With one last hug and sad smiles shared, Kennedy started to walk away with a warning to Dominic. “You hurt her, and I’ll hunt you down myself, Mr. Slade. Understand?” He looked like he was going to laugh her threat off at first.
“She’s safe with me; you have my word,” Dom promised.
The men did their weird fist bump/half hug thing with whispered words neither girl had a chance of hearing before they parted ways.
*****
“Fuck!” Slamming his hand against the steering wheel, he was angry. At himself, at her father, at Creed for forcing him to tell Dee before he had a chance to soften the blow. After her friend had left, she’d kicked him out. He tried to stay, but she told him one of them was leaving. He figured if he did, at least he could watch her house until he convinced her to leave with him.
Fatigue tried to tug at his eyes as he watched her front door. He wouldn’t put it past her to slip out while she thought he was sleeping. A door slamming drew his attention to the rear of her house. He was almost disappointed that she would prove him right.
Climbing out of his car, he quietly jogged to the back to keep his eye on her. Not seeing her at first, he grew worried until he heard light humming closer to the water’s edge. Scanning for any signs of her, his gaze settled on a small figure sitting in the sand about half way between the house and sea.
Not wanting to startle her, he shuffled through the sand so she would hear him. Coming upon her still form, it only took a second before he realized she was crying.
Sitting behind her, he wrapped her in his arms, rocking her gently. “What’s going on, Deedee?”
Turning into him, she seemed to breathe his scent in before answering. “I just…I wish it was a different time. A different place. I wish I weren’t me.”
Her words spoke to him in ways nothing else had because he understood completely. Some days, he wished for a different life...to be someone he wasn’t. To be the man worthy of her. He would do everything in his power to make her happy.
“I just want to go home, Dominic. I want to see me mam. Can you understand that?” She looked up to him, searching his eyes, showing him her desperation to go home. To have the normal life she’d always craved.
“I got you, Dee,” he told her. Not promising he would take her home. Not promising he wouldn’t either.
“I can’t go home, though, can I?” Defeat was in her softly worded question.
“You will, Princess.”
“But I can’t. I talked to Mam. Da’s friends were in Dublin. They’ll never stop looking for me.” The heartbreak in her voice was evident. She was eighteen and alone. Lonely for so long, he couldn’t even imagine how she’d felt all these years. Cut off from the only family member she had. “Not that it matters,” she continued. “You’re making me go back anyway.”
Never in his life had Dominic felt so horrible about trying to do what he thought was right. He wasn’t bringing her back to Bradshaw because he’d ordered it. His idea was to bring her closure. He knew her better than anyone and understood she had a ton of anger towards her father that she needed to get out. She had to let the man know how she felt about the way he’d treated her. But if she was hurting this bad over just the thought of it, he didn’t think she was going to do it.
“Come home with me, Princess,” he told her. Meaning his home. Not her father’s.
“Please don’t make me go back to him, Dominic.”
“No, Princess, my home. I want to take you back to Maryland with me.”
The confusion, fear, and hope in her eyes made him smile. She wanted to go home with him but was afraid he was lying to her. “Have I ever lied to you, baby?”
“No, Dom,” she whispered huskily.
“Then come home with me, Deidre,” he said again placing a finger under her chin, tilting her head up so he could see her startling green and black eyes. Nodding her head, he watched her as he lowered his mouth to hers. Placing a feather light kiss against her petal soft lips.
If it weren’t for the fact that it wasn’t the right time and place, he would have deepened the kiss, but he knew she wasn’t ready for the way he needed to own her completely.
Pulling away, he was happy to see a small smile grace her face. When her eyes fluttered open, he beamed at her showing his pleasure at her reaction. Getting up, he helped her to her feet where they made their way back to her home.
Four
As the plane touched down, Deidre’s death grip on Dom’s hand finally relaxed. Flying had always terrified her. Left her in a feeling of limbo like an out of body experience. Dom had laughed at her fright at first until halfway through their nine-hour flight, she still hadn’t unclenched her hand from his.
“Relax, Princess, we’ll be out of here in a few more minutes,” he told her as the plane landed roughly.
When it was their turn to disembark, he kept his hand on her waist. Not once did she lose his touch. She felt wanted for the first time in nearly ten years. Like he couldn’t stand the thought of not having contact with her.
She’d never been to the United States before, and the sheer amount of people in the busy airport astounded her. It was slightly claustrophobic. She could feel her chest getting tight. Just when she was about to go into a panic, Dominic leaned into her from behind whispering, “I’ve got you, Princess. We’ll be gone soon.”