The Hermit (Mafia Empire Book 1)

During the trip back to Slovakia, I become more and more aggravated with the people around me.

I just want to get home so I can be alone with Grace.

When I shift in my seat and glare at Sef and Martin, who are playing cards, Grace takes hold of my jaw and turns my head toward her.

“You can’t fire a gun on the plane,” she reminds me.

“Is it that obvious?” I mutter.

“Yes.” She moves her hand down to my chest. “Try to focus on anything but the other people. Think about the island.”

“I’d rather think about you.” I rest my head against the seat and stare at her. “So you say you’re ready?”

Her eyes dart to mine, and she takes a little too long to reply, “Yeah.”

“You don’t sound so sure.”

She glances out the window as she whispers, “I won’t know until we try.”

“Look at me,” I order.

Grace lets out a sigh before bringing her eyes back to mine. “This isn’t the time or place to talk about it.”

“They’re sitting too far away to hear us,” I say. I pick up her hand and lace my fingers through hers. “How do you want to test your theory?”

“I don’t know,” she mutters, clearly uncomfortable having this conversation with me.

To check how ready she is, I ask, “Which positions do you like?”

I watch as a blush creeps up her face, then her features tighten as she admits, “Just not from behind.”

I’m instantly hit with a need to destroy something. My tone is too harsh when I ask, “Is that what he did?”

Lowering her eyes, she looks at our joined hands while nodding.

That’s why she instantly had a panic attack when I grabbed her from behind the other day.

I’ll never make that mistake again.

“Is there anything else that’s a trigger for you?” I ask.

She leans in much closer until her face almost touches my chest, and her voice is so fucking fragile it takes a swing at my heart.

“The sound of a zipper and being restrained.”

Letting go of her hand, I pull my arm from between us and wrap it around her. Pressing her to my chest, I lean my head down until my mouth is by her ear and vow, “I’ll never restrain you again. I’m so fucking sorry about that day in your bedroom.”

She nods, her cheek brushing against my shirt. “I forgive you.”

She lifts her head slightly but freezes the moment she realizes how close our mouths are. Her eyes dart to mine, and I stare into them until her pupils dilate.

There’s no panic or fear, and it fills me with intense satisfaction.

Grace just needed the right man to realize she’s not broken.

And I’m that man.

I can see she wants me to kiss her, but I’m sure as fuck not having our first kiss in front of an audience.

I drop my head back to the headrest, and shutting my eyes, I grumble, “You’re a little temptress.”

“I didn’t do anything,” she says, her voice slightly hoarse.

I tighten my arm around her shoulders as I think of ways to make our first kiss romantic and special for her.

GRACE

Now I’m the aggravated one, while Dominik looks all relaxed.

Scowling at his shirt, I let out a sigh.

I really thought he was going to kiss me, but instead, he got comfortable, and now it looks like he’s sleeping.

I really wanted a kiss.

A lot is changing so fast between us that I’ve given up trying to process it, and I’m just taking things as they come.

Unlike when we were flying to Chile, I begin to grow sleepy during the last leg of the flight.

It’s probably because Dominik is holding me.

It’s my last thought before I doze off, and lord knows how long I’m out for because when I wake up from a dead sleep, it takes a moment to realize where I am.

My right hand is curled under my chin, and my left one is lying on Dominik’s lap.

It takes another second before I realize how close I came to touching his manhood while sleeping.

Crap.

I stare at the clear-as-day hard outline of his cock and feel a weird mixture of desire and nervousness.

But there’s no disgust and fear.

Okay, maybe a little fear because our first time together might hurt just because of his size.

Dominik moves his arm and pulls his fingers through my hair, then murmurs, “We’re landing in ten minutes, miláčik.”

I make sure my left hand doesn’t accidentally touch his hard-on and quickly sit up.

I focus on adjusting my seat belt and clear my throat before staring out of the window as if my life depends on it.

When I hear Dominik chuckle softly, I can’t stop the corners of my mouth from lifting into a smile. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“I am.” There’s a moment’s silence then he asks, “Are you going to look at me.”

