Page 68 of The Obsession
My head is all over the place, and to top it all off I barely slept last night. I kept replaying everything that had happened, circling the same thoughts, until I was exhausted and none of it made any sense. My whole life feels like a cruel, giant mess.
How in the hell did I get here?
I haven’t even told my mum that I moved out of Mick’s house and in with a mobster because that will open the door to questions I’m not ready for. Would she ask me to come home?
I know I said going back to Queensland was an option, but do I actually want that?
My bare feet pad down the hallway. I hear the television in the main room, so I follow the sound. One of Lil’ Peach’s cartoons is playing, which means she must be in there watching it.
I’m dressed in straight-leg lounge pants and a plain fitted tee, still casual but at least somewhat put together, because I don’t feel comfortable wandering around in my sleepwear.
I probably won’t be leaving the house today since I’ve been taken off the roster at La Riviera for the foreseeable future. I called Massimo this morning, and he confirmed it.
I’m still not sure whether I should be pissed or relieved about that. Maybe I’m a mixture of both.
I pause when I reach the archway, the sight in front of me making my breath catch in my throat.
What I expected to see was Peach curled up on her little pink recliner, completely absorbed in the TV. I definitely wasn’t expecting to find her perched on her uncle’s bare back in her cute pink pyjamas, sipping milk from hersippy cup while he powers out an impressive string of push-ups right there in the middle of the living room.
Every now and then, his hands lift off the floor, and he claps them together. Each time he does this, a sweet little giggle spills from Peach’s mouth. She’s completely delighted, and watching her laugh like that makes the whole scene feel impossibly warm and ridiculous all at once.
My greedy eyes drink him in. There’s a small amount of sweat glistening on Dominic’s neck and shoulders, making his tanned skin shimmer as his arm and back muscles flex and tighten with every lift. The inked patterns on his skin shift under the strain. His sweatpants hang low on his hips, and the tight curve of his backside draws my gaze whether I want it to or not.
I shouldn’t be staring, but I can’t look away as molten heat pools in my core. Every movement makes my pulse race, and I’m imagining far more with this man than I ever intended. Like how those big, strong hands of his would feel caressing my body. Or how his brute strength would dominate me in the bedroom as he pinned me down on the mattress. I bite the inside of my cheek to stifle the moan.
God, I think I need therapy.
I just crawled out of a relationship from hell, so the last thing I should be doing is catching feelings for a man who might be even more dangerous than the one I escaped.
Mick is handsome, sure, but Dominic is something else entirely. He’s the whole package, but what really sets him apart is hidden beneath that tough exterior. He isn’t just striking looks and an unbelievable body. There’s a gentleness in him that only a chosen few ever witness. The way he looks after his niece, the way he seems to look after me. It’s intense, protective, and impossible to put into words.
The longer I watch him, the harder it becomes to breathe. I want this man, and I’m only now realising thatmaybe I’ve always wanted him. That truth is sobering and makes it hard to think about anything else.
I make myself move, slipping away before either of them notices me. As if I didn’t already have enough to unpack, now I’ve got unwanted lust piled on top of all my other emotions.
When I reach the kitchen, the first thing I do is fill the kettle and switch it on. I’ll start breakfast once Dominic finishes his exercises. For now, I just need a cup of tea and a moment to scrub those images out of my head.
I’m leaning against the counter, sipping on my tea, when Dominic enters a few minutes later. Lil’ Peach is perched on his hip, and damn if the sight of them together like this doesn’t unravel me all over again.
I keep my eyes locked on his face and will them not to wander, because if they do, I’m sure I’ll give myself away, and that’s the last thing I want.
His gaze, however, drifts from my face down the length of my body, stopping at my bare feet before slowly tracing their way back up. By the time our eyes meet again, warmth is already rising in my cheeks.
“We’re out of bacon,” I blurt out.
“We can go to the store and get more later today.”
I nod as my blush deepens. “How do blueberry pancakes sound for breakfast?”
As soon as I mention pancakes, Peach’s arm shoots in my direction as her little fingers open and close. “Pantake, Emmy.”
Dominic steps closer, handing over Peach. “I’m going to grab a quick shower.”
The word shower has my mind instantly betraying me, offering up an image of him naked under the spray, water sliding over those muscles. I suck in a sharp breath and squeeze my eyes shut for a heartbeat, willing the thought away before it shows on my face.
“You okay?” he asks, and when I open my eyes, he’s staring down at me with a frown.
“Yes,” I reply, though it comes out more like a squeak.
