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T he ride back was quiet, and it wasn’t the kind of silence that came from peace either.

It was the silence full of tension because I knew that Dom really would’ve killed Dru and then his blood would’ve been on my hands, and on my end the reminder was loud and clear.

As long as I was Mrs. Dominic Royal, I could never forget my role, and I wouldn’t either.

However, I was still a woman and even the strongest of us had a fucking breaking point.

The truck was full of unsaid words, and I couldn’t stand it.

It almost felt like a bad storm about to creep up from the clouds that we didn’t see coming, or at least that’s how I felt.

Dom didn’t say shit and neither did I but every now and then I would catch him taking glances at me with a hard, expressionless demeanor on his face.

I wasn’t sure if he was full of pride right now, or maybe it was the both of us being full of pride at this moment which is why we didn’t speak.

Every time I blinked, I saw Dru’s body laid out in that trunk like he was a discarded suit bag or something.

I wasn’t scared; I was actually pissed because Dom didn’t just draw blood with that stunt he pulled.

He drew a fucking line and was daring me to cross it.

We pulled back into the private garage beneath my building.

My nude YSL heels had been left here earlier when they flew off of my feet during the tussle, trying to avoid being kidnapped.

I was fighting like my life depended on it because in that moment, it did.

However, the heels were nowhere to be found, just like the shattered pieces of my phone or my purse.

It was as if nothing never happened; like the whole damn kidnapping was just a figment of my paranoia or all in my imagination.

That was how Dom did though, he made moves then erased the mess before anybody would notice.

We stepped into the elevator once again silent as I propped my arms across my chest with a blank glare on my face.

I didn’t look at him and I didn’t need to because I could feel his energy, and he was still very calm while I was piping hot on the inside.

Dom followed me up, and the second the elevator doors slid open, I walked straight to the master suite, peeled my dress over my head and dropped it in the hallway, not giving a single fuck if he watched or not. Which, of course, he did.

I kicked the bathroom door open, flipped the shower on, and stepped under the steaming water trying to wash this morning away leaving it a memory.

I heard him walk in before I saw him as the faint scuff of his Prada sneakers walked across the marble tile.

He was leaning against the wall, with his arms folded.

His tattooed sleeves on his arm were sexy.

I sighed as the water dripped down my spine and over the curve of my ass.

"You got something to say ‘husband’?" I asked without turning to look at him.

"Just waitin’ to see if this the part where you get loud or smart first, ‘wifey’." He replied matching my energy because he knew that I was being sarcastic. “Say what the fuck you gotta say Carmen.”

My hand slapped against the wet tile. "That was a fucked-up move, Dom."

He shrugged. "Maybe, it was, maybe it wasn’t, but I guarantee that shit worked. You know what it is with me Carmen, so I don’t know why you needed a fuckin’ reminder."

I slowly turned around as the water slid over my lashes, and then my face. "You think watching me shower is gon’ undo what you did?"

"Nah," he replied in a low voice. “But it reminds you I never left and never plan to leave. I don’t give a fuck how mad you are at me.”

I just stared at him. His Glock was tucked in the small of his waist and his dark, chestnut-colored eyes were piercing through my soul.

He didn’t attempt to move. Instead, he just stood there like a king who already knew the board was his while watching that one piece that still had a mind of her own; the fucking queen.

“You’re being a manipulative muhfucka right now Dom.” I said as I finally reached for the Vanilla Bean and Pomegranate bath wash.

“And you love it,” he shot back unfazed.

It got quiet again for a spit second as the steam fogged the mirror behind where he stood.

“You think I crossed the line?” He asked pushing off the wall and stepped closer, standing at the edge of the glass; he still didn’t come in the shower, but he invaded my space without asking for permission.

My eyes burned daggers through his ass. As long as I’d known Dom I couldn’t ever remember being this fucking mad at him.

“Yes! You almost did!”

"Almost?" he asked. "I crossed it, stepped over that muhfucka, and did it with both feet."

"And that’s supposed to make it better?”

"No. That’s just me bein’ real. You wanna move like you single, Carmen, like you forgot who you tied yourself to, then I gotta remind you what the last name Royal really means."

"You could’ve come to me like a man," I snapped.

"And you could’ve stayed outta bars with clowns in suits thinkin’ they had a shot."

My eyes dropped into tiny slits as that familiar warmth shot between my thighs. "You're jealous?"

He grinned. "You damn right. I’m fuckin’ stupid when it comes to what’s mine and my name.”

I let the water continue rinsing down my face, as my eyes burned with tears that I refuse to let fall. “I don't fucking belong to you.”

He finally stepped back and lowered his gaze. “No, baby. You belong with me.”

That was the problem right there because somewhere between courtrooms, coverups, bloodstains, the trenches, and power plays…

I did belong with him but at what cost? I shut the water off and grabbed a towel.

