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And that’s my fear. What I’ve run from for weeks, months, maybe forever. This is her life. This is her body. It always has been. Me? Angel Smith? I’m just a placeholder. An actress playing a role. I’m not real. I’m a broken fragment of Alexandra’s mind. Her shield in the storm, and the barrier to her pain. But the storm is over, and the barrier is down, so there’s no use for me anymore. Like a toy left behind as a child grows up, I’ve served my purpose.
She’s going to take back what’s hers.
And what’s mine.
Dominic’s arms wrap around me tighter than ever. It’s almost as if he can feel the tether thinning. His lips press against the top of my head, his rough exhale blowing my hair. When he speaks, I hear the raw pain in his voice. “It’s okay to let go. You’re tired, rook. You fought hard so Alexandra didn’t have to. You protected her, and if you need to rest, then rest.”
I let the tears flow. “Who’ll protect Alexandra then?”
“I will.”
I close my eyes. “I’m scared.”
“I know you are. I am, too. But I didn’t let anyone hurt her fifteen years ago, and I’m not going to let anyone hurt you now.”
I believe him.
“I love you.” The words fall out of my mouth, and he stiffens in response. Maybe he doesn’t want to hear them, but I don’t care. This might be my only chance, and I’m not wasting it. “I want you to know that in case Alexandra never tells you. Because I do. And it has nothing to do with what you did for her. I fell in love with you in a stupid bar in Chula Vista.”
Dominic pulls away. “I love you too, rook. You—Angel Smith. My stubborn pain in the ass.” I can’t help but smile, and he returns it. “I always will,” he adds.
I believe that, too.
I glance down. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know,” he says, and I hear the fatigue in his voice. “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”
Tomorrow.
“Dominic?” The question in my tone makes him draw his head back and stare at me. I almost chicken out, but I can’t. Not now. Swallowing my fear, I look up at him. “Make love to me.”
His nostrils flare at my words. “What?”
I sit up, my conviction stronger. “If you love me, show me. Take everything else away. Because if there’s never another chance, I want that to be the last thing between us.”
I stare in his eyes, silently pleading with him to see how serious I am and how much I need this. I need his warmth and his skin against mine. I need him.
Dominic’s eyes change from pale blue to hooded and dark. Scooping me in his arms, he walks us both to the bed where he places me gently onto the mattress. There are no rough hands, or dirty words, or frantic kisses this time. He takes off my clothes slowly, looking into my eyes as if asking permission before each touch.
It makes me love him even more.
I nod, watching as he peels off his clothes, and, bracing his weight on his forearms, he meets my mouth in a gentle kiss. We touch each other, fanning the flame between us with love and explosive desire. Dominic groans my name, his face pulled in a painful grimace.
“Look at me,” I whisper, and when he does, I nod again, giving him permission. Giving him everything. “Make me yours.”
Restraining his usual force, he enters me so slowly, I moan. When he’s fully embedded, he pauses, kissing the tip of my nose before creating a rhythm that’s all ours.
Forever.
And Alexandra lets us have this moment, turning off the voices and the static and the scratching. For once, there’s nothing in my head but peace.
Leaving the parlor behind, I walk steady steps toward the back entrance of the estate near the rear staircase. I touch the walls, the mirrors, and the vases. So much is the same while so much is different.
I’m different.
Once I reach the back door, I turn my back to it and pause for a moment before walking diagonally to the right. There I stand, gazing out at the scene before me as I finish what they started.
“One,” I say.
