CHAPTER 130: BECAUSE IT WAS ALWAYS YOU

My lips parted. The word yes was right there, balanced on my tongue. I wanted to say yes.

God, I wanted to. I wanted to fall into it. To let myself drown in him. To give me to him.

But Mr. Blake’s voice clawed back into my head. They’re dangerous. They’re not who you think.

Doubt twisted in my stomach.

What if Dominic really was everything Blake warned me about?

"I..." My throat tightened. "Dom, I need time."

He raised a brow looking confused. "Time?"

I nodded, gripping the edge of the tub.

His eyes searched mine, looking worried.

"You mean a lot to me," I whispered, "but I just... I need this week. To be sure. To confirm you’re not..." I trailed off, unable to say the word monster. "...I mean to confirm I’m ready for a relationship."

Silence. His jaw tightened, and for a second I thought I’d ruined everything. But then his expression softened.

He brushed a hand over my cheek, bubbles sliding down his fingers.

"Whenever you’re ready," he said quietly. "I’ll wait."

The sincerity in his tone made my chest ache.

My throat burned. That was it. No pressure, no guilt trip. Just him... waiting.

He pressed one last kiss to my forehead, then stood, water dripping off him as he grabbed a towel. "I’ll take a shower in the main bathroom. Sit tight, okay?"

I leaned back in the tub, staring at the ceiling, my heart kept racing with guilt.

I heard the shower start, the sound of water hitting the tile.

When he came back, he wrapped his towel low around his hips, his hair was wet and messy, he leaned down and held out a hand for me. "C’mon, baby."

I stood up carefully, steadying myself when my knees wobbled.

"You’re wobbly." He smirked, but his arm tightened around me like I might collapse.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, whose fault is that?"

He chuckled, holding me closer. "Guess I’ll just have to keep carrying you then."

He wrapped a towel around me, drying me gently before helping me out of the bathroom. My body leaned into his, exhausted but oddly safe in his arms.

And he did.... He carried me all the way back to the bedroom.

When we got back to the bedroom, it hit me how messy everything was.

The sheets were ruined, sticky with sweat and my cum, and the floor was scattered with usedcondoms.

Dominic didn’t even complain. He just sighed softly, picked up the used condoms from the floor, tied them neatly, and tossed them in the bin.

Then he stripped the bed, tossing the dirty sheets aside before pulling out fresh ones.

He didn’t want me lifting a finger.

I sat at the edge of the bed, too tired to even move, just watching him move around the room, lay down clean sheets. My body felt wrecked, all I wanted now was sleep.

"C’mon, baby," he murmured, patting the fresh sheets.

I crawled into bed, and the second my head hit the pillow, his arms pulled me against him.

My hands rested on his chest, and I could feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath my palm.

For a while, there was just silence....just breathing, the warmth of him pressed to me.

Then I heard him whisper, almost to himself, "Thank you, Rivera."

I raised my head, blinking sleepily. "Thank you for what?"

His eyes softened as he looked down at me. "For trusting me enough to give me that part of you. Your first time. It... it means more than I can say." His voice cracked just slightly. "You mean more than you realize."

My chest tightened. God. The way he said it, like it was a gift, not just sex...like I was the gift.

My lips curved into a tired smile. "Dom... I didn’t give it to you because I had to. I gave it to you because it was always supposed to be you. I can’t even imagine it being anyone else."

For a moment, neither of us spoke. He just stared at me. Then he leaned down and kissed me.

His touch was steady. My eyes grew heavier, his hand kept stroking slowly through my hair.

I was already slipping when I heard him yawn.

"I promise you," his voice was a quiet, "I’m always gonna be here. Just... give me a yes soon."

The last thing I felt was his lips pressing to my hair, and the world faded into the safety of his arms.

Sleep swallowed me quick, but it wasn’t peaceful.

One moment I was pressed against Dominic’s chest, his arms locked around me. The next, I was alone.

The bed was cold, the sheets were sticky with cum, and the room felt cold.

Was the house heater low?

I looked up, and Dominic wasn’t there.

Instead, I saw shadows in the corner of the room.

The Serpent coil emblem flickered, carved into the wall, glowing faintly like it was alive.

"Dom?" I whispered.

He stepped into view, but it wasn’t the Dominic I knew. His white shirt was drenched in blood, dripping onto the floor. His hands, were red, tightened around a knife. No...two knives. No.....just one, but it kept flickering.

My chest tightened. I tried to move but my legs wouldn’t work. Just like earlier. Just like when Dom had fucked me and I’d told him I couldn’t feel them.

Except now it wasn’t sexy....it was terrifying.

His cold hands grabbed me from behind. "You gave yourself away. Now you’ll never get it back."

"No!" I struggled, gasping for air.

His bloody hand reached for my throat. He started squeezing it, tighter than they way he did when we were having sex.

I couldn’t breathe.

"Dom, please stop!" I gasped, clawing at his wrist, tears burning down my face.

But he just smirked, that same smirk he always gave me, except now it was twisted, cruel. "Why would I stop? You begged me not to, remember?"

The knife pressed against my chest. I screamed.

And woke up.

My body jolted, I kept gasping. My throat was aching, my chest kept heaving like I’d actually been choking.

But Dominic was right there. Asleep, peaceful. His arm was still over my waist, his breath was soft. There was no blood, no knife.

I lay frozen, staring at him in the dark. My skin crawled, my body kept shaking. What type of dream was that?

I wanted to believe it wasn’t real. That it was just fear talking. Or was it my gut telling me Blake might be right?

I couldn’t shake it.

Monster or not, I still pressed closer to him. Because if it ever came down to running from him or falling into him, God help me...I’d always fall.