Chapter 5 - BEYOND DUTY
"Are you alright?" Dominic asked, stopping right in front of me. His breath was slightly rushed, his large hands reaching out instinctively to check my shoulders, as if ensuring no stray bullet had come anywhere near me.
"I... I'm fine, Mr. Rossi," I breathed, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," he said softly.
He didn't pull his hands back. His fingers rested gently on the upper arms of my thick sweater. The warmth of his touch seeped through the heavy fabric, sending a sudden, intoxicating rush of heat straight to my core.
Carmela looked between the two of us, a small, triumphant smile playing on her lips. "I think I will go take my morning nap in the sitting room," she announced brightly, turning on her heel and walking away down the corridor before either of us could say a word.
Silence settled between Dominic and me in the long, sunlit hallway.
"Skylar," Dominic said, his voice lowering into a rich, quiet cadence. "Come with me to my study. We need to talk."
I followed him down the east wing to his private office—a room I had only ever seen from the doorway while pushing a heavy cleaning cart. It was lined with dark walnut bookshelves, thousands of leather-bound volumes, and a massive mahogany desk facing a floor-to-ceiling bay window overlooking the estate grounds.
He closed the heavy double doors behind us, cutting off all sound from the rest of the house.
"Sit down," he murmured, gesturing to the soft leather armchair across from his desk.
I sat down nervously, tucking my hands into my lap. "If this is about my reaction on the balcony, Mr. Rossi, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled out—"
"Stop apologizing, Skylar," Dominic interrupted gently, walking over to stand right beside my chair. He leaned against the edge of his desk, crossing his arms over his chest, looking down at me with an intensity that made my breath catch in my throat. "Do you know what went through my head when I heard your voice call my name from the balcony?"
I shook my head slowly.
"Absolute terror," Dominic admitted quietly. "I've faced armed men, rival syndicates, and federal investigations without my heart rate rising by a single beat. But hearing you scream my name... believing for one second that you might be in danger... it terrified me."
I stared at him, completely lost for words. "Mr. Rossi... I'm just..."
"If you say 'just a maid' or 'just Penny,' I am going to be severely disappointed," Dominic cut in, a faint, rare smirk catching the corner of his lips.
He reached down, his fingers gently catching my chin, lifting my face up so I had no choice but to look directly into his dark eyes.
"For eleven months," Dominic whispered, "I watched you move through this house. I saw the other staff laugh at you. I saw them leave extra work for you because they knew you wouldn't complain. And every single time I tried to step in, I held myself back because I believed I was protecting you from the dangerous world I lived in."
My eyes widened. "You... you noticed me back then?"
"I noticed everything about you, Skylar," he confessed, his thumb tracing the soft line of my jawline, completely ignoring the fading bruise. "I noticed how your face lights up when my mother smiles. I noticed how you stay up until 2:00 AM reading medical journals about kidney treatments for your father. I noticed that despite every hard thing this world has thrown at you, you possess a warmth and kindness that no amount of money or power could ever buy."
Tears spilled over my lashes, slipping down my cheeks. "Dominic... I'm not the kind of woman a man like you is supposed to be with. Look at me. I'm awkward, I'm heavy, I break things—"
"Skylar," Dominic whispered, leaning down until his lips were just an inch from mine. "You broke the silence in my heart. You protected the only family I had left. You are the most beautiful, extraordinary woman I have ever met in my life."
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He didn't wait for me to argue. He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine.
The kiss was soft, incredibly gentle, yet filled with a fierce, possessive warmth that wiped away every insecurity, every insult, and every tear I had ever cried in my life. I reached up, my heavy, awkward hands finding the back of his neck, pulling him closer as I kissed him back.
