6. Dom

six

Dom

" Y ou look like shit Dom. When was the last time you slept?"

Four days since I last slept a full night, three nights since I last saw Bella, and two days of dividing my time between searching for Bella and trying to figure out who started the fire that injured ten people, including my brother Nick.

I push past Mario into the hospital's burn center, not bothering to answer him. The strong smell of disinfectant hangs heavy in the air, and the stark white walls of the hallway remind me of the severity of the situation.

I haven't been able to prove it yet, but the fire that sent my brother to the hospital was not an accident. I can feel it in my bones that this was a planned job, and Nick was the target.

The hospital called me thirty minutes ago to let me know Nick was ready for visitors. I have been trying to visit him since he was first brought to the hospital, but the burn unit has been on lockdown since Nick arrived and hasn't allowed visitors until today. The only reason I didn't demand they lift the lockdown is because I knew Nick would be safe, especially since I had a few of my men guarding the hospital.

Once inside the burn unit, I head to the nurses' station. I place my hands on the counter and say, "I'm here to see Nick Rossi. Which room is he in?"

A dark-haired nurse stands up quickly and rushes to one of the patient rooms. The red-headed nurse snickers and points in the direction the dark-haired nurse went: "Follow Claire."

I look at Mario, and as usual, he shrugs his big shoulders, motioning with his right hand for me to go first.

We follow the dark-haired nurse, Claire, into a patient room. She turns, standing in front of the bed with her forehead wrinkled and her hands clenched at her sides, glaring at us.

"Dom?" Nick says, sitting up in his bed and placing his hand on Claire's arm. "It's okay. He's my brother." He runs his hand up her arm in a caress.

Turning towards Nick, she says, "I'll be at the nurses' station. Push the call button if you need me."

He nods, squeezing her arm.

She turns and stomps towards the door, her eyes glaring at me the whole way.

Once she is out of the room, I move to Nick's bedside, taking in the sight of him with both his hands and arms wrapped in white bandages. "What happened to you, Nick? You were supposed to stay safe." I try not to sound too needy, but Nick is all I have left with our parents and grandfather gone. Sure, we have Cousin Joseph, but it's not the same.

"Aw, Dom, you're such a softy." Nick gives me a boyish smile.

"What were you thinking, Nick, by running back into that burning building?"

His facial expression changes quickly as he replies, "What was I supposed to do? Leave that family to die in the fire? Tell me, Dom, what would you have done in my situation?"

I open my mouth and then close it. Nick is right; I would have done the same thing.

When I don't reply, he says, "That's what I thought. Now, enough about me. Have you heard anything about how the fire was started?"

I look at Mario, then back to Nick, "We think it was deliberate. The Fire Marshall deemed it an accident. Do you remember anything that might have seemed suspicious?"

"No, I was meeting my contact, but he never showed up. I figured he was running late, and when he saw the fire, he took off to avoid the police."

"That makes sense. Do you think you can contact him and ask if he saw anything out of the ordinary?"

He shrugs, glancing toward the window, "I can try. I don't know if he will cooperate."

I follow his gaze and see extra pillows and blankets on the couch.

"The burn unit was on lockdown. None of the staff could leave. A couple of want-to-be doctors were bothering her, so I took care of it." We turn to look at each other. "She stayed in here with me where she was safe." He raises his chin, challenging me to argue with him.

"I see." Just then, my phone vibrates. I pull my phone out of my pocket, "I need to take this. I'll step out of the room, and you and Mario can work out a plan on how to get in touch with your contact."

In my haste to leave Nick's room to answer the call, I bump into a soft bundle of curves, "Sorry, miss. I didn't mean…." The words get stuck in my throat, and my phone call is forgotten as I stare down into light, crystal-blue eyes—eyes I was sure I would never see again. Her white-blonde hair might be covered with a scrub cap and a surgical mask might cover the bottom half of her face, but those eyes, I would know those eyes anywhere.

At her gasp of surprise, I know she recognized me, too.

With one hand, I pull down her mask as my other hand releases her hair from the cap, and her glorious blonde hair falls down her back in waves. "Bella."

"Dom." Hurt fills her eyes, and she turns her head away. "We don't even know each other's real names." Wrapping one arm around her waist, I pull her close, taking her chin in my hand and turning her head so I can look into her eyes. "It's Dominic, but my friends call me Dom." I rub my thumb along her lower lip, "What about you, little one? What is your real name?"

Her tongue darts out to lick my thumb. I wonder if she is remembering our night together when she licked her juices off my fingers. My cock certainly does, standing at attention, pressing at the zipper of my pants, trying to get closer to her.

"Belle, is this man bothering you?" The red-headed nurse from earlier asks from her perch at the nurses' station.

She jumps, pulling her mouth away from my thumb, "No, Kelly, it's fine."

The nurse, Kelly, raises her eyebrow and stares at us, crossing her arms across her body, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's fine." She huffs, trying to tug her arm out of my grasp. Not happening. I'm not going to lose her again.

"Ok, I'll be right here if you need me." She turns back to her computer.

