Monster(18)

“I can’t thank you enough, Jen,” she said wryly, gathering the bevy of pillows against the headboard.

“Don’t mention it,” Jenna handed Liam over with a smile, “but I’m beat. I think I’m going to hit the sack.” The impromptu yawn only reiterated her statement.

“Goodnight.”

“Night.”

Then she was gone and Eden was left once again with her son. She settled against the pillows while cradling Liam in her arms. “Hi there, sweetheart,” she cooed to the wide-eyed infant, who looked back intently at her smiling face. “Mommy missed you so much.” Eden slipped the strap of her dress down her shoulder until her left breast and nipple was exposed. It took her a second to maneuver him in a position they were both comfortable with before guiding him to latch on. She winced a little when he clamped on, but soon forgot about the pain when he began to feed. “Did you have fun with your Auntie Jenna?” Eden spoke quietly into the silence as her son ate, comforted by his presence. “I’m so sorry about all this moving around, baby. But don’t worry, we’re going to go home soon enough.”

“You are home.” Eden jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice. Her eyes flew to the door and found him at the entrance. He cut an intimidating figure in his tailored charcoal grey suit, pristine white shirt, and burgundy silk tie. Eden’s heart gave an involuntary jolt at his presence, quickening considerably when he ambled further inside the room and closed the door behind him. She’d done such a spectacular job in shoving him from her mind that she’d forgotten about his arrival. Her tongue slid nervously across her lips as she watched his unhurried gait towards her, but he stopped short and Eden released a relieved sigh when he remained at the foot of the bed.

“Our home is in Amesbury,” she said tautly into the silence, regarding him from beneath a veil of dark lashes. “The only reason we’re here is because you’ve left us no choice.” As though sensing his mother’s agitation, Liam fussed a little, eliciting a rather loud mewl that Eden instantly quieted with rhythmic pats on his bum and a few shushing sounds.

Bereft of speech, Dominic was left to stare momentarily. Stunned didn’t quite capture the feeling coursing through him in that instant, yet it nevertheless seemed appropriate a word. The whole of her attention was no longer on him as she centered it on the bundle she held preciously against her chest. As he watched her, tending to that bundle, her beautiful visage transformed into something Dominic found difficult to pinpoint. But he was altogether fascinated.

“You always have a choice.” he murmured with silken reproach, “I simply steer you in the right direction.”

“Your direction,” she bit icily.

His lips quirked up. “Precisely.”

“And the fact that I want nothing to do with you bears no consideration?”

“I see you’ve settled in quite nicely, but this isn’t the room you’re supposed to be in,” he remarked with candor, disregarding her previous statement completely. “I had a crib brought to the master bedroom for the…for the boy.” He recovered quickly enough, but not before Eden had a chance to note the slight bit of discomfort that had flitted across his handsome features.

“His name is Liam, Dominic. You’ve said it before, and I’m sure you can manage to say it again. Or is it harder to say your son’s name when you’re not bullying me into submission?” she queried with icy contempt. “If you went to the trouble of getting a crib for Liam then you can go the extra length to have it brought to this room, because he and I are not going into that godforsaken bedroom. You may have brought us here, but hell will freeze over before I allow you to touch me again.” Honey gold eyes burned with unwavering fire as they met his narrowed gaze with unflinching resolve. By the stubborn set of her jaw and pursed lips, Dominic was wise enough to know he would not win this battle, at least not tonight. The war between them however was ongoing and would undoubtedly come to a head someday soon and defeat on his part would be unacceptable in that arena. So Dominic decided that conceding defeat now would only make his inevitable victory that much sweeter.

“Stranger things have happened,” he drawled. “Very well, you may remain in this bedroom for the time being, but understand that it is because I allow it.” He turned to leave but stopped short at the entrance. “The boy…Liam will have his crib here no later than tomorrow.” With that said he waltzed out of the room in the same manner he’d entered it with superiority and egotism that swathed him like a second skin.





Chapter Eight


They were at a stalemate. One week since her arrival, Dominic had yet to accomplish what he’d set out to do—bring his wife back into his bed. It wasn’t for his lack of trying, but it seemed circumstances were no longer the same. For someone who lavished in control over himself and others, admitting that his authority was now restricted, by an infant no less, wholly irked him. His expectations had been quite high when he’d set out on his course in returning Eden to the mansion where she belonged. He’d believed their marriage would revert back to what it had been when she’d left. In her yearlong absence, Dominic had surprised himself in abstaining from taking another woman to his bed. He’d made the attempt a week after learning of her disappearance. In a fit of blind rage and drunkenness, he’d invited a very eager, well-endowed blue eyed brunette to his hotel suite, where he’d then instructed her to strip and had been angrily underwhelmed by what he’d seen. He’d wanted to fuck her, but Dominic had ended up with his left hand, the images of his caramel skinned wife and the lushness of her curves had driven him to his rather unsatisfactory release. That had been the first and last time. He’d hired the PI soon after, determined to have her back. That had been a little over a year ago. He had his wife back, but not the way he’d wanted. Rather than the passion soaked reunion       he’d envisioned, there was nothing but an icy tolerance of his presence, and it was all thanks to Dominic’s own child. Because of his child, he was looked upon as a scourge in his own damn home. Yes, his child. The son he had yet to acknowledge.

“Here.” Saved from reflecting on the subject for too long, Dominic accepted the amber filled short glass from Bruce with a silent thanks. They were at Bruce’s home, in his home office to be precise. The incident of Bruce abetting his wife in her escape had soured their near two decade long friendship, but not enough that Dominic would turn his back on Bruce in his hour of need. When he’d phoned, the direness of his tone had been enough to bring Dominic from his downtown office as soon as he was available. Any thoughts of going home had quickly come and gone. He would not be missed.

“Thank you for coming.” It was said with tight courtesy as he took a seat across from Dominic in the dark leather chair.

“Tell me what’s going on, Bruce,” Dominic invited with reserved patience. He brought his glass to his mouth, and from over the rim, he watched Bruce’s inner struggles play out across a face that had aged considerably in the years since he’d taken up office. They’d met in college, and in the fraternal halls of their alma mater, they’d cemented their brotherhood. Despite that they were friends, Dominic and Bruce couldn’t have been more different. Bruce was the personification of charm; he had the movie star good looks along with a smile that had people eating out of the palm of his hand.

He was a great orator, with a public image that spoke of sturdy values and integrity that the public adored. Bruce had all the attributes of a good politician. What made him great was that he was smart enough to keep his hands clean when it came to the dirty dealings of politics. That task was charged to his best friend. Dominic’s lack of scruples made it easy to handle the matters Bruce could not. The lying and the cheating and the manipulation came at a high price, but it was one Dominic was willing to pay. They both had high political aspirations, and Dominic was content to remain in the background, pulling the strings in order to achieve their goals. They made a great team and had the chance to make it to the senate if they stayed the course.

“Cassie found out about Lucy,” he said tightly, claiming the dark leather seat across from Dominic. “She took the children to her parents’ home in Vermont. She’s threatening divorce.” He tossed back the well-aged whiskey and waved the glass around.

It was truly unfortunate that Bruce couldn’t keep his cock in line. Dominic uttered a curse with a long narrowed glance at his philandering friend. “Were we not clear that you were supposed to keep your affairs discreet, Bruce?”

“I did…I don’t know how she found out.”

“You were careless,” he condemned icily. “Are you asking me to interfere?” If he stepped in, made calls, the situation would be aptly handled and Bruce would have his wife and children before the end of the following day. The bad part about Dominic stepping in, however, was that his way was oftentimes quite ruthless, brutal even, so it was only when the situation truly called for it did he intervene.