Chapter 100

Dominic POV

The suite was quiet when Dominic and the twins returned.

Dominic’s boots made a dull thud against the hardwood as he stepped inside, Marco and Luca following closely behind. The faint glow of a desk lamp in the living room drew his eye first when he approached it, followed by the soft murmur of voices.

The sight before him stopped him in his tracks immediately.

Aurora sat at the coffee table beside Romero, her hair pulled up hastily into a loose knot, her sleeves shoved to her elbows. They were both bent over a set of blueprints spread out across the table, their fingers tracing lines and marking specific points of Alek’s mansion with red and black pens.

She was speaking in that quiet, steady tone he remembered from before everything went to shit, a calm but deliberate tone as she pointed to one corner of the blueprint.

“There’s a side entrance here. The guards rarely rotate past it at night because Alek prefers to keep his drivers stationed near the front gates. If you take this path—” her finger glided along a route cutting through the eastern courtyard, “—we can get Gianna out without alerting the entire household through her window.”

Romero nodded as he jotted her words down in his leather notebook, quietly murmuring a follow-up question before writing that answer down too.

The scene had Dominic blinking in disbelief.

For a second, he wondered if exhaustion was playing tricks on him. It had to be if this was the delusion that was manifesting right in front of his eyes.

The twins clearly noticed too.

“I do not believe it,” Marco whispered to Luca, leaning close enough to keep his voice low but not low enough to escape Dominic’s ears. “Romero talking to her without threatening to kill her? It must be a Christmas miracle.”

Luca smirked faintly. “Never thought I would see the day.”

Dominic shot them both a look harsh enough to shut them up instantly.

Still… his surprise lingered too.

Romero and Aurora working together, collaborating like old colleagues instead of two people who acted like oil and water. Something inside Dominic eased slightly at the sight. It was a relief to see his second actually putting aside his prejudices with her for once.

If only temporary.

He crossed the room, the soft scuff of his boots drawing Aurora’s eyes first. Her lips parted faintly as she saw him, but she didn’t speak.

Romero’s dark gaze flicked up briefly before returning to the plans. “Everything go well?”

“Yes. We did gather some more intel. It seems Alek’s plans for traveling to Russia have been halted for the moment.” Dominic said lightly, coming over to hover behind where Aurora was seated0.

The blueprints were covered in notes and arrows, some in Romero’s precise block letters, others in Aurora’s more delicate handwriting. Weak points, infiltration routes, brainstorming for taking out guards quietly.

“This is good work,” Dominic said, his warm as he looked at Aurora. “Really good work. Thank you.”

A faint flush touched her cheeks as she ducked her head slightly. “Not a problem. Just trying to help in any way that I can.”

“You’ve done more than that.” His hand brushed hers where it rested on the table, his thumb grazing her knuckles briefly before he straightened. “We’ll need every detail nailed down before we move.”

Romero grunted in acknowledgment, already back to scribbling notes.

Dominic’s focus wasn’t on them anymore, it was on her.

“Come with me,” he murmured to Aurora, pulling her up by his hand. She hesitated only for a second before slipping her fingers between his, allowing him to guide her out of the living room and down the hallway.

The bedroom door clicked shut behind them, muffling the voices of the men still strategizing in the other room.

Dominic’s world had already narrowed down to her. To the way her eyes darted to the floor as though unsure how to begin. To the faint tremor in her fingers still laced with his. To the ring on her finger catching the light like a silent promise.

His hands found her face, tilting it up as his mouth came down on hers. This time there was no hesitation, no lingering hurt between them like there had been earlier.

Only raw, consuming need.

They made it to the bed when he pulled her away from the door, a tangle of limbs and eager grabs while her soft whimpers against his lips began to undo him in ways he never thought possible.

When she arched against him, gasping his name, Dominic thought there was no sound in the world more perfect than his name on his lips.

He turned and laid her down on the bed, stripping her bare. One of her hands glided down her body, her ring catching his attention instantly. He watched her fingers move between her thighs, parting herself for him and revealing how wet she was between them.

He groaned. “Aurora.”

“Come here,” she whispered. “Take what’s yours.”

That was more than enough for him to do as she pleaded. Tossing his own clothes, he moved to settle between her legs, grabbing her and pulling her close to drape her thighs over his. Her fingers parted her lips wide to show him the aching sex he was desperate to sink into.

“Please,” she moaned.

He wasted no time.

His tip brushed against her entrance, giving her only a few seconds to brace herself before he slipped inside. Her walls clenched tightly around him, squeezing him so well that it nearly made his vision go white.

Dominic’s hips were already moving, sliding him in and out of her before he could stop himself. The silky glide of her was too much and not enough all at once. He gripped her hips in a tight hold, pinning her in place as he fucked her senseless.

Aurora’s back arched until she was practically bent in half. She fisted her hands in the sheets next to her head, hanging on as he picked up the pace and thrusted into her over and over again. Sweat slicked her skin, making her look glowing in the dim lighting.

“More!” She gasped.

He gave it all to her, never letting up for a second even as her orgasm crashed into her and caused her body to shake under him. His hips jack hammered, ramming so deep into her he wasn’t sure where either of them ended.

Soon, the muscles in his body tightened and he was spilling into her. Afterward, she lay sprawled across his chest when he drew her close, her fingers tracing absent shapes along his skin.

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. Far from it actually. This felt peaceful, almost sacred in a way.

“Aurora… are you still planning on forgiving me?” Dominic asked quietly, his fingers stroking though her hair.

She tilted her head to look at him, her eyes soft. “Yes. Though I think the real question is: are you going to forgive me for what I’ve done.”

Dominic’s hand curled gently around the back of her neck, pulling her up until their foreheads pressed together. “There’s nothing to forgive. It’s already been forgotten.”

She let out a shaky breath that sounded dangerously close to a soft cry. When he kissed her again—long, deep and tender—it felt like the first inhale after being pulled from the icy depths of a dark ocean.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

Dominic exhaled slowly. “No need to thank me.”

“You promise?” she asked.

“Of course I do.”

Though deep down, a sliver of dread curled in his gut. He knew tomorrow they would be going to war—a place where not all promises would survive the aftermath of the battlefield.