Chapter 61

Aurora POV

Shit.

Why the hell didn’t it occur to me to check if he was still here? I’m still dazed from last night, and finding the ring on my finger, I never noticed the bathroom door had been shut as I passed by it on my way into the living room and kitchen.

My heart thumps hard in my chest, not at all being helped by Dominic staring me down, a slight crease to the corners of his eyes while he tries to read the panic on my face.

Thankfully Gianna saves me by loudly gasping. “When the hell did you get here? And why are you using our shower?”

His eyes roll. “I’ve been here. You were too consumed with your coffee to pay attention to anything else in your surroundings. You’re lucky I wasn’t here to murder you.”

“Didn’t you hire people to guard us?” Her hands move to her hips. If Gianna has one thing that I admire about her, it’s her ability to stare danger quite literally in the face and still give it the middle finger. “Why would I be worried about someone breaking and entering? Unless this is you admitting the twins are shit at their job.”

Dominic doesn’t say anything, simply lifts himself away from where he’s leaned his body against the doorframe in order to stride over to where we are. My stomach tightens as he draws closer, a tiny sliver of fear slicing through me while he stares Gianna down.

God, if I have to get in the middle of those two…

“They are perfectly capable of performing the tasks given to them.” He replies. “I was simply stating you may want to work on getting lulled into a false sense of security. You never know who lurks in the shadows regardless of who has been hired to protect you.”

Gianna doesn’t say anything to that, she just gives him a soft huff in response before sitting back down and grabbing her cup of coffee.

Dominic moves behind me, placing his hands on my waist before pulling me down into his lap like it’s the most natural thing in the world. I have to hold back a yelp before it escapes me, more from the surprise of him being this openly affectionate than actual resistance.

It’s hard to squirm as I feel his bare skin against the thin fabric of my night shirt.

“So,” he murmurs against my ear. “You were talking about some plans no longer being an option?”

My cheeks burn.

I don’t dare look at Gianna. Not because I don’t already know what her expression is, but because I do—she’s definitely giving us the most powerful side-eye known to mankind. I went from devising an escape plan to get away from this man to sitting in his lap over breakfast while a giant rock worth probably half a million dollars sits on my finger.

If I were her, I’d have plenty of questions too.

“Uh, well. She meant about us going out again today. For more shopping.”

His hand moves until it rests on my thigh. All five of his fingers squeeze the muscle in a tight grip. “You didn’t get enough of that yesterday?”

I swallow. “Um…”

“Well of course now,” Gianna says, saving me yet again. “We got the opportunity to use your black card. Sue us for wanting to wrack up more debt since you’re holding us hostage here.”

Dominic lets out a snort.

Gianna slides me another glace as she gets up from the table, my brain screaming apologies at her in silence. I try to convey it all in a single glance while biting the inside of my cheek, but she just shakes her head slowly before carrying her plate to the kitchen.

I’ve only seen her like this when she’s holding back something explosive. Like disappointment.

Or rage.

Dominic doesn’t even seem to notice Gianna’s mood, or more likely he just doesn’t care.

His hand slides along the inside of my thigh, up to where the line of my cotton shorts are, fingers toying with the edge in a way that’s far from innocent. I try to subtly shift in his lap, but it only makes things worse.

He chuckles against my neck. “Someone’s tense. Though I don’t know why… Weren’t you just telling me the other day how excited you were about me peeling clothes off of you?”

I glare at him over my shoulder and whisper quietly, “Dominic, Gianna’s right there.”

He looks over towards the kitchen then shrugs. “She’s not looking.”

My jaw drops. “That’s not the point.”

His smirk only widens.

This man…

“I’m just trying to remind you who you belong to,” he says, teeth nipping along my neck. “I don’t think your friend minds.”

I want to slap him and kiss him at the same time. Which has basically become the standard when dealing with Dominic Guerrero. He kisses my neck again, his tongue lapping at the spot he’s marked, before letting his hand wander back down toward my knee.

Eventually, I slip out of his lap and excuse myself to go change. At least I had the foresight last night to hide my bag of documents and money under my bed. If Dominic ever finds them…

Well. He won’t.

He can’t.

A while later, Dominic finds me in my room unpacking the purchases Gianna and I made from the day before. He leans casually against the doorframe, his eyes running over the purchases I have laid out on my bed. If he notices the expensive quality, he doesn’t say anything.

