Текст книги "Take Me"

Автор книги: T. A. Grey

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

Chapter 12

Five days later and two weeks closer to the mating ceremony, Felicity sat in the back of an SUV next to Dom. Two guards sat up front. Two SUVs flagged them in front and back filled with more bodyguards assigned by Dom’s brother.

Felicity sat stiffly, staring out her window than at him. He’d forced her to come with him like some kind of ape, macho gorilla man. She struggled to recall a time she’d been this angry at someone.

Dom had stormed into her house after she’d refused to see him or answer his calls for days. In fact, she happily went along planning his bonding ceremony by bouncing ideas off his mother via discrete phone calls. His mother was great, albeit impassionate. Thanks to her Felicity had the location booked, designs chosen, and supplies ordered.

Apparently Dom had gotten sick of her attitude though, because he came to her house that morning, tossed her over his shoulder in a firefighter’s hold, and strolled out of her house like he owned the place. According to him they were headed to his house. Not the Blackmoore estate, but his privately owned home outside of St. Louis. Felicity didn’t know anything about it; nothing had ever been mentioned about a private home in V-Society magazine, that’s for sure.

He didn’t try to draw her into conversation and she happily ignored him. Inside she boiled with rage. She wanted to scream, strike out at him, anything. How dare he steal her? What he did was against the law, but what could she do against Dominic Blackmoore? Nothing and he knew it. He had all the power and she had a mean set of design skills. The two didn’t really compare.

He looked tired, weary. Stubble covered his jaw and upper lip as if he hadn’t had a shave in a several days. Lines creased his forehead from strain and even his suit looked frumpy as if he wore the same one from yesterday. For Dom who always looked impeccable this was quite frumpy. She told herself she didn’t care. That he deserved it. And she hoped he looked terrible because he felt bad for being an asshole.

It took a lot for her to keep quiet, but she did it by biting her tongue. She had so many questions she wanted to ask: did they find Julianna? Why did she leave? Had he changed his mind about Felicity’s proposal? Did he forgive her for hitting him? Was he ready to apologize for what he said?

She felt terrible for slapping him.

She’d never hit anyone before. Especially not someone she cared about.

And that was the crux of the problem, which was why she trembled with anger right now, because she cared. If she didn’t care she could continue to hate him or be angry. Instead, she wanted to find out his problems and help him to work through it while also staying angry with him. She also wanted him to own up to his asshole remarks he left her with before storming out of her house.

God, she was a sap. A sap for Dominic Blackmoore. Life wasn’t fair.

Sighing, she turned to face him and asked, “What’s wrong?”

His head tipped to the side, probably hadn’t expected her to speak to him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She snorted at that. “It’s so obvious. What’s going on with you, really? You look like shit.”

He shook his head and went back to staring out at the night.

Felicity glared at his back. “Fine, don’t talk to me.” Under her breath she started muttering as she yanked her cell phone from her purse. “Bring me all the way out here and then you can’t even freaking talk to me. What’s that about? Trying to kill me via boredom. Well, thanks a lot for that ass.”

A low, masculine chuckle brought her head snapping around. She glared at his smile. “Do not laugh at me, Dominic Blackmoore. I am in no mood.”

He sighed; once again looking tired, then he leaned over, curled his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his lap.

 He didn’t kiss her or say any of his sexually laced growls. He just tucked her head under his chin and held her as if it brought him comfort. She let him, because...she was weak for his touch, and because it brought her comfort too.

God, she was so screwed.

A few hours later they arrived at a modern and very masculine looking house. Felicity didn’t know quite how to describe it because she’d never seen a house like this one. It looked custom designed and built just for him.

The house was long like a ranch and had two floors. Long, tall panels of wood more than two feet wide lined the house. The front door looked like a sliding glass door. No fancy heavy doors like at the mansion for Dom. There were many windows in the front. The windows were consecutive, not spaced apart so you could stand inside and look out into the beautiful fields and forest around them.

They hadn’t passed another house or gas station in many miles. Felicity found this curious and at odds with what she’d seen at Blackmoore manor. This house must be what he really preferred. Something unique and modern, but not excessive in the least. Of course she hadn’t seen the inside yet, but this house looked like it maybe had four bedrooms, not a dozen or more.

Dom came around to her side of the SUV and opened the door. He must have caught her impressed expression because he smiled down at her.

“You like it?”

“Yeah.” She wished she could say no just to irritate him but it’d be a lie.

A satisfied look came into his eyes. He led her into the house. “Good. I’ll show you around.”

