OWNED by Dominic (Possessed #1) (7 page)

When he’d hired Angela to take care of the house shortly after Jax had arrived and just before Case did, he didn’t expect her to fall in love with his son and want to take care of him the way she had. But she’d helped fill the role of mother as best she could. He was happy she could let that position go and be more grandmotherly now.

Case had been a godsend. He’d helped keep Dom sane on the sleepless nights of colic and teething. Things neither of them were prepared for and had fought like a battle. When Jax had fallen while learning to walk at eleven months old, he’d tumbled down the porch steps they had just finished fixing. Jax thought it was funny, Dom and Case panicked when they saw blood from a scratch on his arm and rushed him to the hospital like he was losing a limb. It was his first real injury—certainly not his last —and they’d been more upset than Jax.

The doctors and nurses had laughed at how worried they were for such a small cut but assured them it wouldn’t be his last, which was true. Since then, they’d made three more visits to the ER. Twice for stitches because he couldn’t seem to run without falling, and once for a bump on the head they’d worried could be a concussion because he’d hit the bottom rung of the paddock.

They didn’t freak as much as they used to, but the worry never dulled. Nor was there ever a dull moment with a toddler around. However, neither of them would change a thing. He just hoped that once Case found a woman, she would accept the relationship he shared with Dom’s son.

Deciding it was time he went and joined his family, he walked out back to find them collecting and counting the eggs from the coop. He smiled at how well she got Jax to say his numbers.

*****

“How many, pincess?” Jax asked looking in the bucket they’d just finished filling with eggs.

“What was the last number we said?” she asked, hoping he’d remember.

“Uhhh…firty-seben?”

“That’s right! But we say it thirty-seven.” She enunciated each sound slowly for him.

“Thirty-seben?” He asked hopefully.

“Very close, a stór, those V’s are quite tricky to say.”

“They are,” he told her seriously.

As they were rinsing the eggs off at the small wash basin just outside the coop, Jax took off when he heard the back door slam closed. Spinning, she watched as he jumped into Dom’s arms laughing. Seeing them together had her smiling.
Nothing sexier than a man who loves his son
.

“Jaxson is very informative of the role’s these animals play. You’ve taught him well,” she told Dom as they approached.

“He likes his animals. He tell you the chicken’s names?”

“Yes. I’m afraid I didn’t catch them all, though.”

“You’ll hear them every time you come out, don’t worry,” he told her laughingly.

She’d figured as much. He had seemed so proud of the names he’d chosen. “I gave Raine an apple. I hope that’s alright?”

Shock registered on his face before looking towards the barn. “He let you near him?”

Not sure if that was good or not, she hesitated in her answer. “Yes.”

“And he didn’t try to bite you?” he asked grabbing both of her hands, inspecting them for injury.

“No. He seemed happy for the attention.”

“Huh.”

“Did I do something wrong?” Now she was apprehensive. “Jax said that he always gets an apple after breakfast. And he kept butting me with his head, so I assumed that meant he wanted me to pet him. I won’t do it again, Dom, I promise.” She was near tears now thinking she’d done something wrong.
Maybe he was a wild horse, and she wasn’t supposed to pet him?

“Princess,” Dom called sternly, placing both hands on either side of her neck to gain her attention. “It’s fine. Raine doesn’t take to new people. Hell, he barely tolerates Case. But if he was grabbing for your attention, that’s fine. Just please don’t ever go into his stall unless I’m with you, yeah?”

Nodding her head in agreeance, she replied, “He’s gorgeous, Dom. And so sweet.”

“Sweet, huh? Don’t let him hear you calling him that.” He joked, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Jax show you Goldie and Honey?”

“Yes. They’re perfect.”

“Hey, kid!” he called Jax before he could chase after the chickens.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Go on up to Uncle Case’s. I gotta talk to Dee for a bit.” A puzzled look crossed the young boy’s face before he did as he was told. Running across the field, she watched as he stumbled his way to the house she’d missed that must belong to Case.

“Is everything okay, Dom?” She worried, turning to him.

“No, Deidre, it’s not. Let’s go inside.

