Fallen: Dominic

by Tiffany Aaron

  Dominic leaned forward and studied the man in front of him. Could Vincent really be that blind to all the currents around him? “It wouldn’t matter if you could guarantee the man would be a billionaire by the end of the year, he wouldn’t sell to you.” He held up his hand to stop Delacourte from talking. “I know because I’m Teresa’s partner and her landlord. I don’t need any more money. If the time ever comes when Teresa wishes to sell her business, she’ll sell to me because it’s in our contract.” He stood up and motioned for the waiter to bring Delacourte another drink. He looked around the dance floor and found Teresa smiling up at Mika’il. That did it. No archangel with heartbreak eyes and a killer smile was going to steal his woman away. He went after her without looking back.

  * * * *

  Teresa sighed as she laid her head on Dominic’s shoulder. He hadn’t said anything to her since he had cut in on Mickey’s dance. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tight against him. She had never danced this way with him. Her arms curled around his broad shoulders and she couldn’t help but tease the hair at the nape of his neck. He moved his thigh in between hers, causing her pussy to rub against his hard muscles. He rocked his hips into her and she gasped as she felt the ridge of his cock graze her stomach.

  She was amazed. No man had ever been this hard for her and to have that man be Dominic was a dream come true. For five years, she had fantasized about having him in her bed. She knew it would never happen, but she always believed in dreaming big. From the size of the bulge in his pants, she hadn’t dreamt big enough. She felt herself getting wet. One of his hands slid down and cupped her ass while the other stroked her back. Her hands buried themselves in his dark hair. A moan passed her lips as his thumb touched the side of her breast. He was seducing her right on the dance floor in the middle of his club and in front of her date.

  The thought of Vincent Delacourte washed over her like cold water. She jerked away from Dominic and stared up at him in shock. What had she been thinking? Here she was practically making out with her best friend while her date sat drinking by himself. When had she become such a tease?

  “What’s wrong, love?” Dominic’s voice caressed her just like his hands had. More moisture made its way between her legs.

  “What are we doing?” She turned to walk back to Vincent. Dominic reached out and grabbed her arm.

  “We’re getting to know each other on a more intimate level.”

  “Why?” Vincent wasn’t at the table anymore. She looked around for him.

  “I want you, Teresa. I always have. I’m not going to let some self-centered prick steal you away from me.” He pulled her to him again. Cupping her chin, he lifted her eyes to his. “I’m not playing. You, of all people, should know I don’t play games.”

  “I don’t understand. What happened in Reno to make you decide that you want me all of a sudden?” She was confused and scared. Did everyone’s heart race when all their dreams came true?

  “I found the truth. I found the courage not to be afraid anymore.”

  “Afraid of what?” She would have never thought that Dominic would be afraid of anything.

  “I was afraid of the future and my place in it. I learned that my future is with you and my place is beside you and inside you.”

  Her skin flushed. Holy cow, the man could bring a woman to orgasm with just the honey smoothness of his voice. It snuck into the hidden corners of her heart and lit a flame under her. Vincent appeared next to her, his face red with anger.

  “Teresa, I think it’s time to go. I have an early business meeting.” He pulled her away from Dominic.

  She glanced back at the man who had set a blaze burning in her stomach. His brilliant blue eyes followed her as she crossed the floor. She had the feeling that he wasn’t done with her. More seduction and stroking were forthcoming and she couldn’t help but want to shout for joy.

  Wait, a cautionary voice chimed in her head. Would Dominic have been so interested if you hadn’t already been dating Vincent? Maybe it’s the possessive thing that all men go through when their female friends start dating. He had been drinking. Maybe he just didn’t have as much control. He was probably just reacting to the fact that you’re a woman. Teresa couldn’t deny the voice that whispered those depressing thoughts in her head. Was there a reason she needed to be practical tonight? For one night, couldn’t her heart just accept the fact that Dominic had gotten hard because she was in his arms?

