Without a word, she pushed him down and lay quietly next to him. He wrapped his arm around her as she snuggled up. She laid her head on his shoulder while her fingers trailed little circles on his stomach, and she draped one leg over his.
“We can have make-up sex later,” she whispered. “Right now, even though I want to maul you, I insist you sleep.” She kissed the scar on his cheek. “Doctor’s orders.”
“You’re not a people doctor,” he said in a sleepy voice. His eyelids felt heavy, and he struggled to keep them open. “You take care of animals.”
“Yeah.” She giggled. “Then I guess I can take care of you since you’re half tiger. Now stop arguing, and get some rest.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he murmured.
As the welcoming arms of sleep claimed him with the love of his life wrapped around him, Dominic knew he was home.
Chapter 15
Tatiana languidly emerged from the cloud of sleep. Dominic’s butterfly kisses fluttered down her arm, and his strong hand traveled up her bare thigh. The rough, calloused skin of his palm rasped over her enticingly as he nibbled her ear. He curled up, spooning her, and his erection pressed into her back insistently.
Sighing, she rolled onto her back as she stretched her arms over her head, arching as Dominic pushed her shirt up and nuzzled her breast. His hot breath washed over her skin as he flicked aside the lacy fabric of her bra and took her nipple in his mouth. Tatiana moaned as white-hot pleasure zipped to her core.
One hand tangled with hers above her head as the other slipped beneath the waist of her yoga pants. She was already wet as he slid two fingers inside her, and his thumb massaged the tiny nub. Tatiana bit her lip and held back the cry of desire as he took her to the brink of orgasm.
Tatiana tore her hands free and pulled his face to hers, devouring his lips and sweeping her tongue into the hot cavern of his mouth. Dominic growled, and in a tangle of limbs they cast the rest of their clothing aside, leaving them naked with skin brushing along skin.
Dominic covered her body with his and lifted her leg over his hip as he drove his thick shaft deep inside. Tatiana clung to him, kissing him as he pumped into her, filling her deeper each time, and taking all she had to give.
There was a feverish pitch to their lovemaking, as though both secretly feared this could be the last time, needing to take everything, absorb it all, afraid the memory of this moment alone would be all they had left.
Growling, with muscles straining, Dominic pushed forward in one final thrust and arched back as the orgasm rocked them both to the core. He fell forward, bracing his hands on either side of her head and stayed there, his face hovering inches from hers. His body locked inside hers, and she never wanted him to leave. She wanted to keep him there forever, to savor the intimate moment of perfection, and hide from the world in a cloud of bliss. As the effects of the orgasm faded, the sounds of the others talking downstairs brought them back to reality.
Dominic withdrew and rolled over so he was stretched out next to her. He pulled her into his sweaty embrace, and she felt his heart beneath the surface. Tatiana smiled as she noted the comforting way it beat rapidly in sync with hers.
Tatiana’s thoughts were interrupted as she picked up two new energy signatures in the house.
“Dante and Richard are downstairs,” she said quietly as she looked at their intertwined fingers.
“You can pick up on each of them individually?” Dominic asked, pulling back and adjusting the pillow so he could look her in the face. “That’s good. Your abilities are getting stronger, and when Eric shows up you’ll need every bit of power you have.”
“Maybe he won’t come.”
“Yes, he will.” Dominic played with her hair and let out a slow breath. “It’s not a matter of if, but when.”
Panic swamped her. There would be an Amoveo battle on her property. The world she’d tried to avoid had infiltrated every part of her world, and there was no going back.
“I’m going to hop in the shower.” She glanced at the digital clock on the dresser and extricated herself from his embrace. She didn’t want to think about Eric or what he might do. “It’s almost two o’clock. We should really go downstairs.”
“Hey.” Dominic grabbed her wrist and propped himself up on one elbow as he gave her a concerned look. “It’s going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
Tatiana pulled her arm from his grasp and walked to the bathroom door, practically forgetting that she was naked as a jaybird. Funny. She’d never been comfortable walking around naked in front of anyone, not even herself, but somehow, being naked with Dominic seemed… natural.
However, there was nothing natural about the situation they were faced with.
“No.” Her hand lingered on the bathroom door, and she leveled a serious stare at him. “Nothing is going to be okay again.” Tatiana shivered as the reality of what her life could be like swiveled vividly into focus. “I don’t think I can live like this, Dominic.”
“Like what?” He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and smirked at her. “Waking up to hot sex every day?”
“Be serious, would you please?”
“I am.” He strode toward her, evidence of his renewed desire rearing to life. He linked his hands around her biceps, his fingertips pressing gently into her arms as he pulled her to him. “Tatiana, talk to me. Don’t shut me out.”
“I’m not a fighter.” Her voice quivered, and she fought the tears that threatened to spill over. “I’m not good at this. I spent my life healing animals and curing them. I can’t spend the rest of it running from people who want to kill me, or fighting for my life at every turn. It’s terrifying. It’s cruel, you know. I was fooled for a little while into thinking I was safe.”
“You will feel safe again. I promise, your life will not be like this all the time.” He wrapped her in his arms, his hands splayed across her back, searing her and branding her as his with every touch. “After this is over, and I put Eric down like the fucking traitor he is, I’m leaving my position as Guardian.”
“What?” Tatiana sniffled and pulled back to look him in the face. Her eyes searched his and found nothing but his typical resolute stubbornness. “But—but you love being Guardian, Dominic. I can’t let you do that.”
“Tatiana,” he said on a sigh as he cradled her face in his hands. “I love you. Don’t you get it?” His voice, gruff and serious, surrounded her. “My place, my home… my life is with you. I already told Richard, and while he wasn’t happy, he understands my decision.”
Tatiana was speechless. However, before she could say anything else, Dominic slapped her naked butt playfully, scooped her up, and carried her into the shower. He kissed the argument right out of her.
They made love again under a cleansing spray of water, and afterwards, when they dressed to go downstairs, Tatiana caught sight of Dominic’s formidable silhouette in the light of the window. He was a soldier in every sense of the word, and his presence filled her tiny bedroom the same way it filled her heart.
Taking over, totally and completely.
As she followed him downstairs, she couldn’t help but wonder if he would do what he said. Could he really give up the life of a Guardian and be happy here, or would the life of a warrior always call him back?
After Dante and Richard arrived, William took a turn catching up on much-needed sleep. The others took a survey of the property, imprinting on the area. The sun was setting, and as it sank deeper into the horizon, Tatiana’s anxiety ratcheted up, bit by bit. The darkness approached, and more than likely, Eric along with it.