Inside, her first reaction was warmth. This place had positive, warm energy. It didn’t have the ancient, museum impression that Blackmoore manor did. Felicity didn’t feel like she couldn’t touch anything lest she break it and be sent to debtor’s prison for insufficient funds.

Not that Dom hadn’t spared any expense. The floors were real hard wood, polished, and a beautiful dark color that matched the outside of the house. First thing in the house, she noticed an L-shaped staircase that went to the upper floor. Dom pulled her left and she stepped down into a large living room. At least he used it as a living room. A dining area could easily have been set up in one half to create two separate rooms, but Dom had made it one very large space.

Everything centered around a massive fireplace. Logs of pre-cut wood sat next to the hearth and burnt logs still rested in the chamber. They didn’t use the fireplaces at the mansion, but Dom must like his fires. The furniture wasn’t all leather here either, but large sofas with wooden frames and navy blue cushions. It all looked rustic.

“You like it?” he asked.

“Yeah, it’s very you.” Surprisingly.

The strain still pinched around his eyes but it had lessened. It must feel good to be home, Felicity thought.

“Come on, you haven’t seen the best part.”

Little butterflies scurried around in her belly as he led her up the staircase. Bedrooms were always on the second floor, after all.

He tugged her right at the juncture of the hall and panic hit her. She could not be in a bedroom with Dominic. Bad things would happen.

She pulled back on her hand. “Hey, wait.”

He gave her a look that told her to behave, and tugged her into the room at the end of the hall.

Her breath left her on a whoosh. It was not a bedroom.

Thank god.

The room was a sun porch type thing. She didn’t know what you called it. Windows surrounded all three sides of the walls, and the room faced a spacious valley with rolling hills and trees. A little lake sat out in the distance with a small dock on it. Plants and flowers sat in pretty vases around the room and some hung from the wall.

Felicity frowned at him. “Is this a sun room?”

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. “You don’t have to look so confused, sweets.”

“But—”

“You want to know why a vampire has a sun room?”

She nodded slowly. “That pretty much sums it up.”

He put his arm around her shoulder, tucking her into the heat of his body. God it felt good...almost like they were a couple.

You’re just the decorator, Felicity. Don’t forget yourself.

“You ever heard of Philips Clarkson?”

Felicity struggled to put a face to the name. “It sounds familiar.”

“He’s a vampire on the council. He invents things. The man’s a crafting genius. He created a special kind of tinting that lets us see out into the daylight, but protects us from the UV rays.”

“I wondered why you had so many windows. You have the same windows at the mansion. That explains how you’re still living.”

His arm moved, curling her body front to front into his. Her breath caught as her face tilted up to look at his. “Felicity...”

He looked like he was drowning, like he was about to dip down and kiss her, and make her forget all the reasons she was angry at him. She couldn’t have that.

“I can’t do this. Not after how things ended last time.” With a quick duck, she spun out of his arms and hastily escaped down the hallway. His silence followed her.

* * *

Dom hated his phone. Every time it rang he wanted nothing more than to crush the puny metal beneath his perfectly shined shoe. It beeped as Felicity reached the top of the staircase. He’d been enjoying himself and the view of her incredible ass swaying as she walked. Just watching her made his cock harden. Damn, he craved her. He had been making plans on how to wear her down.

He knew what she wanted—him not to bond with Julianna. That couldn’t happen so he’d have to find a way around that. His only other choice, he decided, was to keep seducing her. The moment he touched her logic faded and only pleasure consumed her. She’d succumb to him soon enough, he’d make sure of it. If she didn’t he might go mad from lust.

Dom pressed the phone to his ear and barked, “What?”

“I got her.” Vas’s raspy voice came at him. The news did not bring Dom an ounce of the happiness it should.

Felicity peered over at him with curious, gorgeous eyes. God he wanted those eyes on him when he fell asleep wrapped around her, and when he woke up each day.

“Good.”

Vas let out a low, frustrated growl. “Where do you want me to bring her? You know this is more Grayson’s thing than mine, Dom.”

Yes, Vas didn’t much care to get out much. He much preferred his wallowing solitude. The vamp had a thing against crowds, or people in general. “Gray’s having troubles with Anita.”

“Gray’s always having trouble with Anita. He needs to cut her loose.”

“He loves her.”

“And she’s destroying him.” Vas’s voice turned low as he said something very threatening to someone else, then his voice came back on the line. “What am I supposed to do with Prim and Proper over here? Babysitting is not my fucking thing, Dom.”

“Bring her to the estate. Where did you find her?”

“Fucking Illinois, she jumped states on the run. It’ll be at least a day before we get there.” He sounded like meeting an impending death would be better than delivering Julianna Greenwich back to Dom.