  She let Vincent help her into the limo without saying a word. She tried to feel embarrassed by the whole episode, but she couldn’t. Dominic had turned her on faster than any man had in a long time. Her pussy had never gotten wet the whole time she’d been seeing Vincent. She had never been overcome with desire for Vincent, but she knew that didn’t mean anything. She was still getting to know the man, unlike Dominic whom she had known forever it seemed. She turned to apologize when Vincent grabbed her chin and crushed her mouth with his.

  She whimpered at the pain as his hands slid down to grip her arms. Trying to pull away proved futile and she found herself pressed between Vincent and the door. His lips were devouring hers, but there was no seduction in his mind. She could feel the anger and possessiveness in the kiss. Her legs were pinned beneath him so she couldn’t kick out. The windows of the limo were tinted for privacy and the driver worked for Vincent. She cried out as his teeth bit into her bottom lip.

  Suddenly she was falling backwards and would have hit the pavement if Dominic hadn’t caught her. He had wrenched open the door. He kept one hand wrapped around her waist and twisted Vincent’s shirt under his chin with the other. Shaking the man like a terrier with a rat, he swore at him.

  “If you ever hurt her again, I’ll forget every vow I made and hunt you down like the monster you are.” He threw Vincent back onto the seat and slammed the door shut, but not before Teresa got a look at the madness burning in the eyes of her date. As the limo drove around the corner, Dominic pulled her into his arms and buried his head in her hair. “Are you okay, love?”

  She had never thought about the endearments Dominic called her. She had always figured they were just his way of showing friendship, but now she wasn’t sure. Maybe he had meant them and she was the one who didn’t believe in them. Her hands shook as she snuggled close to him. “I am now.”

  Dominic looked down at her and felt the anger rise again. Caressing his thumb over her bottom lip, he spied the teeth marks and swore. “He bit you.”

  She ducked her head; an embarrassed flush stained her cheeks. “He was angry because of the way we were acting in the club.”

  “Anger is never an excuse for a man to treat a woman like that.” He whispered a kiss across her forehead. “I’m sorry though. I should’ve been in control and not tried to seduce you in front of him. I’ve missed you so much that I forgot myself for a minute or two.” Tucking a strand of chocolate colored hair behind her ear, he stared down into her violet eyes. Even though she was scared and hurt, a sense of belonging filled him because he was in her arms. “I’ll take you home.”

  Leading her around to where he parked his car, he felt her shiver. Reaction was setting in and she was beginning to realize what might have happened if he hadn’t rescued her. He didn’t think that Vincent would have gone farther than just kissing her, but there was a touch of uneasiness in him. When he had grabbed the man, he had felt the presence of another spirit in the man’s mind, but it wasn’t like the demon possession he was used to. The spirit he had touched was dark and malevolent. It had the feeling of being very old, but very human. He decided to start looking into Vincent Delacourte the next day. There was something unsettling about the man. Teresa shivered again.

  “Hang on, love. I’ll get you to your apartment and you can take a warm bath.” He opened the car door and helped her in. Shutting the car door, he stood outside for a minute, breathing deep to bury his rage. She didn’t deserve to be bombarded by that and he knew at times his mind would leak his emotions to others who were
receptive. After the years they had spent together, he knew that Teresa was very open to him. He stalked around to the driver’s side and got in.

  She had her head lying against the head rest and her arms were wrapped around her waist as she shivered. He turned the car on and did something he had never done since coming to New Orleans—he turned on the heat. Positioning the vents to blow on her, he leaned over to buckle her seat belt, bringing his face close to her breasts. An immediate blast of lust surged through him and hardened his cock. He wanted nothing more than to bury his face in those two mounds. He wanted to roll her nipples between his fingers and suckle them as hard as he could. She took a deep breath, causing her breasts to rise even closer to his face and he looked up to see her eyes on him. He wasn’t embarrassed at being caught eyeing her. She was aroused by his gaze, he could tell by the way her nipples stood out through her dress. He finished fastening her seat belt and sat back with a groan. Adjusting his cock in his pants, he grimaced softly.

