Chapter 14

Dominic knew that he would not be sleeping anytime soon. There was no point in even trying to retire to bed. It was not that late, and besides, he was plagued by strange emotions and sensations, unlike any he had ever experienced before. He knew that only one thing would calm him down.

As he traversed the familiar corridors of his grand mansion, that same restless energy was still pulsing through his veins. Sleep was the last thing on his mind. With each step, he wondered what he had done in this selfish act to save his title and wealth. The weight of those worries pressed down upon him, threatening to overwhelm him even more. He couldn't allow that to happen.

His feet carried him towards the one place where he was always able to find solace. Ever since he had repaired his father's clock when he was ten years old, he realized that he possessed a keen eye for detail and a meticulous nature, making him naturally suited to the precision work of clockmaking. Over the course of the following years, he continued to find fulfillment in the delicate intricacies of the craft, reveling in the challenge of restoring and repairing timepieces to their former glory.

He loved every bit of it, from the disassembling and cleaning to reassembling it back again, each clock allowed him to immerse himself in the task at hand, providing a sense of focus and satisfaction that always managed to soothe his restless mind.

He hoped that once again, he would be able to quiet his mind and find peace in the solitude of his workshop. As for Catherine, tomorrow would be a new day, and with it, he was bound to find a new way to get close to her.

As he approached his small workshop, the soft light emanating from within caught him off guard. He knew that his servants would not enter that room, unless it was time for cleaning, which it was not. He walked slowly, as a curious mixture of surprise and intrigue stirred inside of him. With cautious steps, he pushed the door open and stepped into the room, his eyes widening in astonishment at the sight before him.

"Catherine?" he called out her name. She was the last person he expected to see there. He thought she would be in her chambers, avoiding him. But she was there, in his most private room, the one he didn't show to anyone. Finding her there raised strange emotions inside of him.

"Oh!" Catherine stammered, nearly dropping the candelabra in her hand, her surprise giving way to a flush of embarrassment. "I-I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry, I got lost and ended up here…"

His initial surprise melted away, replaced by a warm smile of reassurance, tinged with some playfulness. "You were curious, admit it."

"No," she frowned, but the corner of her lip danced in a barely visible smile. "I told you, I got lost."

"That may be true, but instead of going back the way you came from, you opened the first door that tickled your fancy," he teased her. He wanted to make her talk to him, even if it was just because she found him annoying. Even that was better than being ignored.

"I did try to go back," she replied, her luscious lips pouting. How he yearned to kiss them again, to taste them, to tug at her lower lip gently with his teeth.

"You didn't try very hard, I can tell," he chuckled, much to her chagrin.

She shook her head, as her cheeks flushed a fervent red under the light of the two candles she was holding. "You are insufferable. Good night."

Before she could leave the room, he stood in the doorway. "Wait," he said, hesitating. She looked at him, her long eyelashes fluttering at him. "I was just teasing. I didn't mean anything by it."

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She was not doe-eyed any longer, but she was still watching him like a cautious bird. A veil of gentleness fell over her features, and she didn't seem so apprehensive or annoyed with him. For a moment, the storm had subsided.

"I… I really was going back," she admitted. "But then I noticed this door and something urged me to open it. I know that wasn't very polite of me, to go roaming through the house at night."

He smiled. "You can roam, Catherine. This is your home."

A flicker of recognition lit up inside her eyes, as if he confirmed something deep inside of her, then he turned, gesturing around him. "Besides, there is no secret in this mansion," he spoke somehow theatrically, amusing both of them in the process. "No mad woman in the attic. No monster in the wine cellar. No specters or ghosts that need to be avenged. It's just a house, nothing else."

She listened to him intently, then walked over to the clocks on the wall. "These clocks are exquisite," she remarked, her eyes tracing the intricate designs and delicate craftsmanship of each timepiece. "I never would have thought that you, of all people, would be skilled in the art of clockmaking."

"It doesn't suit me?" he chuckled.

She turned around, suppressing a smile. She obviously didn't want him to see how entertained she was, being there alone with him. But he noticed it.

"No," she replied. "Not really."

"I appreciate the honesty," he laughed. "So, Catherine," he paused for a moment, touching the workbench, then turning to her to continue, "in your humble opinion, what does suit me?"

"Horseback riding," she shot her answer out of a cannon straight at him. This made him burst into a boisterous chuckle. She continued. "Something more… aggressive, I suppose."

"Like bare-knuckle fighting?" he wondered. And this time, it was she who chuckled.

"Exactly!" she exclaimed. "I think that suits you more than this dainty, detail-oriented hobby."

"Ugh," he pretended to shudder. "That's quite the opinion you have of me."

"Well, you didn't really help much to make it a good one," she reminded him, and this comment once again brought back the shadow of blackmail over the moment they seemed to be having together.

"True," he decided to admit. After all, this was his home. And hers as well. One should never pretend in one's own home or tell something that wasn't true.

"You surprised me," she whispered, turning her attention back to the clocks once again.

He smiled without replying. He surprised her… in a good way. That was more than enough for her first day with him.

***

When she first stumbled onto this room, her initial impression was that someone else, anyone else, was the one indulging in this hobby. It simply didn't suit the man she knew as her husband, the man who always took what he felt was his, without asking, the man who was not used to being refused, the man who thought he knew everything better than anyone else.

