Ariella didn't sleep. She couldn't.
She lay curled on the edge of the massive guest bed, staring up at the ceiling, still fully dressed. Her fingers twisted into the hem of her hoodie, heart drumming so hard it hurt.
Every sound outside the room made her jump. The click of footsteps, the hiss of distant water, the low vibrating hum of the city far below. But the loudest sound was Dominic's voice replaying in her mind.
"You're not leaving".
"You're innocent in everything aren't you?".
He hadn't hurt her. Not yet.
But he hadn't exactly welcomed her either. She was a liability, and he'd made it very clear. In his world, liabilities disappeared.
She wasn't stupid.
That wasn't red wine on his hands. Neither was it paint.
She must have drifted off, because the next thing she heard was a quiet knock, followed by the low groan of the door opening.
Her eyes flew open.
Dominic stood in the doorway, dressed in loose black pants and a plain T-shirt that somehow made him look even more dangerous. The early morning light sliced across his face, cutting a sharp line down his cheekbone. He didn't look like a billionaire now.
He looked like a man who had killed for less than what she'd seen.
"I didn't mean to wake you," he said. "But you're coming with me."
She sat up slowly, blinking against the pale light. "Where?"
"Breakfast."
Her stomach flipped. "You're feeding me now?"
He smirked, dark and amused. "I'm not a monster, Ariella."
That was debatable.
She stood anyway, wary. "If I come, will you let me go after?"
He leaned against the doorframe. "You're not ready for that answer yet."
The dining room was all glass and silence. Ariella sat stiffly at one end of a long table while Dominic poured two mugs of coffee. A spread of fresh fruit, eggs, and warm bread filled the space between them, but she barely touched any of it.
Dominic sat across from her, legs spread, fingers curled around his coffee like a king surveying a captive.
Which, in a way, he was. "You're very quiet," he said.
"I don't know what I'm allowed to say."
He gave her a slow, unreadable look. "Say anything."
She took a breath. "Are you really going to keep me here forever?"
"No. Just until I'm sure you won't run to the cops. Or a journalist. Or anyone else who'll get both of us killed."
"Both?"
"You think my enemies won't come for you once they know your face?" He sipped his coffee. "You're a loose end, Ariella. Not just to me. To a lot of men."
Her stomach dropped. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"No," he said quietly. "But you walked through that door."
She bit her lip and looked away, he didn't lie she walked into this mess herself. Tears burning the back of her throat. "I don't belong in this world." She choked out.
"No," Dominic said. "But now that you've touched it... it won't let go."
After breakfast, he led her to a library. Floor-to-ceiling books, black leather chairs, and no windows. There was a single desk with a sleek laptop and security monitors playing in silence. She caught her reflection in one of the black screens. Wide-eyed, messy hair, vulnerable.
He leaned against the door after closing it behind them.
"I want to show you something."
She turned slowly.
He clicked on a video feed.
A street camera. Zoomed in on a quiet intersection. Her bakery.
A man leaned against the brick wall, smoking. Another circled the alley behind.
"Who are they?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.
"People who would've followed you home if I'd let you leave last night," Dominic said. "My world isn't kind to girls like you, girls who see things they shouldn't. You're alive, because you're here."
Ariella's throat tightened. "They were watching me?"
"They're not watching you," he said. "They're watching me. You just became part of the background."
"I don't understand..."
"You don't need to." His eyes burned into hers. "You just need to stay in this penthouse. Do what I say. And try not to tempt me."
Her heart skipped. "Tempt you?"
His smile was slow, dangerous. "You walk into my home in those little jeans. Bite your lip like you want me to take it from you. You may be innocent, Ariella... but you're not invisible."
Her breath hitched.
Dominic stalked toward her, slow and sure, until her back hit the desk. He didn't touch her. But his body heat coiled around her like smoke.
"You ever been kissed, sweetheart?"
She shook her head.
His eyes darkened. "Touched?"
"No," she whispered.
Something flickered in his gaze... Surprise, restraint, lust all tangled into one hard line of control.
"I'm not the man you give your firsts to," he murmured. "But God, do I want them." He said between gritted teeth.
Her body went still. Her chest rose and fell too fast.
"Why don't you, then?" she asked, breathless.
His mouth hovered an inch from hers. "Because once I do... I won't be able to stop."