Sephie McKay never expected to fall in love, let alone with the likes of underground fighter, Dominic 'Demon' Hayes. That all changes when her mother gets on the bad side of a local motorcycle club. Forced under his protection, she grapples with her...
I wake in the middle of the night from the intense urge to pee. Maybe guzzling all that orange soda wasn't the best idea. I don't remember arriving home so Dominic must have carried me in. I grab my phone to see the time it's about two in the morning so I must have been asleep for two hours.
Getting up, I do my business in the bathroom and go to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I glance out the window and sure enough, Silas and Mia are still gone. I don't even want to think about what they're doing out at 2 a.m. As I'm grabbing a cup from the cabinet I hear something fall and break in the living room.
"Dominic," I call out, confused. When I get no answer I get scared. I put the glass down and look for a weapon, grabbing a fork from the utensil drawer. It's not much but I can poke somebody's eye out with this. I slowly walk from the kitchen into the living room and scan the area. I see no one, but a vase that was on the coffee table is knocked over and the window is open. Terrified, I run back into the kitchen and pull out my phone and speed dial Dominic.
"Sephie? Are you okay?" He answers groggily on the third ring.
"I think someone's here. The window is open and a vase is knocked over," I say in a shaking voice.
"Fuck! Is Silas there?" He asks, sounding wide awake now.
"No, he's still out with Mia. I'm so scared," I say, almost in tears. I remember what that man said he wanted to do to me and I'm terrified that he might follow through. He probably wants to kill me for hitting him with that vase.
"I'll be there in five minutes, Sephie. Stay on the phone with me. Do you have a weapon?" He asks. I tell him about the fork I'm awkwardly holding in my hand.
"I'm coming down your street right now."
I wait for Dominic to come, terrified that someone is in the house right now, waiting for the perfect moment to murder me. When I see headlights in the driveway, I run out the front door, desperate to be safe in Dominic's presence. He's out of the car as soon as it's at a stop and I throw myself into his arms, sobbing into his chest.
"I was s-so scared!"
"It's okay now, Sephie. No one's going to hurt you," His words wash away all my fear and we stay like that until I stop crying. I follow Dominic into the house and he surveys the scene, checking every room to make sure nobody is here.
"Somebody definitely came in through the window, the screen has been cut through. They must have left when they heard you call me," He says, examining the window. He calls Silas and gives him a run of the situation. About fifteen minutes later, Silas and Mia arrive, looking worried.
"I'm so glad you're okay," Mia says, pulling me into her arms.
"I'm taking Sephie home with me," Dominic says. All of our attention is on Dominic, surprised.
"Silas, you're too busy with Mia and running your business to protect Sephie. She needs to stay with someone who can give their full focus to protecting her," My jaw falls open in shock. Why would Dominic care enough to have me stay with his? Most of the time he seems annoyed with me.
"You don't need to do that, Dominic," I tell him, not wanting to burden him.
"He's right, Sephie," Silas speaks up. "You'll be safer staying with Dominic. You could have been seriously hurt today."
"I agree," Mia says. I'm still uncertain. Dominic has already gone out of his way to be my personal bodyguard. At the same time, I know that I'll feel safer with him. His presence always makes me feel protected. Also, I don't think I can sleep here knowing someone broke in.
"I'll go," I concede. Silas and Dominic discuss things while Mia helps me pack. I don't have much so it all fits into the duffle bag she let me borrow. When it's time for me to leave, Mia pulls me into a tight hug.
"I shouldn't have left you," She says, sounding guilty. I don't think she's just talking about today. I know she feels like it's her fault all this is happening because she left me with mom.
"None of this is your fault. I couldn't have asked for a better sister," I squeeze her one more time and Silas sends a nod in my direction before I go. I put my duffle bag in the backseat of Dominic's car and get in.
