Chapter 15 - A Moment of Tenderness
At midnight,
the mansion was wrapped in an eerie,
suspenseful quiet before the storm.
I sat at the mahogany desk in the master suite,
updating my medical logs while Dominic stood by the balcony doors staring out into the dark mountains.
The rain had stopped,
leaving behind a crisp,
clear night illuminated by a pale silver moon.
I rubbed my tired eyes,
accidentally nicking my index finger on the sharp edge of a metal clipboard clamp.
A small bead of bright red blood welled up on my skin.
"Damn it,
" I muttered under my breath,
reaching for a tissue.
Before I could grab one,
Dominic was standing beside my chair.
Without a word,
he took my hand in his large,
warm palm,
examining the tiny cut with incredible gentleness.
"You spend all your time patching up my gunshot wounds,
and you can't even protect your own fingers,
" he murmured.
"It's just a paper cut,
Dominic,
" I smiled,
feeling my cheeks grow warm.
He pulled a clean handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wrapped it around my finger.
His touch was surprisingly tender for a man whose hands had ended wars and crushed empires.
"In my world,
even the smallest scratch can become infected if you ignore it,
" he said quietly,
looking directly into my eyes.
"Just like the wounds people carry in their hearts.
"
"You talk like a philosopher for a dangerous crime lord,
" I whispered,
unable to look away from his intense gaze.
"Survival forces you to understand human nature,
Nora,
" he replied,
his thumb brushing softly over the back of my hand.
"Before you walked into my bedroom five days ago,
I thought loyalty was dead and everyone around me was waiting for me to fall.
"
"And now?" I asked softly.
"Now I realize some people walk into your life by accident,
and they become the only reason you refuse to give up.
"
May you like
The air between us grew thick with unspoken emotion,
bridging the immense chasm between our two vastly different worlds.
