Unlawful Temptations (The Star-Crossed Series Book 1)

It didn’t take long to make Dominic his drink. Five minutes tops, adding on an extra few for when I went to the bathroom before I made it.

Still, not a lot of time at all. Except, apparently, it was too long for him.

When I made it to the Master bedroom, the door was open and the King size bed was occupied. Dominic was lying on top of the cream-colored covers, legs straight and arms folded over his chest as he slept. He was still in his work clothes down to the black wingtip shoes around his feet.

The stiff way he’d fallen asleep said he was waiting for me to bring him his drink and sleep swooped him up before I got there. I walked in anyway, warmth feeding into my palms through the drink I held for him. The drink that was now totally moot.

At least he was sleeping.

Strange tingles clustered in my chest as I scanned his sleeping face. The lines of stress I thought were chiseled into his face permanently had melted away. His skin was smooth, almost golden, and I wondered how much sun he got on the job. That taut browline of his was relaxed, and the furrowed crease between them vanished. Dominic looked nothing like the man I saw every day this last week. He was softer. Younger, even.

How old was he, anyway? I’d never really given much thought to it up until this moment. Somewhere in his thirties, if I had to guess.

Placing his cup on the mahogany nightstand next to the bed, I started gathering up discarded clothes scattered on the floor for laundry. It was mostly Heather’s clothes or the occasional sock from Dominic, and the former annoyed the hell out of me.

Heather was a neat person. Too neat to leave clothes on the floor, which meant she was doing it on purpose just to leave me a subtle ‘fuck you’ every day.

I’d have to thank her some day by accidentally dying all of her pants a nice puke green.

Just before I left the room, a peak of crumpled royal blue stood out against the bed cover. A heavy sigh sunk my shoulders, and I dropped the pile of clothes I’d collected in the corner before trudging over to the bed.

The discarded shirt was stuck underneath a sleeping Dominic, because why wouldn’t it be? I felt like the entire bedroom was giving me a giant middle finger, the maroon curtains over the double windows going as far as to sneer at me using its pleats.

It was saying ‘get out, you don’t belong here’ and I was trying my damndest to listen. I didn’t like being in their marital bedroom, especially while Dominic was sleeping in it. I didn’t like thinking about what they did in here. The conversations they had. The knockout fights. It gave me the chills, like if the walls could talk, it would be a creeping whisper down my neck, sharing dirty little secrets I didn’t wanna know.

Just get the shirt and go.

Jitters curling up my body, I set my eyes on the blue shirt wedged underneath Dominic’s torso. I’d always prided myself on being strong and independent, and I mean literally strong and someone who didn’t need help from anyone to do anything; not open any jars, reach anything at abnormally tall heights- nothing.

I didn’t need a man for anything.

But I needed this fucking man to get off of this fucking shirt right now.

No matter how carefully I reached over him and tugged, the material had no give. Dominic was simply too large. Too masculine. Too weighed down by the heavy muscle his body was made up of. He was pure man, and I was turning into a woman at the end of my rope.

In determination, I lugged a knee up on the mattress, sinking into it for better leverage as I pulled. An inch finally gave, and success roared through my veins. I tugged again, awarded with another inch and had to stifle a victorious chuckle.

I would make this shirt my bitch if it was the last thing I did today.

In each of my pulls, I was so careful not to touch Dominic. Not a graze of his strong thighs or a brush of my stomach against his as I leaned over him. Could you imagine what a fucking predicament that would be if he woke up with the new nanny perched over him like she was trying to ride him?

God, I’d be fired. More than fired.

I’d die and then be fired postmortem.

And then, because I was just that unlucky, just that much of a dipshit for tempting the universe, my world flipped, and I saw the writing on my gravestone spinning with me.

My sharp gasp hit the air just as my back hit the mattress.

My eyes shot wide in my head with the sudden movement, and my heart exploded in panic. Wildfire stormed my blood, setting it ablaze with fight or flight as firm hands locked around my shoulders and pinned me down. It wasn’t just the hands holding me down either. A pair of legs shackled mine on either side, nailing them tight together till I couldn’t fucking move, couldn’t squirm, couldn’t escape.