Deidre
. He didn’t call her that unless she was in trouble.

*****

Just before coming
out back, Dom had received a phone call from a contact overseas. Turns out her father wasn’t waiting for him to bring her home. He was on his way to the U.S., presumably for her. He still had his associate looking into any information he could on why Bradshaw even wanted her to come back home. Because that, in all honesty, was the most puzzling question he had.

The only reason he’d even agreed to find her in the first place was because she was his, and he’d planned to make sure she had the life she deserved free from her father. Things had changed quickly, though, and now he had new mission. Protect her at all costs. There wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do to keep her with him.

When they entered the house, she went to sit at the table when he grabbed her hand pulling her to his chest. She refused to make eye contact with him so he swooped down and captured her lips with his own.

That got her fired up in a hurry. She was like a firecracker. A mix of passion and need waiting to explode, and he was ready for it all.

He sipped at her lips at first. Taking small nips before plunging his tongue into her mouth. Her moans of need fueled his own. Pulling her closer, breasts pressed against his chest, and her needy cunt rubbing against his hard cock. He was tempted to take her right there, but the timing was wrong. When he finally got her naked under him, he wanted no interruptions.

“Soon, Princess,” he promised as he pulled away from her lips.

Walking her into the living room, he sat in the big leather chair pulling her into his lap. “What’s wrong, Dominic?” she asked softly.

Sighing heavily, he dreaded having to tell her. “I won’t let you go, Deidre, not for fucking anything.” At her nod, he continued. “Bradshaw is on his way to the U.S.”

She stiffened in his lap. He would never fully understand why she felt the way she did about her father, but he needed for her to understand she belonged here now.

“I should leave.” She tried to get up from his lap.

“Like hell. You will stay here. He’s not taking you. He’s not going to lay eyes on you until I know exactly what it is that he wants from you. So far, my intel isn’t telling me much. I have a contact in London that’s gathering as much info as he can. And Case will be looking into it, too. We will know soon, Princess, until then you stay put.”

She still didn’t relax on his lap. “What if it’s bad?”

“Then I’ll deal with it.”

“But what if it’s something truly horrific, Dominic? You said he traded my life for his own. How can anything he wants from me be good? I can’t…You shouldn’t…I need to leave, Dominic. I can’t, and won’t, put you or Jaxson in danger. I refuse to take that risk.”

Grabbing her chin in a bruising grip, he waited for her eyes to connect with his. “Deidre, have I ever gone back on my word?”
Head shake.
“Have I ever let you down when it counts?”
Another head shake.
“Then please, let me handle this. If I find out it’s worse than I think, then we’ll readjust and come up with a plan. Until then, you stay put. No matter what. Understood?”

“I couldn’t bear to see you hurt is all,” she murmured cuddling into his chest and warming his heart.

“You won’t, Princess,” he promised, hoping he could keep it.

Seven

A few days
later, Deidre was sitting on the back porch watching Goldie and Honey interact in one of the paddocks Dom had set up for them while Jax napped, and he and Case were looking into things with her father. She felt like she was in limbo again.

No one made her feel unwelcome, but she still felt like she was intruding and that was playing with her head. Dom claimed she was his, but he hadn’t tried to kiss again since telling her that her father was coming. They hadn’t heard anything else on that front other than he wouldn’t be able to find her.

Dom had bought the land he owned under his grandmother’s maiden name, so it wasn’t easily traced back to him. But she still lived in fear he would figure out her whereabouts. The worst part was, she didn’t fully understand why she was afraid. Just a feeling in her gut of foreboding.

Angela, Dom’s housekeeper/nanny, hadn’t been around too much either making her impression of being the outcast more real. She felt horrible she was preventing the other woman from doing her job. Casey had assured her this was how things were when Dom came home, but she wasn’t sure it was true. There were times when it felt like Dom was expecting to have Angela under foot, but then she wasn’t there.

Dee and Jax had fallen into a small routine over the last few days. Every morning at sunrise when the rooster crowed, he would crawl into bed with her, and they would talk about all sorts of things. His love of the farm, how much he missed Dom when he went away, and how fantastic his Unca Case was. He would ask her all sorts of questions about Ireland and what it was like there. She tried to remember as best she could, but she hadn’t been home in so long it was hard to recall. But she remembered the emotions her thoughts invoked. The feel home and love. Of freedom.