  “You do realize there is nothing I would love better than to take you home, spread you out on my bed and fuck you all night long.” His voice was harsh and frustrated. She nodded. “I won’t because you’ve just gone through an assault and you’re not ready to take our relationship to that level.”

  “Vincent didn’t assault me.”

  He could tell she was avoiding the last part of his sentence. She would deal with it when she had recovered from the night’s events. He knew he was pushing her too hard and too fast, but he didn’t want to waste any more of her life without being her lover. Mortals lived such short lives with all sorts of danger willing and able to cut them down before it was time. He didn’t want to run the risk of losing her before he even had her. “Yes, he did assault you. You have bruises to prove it.” He pulled out into the street and headed for her apartment.

  “He was just upset. I’m sure he would have stopped before he went too far.” She didn’t sound too confident about that.

  “Thank God we’ll never find out.” Never much of a praying angel, Dominic sent a short prayer of thanks up to the Father.

  “How did you know I needed help?”

  He wondered when she would get around to asking that. He didn’t think she was ready to hear about the Fall and all the powers he had. Someday, he would tell her and let her make the decision about whether he was crazy or not, but tonight, he would dance around the truth. “I just had a feeling when I saw that the limo hadn’t pulled away from the club. I thought maybe something was wrong.” He pulled up in front of her building. Teresa’s apartment was above her bookstore. “Let’s get you inside.”

  Chapter Two

  Teresa sighed as she sank into the hot water. Dominic had carried her up to her apartment and left her in her bedroom and ordered her to undress while he drew a bath for her. She had slipped on the red silk robe he had given her for Christmas last year. His eyes lit up when he walked in the room.

  “Go take a bath. I’ll make some tea.” He pushed her gently towards her bathroom.

  She gasped as she entered. He had lit candles and placed them around the room, so it was illuminated by soft flickering flame and not the harsh modern lights. The water felt slick against her skin. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the scent of lilies. He had found her bath oils and mixed some into the water. She started to lean back when she bumped her arm against the side of the tub. A faint hint of pain emanated from her arm. Raising it, she stared at the bruises Vincent had left there.

  She knew his anger was justified. She had gone to the club with him and ended up dancing with two other men. She thought about Mickey and how he had warned her that Dominic’s intentions had changed towards her. Then Dominic had danced with her like she was the only woman in the club. The minute he took her in his arms, all thoughts of Vincent or any other man flew out of her head. She realized from the moment she had met him, Dominic was the man she wanted. Maybe she had tried to cloud the issue by dating other men. He had never done anything about them before. Like a big brother, he would check them out and then give his approval. Of course, she had gotten the impression he wasn’t happy with any of them, but she thought it was because he didn’t think any of them were good enough for her.

  “None of them were, love.” His voice from the doorway caused her to jump.

  She sputtered as water hit her in the face. He stopped her hands when she tried to wipe it away.

  “Let me.” He cupped her chin in his hand and ran the washcloth over her cheeks with the same touch he would use to clean china.

  Their eyes met and held as his hand drifted down to soak the cloth. She saw lust burning in his gaze. His normally cold eyes melted into warm sapphire flames. Hidden deep within them was hesitation. She could tell he was afraid she would reject him. She wasn’t ready to jump into bed with him, not yet anyway. It was too sudden a transition to make, but she would let him court her.

  She sighed as the cloth circled her breast. His eyes dropped to stare at her chest. She remembered that he could see everything under the water. For some reason, she wasn’t embarrassed. Dominic had seen her in every way throughout their friendship, so she supposed being naked was the next step.

