted to think that it was shock that has propelled him to do what she pleaded, but it was ridiculous. He climbed into the bed with her because he wanted to. He needed to feel her warmth caress his skin, her breath and soft moans fan his cheeks, her ass so close to his and causing him to feel an even harder erection.

He wanted to have sex with her until they were both exhausted, but he realized that it was better to stay in his lane. He was afraid that if he touched her now, she might withdraw. It meant the world to him that he had earned her trust back.

Wife.

The smart thing would've been to stay in the chair like he wanted to, but he couldn't resist her requests. Settling beside her has been okay for now. He will feel the need to please her, to please both of them, but he should be able to maintain himself for a couple of hours. He'd feel the need to fight again, soon, no matter what. To see this shit through he had to be at the top.

See this shit through exactly how?

Another good question, he thought, grimacing. Damn, Dominic didn't think anything through.

Finally succumbing to his feelings took longer than normal. He slept.

Dominic had been asleep, for however long, exactly where he had fallen asleep the night before.

He snuggled close to Claudia, his arm slung over her waist.

Shit.

She wiggled her ass as she got comfy against him while sleeping, raising the temperature in his veins.

Double shit.

He widened his eyes slightly and cast a glimpse behind him. Shafts of brilliant sunlight peeped through the crack in the drapes. Both of them needed to get up and on the road at some point. He still had at least four hours to reach his destination.

He was harder now than he was earlier.

What a bunch of crap.

When Dominic took a deep breath, all he could smell was her. It should've suffocated him, but it didn't. In the end, though, he felt much more at ease. He finally admitted to himself that he almost risked losing her in the forest.

Marry her.

A dull pain, the size of fists, pierced his abdomen. Claudia was no longer secure in her life, either with or without him, and he felt utterly helpless about the situation.

That infuriated him. His stomach turned in anger until he heard her moan in her sleep.

He closed his eyes and counted to ten. His inner voice told him to "pull it together," but the need to draw her in and hold onto her was too strong to ignore.

After opening his eyes, Dominic's gaze went straight to the swoop of her hip. His wife was not gone. Wife . . . In every sense of the term, Claudia was my wife. She was strong, perhaps more so than she was aware of.

Most women wouldn't have been able to hold their own against the other mafia men like she had.

And she survived an attack from Edoardo, but . . . But Dominic was beginning to show his honest devotion to her. He was catching motherfucking feelings for her, and that shit was going to get him into trouble.

Feelings were not something that he imagined developing for anyone after Amelia. Vinny cared for his girlfriend, but he had also gone completely off the deep end in love.

Dominic was following closely on his heels.

Claudia's back rested against his chest as she shifted in her sleep. He froze when her ass pressed deeper into his groin. He wasn't going to sleep again anytime soon.

He elevated himself and peered down at her. She felt so little against him, which triggered another bizarre sensation. One that made him want to hide her in a place where no one could see or touch her. It sounded like an overly protective mentality.

Seriously messed up.

He touched the delicate bone of her jaw to feel its contours. Although it was a gentle grasp, Claudia quietly awoke and pushed her hips back.

Hunger pricked his skin and ripped his gut. Dominic traced his fingertips along her neck and up her arm. He marveled the loose shirt she wore.

She uttered a small groan and rolled onto her back, gazing up at him with her brown eyes. He was unable to decipher her facial expression, but he was certain she must have felt his hardness pressing between her legs. His curiosity knew no bounds when she didn't launch herself from the bed.

Dominic steadily extended his hand to the top of her shirt and placed his hand over her breasts. Her cheeks had taken on a familiar color. She intrigued him with how much her body glowed next to him.

Claudia shifted her hands from his side to his back, massaging his tense muscle bands. She awed him with the feeling of her touch on his skin.

Seduction erupted, spinning his mind around.

Enough with the ruminating—Dominic was a man full of temptation. Right now, he needed to touch her more. He wrapped his fingertips around her hips and drew her beneath the pillow stack. He then rose above her while supporting his weight with one arm. She moaned his name as he rocked against her like he had the night he tasted her clit. It was like his erection was designed to fit into her core.

