Elemental Fear by Ada Frost Read Free Book Online Page A

The safety I always felt with Dominic faulted. My brow beaded with sweat. I needed out.
    “Stay, please . I’m begging you.” Dominic’s soft voice whispered against my ear.
    I panted, gasping for air to fill my lungs. My hands shook as I placed them against the door, followed by my forehead against the cool glossy wood. The familiar haze was coming, ready to take me again. A warm, strong arm circled my waist, fingers splayed across my stomach, pressing me backwards against a firm torso. Warm calming breath blew across my shoulder and up my neck. A smooth face pressed against my cheek.
    “Shh , Eve, come back to me. I didn’t mean to frighten you,” Dominic whispered. A warm feeling spread through my chest.
    His heart beat against my back, his steady breath against my cheek. He held me to him, calming me. Our bodies becoming almost one as our rhythm mirrored the other. The haze dissipated, calm replacing it. I leaned my head back against his shoulder, closing my eyes. His nose stroked up and down the sensitive skin near the pulse on my neck. He pulled me closer, and I could feel his hands trembling. Without thought or reason, I removed one of my hands from the door and placed it over his on my stomach. Dominic let out a long sigh, his breath fanning across the soft area under my earlobe.
    “Dominic ,” I whispered, breathlessly.
    He held me against him, connecting me to him. “Please stay . I won’t ask any more questions. Just...stay with me...please.”
    I shook my head in disbelief.
    “I cannot let you go. Please, Eve, let me...allow me to hold you. We don’t have to talk.” Desperation streaked his voice. I wanted to cry. Tears welled in my eyes. His plea seemed so genuine. “I’ve texted Elliott. He’s on his way to see you. I promise I’ll leave when he gets here.”
    I turned to wrap my arms around his waist and pulled him closer to me. Then I buried my face in his chest and listened to his heart hammering within his chest. The sound soothed every inch of my body. He exhaled a loud sigh as he hugged me tighter to him. We stood like this for seconds, minutes, hours maybe? I couldn’t tell, but while his arms were around me, the world ceased to exist. Finally, his arms shifted, and he lifted me to silently carry me to the bed. He laid me down before running his fingers through my hair and pushing it away from my face. To his word, he never asked a question. We lay in perfect serenity. Why couldn’t my life be like this always?
    He sat down in the chair next to my bed and let out a weary sigh. His chuckle broke the silence.
    I lifted my head and frowned at him “What?”
    “You do realise I just begged you to stay in your own room.” He turned and dazzled me with a full smile, both dimples showing.
    I couldn’t help it , I smiled a genuine smile back at him. He always had the ability to bring me back from the gloom I found myself in.
    “That’s definitely a first for me .” He shook his head and looked down at his tie.
    “What is?”
    He looked at me, a small reddening of his cheeks. He almost looked shy. “Begging a woman to stay in her bedroom with me. I'm usually doing the running.” He winked and held my gaze for a while before I couldn’t stand it and closed my eyes, laying my head back on the pillow.
    We stayed in companionable silence; I remained on the bed, Dominic in the chair. He turned the TV on at some point to check through the news and shares on the teletext. He let out a few disgruntled noises as he flicked through pages and pages of names and numbers I didn’t understand.
    “What does it all mean?” I asked, noticing the quick jerk of his shoulders.
    “Jesus , I thought you were asleep. You made me jump.” He snorted an amused sound.
    “Sorry .” I smiled, lifting my head and resting it on my fist.
    “You mean the shares ?” He pointed the remote at the TV. I simply nodded. “Well, high and low means what the highest price went for, and low means the lowest it dipped