Eventually, he would fall asleep beside her satisfied with what she’d told him, but that morning, his questions had gotten harder. He asked about her family, then went on about how his dad was his hero, and rightly so. Dominic was amazing with his son, but she was having a hard time recalling when she hadn’t felt hatred for her own father. Trying to change the subject back to her mother and the adventures they had was futile because Jax always wanted to know more about her “da”. She got to the point where she told him it was time to sleep again. Thankfully, he’d been too tired to argue.

As soon as he was out, she left the bed and went outside and had been there ever since. The guys all seemed to know to leave her alone, which was a welcome relief, except she found she wanted Dom’s arms around her, his heat encasing her in warmth.

Now she regretted not going to him. She didn’t think he’d push her away, but he seemed stand-offish since that first day. Maybe it was self-preservation on his part, or maybe he realized she was too young for him. Thinking about why he hadn’t asked her to share his bed puzzled her, too. That first night she thought he was just giving her space, but now she wasn’t so sure, and she worried he’d given up on her.

A slamming door from the front of the house quickly drew her attention, same as it had Dom and Case as they came running towards her. When she got up to go see who was there so they wouldn’t wake Jax, Dom shot her a “stay there” look.

So she sat.

And she waited.

For about ten seconds...

*****

Sliding around the
side of the house, she waited to hear what was said before making her presence known.

“Good day, gentleman,” a man greeted.

“How can we help you?” Dom asked him with an abundance of attitude.

“Are either of you Dominic Slade?”

“Who wants to know?” Case snarled.

“Got some paperwork for him,” he announced like that answered their question.

“Your name?” Case snapped.

Peeking around the corner, she saw the man eyeing up Case’s prosthetic leg. A nasty light entered his eyes. She had to bite her lip to keep quiet and blast the man for his ignorance.

“Well, since I know Mr. Slade is whole, you clearly aren’t him.” He smirked like he’d won some stupid pissing match.

A bark of laughter escaped Case as he said to him, “Your name or you can leave? By force or will. Your choice, buddy.”

He flat out ignored Casey now. Looking to Dom, he said, “Look, Mr. Slade, I’m here on behalf of one Brooke Christine Cavalier in regards to one baby Cavalier.”

Oh, this isn’t gonna end well
. Deciding to step in before Dom killed the man and went to prison, she walked out from her hiding spot announcing, “Sorry, sir, I’m Dom Slade. How can I help you? And it’s actually Dominique.”

Case looked like he was going to implode from laughter. Dominic looked like he wanted to strangle her. And this man, well, he looked flat out confused.

“You’re Dom Slade?” he asked bewildered.

“’Tis what I said, yes.”

“Not him?” he asked pointing to Dom.

“Nope. All me. What did you say your name was?” she asked him sweetly.

“Christopher Malcolm. I am the attorney for Ms. Cavalier. She wants custody of her child back.” Still sounding perplexed.

“And yet she has no name for this child? Just Baby Cavalier?” His nod confirmed her thoughts. “Then perhaps this child is better off without her? Do you have children, Mr. Malcolm?”

“Yes, I have two.”

“How old?” she asked. Case’s head kept whipping back and forth between them like a bobble head. It was hard not to laugh.

“Three and nine,” he told her.

“Oh what wonderful ages. So inquisitive and thirsty for knowledge. It would be quite horrendous if someone were to rip them from their home at those ages. The effects it would have on their presumably peaceful lives would destroy their trust,” she told him. Hoping to appeal to his parental nature.

“Why, yes, I suppose it would.” He was starting to waver.

“Could you imagine how traumatized a boy of three would be to go to a woman who doesn’t even know his name?” she expressed, horrified like she could picture it in her mind. “Why don’t you go back to Ms. Cavalier and tell her you could not locate this Mr. Slade. So funny our names are so similar, don’t ya think?”

“Yes, you’re absolutely right,” he agreed.