That was the impression she had of him. Now, it seemed that another part of himself had opened up, one she hadn't anticipated. He had patience. He had attention to detail, although she could tell that from the way he prepared her private quarters.

She gazed at the clocks, then her focus shifted onto the pocket watches. She felt an irresistible urge to caress its polished surface, but she managed to resist the temptation to do so. Instead, it was only her gaze that stood drawn to its intricate design and weathered charm. Dominic seemed to notice immediately which watch caught her eye.

He neared her, lifting the timepiece from its resting place. Immediately, the smell of his cologne permeated her nostrils. A musky, manly scent that could only belong to him. Her body gently swayed to the side, to near him even more, without her even realizing it. She swallowed heavily as his voice filled her ears, caressing them with its sound.

"This watch has quite a story behind it," he began, tenderly holding the pocket watch in his hand. "It belonged to my great-grandfather, a man who was no stranger to adventure. As the story goes, this watch was with him until the very end. It survived battles and storms, hardships and triumphs, a silent companion through the passage of time."

Catherine listened with interest, eyeing the watch, then Dominic, as his words weaved a tale of his great-grandfather's adventures abroad, of exotic lands and faraway places.

She could sense that this was a special memory for Dominic. She could sense his connection to his past, to his family and his roots. A part of her could understand why he enjoyed clock repairs. Every tick was a glimpse into the past, and in the past, time stood still. It was what it was.

It couldn't be changed. It was the present that shaped the future, and that was why one was always afraid of making the wrong decision. She couldn't believe it, but there might actually be a vulnerable side to this man, who presented himself as all-knowing and all-powerful to those around him, demanding what he thought he was due.

"It really means a lot to you, doesn't it?" she asked.

He nodded with a smile, offering her the pocket watch. "It's like holding a tangible piece of history in your very hands."

He hesitated at first, then she took the watch. She turned to him to do so, locking her eyes with his. His words seemed to fade into the hushed air of the room, and a charged silence enveloped them.

Catherine felt a flutter of nerves mingling with the warmth that pooled between her thighs. Being there, in the darkness with him alone, awakened all sorts of naughty desires in her. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but she dared not move. She didn't want this moment to end.

She was so close to him. Dangerously close. Yet, she couldn't move despite knowing that something might happen, or perhaps exactly because of it. That was when Dominic closed the distance between them, his hand cupping the curve of her cheek as he leaned in, his lips hovering tantalizingly close to hers.

Time seemed to stand still. Catherine even felt that all the clocks were suspended in time, just like they were. It felt like an eternity as they lingered on the precipice of possibility. And then Dominic closed the final distance, his lips capturing hers in a searing kiss that turned her insides into a blaze of roaring fire.

Led by pure instinct, her hands dug into his hair, keeping him close. His touch ignited a firestorm of need within her, a primal longing that had been building up slowly, without her even realizing it. She knew that she couldn't fight the feeling of raw need and she simply surrendered herself to the blissful oblivion of their momentary embrace.

Their kiss deepened as their tongues danced to a symphony of their own making. His hand trailed down to the small of her back, pulling her closer to himself. She could feel the awakening of his manhood pressed to her body, and her own throbbing place reacted in the same manner, with roaring desire.

She was heady and needy, completely awash in senses. She drank in his kisses thirstily, her fingers clutching at him almost desperately. She wanted him, and the sheer force of this desire frightened her.

Suddenly, she pulled away from him, her lips slightly red and swollen from the kiss. She had hastily created a space between them that was now crackling with tension. He was shaking her head, her entire body still trembling from his touch.

"If you expect me to succumb to you and become nothing more than a silent, doting wife, you are gravely mistaken."

At those words, she took another step back, as if to strengthen her resolve, which she knew was on the verge of breaking. She had almost succumbed to her desire and gave herself to him. Almost. But not quite.

He seemed surprised for a moment, then he wiped the corner of his lips with his thumb. His expression remained unreadable as he regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and awe. "You can't tell me that you don't desire me as much as I desire you."

Catherine's lips pouted, then clenched together in an effort not to say a single word. Because he was right, and she hated that. The worst thing of all was that she didn't even need to say anything. The way she kissed him back betrayed her innermost desires.

As if able to read her mind, Dominic's lips curved into a confident smile as he took a step closer, his gaze never leaving hers. "I will wait for you to come to me of your own accord. But I will not take you by force, Catherine," he assured her, his voice thrilling and enraging at the same time.

Her jaw clenched with frustration. "You have already taken me by force," she countered, her voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "By forcing me into this marriage against my will."

The air crackled with tension. If one was to light a match between them, the entire room would have exploded into a million little pieces. Catherine could no longer remain in his presence. Just when she thought that she was seeing a different side of him, he reminded her of who he truly was. A selfish egotist who only thought of himself and his own desires, no one else's.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. She spoke of facts, and there was no rebuttal for the truth.

"Good night," she said demonstratively, walking around him, as if afraid to touch him and heading towards the door.

"Take the first corridor to your left and then the second to the right," she heard him say, but she was already out of the room. "That will take you back to your quarters…"

His voice trailed off, and she couldn't hear him any longer. It was for the better. She was beyond upset with herself and she knew that she couldn't allow him to have so much power over her ever again.