“No. I like the view.”

“You can’t see shit. There’s only clouds.”

Suddenly, the whole plane shakes as we hit turbulence, and I let out a squeak.

“Don’t worry,” Dominik says. “We have parachutes on board.”

“I’ve never done that before, so I’ll probably just splat to death.”

He chuckles again, and this time I look at him.

“There’s no way I’ll ever let you jump on your own. I’ll strap you to me.”

I’m quickly realizing that the man I married is overly possessive and protective, completely the opposite of what I thought when I met him.

But just with me.

When he talks to others, I see how he struggles not to lose his temper and how quickly he gets annoyed.

Before I stop the question, I ask, “Have you ever been in love?”

He shakes his head. “I’ve never met someone who interested me.”

Until me.

The thought has satisfaction trickling into my chest, and a smile spreads over my face.

The private jet descends, and soon, we touch down on the runway.

“Have you been in love?” Dominik asks.

I shake my head. “No. I wasn’t allowed to date, and Braden was my first relationship, if you can even call it that.”

Dominik leans his head closer to me. “I’m sorry he was your first.”

His words have a significant impact on me, and I can only nod.

The aircraft comes to a stop, and before I can reach for my seat belt, Dominik unfastens it.

“Let’s get out of here.” He gets up and only glances in Evinka’s direction, saying, “Be safe out there.”

She gives him a chin lift and waves at me.

“See you,” I say while rushing after Dominik, noticing James hurrying to bring our luggage.

When I descend the stairs, Dominik is already halfway to the Hummer. I watch as he glances around the area, then opens the passenger door.

“Good God,” I mutter when I reach him. “In a hurry much?”

“Definitely,” he grumbles while I climb into the passenger seat.

He shuts the door and walks around the front to the driver’s side while James loads our luggage into the trunk. The poor guard hardly gets time to shut it before Dominik starts the engine and pulls away.

“Why the hurry?” I ask.

“My social battery is depleted,” he answers, and only when we turn onto the main road does he seem to relax a little.

“Is it really that difficult for you to be around people?” I ask.

“Yes.” He shoots me a glance, then explains, “The orphanage was overcrowded. Since I got out of that hell hole, I find it hard to be around people for long periods.”

“I’m sorry you had such a horrible childhood,” I whisper.

He just nods, then reaches for my hand and places it on his thigh. His thumb brushes over my skin, and I notice how he lets out a breath of relief, relaxing even more.

Not thinking things through, I whisper, “My hermit.”

He glances at me, the corner of his mouth lifting in a hot smirk. “I like the sound of that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

During the drive up the mountain I take in more of our surroundings and admire the scenic view.

“You’re so different from when we first met,” I say.

“It’s because I have feelings for you. Otherwise, I’d treat you the same as everyone else.”

Curious to know, I ask, “What kind of feelings?”

Dominik chuckles while replying, “The romantic kind.”

“Mmmh. Are you falling in love with me?” I ask with a teasing tone to my voice. Honestly, I’m curious as hell to hear his answer.

With a dead serious expression, he admits, “I started falling in love with you the second you glared at me and told me I couldn’t marry your sister. One look at the fire in your eyes, and I was done for.” He gives me another smirk. “I saw that fire again when you told Ilias off. It was one hell of a turn-on.”

My lips part in shock, and I stare at him. “Wish I’d known sooner. I was terrified of you.”

“Yet you still fought me every chance you got.” He brings the Hummer to a stop and looks at me. “You were so fucking brave but never do that again. Always put yourself first. If I lose you because you decided to sacrifice yourself for someone, I will kill whoever you tried to save. So don’t even try. Understand?”

Holy shit.

I nod quickly before shoving my door open and climbing out of the vehicle.

Dominik grabs the two bags and says, “Come on, moja láska. Home is just around the bend.”

I walk up the hill, and when the house comes into view, the corner of my mouth lifts.

This beautiful place is my home now.