The minimal belongings I had with me in the hospital were packed and ready by the door when Kat returned from her X-rays and medical tests. Dominic and I had stayed silent after his mother surprised us with her visit and confessed she was bringing my stepfather into town, and we remained quiet even when Kat tried to make small talk with us after her mother left. I still couldn’t believe it. How had Mrs. Moore found Richard? It made little sense. As much as I tried to wrap my brain around all the possibilities, I stopped when I became short of breath from my racing heart. Doctor Fraser wasn’t too keen on letting me go when he took my blood pressure and saw how high it was. He thought something was wrong with me, but I was adamant that I was okay to leave the hospital. I needed to grab as much of my stuff as possible and leave this city before Richard stepped foot in it and sunk his claws into me. I had spent the last four years thinking I was finally safe from him, but now… I wasn’
Dominic POV I shouldn’t have kissed her like that, but I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop mentally reenacting my last exchange with Olivia when I entered the cab and gave the driver the address. I knew how fragile Olivia was right now, and I thought I possibly blew it when I kissed her. But I couldn’t help myself. Not with her looking at me like a wounded animal who needed warmth and security. I wanted her to know she could count on me. The taxi ride to Olivia’s flat was quick, and once I was inside, I immediately packed clothes and necessities for her without going overboard. I figured if Olivia were missing something, I’d go out and buy it for her. She would never want for anything. I also packed her antique typewriter and grabbed a few things on her desk that I thought she would like to bring to my place while she stayed with me until we figured out what to do with her stepfather. That was a whole separate problem altogether. I was angry at my mother for sticking her nose whe
I sulked in the front seat of Nate’s rented car. We were on the road to Portlet—wherever that was. Nate had appeared without notice in Dominic’s apartment and hurried me out and inside a parked car. We headed north, and Nate ignored my pleas to know where we were going. Then he took the highway and drove until we passed small villages in the distance. Had I not known Nate before or who he was best friends with, I would have been afraid of being kidnapped. After maybe two hours and a half of driving, Nate turned onto a straight and narrow road. A small sign told us we were being welcomed to Portlet, and I twisted my head to find the village but couldn’t see anything other than farming fields with a thin blanket of snow. We were near the coast, and I could smell the salt. I had been told that people near the coast rarely got runny noses because of the salt in the air. They said that that was why they made products with salty water to help with decongestion. I thought it made sense, b
Warm hands glided over my stomach and pulled me back into warmer skin. I hummed in delight, wiggling my bottom over Dominic’s erection digging into my lower back. I could recognize those hands anywhere, even with my eyes closed. They were soft, with a touch of callus inside his palms from lifting weights when he went to the gym. His unmistakable smell of aftershave also lingered on his skin, even after a full day of work. That smell was intoxicating to me. Dominic slipped a hand between my thighs and pressed a finger on my clit, rubbing it in circles and making me hot with desire. He hadn’t touched me in such a long time that I thought I would come undone by him simply applying a little more pressure. “Do you like it when I do this to you?” Dominic mumbled in my ear before sucking my earlobe and kissing and licking my neck. Panting, I arched my back and opened my legs wider for him to gain better access. “Always….” My fingers grabbed the sheets and bunched them in my fists while D
Lena gently shook me. I groaned and stretched my body over the sofa before staring at her. She wore a knit sweater and had done her hair in a high ponytail. The cottage look suited her well, I thought. When she saw I was up, she smiled and offered to make us breakfast. I beamed at her suggestion, feeling my stomach rumble, and slowly righted myself in a sitting position. After I ended my call with Dominic, I retreated close to the fire and fell asleep. The warmth of the flames heated my blanket and lulled me into a comfortable slumber. I felt much more rested and ready to tackle another day of killing time. Nate was supposed to return today but couldn’t stay the entire weekend. He was coming over with a few supplies, clean clothes, and hopefully, new board games. Lena and I had already played with everything we had and were tired of doing the 2000-piece puzzle of a boring fruit basket. I heard the clatter of dishes and moved away from the sofa, ambling into the kitchen to help her
Dominic POV “You understand that what I’m doing right now could cost me my license to practice, right?” I nodded to Patrick, and he continued pulling out the information I had requested. Patrick McKamey was responsible for everything legal in my life and business. My father had done business with the lawyer before his passing, and since Patrick had been a long-time family friend and ally, I continued using his services after the torch was passed down to me. I called Patrick a few days ago, requesting he gets as much information as possible on Olivia's mother's last Will and Testament. It wasn't easy, especially since it wasn’t at the request of Olivia herself, but Patrick made a few phone calls to some of his acquaintances in America. After a few days of digging, he called me when he received the crucial information I was waiting for. “I promise I will deny your involvement if anything happens, Patrick. Besides, I’m not planning on using any of this outside of these four walls. Yo
Lena helped me bring my stuff back to my flat. Afterward, she called Chuck to ask if he could come over and back us up. Chuck was over six feet tall and shaped like a football player. He was a big teddy bear on the inside and would never hurt anyone, but Richard didn’t need to know that. My stepfather wouldn’t dare try anything if I had him with me. The next thing on my list was finding out where Richard was staying. We would have the upper hand if I could find him before he saw me. At least, that’s what I thought. After that, I simply needed to find my old phone to get important things from it. “Alright,” called Lena from the hallway. “Chuck is on his way as soon as he gets off work tonight. It’s an hour-long flight, so he’ll get here around eight-ish. Did you call McHottie to tell him we’re back in town?” I winced and started chewing the inside of my cheeks. When Lena walked inside my bedroom and saw me wriggling with anxiety, she huffed and crossed her arms disapprovingly. “You
I arrived earlier than agreed upon at the restaurant and asked the server to sit in the bar section while I waited for the person I was meeting to show up. I had chosen this place purposefully so my guest wouldn’t cause a scene. The restaurant was a chic place downtown, and I had dressed for the occasion, flaunting a beautiful smoky-grey cocktail dress with tulle sticking out from the bottom—one of Nadia’s designs—and flat black shoes to go with the look. The dress was shoulderless, so I brought a shawl to keep my back warm and my hands because whenever I was nervous, my hands would become blocks of ice. I had my appointment with the hospital earlier that week, and they changed my plaster casts for plastic moulded, removable ones. They were less bulky and visible. The bartender slid a napkin before me and placed my Old fashion drink on it. I tipped my head as a “thank you” and took a sip before turning my head and scanning the crowd for the person I was waiting for. When I saw her,