  He was kneeling beside the tub, his linen shirt unbuttoned and the sleeves rolled up. He took one of her hands and placed it against his chest. Her fingers kneaded the warm skin as he ran the soapy material up and down her arm. He rinsed it off and did the same with the other. His strong hands massaged her back as he cleaned it. Her muscles were turning into jelly with each caress and stroke. Swirling the cloth over her heated skin, his eyes studied her reactions. As he reached her legs, she leaned back and moaned. He was worshipping every curve and valley of her. Her feet and the back of her knees were treated to detailed care.

  She arched her back as his attention came back to her breasts. He cupped them and squeezed softly. He used the soapy washcloth to massage her breasts and tease her nipples. When she groaned deep in her throat, he dropped the cloth and stood up. She saw the huge bulge in his slacks and smiled to herself.

  He moved to the door. Looking back at her, he shook his head. “You’re not ready for any more of that yet. It might be killing me to walk away, but I’m willing to wait until you’re ready.”

  She wanted to yell at him that she was ready. She could feel how much her body wanted him, but she knew he meant she wasn’t ready emotionally for their relationship to move so quickly beyond just friends. She nodded.

  “Do you want me to stay or will you be okay?” He leaned in the doorway and caressed her with his eyes.

  “I’ll be okay. You don’t need to stay and take care of me. I’m perfectly capable of getting to bed on my own.” She blushed at his grin.

  “What if I don’t want you getting to bed on your own? What if I want to be the one who takes you there?”

  “You said I wasn’t ready.” She threw his statement back at him.

  “So I did. I guess tonight isn’t the night when all my dreams come true.” He blew her a kiss. “Sweet dreams, love. I’ll stop by and see you tomorrow.”

  She sat in the warm water listening for the front door to close. She hadn’t realized how quietly he moved. There was no sound of footsteps through the apartment. No sound of clothes brushing against each other. It was like he just disappeared, but then the door closed. He’s just light on his feet, she told herself.

  She climbed out of the tub and dried off. Wrapping herself in the robe, she wandered out into her living room. Dominic had left some candles burning and tea simmering on her stove in the kitchen. Her French doors were open to the evening breeze that brought in the humid earthy smell of the bayous and the tang of the ocean. She poured a cup of tea and moved to stand just inside the doors. The curtains billowed in concert with the breeze blowing in. When one of the curtains touched her calf, she jumped. A cold shiver ran down her spine. The soft velvet fabric seemed to wrap itself around her ankle and cling to her. A cold harsh wind burst into the room bringing with it the stench of
rotting food. She gagged and stumbled back. Fighting the wind, she closed the doors and sagged against them.

  An eerie sound came from the night. She told herself it was an alley cat, but a small voice in her head told her that no alley cat sounded like that. Blowing out the candles, she quickly checked all the locks on the doors and headed for her bedroom. As she climbed into bed, the phone rang.

  She hesitated answering it. Finally, she leaned forward and grabbed it. “Hello?”

  “Are you okay?” Dominic’s deep smooth voice came over the line.

  “Yes.” She collapsed back against her pillows. “Why are you calling me? Didn’t you just leave?”

  “I got a strange feeling something was wrong and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

  “Do you get these feelings often?”

  “Often enough that I usually listen to them. So are you okay?”

  She thought about the cold wind and strange sound she had heard. She managed to convince herself it was just a delayed reaction to Vincent’s actions. “Yes, I’m fine. I think I’m a little jumpy from the incident this evening.”

  “If you want, I can come back and stay. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  She grinned at the thought of Dominic trying to fit his tall body on her little couch. “I’ll be fine. I’m going to bed now anyway. After a good night’s rest, I’ll have forgotten about the whole thing.”

  “You better not forget about it. If you see Delacourte again, be on guard. I don’t trust him.”

  “What have you got against Vincent?”

  “Aside from the fact that he attacked you?” She could hear his shrug in his voice. “I’m not sure, but something about him makes me uneasy.”

  “It wouldn’t be jealousy making you uneasy, would it?”

  He laughed. “Sure some of it is plain old jealousy, but some of it is my instincts telling me he’s dangerous.”

  “And you’re not?”