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Home / Romance / Beneath His Rules / Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

All Chapters of Beneath His Rules: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

114 Chapters

21

Ivy's pov I stood and walked up behind him. “Liar.” He turned around so fast I barely had time to step back. “I’m not lying.” “Yes, you are,” I whispered. “You wouldn’t look at me like that if you didn’t want more.” He didn’t answer. He just stared at me, breathing hard, like he was fighting himself again. “Why do you hate it so much?” I asked. “Why do you hate wanting me?” “Because it’s dangerous.” He replied. “For who?” I asked. “For you, for me. For everything.” Dominic responded. I frowned. “That’s not an answer.” “It’s the only one you’re getting,” he said, firmly. We stood there, staring at each other. It felt like if one of us moved even an inch, we’d crash into each other again. I took a slow step toward him. “You could just, stop fighting it.” “I told you..” “You could stop pretending this is one-sided,” I said, cutting him off. “Because it’s not and we both know it.” “Ivy.” he started. “Dominic.” I said. He shut his eyes and dragged a hand through his hair

22

Dominic’s pov I stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. Sleep wasn’t coming, and I knew why. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her. Every damn detail, the way her breath caught. The way her hands clutched at me like she hated me for touching her and hated me more for stopping. It was supposed to be nothing. That was what I told myself. A mistake I wouldn’t repeat but my body wasn’t listening. I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall, jaw tight. “Get it together,” I muttered. This was a line I shouldn’t have crossed. She was too young, too fragile, and too angry, and now that I’d crossed it, the thought of staying away felt like trying to hold my breath underwater. I hated how much I wanted her. I sat up, rubbed my hands over my face, and sighed. It was past three. The house was dead quiet. She was down the hall, sleeping, probably curled up with that same little frown she always had when she was pretending not to care. My chest tightened. I swung my legs out of

23

Dominic's pov I was halfway through a report on my laptop when I realized I hadn’t read a single word. The words blurred together, all I could see was her. The way she looked last night when she whispered she wanted me. The way her hands clutched at me like I was the only thing that mattered. It was messing with me. She was messing with me. I shut the laptop and leaned back on the couch, dragging a hand over my face. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I was supposed to keep her safe, that’s all. Not crave her like air. Not think about her when I should be working. A soft knock on the door made me look up. “Yeah?” I called out. The door opened slowly and Ivy poked her head in. Her hair was a little messy, and she was wearing one of those oversized shirts that always made me forget how to breathe. “Can I come in?” she asked. I nodded, clearing my throat. “Yeah. Sure.” She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “You’ve been hiding in here all morning.” “I’ve been wor

24

Dominic's pov Ivy stayed beside me on the couch long after the conversation faded. She didn’t talk, and neither did I. It wasn’t the heavy silence from before, it was quieter, like we were both trying to process everything we’d just said. Then her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and I watched her whole face change. A second ago she’d looked calm. Now she looked uneasy. “Who is it?” I asked. She hesitated. “My mom.” I felt my jaw tighten. “What does she want?” “She just texted asking if I’m free to meet tomorrow.” “No.” The word was out before I could stop it. She looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “What do you mean, no? You don’t get to say no.” “Yes, I do,” I said. “You’re not going.” Her brows drew together. “You can’t control that.” “Ivy, I’m serious. She’s not good for you.” “You don’t even know her,” she said, her voice sharper now. “I know enough,” I replied. “And I know how people like her work. They come back when they want something.” “She’s my mo

25

Ivy's pov I woke up with a stupid smile on my face, It was embarrassing, really. After everything that happened last night, I should’ve been ashamed. I should’ve hated myself but all I felt was this deep, petty satisfaction burning in my chest. I stretched out on my bed, my body still humming from the way he touched me. From the way he couldn’t stop even though he swore he would. Dominic was supposed to be strong, in control, untouchable and yet, last night, he shattered that act and gave in. “Last time,” he’d said. Yeah, right. I rolled out of bed, pulled on a loose T-shirt and shorts, and checked my reflection. My hair was messy, my cheeks flushed, but there was a spark in my eyes I hadn’t seen before. Power. I felt like I had it for once. The smell of coffee drifted upstairs, and I knew Mom was already downstairs. Probably sitting in her perfect robe with her perfect hair, ready to ruin my morning. I sighed and padded down the stairs anyway. The scene was exactly what I ex