All I could do was scream.

And I heaved back a breath to do just that when I saw storm clouds above me. Swirling. Dangerous. Swollen with wrath instead of soothing raindrops.

The menacing gray clouds sucked up all my air I was going to scream with and left me with only puffs to shake my chest. The shivers in my body vibrated the bed, my surprise and terror now a physical thing that the body overtop of mine must have felt.

Dominic blinked at me, and a sliver of recognition broke through the clouds.

“Kat,” he breathed, shock in my name.

Not Ms. Sanders. My name.

And it sounded like dark chocolate tasted. Sweet, rich, and a little raw. My name was an unprocessed, unique flavor on his tongue that he was tasting for the first time.

Quick breaths worked my lungs as I stared up at him, at his sharp eyes that were staring right back at me as he caught up to the moment. Him on top of me, pinning me down to his bed like I was the prey to his predator.

“You were laying on the shirt,” I huffed. “I needed it for laundry.”

Dominic’s eyes jumped to my fist that clutched the criminal shirt, his understanding slow-forming. A strand of hair dangled across his creased forehead in a totally uncharacteristic way, and for a moment, I was glad my arms were trapped. Or else I might have reached up and tucked the piece back in with the rest.

Or mussed the rest of it up to match. I kinda liked the wild look on him.

And God was he wild right now. Wild and alert… and threatening.

Eyes flared, dark brows slanted, mouth parted and giving me small tastes of him. He filled me up without realizing it, smelling like all of the elements combined, completely earthy and musky and addicting.

It was confusing me, making my body pliant beneath his, my muscles loose and my mind unhinged.

Unhinged enough to say dumb shit like, “In hindsight, I probably could have left the shirt for later.”

Dominic watched the words form and fall from my lips, still so dazed by his own actions. His attention on my mouth dried it right out, and I licked my lips as an afterthought. Dominic’s stare followed the small action, and the defined cut of his jawline ticked dangerously.

The severity of the storm clouds hovering just above me came roaring back, a different shade of darkness than before. A daunting darkness. One that dominated any and everything it wanted to.

“You shouldn’t be in here,” he rumbled, voice low and throaty.

Heart crashing around inside my chest, I swallowed hard. “I was bringing you the drink you asked for.”

Slow awareness filled his eyes, widening them a touch. The darkness was doused just like that. His vice grip around my shoulders loosened, and he pinched his eyes shut tight.

“Right.” Remorse sliced an open wound across his face. “Did I hurt you?”

The care in his thick voice made my lip twitch, and I shook my head against his pillow. “I’m not so easy to break.”

Something caught along Dominic’s expression, pulling his face in concentration as he gazed at me. “Good…” The word came out of him languid and low, like he was still half asleep.

He hadn’t moved yet, still holding himself over me as I watched his face sail from thought to thought. Maybe if I wasn’t such utter shit at reading people, I’d be able to tell what he was thinking.

But Dominic Reed was fucking hieroglyphic.

Below him, I shimmied my shoulders just barely as a tight breath wracked my lungs. The moment was starting to get weird and… hot. He was still closer than he ever should have been, and I needed him to move right now before my already-horny-for-him subconscious made too much out of this accidental moment.

Like he could read my thoughts or what the heat in my body meant, Dominic finally leaned back to his knees and passed a rough hand through his imperfectly perfect hair. “I didn’t even realize I fell asleep. I’m sorry.”

The space he created between us allowed me to finally take a deep breath and scooch back on the bed. My heartbeat was still pounding, and I wasn’t sure it would ever stop, but I gave him a light-hearted chuckle regardless to ease the tension in the air.

“It’s really okay.”

He didn’t look convinced, gaze still trapped by shame. “You would tell me if I hurt you, right?”

“Jeez, you really are a dad.” That comment finally cut the apology in his eyes in half, disapproval wielding the sword. Thank fuck. “I’m fine, I promise.”

