He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his thumb lingering against her cheek. “I did what was necessary. I protected you. Protected us.”
She stared at him, torn between awe and fear. The man before her wasn’t just her lover. He was a storm wrapped in human skin, capable of wiping out anyone who threatened what was his.
A shiver ran through her. “You terrify me sometimes.”
His hand slid to the back of her neck, pulling her gently toward him. “Good,” he murmured against her lips. “That means you understand what I’ll do for you.”
And when he kissed her, Ava let herself drown in it — even as the unease curled tighter in her chest. Because Dominic hadn’t just killed the scandal. He had declared war on the world for her.
And wars always had casualties.
*****.
Ava couldn’t sleep.
The