I wrapped it tightly around my body as I stepped out after the last drop of water hit the tile.

My eyes briefly locked with his again. Dom didn’t try to touch me, kiss me, or none of that.

He just stood there contemplating and hot chills shot down my entire body in his presence.

It wasn’t a damn secret that I was still mad…

literally pissed the fuck off, and I wasn’t hiding the shit from him.

I walked out of the bathroom wrapped in nothing but a thick white towel, wet silky thighs, and my hair tied in a silk wrap.

Dom always loved a good show, I gave it to him without words, and it wasn’t to seduce his ass either, but to remind him that I was never pressed…

not by him or nobody else for that matter.

He followed me out and sat on the edge of my bed with his elbows on his knees, and his eyes never leaving my body.

I breezed past him as I lotion my legs without shame, opening drawers and closing drawers as I searched for something to put on.

All he ever did was watch me and every time it felt like he was purposedly doing it so he could learn a little more about me.

Like now, he was learning my emotions of being vulnerable and expressing hurt.

“The war’s official,” he said finally spoke.

“I know,” I replied, unbothered now rubbing shea butter across my collarbone. “I got the text.” I rolled my eyes and continued doing me.

He glanced at me. “And yet, you were on your way to meet that nigga Dru for breakfast.”

I paused, then met his gaze with my finger pointed at him. “That’s where you’re wrong. I was going to cancel… but you didn’t give me the benefit of doubt before you kidnapped me to teach me a lesson.”

He didn’t respond and I could tell he was getting a kick out of this shit although his glare was cold.

“I ain’t stupid, Dom,” I continued. “When that alert hit, I was on my way to make that call. I was gonna tell him it wasn’t safe, that I had to back out.

” I turned towards him with my towel still wrapped around my body.

“But you didn’t give me the chance. You kidnapped me before I could prove where I stood. ”

“That still don’t explain why he was even an option,” he replied.

I sighed long and hard. “Because something’s missing,” I said quietly.

“It’s not the lifestyle, not the money, and not the power because we have all of that.

” I then pointed to myself. “I got all that… besides companionship or intimacy that ain’t tied to coverups and bulletproof plans.

” I shook my head. “Sometimes I just want more, and that’s why I entertained Dru.

” I paused once again and then sighed. “You didn’t have to hurt him. ”

At first Dom didn’t reply, and usually his silence said everything. My chest tightened as my thoughts shifted to Dru. If he was dead, it would be all my fault. I still pictured him unconscious in that trunk with his tie loose, and dried blood near his temple. “Is he okay?” I asked.

Dom stared at me with his jaws tight. “He’s alive.”

“Dom, please don’t touch him again,” I said firmly. “Please. It ain’t his fault.”

“The next time you request for me to not touch another nigga like you care, I’ma do it just for fun. Hopefully, it won’t be a next time.” He replied to me not promising shit.

I turned away, grabbing my other phone from the charger I left on the nightstand and read the email when I heard the alert reminding me that Dique had an DNA scheduled today.

For the first time this morning, I smirked slightly and rolled my eyes.

I hit his name in my contacts and pressed call.

It rang twice before his voice came through sounding raspy as hell.

“Wassup, sis?”

“Don’t ‘wassup’ me. I just got the reminder. You better get your ass to that DNA appointment before Keondra has another field day with your ass.”

He groaned. “Man, not this early…”

“I’m not playing, Dique. I went out of my way to get this done asap so handle it.”

“Ight, ight, damn,” he mumbled. “I’m goin’…. she gon’ be there?”

“Hell no,” I retorted. “I can’t have you in there about to kill that girl.”

“Whew, good lookin’ sis. Ight I’m ‘bout to go. How long it take for those results to come back? I need them muhfuckas back as soon as they swab my mouth. They can swab my dick too if that’s gon’ speed this process up. I gotta get Kill Bill and her Jr., the fuck out my life.”

“Bye Dique!” I giggled before hanging up and turning back to Dom in a stare down.

I couldn’t even be angry with myself for being angry with him because these emotions were raw.

I had never felt this strongly until we crossed that line, we swore we wouldn’t and while that didn’t take away from the true Boss that I am, the truth is, I was still a woman and worth the fight.

“You hungry?” he finally asked breaking the silence once again. Out of all things to ask he wanted to know if I was hungry.

I just blinked at him with a confused look on my face. “Excuse me?”

He cracked a small smile. “Shit, I had to check… you know, since you missed breakfast this mornin’ and all.”

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, but my mind was racing because no matter how hard I tried to hate him in the moment… I was already fucked up about Dom and always had been. The love I had for his ass scared me more than a damn bullet ever did because truthfully, we all had to go one day.