I quirk my eyebrow, never taking my gaze off Bella, "Your name is Belle? Like a bell pepper?"

Her face flushes a pretty shade of pink, and I now know for certain she is remembering our night together.

"Not here." Grabbing my hand just like the first night we were together, she leads me to an empty storage room.

Once inside, she closes the door, "What are you doing here, Dom?" Her breath coming out in soft little pants.

"I'm here for my brother Nick." Bringing her hand to my lips, I gently kiss it, "And now for you, Belle."

I brush a blonde lock of hair behind her ear with my other hand. I can't believe she has been here the whole time. Taking care of my brother while I have been combing the streets for information on her and the fire.

"I missed you, Belle." I lean down to kiss her cheek, but she jerks in my grasp.

"Oh, my God, you're Nick Rossi's brother, Dominic Rossi, the mob boss." She moves away from me, pressing her body to the wall, as her eyes dart around the room.

I hate that she pulled away from me. "I am still your Dom, little one." I take a step closer to her.

"Stay back! I can't do this, Dom. You're a mob boss. You kill people, and I'm a nurse; I save people." She grabs a broom from the corner, shaking it at me. "I gave you my virginity." She whispers, shifting her eyes away from me.

I lurch for her, securing her arms above her head, the broom crashing to the floor between us.

"Jesus, is that what you think of me, that I go around killing people?" She winces and looks up at her wrists. I loosen my grip. I don't add that sometimes I do have to kill people, but I don't enjoy it. It's part of my life. A life I'm trying to change.

I'm tired of the death and destruction, and I know Nick is too. That's why he is trying so hard to settle the problem with the Manzelli Family.

"I don't know what to think. I don't even know you."

"Your mind might not know me, but your body certainly does. I can feel your hard nipples poking at me through your scrub top. Your mind needs to catch up because you are mine."

She squirms in my hold, "No, I'm not!"

Pressing my large body into her smaller one, I lean down and whisper in her ear, "You were mine from the moment you gave me your sweet cherry, little one. And I'm not letting you go."

A shiver ripples through her body, confirming she wants me as much as I want her.

I slip my hand into her scrub pants and push her panties to the side while I press my finger deep into her welcoming body, feeling her sweetness coat my finger. Keeping my other hand around her wrists above her head.

Her eyes roll back, and she tips her head against the wall for support. Her moans making my cock painfully hard.

Her hips start to thrust against me, causing my cock to become harder than it's ever been.

We never got a chance to finish what we started that night at the sex club, and my body is demanding I take what I missed out on. But I've got to take it slow. Earn her trust. Let her know I am worthy of her. My cock isn't getting the message. I need to take the edge off, so I gently press myself into her thigh as she rides my hand to orgasm.

"Oh, Dom, I'm coming." She tilts her head back, her eyes closed, and her cheeks flush with desire.

"Let it go, little one." I press harder into her thigh with my cock, willing myself not to come in my pants. This is about her right now, not me. We'll have a lifetime together for me to seek my release in every part of her body. I just need to convince her of our future.

Wouldn't Nick get a kick out of knowing I lost control like some untried youth—which I feel like because I have forgotten anyone who came before Belle. They are all just nameless, faceless women. Now that I have tasted Belle, I am ruined for all other women. I smile against her cheek.

Her body tenses against my hand, and she calls my name as she shatters around my finger. I wait until the final spasm runs through her body before pulling my finger out of her pussy and placing it in my mouth. "Just as sweet as I remember." I moan around my finger, her glazed-over eyes staring into mine.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sound of gunshots fills the air. I let go of Belle's wrists, reaching for my gun hidden inside my coat pocket with one hand as I open the door with my other hand just in time to see Mario running toward us.

"We got the shooter and secured the perimeter, but there might be more," He says.

I grab Belle's hand as we race down the hallway to Nick's room, Mario keeping pace behind us.

"We have to get Nick out of here," I shout to Mario.

"To the island?"

"Yes, and call Dr. Rains. We are going to need him."

"Dom, what's happening? Were those gunshots?" Belle asks when we finally stop in front of Nick's room.

I turn to Belle, taking her chin in my hand, and raise her head to meet my eyes. "Yes, Belle, those were gunshots. Nick is in trouble; I need to get him out of here, somewhere safe. Do you understand?"

She nods,

The door to Nick's room comes crashing open, "What the fuck is going on, Dom?" My shoulders sag, and a sigh escapes my lips. Nick is still alive with the pretty little dark-haired nurse shoved protectively behind his back. Interesting.

"We need to get out of here. The helicopter is waiting for us on the roof." I motion for Nick to follow me.

"I'm not leaving without Claire," he says, looking at the dark-haired nurse. She takes his hand and nods her head.

"Fine. Follow me. The helicopter is waiting to take us to the airport." I grab Belle's hand, and the five of us make our way to the emergency stairwell and then to the roof.

Once we stop at the airport and board the plane, the rest of our trip to the island is uneventful.

Even though Belle let me hold her hand the whole time on the airplane, I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do once we reached the beach house.