“I’ll be out all day today,” he says after a moment. “Since I’ve been gone for almost two weeks, I need to follow up with my family.”

I turn to face him. “You’re… not leaving the city again, right?”

“No. I will be staying local.” His head tilts, just a fraction. “Have you missed me that much?”

Subconsciously, my hand fingers the ring on my finger to fiddle with it. Would it be showing my hand too much if I actually admit to him that I have? Or am I presenting my head on a silver platter for him?

I want to believe that this thing between Dominic and I is actually real. Too many times have I flipped back and forth between believing and feeling suspicious about his actions and the strange way he shows me affection. A part of me is worried I’m reading into all of this too much—that I’m only deluding myself into believing this man is even capable of loving someone, let alone someone like me.

Since our engagement, there have been more and more signs as the days go on that he is capable of feeling something for me. Sure, this could all be some giant long game he’s playing in order to lull me into a false sense of security. Some way to get me comfortable before he blackmails me again or threatens me with something heinous to get me to do his bidding.

Maybe I’m simply setting myself up for failure and will come to regret my choices.

But I want to believe, so damn badly, that this is real.

That Dominic Guerrero might actually be falling for me just like I’m falling for him.

In this twisted and messed up world, there has to still be some good left in it, right?

“Dominic?”

“Aurora.”

I glance down at the ring on my finger. The sapphire catches the light from the window, glittering brilliantly. I haven’t been able to stop staring at it since I woke up with it on my finger. Nor have I been able to stop touching it. “This ring…”

He waits silently.

“Where’d you get it?” I ask.

He walks over slowly. When he reaches me, he curls his hand around my wrist, tugging it up into his other one to rest on top of it, almost like he’s about to bend and kiss my knuckles. His thumb brushes along my fingers as he stares down at the ring. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” I admit.

How can I not? It is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I’ve ever seen.

His expression shifts slightly into something a little softer that I’m used to seeing on that normally impassive face of his. Something I can’t quite name. For a second I don’t think he’s going to answer me at all.

When he does, it’s to say something completely out of left field. “I went to Italy for it.”

My brow raises. “Italy?”

Why in the world would he travel all the way there just for an engagement ring?

He nods once. “I have family back there. Romero and I took a detour to visit them.”

“Oh.” What does any of this have to do with the ring?

He’s quiet for a moment. Almost like he’s trying to find the right words to say. I’ve never seen him at a loss like this—he’s usually so sure of himself. Always has a quip back. Dominic is the type of person to be ten steps ahead of everyone and that includes his biting remarks.

This though…

This feels strangely different.

“It was my mother’s. The ring, I mean.”

My eyes widen.

“Technically, it’s a family heirloom. It was passed down to her, and after she died… it stayed with her family.” He doesn’t look at me as he speaks, instead, focusing his attention on the ring. A small crease forms between his brows, a sad down tile to his mouth. “My auntie… held onto it for me. She hoped one day I’d come back to claim it for my bride.”

My heart thuds once. Twice.

“You gave me your mother’s ring…?” I whisper.

“I did.”

“Dominic…”

When he finally raises his eyes to look at me, I finally recognize the emotion swimming in them: it’s uncertainty.

This man… this mafia prince who burns down empires with a flick of his wrist and orchestrates violence with the elegance of a symphony conductor, looks like a scared little boy standing in front of me now, not sure if he’s done the right thing. Not sure if I’ll understand what this means or if I’ll want what he’s trying to give me.

I stare down at the ring again, overwhelmed.

This isn’t a simple engagement ring, it’s not even just a family heirloom… this is the only part of his mother he still has. The only woman he’s ever admitted to loving.

And he gave it to me.

Does that mean…?

“Dominic,” I begin again, my throat suddenly tight. “Do you…?”

But he leans down and kisses me before I can finish the question. His hand slides to the back of my neck, fingers curling just enough to anchor me to him. This kiss doesn’t feel like all the others we’ve shared—heated, urgent, territorial.

This one feels almost like a confession.

When he pulls back, his thumb lingers on my cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

Then he’s gone.

I’m left standing there, alone with the quiet. When I stare down at the ring again, only one question lingers in my mind.

Does Dominic Guerrero… love me?