The Devil Who Claimed Me

Dominic didn’t move. He kept staring at the closed door of her room for a long time. He didn’t like the way she had left him hanging there, burning, wanting, and denied at the last second. But when he replayed the kiss in his mind, the irritation faded.

He ran his thumb over his lower lip, where her taste lingered.

’So she does want me.’ A small smile appeared on his face. ’She might be running now. But she won’t forever.’

He was hopeful that she would eventually give in to him.

Inside her room, Mila pressed her back against the door, her heart beating like a war drum. She touched her lips. They were still tingling.

’What is happening to me? Why have I reacted like that?’

Even so, she couldn’t ignore how her body reacted to him. His closeness alone had been enough to make her melt. She had not resisted. Instead, she was ready to give in to him.

It had never happened before, not even with Ethan.

Five years... She had believed she loved Ethan. She had let him touch her, hold her, and kiss her. Those moments had been tender but felt almost routine. There had been affections, at least from her side, but never this kind of intensity.

With Ethan, the intimacy felt like a reassurance, like something she gave to keep him close, to make him love her. But tonight, when Dominic leaned in, she didn’t feel it was an obligation.

It was overwhelming, charged, alive. She hadn’t kissed him because she feared she would lose him, but because she wanted to. It hadn’t felt like she was asking him to love her. It had come naturally, felt like claiming.

She had never felt that dizzying loss of control with Ethan. Her body had responded before her mind could.

The difference shook her.

How could she feel such heat, such pull for a man she barely knew?

Mila pressed a palm to her chest. She didn’t know his past. But she had her doubts that his background wasn’t simple, that danger was close around him. Yet she felt safe with him.

’Was it just attraction?’ she wondered. ’Or was it because I experienced a heartbreak?’

She wasn’t sure. But she couldn’t deny the fact that she was attracted to this insanely hot man.

"God! How am I supposed to survive living with him?"

Mila went to bed, but the memory of Dominic’s lips against hers refused to fade. She shifted her side and pulled the pillow close to her.

’Don’t think about him. Don’t...’ She stubbornly closed her eyes, but the flashes of what had happened in the hall returned. Her pulse refused to slow.

She lay flat, staring at the ceiling. "Why can’t I stop thinking about him?"

It took a long time before sleep finally claimed her. But she didn’t stop imagining him. Even in her dream, she found herself with him.

He stood tall in front of her, his eyes dark with intense desire and possessiveness. He stepped toward her.

She didn’t move, didn’t try to escape. Instead, she was waiting for him to close the distance.

His arms slid around her waist firmly and pulled her to his robust chest. She could feel the heat of his body through the thin fabric of her nightdress.

"You wanted this." His breath caressed her ear as he whispered.

She found herself nodding.

He leaned in and let his mouth trail along her neck in a slow, deliberate motion, sending tremors through her body. Every place he touched felt like it was ignited. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

He lifted her effortlessly, and she coiled her legs around him.

"Don’t stop me. Let me love you." The way he looked at her as if she belonged to him stripped away the last of her defense.

She arched into him and whispered, "Big guy. Take me."

When he kissed her again, Mila’s body trembled violently.

She woke up with a gasp, her eyes flying open. Morning light filtered through the curtains. The room was silent, but her body wasn’t.

Her heart pounded wildly against her ribcage, her breathing uneven. Heat flooded her from head to toe, pooling between her thighs. The sheets were tangled around her legs, her skin overly sensitive.

"Oh, my God!"

The dream had felt real – so real that her body still hummed with lingering need. Even the memory of it made her thighs clench involuntarily. The realization of how affected she was made her face burn in shame.

’Get it together,’ she whispered to herself. ’It’s a dream – just a dream.’

She hurried to the bathroom.

Even after the shower, her skin felt like a live wire. Every brush of the fabric of her dress sent subtle shivers down her nerves. She avoided looking at her reflection too long, embarrassed by the flush creeping on her cheeks.

’Focus, Mila,’ she told herself. ’You have patients to deal with.’

She drew a breath, steadying herself. But when she stepped out of her room, her heart skipped a beat.

He was in the kitchen, leaning on the counter. The black shirt she had bought him fit perfectly, outlining his broad shoulders, firm chest, and the lean cut of his waist.

Mila paused, staring at him.

He looked up and smiled. "Good morning."

Mila turned aside, her cheeks burning. "You shouldn’t do this," she said, trying to sound indifferent. "The more you rest, the quicker you’ll heal."

She went into the kitchen and opened the cabinet, pretending to look for something.

Dominic glanced at her. "But you agreed to let me do the chores."

She didn’t reply. She wasn’t looking at him.

Dominic sensed the tension in her posture. He noticed she was avoiding him.

’She is still thinking about what happened last night.’ An amusement glint shone in his eyes.

"Did you sleep well?" He stepped closer to her deliberately.

Mila tightened her fingers around the cup she was holding. She could feel the heat of his body behind her.

He wasn’t touching her, but her traitorous mind recalled the scenes of her dream where he had explored her body freely. Her breath shifted.

To distract herself, she stretched her hand to the sugar jar.

"Let me bring it down." He reached past her, his fingers brushing over hers.

A sharp jolt raced up her arm. She quickly pulled her hand back.

Dominic glanced down at her, frowning slightly. "Are you okay?"

"I am fine." She tried to move away.

"Then why are your cheeks so red? You look like you have a fever."

"It’s nothing." She stepped to the counter. Her mind was in chaos. With her pulse roaring in her ears, she could barely think anything straight. She couldn’t understand why she was standing there, what she was doing with the cup in her hand.

She turned to leave, only to find his tall figure blocking her vision. She stepped back.

He followed until her back hit the counter.

She couldn’t breathe.

"You are not looking at me," he said quietly. "Are you avoiding me?"

Mila swallowed. Yes, she was avoiding him because she couldn’t stop thinking about the dream. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to restrain herself any longer.

"I need to leave now." She lightly pushed him away and slipped out of the kitchen.

Dominic slowly turned his head and watched her disappear into her room. "Dear Mila, there is no escape. I’ve already set my eyes on you."