26

Ivy's pov I rinsed my cup and set it in the sink, trying to act normal even though my heart wouldn’t stop pounding. Dominic was still standing near the counter, scrolling through something on his phone like nothing had happened last night. Like nothing had changed. I hated how calm he looked. I hated that he could stand there and breathe like everything was fine when I was barely holding myself together. I brushed past him on purpose when I walked to the fridge, my shoulder almost grazing his arm. “Excuse me,” I said softly, pretending to reach for something inside. He didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch. I leaned in a little closer than necessary and grabbed the milk. When I turned around, I let my arm brush against his again. It was small, quick, but I saw his jaw tighten. “Do you mind?” he muttered, still not looking at me. “Not at all,” I said with a smile that I knew would annoy him. I poured myself another cup of coffee I didn’t even want and leaned against the counter

27

Ivy's pov I needed to get out of that house. The walls were closing in and every breath I took felt heavy with the weight of Dominic’s silence and my mother’s insults. So, I grabbed my phone and keys and walked out before anyone could stop me. The air outside was cool, almost too calm for how restless I felt. I didn’t have a destination in mind, I just walked until I ended up near the small coffee shop a few blocks from the house. I’d been there a few times before. It was quiet, tucked away, and usually empty in the mornings. Perfect. I pulled open the door, and the bell above it jingled. The smell of roasted beans and sugar hit me instantly, and for a second, I almost felt normal. Like I was just another person grabbing coffee, not some disgraced dropout hiding from the world. The line wasn’t long, just two people ahead of me. I stared at the menu even though I already knew I’d order the same thing I always did. My thoughts kept drifting back to Dominic, to how cold he’d been t

28

Ivy's pov I slammed the door harder than I meant to when I got home, and the sound echoed through the hallway. My chest felt tight, my face still burning from the way everyone had looked at me in that café. I hated that I’d let Craig and his stupid whispers get to me. I hated that I’d snapped in public, again. I was halfway to the stairs when Dominic’s voice stopped me. “What happened?” I turned, and there he was at the end of the hallway, sleeves rolled up, expression unreadable. He looked calm, but I could feel the tension in the air. “Nothing,” I said quickly, trying to brush past him. He stepped in front of me. “That didn’t sound like nothing. You slammed the door.” “I said it’s nothing, Dominic.” I tried to push past again, but his hand came up, blocking me. He studied my face. “You’ve been crying.” “I’m fine,” I lied. My voice cracked at the end, betraying me. He sighed and folded his arms. “Start talking.” I dropped my bag by the stairs and crossed my arms too. “I

29

Ivy's pov I stared at his door for a long time before I pushed it open. It was late, the whole house was silent, but my heart was loud. Every step I took down the hallway made me ask myself why I was doing this again, and every step had the same answer, because I didn’t know how not to. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, reading something on his tablet. He didn’t look surprised to see me, just tired. His eyes lifted, then fell back to the screen as if he was pretending I wasn’t there. “What are you doing here?” he asked without looking up. I closed the door quietly. “Couldn’t sleep.” “That’s not a reason to come here.” he said, “It’s the only one I have,” I said.,He sighed, put the tablet aside, and leaned back against the headboard. “You shouldn’t be here, Ivy.” I walked closer anyway. “I know.” “Then leave.” he said, “No.” i answered. He looked at me then, really looked at me, and I saw everything he was trying to hide. The want, the guilt. The same war I felt inside

30

Ivy's pov I spent most of the afternoon hiding in my room. The air downstairs felt heavy, like everyone was just waiting for something bad to happen, my mom to start yelling again, or Dominic looks at me in that sharp way that makes my stomach twist. Keeping this secret between us was exhausting. Some days, I just needed noise to drown it all out. So I started digging through the big plastic tubs of old stuff I’d left here before college. Most of it was junk, old notebooks, textbooks I never opened, and those ugly friendship bracelets Mia and I used to make in ninth grade. At the bottom of one box, under a pile of shirts, I found a small wooden box. I didn’t even remember what was inside. When I opened it, there was the smell of old paper and dust. Movie tickets, silly notes, and then, tucked under a dried-up corsage, was a photo. It was me. I picked it up and stared. I was fifteen. My dad had taken that picture on my birthday, right before he left for good. My hair was long

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