“Just get her here safely. If you need extra men, call Grayson. He’ll set you up.”

“Right,” Vas said. With a click, he hung up.

Felicity’s eyes had lost their excited glow. “So you found Julianna?”

“Yes,” Dom said carefully. He did not want to talk about his soon-to-be bruid to the woman he wanted in his bed.

Felicity faced him with those sad eyes. Eyes that pulled at him, wringing his heart as if she grasped it with her little hands. “What will it take for you to cut me loose and let me go? I don’t want this job anymore. It’s become too hard.”

Dom flinched inside. Sadness laced her words like it hurt to say them. She wanted away from him. That knowledge created a ball of burning agony right at his heart like she’d just shoved a hot poker inside him. She might as well have. He’d much prefer that to her cutting words.

Dom went to her and cupped her soft cheek in his hand. Her eyes flinched and she looked even more sad, about to cry. He sucked in a painful breath. It grew difficult to breathe.

“I’m sorry about what I said before. I shouldn’t have been such an ass, but I can’t let you go. You and I both know that what we feel is different. This doesn’t just happen. I can’t let you go.”

Anger flashed in her pretty eyes and her round chin lifted. “Then leave her. You don’t want her. You want me. You can have me, but you know what you have to do.”

“I need to win this presidency. Not just for my father, or me, or to keep Zeke from taking it, but to help our people. There are serious reforms I want to make that will benefit us all.”

Felicity shrugged off his touch and stepped away. Cold instantly replaced the air she’d filled. “Yeah, save the speech for the voters. Listen, I told you before. I don’t do flings. I don’t do,” she waved a hand between them, “whatever this is. It’s her or me. That’s your choice. You can keep taking me from my home, from my job, or whatever else but my opinion won’t change.”

His nostrils flared; a bead of sweat rolled down his spine. “When I want something, I get it. I always win.”

Felicity’s eyes turned dead, any beautiful glow there gone. “Yeah, just like you’ll win this election alongside Julianna Greenwich. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have the most beautiful ceremony anyone’s ever seen when you mate with her.”

With that, she turned, raced down the stairs and flew out the front door. It slammed shut behind her. Dom let her go knowing his guards wouldn’t let her leave.

Slowly, he turned and went into his bedroom. Fists clenched, he let one fly. It slammed into the wall. Wood cracked and splintered, the echoing bang made the red haze in his eyes fade. But not enough.

Dom let his fist fly again.

CRACK!

The bite of pain at his knuckles alleviated a hair of the tension inside him. He hit it again and again and again...and again until he finally pulled back his hand to find it covered in blood and throbbing.

Only then had he calmed down enough to walk across the room to his bar. He poured himself the finest—Jouteax—a blood and wine mixture, his favorite. It used to be Anita’s favorite too. His stomach churned at the thought of his brother’s bruid making herself sick on it.

On the other hand, a positive memory surfaced. It was the same one he’d given Felicity the night they first met. God, he could still remember her eyes and body going all soft as if she was melting when she drank it. Her eyes had grown heavy with a seductive tilt. He’d scented a hint of arousal and it’d made him hard in a flash, so bloody hard. No one had ever had his attention in such a way as she had.

He’d known then that she’d be his.

Dom chugged a glass then another. He continued until he’d drank half the bottle. His mind became fuzzy and slow.

Sometime later, Dom opened his heavy eyelids. He was on the floor in his bedroom. He recognized the cast iron frame of his bed, the bottom of the nightstand next to it, and his door still partway open. He had no idea how long he’d been out, and he didn’t care. The languid heaviness inside him wouldn’t let him.

Heavy-footed boots came into his gaze. He squinted up.

“Grayson?” he rasped.

His brother looked pissed, his jaw clenched and working left and right. “Really? Now you?”

“Sen neden bahsediyorsun?” What are you doing, he asked falling back into his old Turkish language.

Gray shook his head. “That’s Luc that can speak Turkish.” He bent low at the knees. “Remember, I come from another mother? Mine didn’t come from Turkey, brother.”

Dom squeezed his eyes shut. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Gray. I’m shitfaced.”

Gray’s haunted eyes met his unblinking. “You think I don’t know what someone looks like when they’re shitfaced?”

Another low blow. Dom always managed to say the wrong thing to his brother. He always managed to remind him of his bruid.

“I’m sorry, Gray. I’m...sorry.”

Gray’s eyes softened then he curled an arm under Dom’s back and lifted him up. Dom found himself flat on his back on his bed. This was much better, he thought.

“What’s going on with you, Dom?”