It's after 3 a.m and the slow rumble of the engine lulls me to sleep. Before I know it, I'm taken out of my slumber by Dominic lifting me out of the car and into his arms. Being in Dominic's arms makes me feel safe and content. He lays me in a bed and I snuggle into the soft sheets. I'm asleep almost immediately.
***
The sun shines in my eyes, waking me up. I'm confused for a second by the strange room but I remember what happened last night. I'm staying with Dominic now. The room looks masculine and neat, a bed and a dresser with mahogany floors and grey walls. The wall by the bed has a large window and the sun brightens the room.
There is a bathroom connected to the room, complete with a modern-looking shower and sink. I stay in the shower for nearly thirty minutes, soaking under the warm spray from the showerhead. When I get out, I notice my duffle bag on the floor beside the dresser. I unpack and take out a pair of leggings and a hoodie. I put my damp curls in a messy bun, and leave the room.
The rest of the house is the same, masculine, sleek, and modern. I would have expected Dominic to be messy since he was a boy, but the house is spotless to the point that you wouldn't think anyone lived there. The kitchen looks expensive, sleek steel appliances and black marble. I make my way back to the livingroom but jump when I feel a furry head brush against my leg.
It's the cutest little kitten I've ever seen, with grey and white stripes and big greyish blue eyes. He purs again, staring up at me with wide eyes. I'm a sucker for kitties, I've always wanted one but my mom was allergic. I kneel down and rub his soft fur, cooing at him.
"What's your name, little fella?" I ask him. He purrs again as I scratch behind his ear. "That's Rocky. I found him in my backyard and decided to take him in," I jump at Dominic's voice and my mouth goes dry at his appearance. His dark hair is wet and hanging around his face and beads of moisture stick to his torso. He's in a pair of sweats and his muscles are clearly on display. My eyes follow one of the beads of moisture and I feel the intense urge to taste them.
"Oh," Is all I can respond with, my brain mush. I can't imagine Dominic saving a little kitten and naming it Rocky. Maybe I misjudged him because of his badass reputation. The more I get to know him I'm starting to see a softer side to him.
I watch awkwardly as Dominic opens a can of cat food and puts it in Rocky's bowl. He scratches him behind the ear a couple of times and Rocky leans into his touch.
"What do you want to eat?" He asks, looking through the refrigerator.
"You don't have to cook," I say. I'm surprised he even offered, most guys I know can't even bowl water.
"Do you want to cook?"
"Now that you mention it, It's best if you do the cooking around here," I say. Anytime I've ever tried to cook anything it's ended in disaster. I have a short attention span so I burn everything. I even burnt soup once, leaving it on the stove and forgetting about it after getting engrossed in a T.V show.
I'm surprised at how much of a good cook he is when he slides the steaming plate in front of me. It's an omelet with mushroom, onion, and spinach. The flavors are perfect and my eyes nearly roll to the back of my head in pleasure.
"This is good! Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"I had to cook for me and my little sister when I was younger," He answers. I had no idea he had a sister. In fact, I don't know much about him at all. I want to ask more but then I remember something.
"I'm supposed to be at the bookshop today!" I exclaim. In the stress of yesterday, I forgot all about my job. Leah and Chris probably think I'm dead right now.
"You need to stay here until all this blows over."
"You can't be serious?! I love working at the bookshop," I pout.
"Whoever broke into the house knew you were there. They might be following you," My face pales at his words. They might have already seen me at the bookshop then. The last thing I want is to put anyone else in danger.
"We need to tell Chris and Leah. It's only fair they know, now that this affects them too," Dominic's jaw gets hard at the mention of Chris's name.
"You can fill them in over the phone," He agrees.
After washing our plates, I call Leah and fill them in on everything that's been happening. Of course, they both freak out and I'm pretty sure Chris has a seizure. I'm relieved when the call is over. Although they're a little betrayed that I hid this from them, It feels good to finally be able to tell them the truth.
Turn that little star orange for some good luck! ⭐
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