Dominic’s POV
The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the clearing as I adjusted my grip on the rifle. The weight was familiar, grounding, the cold steel pressing against my palm like a second skin.
Across from me, Julian shifted uneasily, his expression wary as he watched me line up my shot.
“I swear to God,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. “If you accidentally shoot us, I’m haunting your ass from the grave.”
I smirked, keeping my eyes on the target ahead.
“Why would I shoot you?” My voice was smooth, casual, as I squeezed the trigger.
A sharp crack split through the air.
The bullet pierced the target dead center.
Julian flinched. “That’s exactly why. You are pissed.”
I chuckled, lowering the rifle. “Relax.”
Nico, who had been silent up until now, exhaled heavily, rolling his shoulders. “Some people just don’t know when to stop.” I stiffened.
Julian’s head snapped in his direction, his gaze bouncing between us. “Here we go…”
Nico set his gun down on the crate beside him, his jaw tight. “You always push past your limits, don’t you?”
I turned to him, my expression unreadable. “What exactly are you trying to say, Nico? Are you talking about me or are you talking about yourself?”
His lips pressed into a thin line. “You don’t stop until you break something. A man, a deal… a woman.”
My fingers twitched.
Julian sighed loudly, stepping between us. “Not this again-”
“Shut up, Julian,” Nico and I said in unison.
Julian groaned. “Great. Love being ignored.”
I took a step closer to Nico, my voice dangerously calm. “You have something to say about how I handle my business?” Nico held his ground. “I have something to say about how you handle her.”
I exhaled slowly, tilting my head. “You think I’m handling her?” My voice dipped lower, sharper. “Or do you wish you were?” Nico’s jaw ticked.
Julian muttered, “For fuck’s sake-”
Nico stepped forward. “You think this is funny?”
I smirked, though there was no humor in it. “Oh, it’s fucking hilarious. How you always try to take things away from me.”
Julian’s hands flew up between us. “Okay, seriously, can we not do this here? I’m really not in the mood to plan both of your funerals today.”
Neither of us moved.
The tension coiled, thick and suffocating.
Then-
My phone rang.
I exhaled sharply, pulling it from my pocket and answering with a curt, “What?”
A pause.
Then-
“Sir… Aria is dancing half naked.”
My entire body froze.
The air around me went silent.
Julian blinked. “Did he just say-?”
I hung up.
Successfully unlocked!
My fingers curled tightly around the phone, my grip ironclad.
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Chapter 65
Nico’s expression flickered. “What the fuck does that mean?”
I turned.
Walked straight to the car. Julian and Nico followed our guns forgotten.
And without another word…I drove back to the mansion.
I drove fast.
The kind of fast that blurred the world around me, that made the engine snarl as if it were feeding off my fury
Aria.
Dancing.
Half–naked in my fucking house. With all those men there watching her.
What the fuck was she thinking?
My jaw clenched so tight it ached, my hands white–knuckled around the steering wheel.
Julian and Nico were silent inside of the car, but I could feel their eyes, their curiosity, their anticipation.
I didn’t care.
All I could see was red.
By the time I reached the mansion, my blood was already boiling.
The moment I slammed the car door shut, the guards scattered.
Cowards.
Good.
Because whoever the fuck let this happen-
They were dead.
I stalked inside, my boots echoing against the marble floors.
And then-
I saw her.
Right there.
In the center of the room.
Moving like she owned the place.
Like she owned herself. For some weird reason that didn’t sit right with me.
Her body swayed, her hips rolling in a way that made something dark and ugly coil in my stomach. Her hands traced the
curves of her own body, her head tilting back, her lips parted slightly as if she were lost in the rhythm.
And the worst part?
The fucking worst part?
She looked beautiful.
Wild. Untamed.
Untouchable.
And every single one of my men was watching her.
My chest tightened.
A sharp, violent rage surged through me. Her dance is for me only. Not for other men to see
Every muscle in my body went rigid.
The air in the room shifted.
Like a predator stepping into the den.
One by one, the men who had been watching her looked away, their eyes dropping to the floor, their postures stiff. They knew.
They fucking knew.