"Dom . . ."

He swayed his hips once more, admiring the way her lips parted. "Should we slow down?"

"Maybe we should." As her hips rose, however, Claudia's body contradicted her words.

His next comments followed with a harsh, subdued growl. "I can guarantee you that sex with me will not consist of long, romantic strokes or whispered words. I like it rough and raw, but your satisfaction comes first every time."

Her heavy, hooded eyes gradually closed. Thick eyelashes framed her cheeks. "Is that a guarantee?"

"A promise."

He amplified his declaration with a thrust of his hips, prompting him to moan in response.

Claudia whispered, her thighs apart and her hands on his waist, "That's a pretty bold statement. But I like bold."

"Then you will enjoy what I am about to do to you." Dominic lowered his head and brushed his lips over the cheek she had just caressed. "I never, ever break a promise, Dia."

Soulmate.

"Hmm. Then I'm all for it."

Dominic's remaining hand moved over her hip curve, up her middle. His thumb stroked over a nipple before he paused just beneath her breasts. Her sudden intake of breath echoed in his head.

Her breath seized as his lips reached the corner of her mouth. She slightly tilted her head. When their tongues connected, Dominic shifted back, remembering that she was sore.

He asked, "Are you feeling up to this?" while pondering the source of the sudden notion of sensibility.

Claudia brushed his shoulders with her fingertips. "Yes. Keep going."

"You're okay?"

"Yes, Dom. I need you."

Dominic lowered his head until it rested against the space between her chin and shoulder. He realized as he nuzzled her neck and grabbed her pelvis that no one had ever smelled better than she did. He allowed his fingertips to reach the top of her breast as he lifted his palm.

Claudia didn't tell him to stop, didn't say much, and made no sound. She merely paused . . . to observe his actions. She then grabbed his wrists without removing his hands.

She held them tightly. Her eyes were hesitant, but her breathing quickened, bringing her breast into closer contact with his hand.

His throat erupted in a deep growl, and she pulled his palm over her breast as her back arched clean off the mattress. As a reflex, Dominic ran his fingertip over the tiny packed pebble against the fabric.

As he teased her nipple through the clothes, his eyes stayed settled on hers. As she slid her other hand down his torso, his stomach muscles tightened. He wanted to see her breasts again, as well as to bite and caress them. He slipped his hand under her tunic. As he pulled the fabric up, revealing her stomach, and then delicately peeled the top off, the silky smooth skin concaved gently. Dominic would have yanked the shirt off with anybody else, but not with her. Not right away, but likely later on.

Later?

Who the devil was he trying to fool? There would be a later. She wanted him.

Claudia had a gorgeous body.

Round and phenomenal, and even more so in his grasp. She uttered a faint sigh as his fingertips slid across the peak of her breast. As he dropped his head, he flicked his tongue over one open nipple, his lips wet.

She gasped, her hands gripping his sides. "Dominic . . ."

"Mmm?" He pressed down, his fingers sliding to the other breast. His tongue gently touched the tip. "Do you want me to stop?"

Her head jolted back as she quickly exhaled. "This . . . this feels great. I wasn't expecting it."

"You sure about that?" Dominic was now circling her with his finger between her thighs. "I think you were dreaming about us."

"I was."

He brought her rosy peak into his mouth as he captured her other nipple between his thumb and fingertips. Her skin tasted like the most delectable wine, and her sigh resembled the music of a siren. "Thank you for being open and honest with me," he told her.

"Honesty is always the best policy."

"Do you like it when I stick my fingers inside of you?"

Claudia murmured, "Yes," and scratched the back of his neck. "Just. Like. That."

Her lower body began moving in little circles before Dominic could go to town on her, and he was so hard that he could feel his pulse against the leather of his pants. He clenched his teeth and stayed still as she came to life beneath him.

✧