Chapter 45

Aurora POV

I let him pull me into another kiss, his mouth claiming mine like he’s been staring for it all night. I kiss him back just as feverishly, burying my plans for the time being beneath the electric friction of our mouths and bodies colliding.

It doesn’t take long for him to pull me away from the door and start backing me down the hall toward the bedroom.

Despite the whirlwind inside me there’s a small, traitorous voice that sounds an awful lot like Gianna’s: If you’re going to be stuck in this, you might as well enjoy it while you can.

She’s not wrong.

The one thing I will say is undeniable between Dominic and I is our insane sexual chemistry.

So I do. Even if I’ll regret it later.

Right before he begins to shed my clothes, reality snaps back into me hard enough to nearly knock me off my feet.

The marks left from my father.

I can’t let Dominic see them.

His hand moves under my shirt, fingers curling around the hem to get ready to yank it over my head. Before he can, I grab his hand and stall him, using it to yank him over to the bed and topple us both on top of it.

He lets out a soft chuckle, sounding surprised when he says, “Eager, are we?”

I lick my lips. “I need you to fuck me right now. Stop wasting time with the extra stuff.”

More amusement colors his features.

To my surprise, he actually listens and simply strips off my bottom half along with shoving down his pants just enough for his cock to spring out. My legs part instantly for him, welcoming him close when he settles himself between them.

The head of his cock slides into me easily, his hips rocking a few times until my walls envelope all of him.

“Fuck,” he growls.

His hands roam along my body, under my clothes without peeling them the rest of the way off, while his mouth trailing kisses up my throat to where my jaw is. I forget everything else as he pounds into me—my father, my plan, the secrets I’m hoarding from the man currently fucking me into oblivion.

With Dominic, it’s always like this. Danger and lust all colliding together into an intoxicating mixture that is sure to kill me.

And still, I want it like the damn fool I am.

He bites my neck when he comes, causing my legs to snap around his waist while he rocks into me. The friction against my clit sends me tumbling over the edge with him, coming hard enough to pull a gasp from my lungs.

Afterwards, I lie boneless against the mattress when he rolls off of me. Dominic props himself on one elbow beside me, watching me closely while I recover.

When I’m finally able to breathe properly again, I turn toward him, hesitating for just a moment before speaking. “I’ve thought about it.”

He tilts his head. “Oh?”

“Your proposal ,” I say quietly. “I’m saying yes officially.”

For the first time, I see something almost unexpected flash across his face—relief, maybe? Hope? Happiness feels too genuine for a man like him but it’s something close to that. It’s strange to see nonetheless, though not exactly unpleasant.

Perhaps Dominic feels more than the joy of ruthlessly taking down his enemies than I thought.

“Good,” he murmurs, kissing me again, slower this time. “I’m glad to hear you’ve come to your senses.”

His hand dives under my shirt again, running along my ribs while his tongue tangles with mine. I’m too caught up in the haze and afterglow of my orgasm that I don’t notice his fingers creeping up to the bruise hiding there.

The second he brushes over it, pain lights up throughout my entire body.

“Ow!” Instantly, I realize the mistake I've made.

He freezes.

“Wait—” It’s too late.

He pins me to the bed in order to wrestle my shirt off of me. My body hurts too badly for me to put up an actual fight outside of lamely hitting him to try and scare him off. But none of that works. Not when Dominic’s already scented blood in the water.

Finally getting me naked, he freezes again when he sees them: deep purple and yellow bruises that cover much of my upper body from my father beating me. Now fully exposed and painted like warnings across my skin for my disobedience.

For a moment, there’s nothing but silence.

His breath punches out of him. “What the fuck is this?”

My arms wrap around my body to help cover the worst of them. “It’s nothing. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine.” His voice is lethal. “Who did this to you?”

“Dominic—”

“Who. Did. This?” he demands again, his voice dropping into something I’ve never heard before.

I try to push myself up to grab my shirt from his hand but he blocks me, his jaw clenched so tight I can actually hear his teeth grinding. “Tell me right now, or I swear to God—”

“Please,” I whisper, my voice cracking. “Just… don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

For some reason, that only makes it worse.

He surges to his feet, throwing my shirt down onto the ground before pacing like a caged animal, his fists clenching and unclenching. “Was it Francesco? Did he do this to you?”

I don’t answer. I can't. I can only watch him go back and forth over and over again.

“Aurora.” His voice snaps. “Answer me.”

Tears prick my eyes, and when he finally stops, he’s staring at me like he’s already imagining setting someone on fire. Actually, he’s probably already halfway through mocking up a plan in his head to take out every single person in the Caruso estate regardless of who they are.

“Yes,” I finally confess. “Right after you left.”

His face goes blank. Then, slowly, rage creeps back in like a tide.

I wrap my arms around my bare torso tighter, shrinking in on myself. “He was angry after your conversation. He said I’m embarrassing him.”

I don’t know why I’m telling him this. None of this was part of my plan. I was supposed to play double agent and get him to agree to faking an engagement with my step-sister until I could figure out a way to screw him over too.

Being honest with him about my father hurting me… was never supposed to happen.

Dominic exhales harshly, scrubbing a hand over his face. When he comes back over to the bed, he kneels beside me, leaning over to gently brush my hair back from my face.

“He laid hands on you because of me.” He sounds resigned when he says it.

“No,” I croak. “He did it because he’s allowed to. He’s my father so he thinks he can do what he wants with me”

Dominic shakes his head, growing terrifyingly calm. “No. You’re mine now. No one touches what’s mine. I’ll handle it.”

I lurch forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. “No. Please, just… don’t do anything reckless. Please. Gianna and Stefano… I don’t want them being caught in the middle of anything. You’ll make things worse if you go storming over there.”

He studies me carefully, expression unreadable.

“Promise me,” I beg. “Promise me you won’t start a war over this.”

He doesn’t respond. That alone tells me enough.

He pulls me into his arms instead, holding me so tightly I can barely breathe. Then, without another word, he lifts me up and carries me into the bathroom.

“I can walk,” I protest weakly.

“Don’t care.”

He sets me down in the massive marble bathtub and turns on the water, adjusting the temperature until it’s warm and cozy feeling. The steam begins to rise along with the water, fogging the mirror across the way. The heat sinks into my bones as I’m covered, seeping away the pain that’s been settled there since my beating.

His eyes scan my face one last time, then down to the bruises, and I can see it—he’s already planning his retaliation despite me asking him not to.

Then he leaves, the door clicking shut behind him.