Then-
She saw me.
Her movements slowed, her body freezing for half a second.
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Chapter 65
Then-
She smirked.
Fucking Tease.
She winked at me and kept dancing.
That was the moment I lost it.
I moved.
Fast.
Before she could react, before she could even breathe, my hand was around her wrist, yanking her toward me.
She gasped, stumbling slightly, her body crashing against mine.
I didn’t let go.
Didn’t give her a chance to fight.
“Dominic,” she breathed, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her skin flushed from exertion.
I looked down at her.
At her half–naked body.
At the way every curve was on display for men who had no right to look.
My grip tightened.
“What,” I murmured, my voice dangerously low, “the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
She tilted her chin up, defiant.
“Dancing,” she said smoothly, as if she wasn’t tempting fate.
My fingers curled tighter around her wrist.
My breath was sharp, slow, controlled–the only thing keeping me from dragging her back to our room and reminding her exactly who she belonged to.
“You want my attention that badly, Gattina?” I leaned in, my lips grazing the shell of her ear. “You could have just asked.”
Her breath hitched.
And for a split second-
I saw it.
The hesitation.
The flicker of uncertainty in her gaze.
But she was too proud to admit it.
So instead-
She smirked again.
Wrong move.
My fingers dug into her waist as I lifted her.
A gasp tore from her lips as I threw her over my shoulder, ignoring the way she kicked and cursed at me.
I turned to my men who suddenly started to see that the ground was more interesting than Aria n
“All of you who looked at her. ” My voice was lethal. “I will remember your faces.”
Silence.
Tension.
And then-
I carried her out of the room.
I carried her up the stairs, her fists pounding against my back, her curses coming fast and furious. “Put me down!” she snapped, her legs kicking.
I didn’t.
I barely even felt her struggles through the sheer rage burning through my veins.
My grip tightened around her waist as I stormed into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind me. Then-
Chapter 65
I dropped her
She hit the mattress with a gasp, bouncing slightly before scrambling upright, her hair wild, her eyes blazing.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!” she shouted, shoving her hair out of her face.
I stepped forward.
She moved back.
Good.
She should be scared.
I wasn’t calm.
I wasn’t in control.
My chest heaved, my blood roared, my fists clenched at my sides.
She knew exactly what she had done.
She knew how far she had pushed me.
I let the silence stretch, let the weight of my fury settle over the room.
Then-
I exhaled sharply.
“How dare you.“*
The words came slowly, low.
A whisper of pure, unfiltered rage.
She blinked.
But she didn’t break.
She lifted her chin, defiant as ever. “How dare 1?”
I took a step closer.
She swallowed.
But still-
She didn’t run.
I dragged a hand down my face, trying–failing–to control the fire inside me. “You danced. Half–naked. In front of my men.”
She shrugged, her lips curling into something mocking. “It’s not the first time I’ve danced for an audience, Dominic.” My jaw ticked.
“You think this is a fucking game? Does it feel like a play?” My voice dropped, dangerously low.”
She lifted a brow. “It’s my body.”
I let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
“Your body?” I echoed. “That’s the excuse you’re going with?”
Her eyes flashed. “It’s not an excuse.”
“It’s a fucking joke,” I snapped, stepping closer again.
Her breath hitched.
But she stood her ground.
She had no idea how much that drove me fucking crazy.
“You’re mine, Aria,” I growled, my voice deadly quiet. “Every inch of you. Every fucking breath you take. Mine.”
She scoffed, crossing her arms. “You don’t own me, Dominic.”
I laughed again, dark and cold. “Don’t I?”
She hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that was all I needed.
I moved, closing the distance between us entirely.
My hands gripped her chin, forcing her to look up at me.
Her pulse hammered beneath my fingers.
Chapter 65
“You can fight me all you fucking want,” I murmured, my lips a breath away from hers. “But we both know you belong to me.”
She shivered.
I felt it.
And that?
That broke me. Just like when I…had spanked her. I hurt her.
I know she was doing this in retaliation but my ego just could not take it.
I tilted her chin up further, my fingers tightening ever so slightly.
“You humiliated me today,” I said quietly.
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