It took him a while, but he eventually nodded with a sigh. I felt sorry looking at him, seeing every worry line back where it started. Dammit. I did that to him. Not his job or his wife, but me.

Should have just left the goddamn shirt alone.

Awkwardly, Dominic cleared his throat as he shifted off the bed to stand. “I apologize if I made you uncomfortable.”

Following his lead, I threw my legs over the edge of the bed. “You didn’t. Just took a few years off my life.”

I huffed a tension-relieving laugh as I went to stand, stare focused on Dominic. It was because I was staring directly at him that I saw and felt the moment my foot clipped the edge of the bed, and I stumbled. His eyes rounded. My breath hitched. My stomach catapulted through to the floor I felt myself nearing.

And then he caught me, righting me back on two feet with lightning speed.

“Woah,” I breathed, steadying myself on his arms. Head rush. I blinked rapidly, fixing my focus back on Dominic who stared at me. “I swear your bed just tried to trip me.”

The corner of his mouth trembled, and his shoulders relaxed some beneath my hands.“ Or you weren’t lying when you said you were clumsy.”

“Or I’m just off balance from when you manhandled me moments ago,” I jabbed back at him.

Breathy laughter pushed between my lips because I thought we were having fun. Then the ropes of muscles beneath my palms went tight, and his eyes lowered to the floor. He took his hands around my back with them.

“Again, I apologize,” he replied flatly. Clipped.

His sudden change from teasing to tense felt like whiplash. I didn’t like it and wanted the easy air back between us. “Where’d you learn a move like that anyway?”

I tried to ignore it as the backs of his jaw cemented down. “Self-defense training. It’s a simple move to apprehend a threat.”

“Does that mean you think I’m a threat?” I joked.

My eyebrows were arched in mockery, but I felt it stumble as his stare flashed to mine. Heavy. Probing. Un-fucking-readable. My lips parted with the look, and I didn’t know whether I was confused or startled or both. Probably both. For a quick moment, Dominic dropped his weighted stare to my unlinked lips, and ice contoured his eyes to frozen daggers.

“No, Ms. Sanders. I don’t.”

Then he ducked away from me, long legs taking him several paces away. Behind his back, I openly blanched at him, dumbstruck as to what the fuck just happened. Was he mad? At me?

Shit, if he was, I had to fix things fast. I’d only been here a week, and I was not losing this job because of some accidental physical contact. It was an accident, but he clearly felt rattled by it.

Compliment him. Yeah, that’s good. Men loved having their stupid egos stroked.

“Do you think you could show me how you did it?” I hurried to catch up to him before he left the room. “The move, I mean. It was so fast.”

As I jogged up behind him, I saw Dominic’s back go rigid. My steps slowed as I came around in front of him just in time to watch his Adam’s apple bob like he was having trouble swallowing. “That wouldn’t be appropriate for me to teach you,” he spoke carefully. Deeply.

“What? Why not?”

His nostrils flared as his sharp stare snapped to mine. “Because you’re my employee, and that should be enough of a reason.”

Insult slapped my chest in a heat wave. I stood there, having no other choice but to sit in the stew of gross humiliation he’d just brewed. Why the fuck would he say something like that? And not just the words, but the way he said it. Like I was a moron for even asking.

“Uh… okay?”

Uh oh. I heard it in my tone before I realized it was already in motion. My temper. She was reaching out and twisting around my insides, screwing up my body so tight, I just had to snap.

“Well, that was super fucking awkward, so I’m gonna go.”

Dominic reacted harshly—stunned—like he didn’t expect me to say exactly what I wanted to.

“Ms. Sanders—”

“Save it.” I held up a dismissive hand as I walked out, my feet picking up speed. “I’ve got chores to do like a good little employee.”

This time, his tone was disciplining. “Ms. Sanders.”

But I kept moving, and he didn’t stop me.

Fuck that guy and fuck this day.

Tonight couldn’t come soon enough.