The room spun and Dom closed his eyes since it made his body feel like he was spinning too. “What?”

“I said what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“What’re you talking’ ‘bout?” He managed to pull open his heavy eyelids. Gray glared at him with an anger he’d only seen reserved for his wife. That happened only when she’d done something particularly stupid while drunk.

“You have something special with Felicity. I can fucking see it, and if I can see it then I know you’re feelin’ it.”

Anger came back swift and strong. “I don’t want to talk about Felicity.”

“Yeah, well too fucking bad because we’re gonna. You have what I felt for Anita. I can see it.”

“Bullshit, you and Anita were perfect for each other.”

Gray’s voice got quiet. “I know.”

Dom lifted himself to a sitting position. The room swayed but not as much this time. Good, getting better, he thought. “I want to bed her. That’s all. There’s something about her...I don’t know what it is but it drives me wild.”

Grayson’s body straightened. “Yes, I know, Dom. I know because I felt the same thing for Anita once.”

Dom wanted to reach out an embrace his brother. “But not anymore?”

Gray’s eyes were raw with pain. The strain around his eyes and mouth were etched in deep lines. Line that hadn’t been there ten years ago. “Not anymore, but I will not abandon her. She deserves better than that.”

“I’m sorry, Gray.”

Gray’s eyes twitched. “You need to choose. Felicity’s right, you know. You can’t have both. Felicity doesn’t deserve that and neither does Julianna.”

“How am I supposed to pull through the campaign in less than two weeks with Felicity on my side? No one knows of her. She’s from a poor background. She has no political ties to help me pull in votes. It can’t be done.”

Gray lit a cigarette as he strode to the bar and poured himself a tall glass of Jouteax. He took a deep swig. “When have you ever backed away from a challenge?”

Dominic growled. “This is too important. If we cede the third seat to a were, to Zeke of all people, you know what kind of madness he could ensue.”

“Maybe he will, maybe he won’t. Maybe he’s not as crazy as everyone thinks.”

Dom leveled him a hard look and Gray shrugged.

“Maybe he is fucking bat shit crazy,” Gray admitted.

“Why do you care about all this anyway, Gray? It’s not like us to share such intimate stories together in my bedroom.”

Gray took a long pull on his cigarette. Dom could almost feel his own throat burning from the smoke. “Because you deserve some happiness for yourself. Everything you’ve ever done has been for someone else—the community, vampires, father, even me and Anita. What have you done for yourself?”

Dom started pulling off his day-old clothes in slow, drunken movements. “I married Helena.”

“I think, if you’ll recall, father also suggested her to you.”

“Yes, but I wanted her anyway.”

“You wanted to fuck her.”

Dom thought back to those early days when Helena and he were just mated and she still accepted him in her bed. She’d been wild then and he’d answered her need with vigor of his own. “And I did, often.”

“Helena’s another rich, blue-blooded aristocratic with a long, pretty lineage. You mated her because father wanted you to. I’ve seen the way you look at Felicity. You want more than just a bedding. I bet you already care for her.”

Had to be the liquor speaking because Dom saw red. He caught his brother by the collar of his jacket. “What the fuck do you know? You know nothing about us.”

His brother could have broken away easily considering Dom’s drunken state, but he didn’t. He let Dom shout in his face and take his rage out on him. Disgusted, Dom let him go.

“I know more than you do apparently. That’s why I let her go.”

Dom growled and knew his eyes began to glow like the animal that lurked inside him. “You did what?”

“I had my men drive her back tonight while you were shitfaced slobbering on the floor.” Dom curled his hand into a fist and let it fly. His fist met Gray’s lip with a fleshy crack. Gray pivoted, and then his own fist came too fast for Dom’s drunken gaze to see it.

Dom flew a foot in the air then landed on his ass on the floor. He sat there, panting.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because she deserves better than you.”

Dom curled his finger into the floor, crushing the wood into splinters. “You are supposed to help me. You’re supposed to protect her.”

“I have a guard on her. She’ll be safe from Zeke or anyone else. Besides, I don’t think Zeke cares a lick about her. He wants you dead, that’s all. If she means that much to you then you know what you’ve got to do, brother.”

Dom stood slowly and wobbled. “I’ll get her back.”

Gray shook his head sadly. “Not with my help then.” Gray walked to the door then turned around. “If anyone can win this election with a woman like Felicity at his side, it’s you.”

With that, he left.

Dom finished undressing and showered, his mind filled with muddled thoughts. Those thoughts soon turned to plans and then to a strategy. By the time the sun started to rise and he settled in for a fitful sleep without Felicity next to him, he was ready to go to battle.