Chapter 15 Dangerous Attraction
Alina’s POV:
Dominic ruins the rest of my day with one sentence.
You were still the only thing I noticed the second I got out of that car.
That line stays in my head long after he drives away.
Long after I get home.
Long after I lock myself inside my room pretending distance somehow fixes anything.
It doesn’t.
Because now every time I think about him, I also think about the jealousy in his voice when he saw me with Sebastian.
And I definitely should not enjoy that as much as I do.
I throw myself onto my bed with a frustrated groan.
“This is getting ridiculous.”
My phone buzzes instantly like the universe is mocking me.
Dominic.
Of course.
I stare at the screen suspiciously before opening the message.
You looked happy with him.
I blink.
Then laugh once in disbelief.
The audacity.
I type back immediately.
You cannot possibly be jealous right now.
Three dots appear almost instantly.
I can.
My stomach flips annoyingly.
I sit up against the headboard slowly.
You’re engaged to my mother.
This time his response takes longer.
When it finally comes, my chest tightens slightly.
You think I’ve forgotten that?
No.
That’s the problem.
Neither of us can forget it.
I lock my phone without replying because continuing this conversation feels dangerous.
Unfortunately, ten minutes later I’m still staring at the ceiling thinking about him.
Again.
I hate this.
I hate how quickly Dominic slipped into my thoughts.
How naturally he unsettles me.
How impossible it’s becoming to pretend I’m unaffected.
And worst of all?
I hate that part of me wants to see him again.
A knock sounds against my bedroom door before I can spiral any further.
“Come in,” I call tiredly.
My mother walks inside holding several bridal magazines against her chest.
“Emergency,” she announces dramatically.
“That sounds concerning.”
“I need help choosing centerpieces.”
I stare at her. “That’s your emergency?”
“Yes.”
She drops onto the bed beside me while flipping through pages filled with flowers and expensive table settings.
Normally, I’d enjoy moments like this with her.
Tonight guilt sits too heavily inside my chest.
“You okay?” she asks suddenly.
I look up too fast. “Why?”
“You seem distracted lately.”
Because I’m emotionally involved with your fiancé.
The thought alone makes me feel sick.
“I’m fine,” I say quietly.
Her eyes narrow slightly. “That answer sounded fake.”
“It wasn’t fake.”
“Mm-hm.”
She studies me for another second before sighing softly.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?”
The words hit harder than they should.
Because technically I could tell her.
I could destroy everything right now if I wanted to.
I could tell her about the elevator.
About the kiss.
About waking up in Dominic’s bed.
The image alone makes panic crawl through me.
No.
Absolutely not.
“I know,” I say softly instead.
Her expression relaxes slightly after that.
Then unfortunately she smiles.
“Dominic asked about you earlier.”
My entire nervous system immediately collapses.
“What?”
“He called after his meeting.” She flips another magazine page casually. “He said you seemed upset when he saw you today.”
I stare at her in horror.
This man has completely lost his mind.
“What exactly did he say?” I ask carefully.
“That he hopes you don’t misunderstand him because he can come across cold sometimes.”
Cold.
I almost laugh.
Dominic isn’t cold.
If anything, he feels too intense.
Too focused.
Too aware.
“He’s trying very hard with you,” my mother says gently. “I appreciate that.”
The guilt nearly suffocates me.
Because she sounds genuinely touched by it.
And meanwhile Dominic is texting me things he absolutely should not be texting his future stepdaughter.
“I think he just likes control,” I mutter.
My mother laughs softly. “That too.”
If only she knew.
After another fifteen painful minutes of wedding conversations, she finally leaves my room.
The second the door closes, I fall backward onto the mattress dramatically.
This cannot keep happening.
At some point, one of us has to act like a responsible adult.
Unfortunately, I already know Dominic won’t be the first one to stop.
Which means it probably has to be me.
\---
The next afternoon, I decide to escape the apartment before my thoughts consume me completely.
Fresh air.
Coffee.
No emotionally complicated billionaires.
That’s the plan.
Unfortunately, my life clearly hates me now.
Because the second I walk into my favorite café downtown, I spot Dominic sitting near the back window.
My feet stop instantly.
He looks up at the exact same moment.
And somehow that feels worse than coincidence.
For a second neither of us moves.
Then Dominic slowly closes the file in front of him and leans back slightly in his chair.
Like he already knows I’m not leaving.
I should leave.
Instead, against all common sense, I walk toward him.
“This city suddenly feels very small,” I mutter.
A faint smile touches his mouth. “You say that every time we accidentally meet.”
“Because it keeps happening.”
“Maybe that means something.”
“It means I need to change cafés.”
His eyes linger on me for a second too long before he gestures toward the empty seat across from him.
“You’re here now.”
I hesitate.
This is a terrible idea.
Then again, so was sleeping with him, and apparently I survived that.
Barely.
I sit down carefully.
Dominic studies my face quietly for a moment.
“You’re still upset with me.”
“You showed up uninvited and scared Sebastian away like an overprotective husband.”
One eyebrow lifts slightly. “Husband?”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I’d like clarification actually.”
I glare at him while he looks entirely too entertained.
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
The tension slips back between us instantly.
Soft this time.
Dangerous in a different way.
A waitress approaches before I can respond, and I immediately order coffee mostly to avoid eye contact.
Dominic waits until she leaves before speaking again.
“You liked him.”
Straight to the point.
I sigh heavily. “Why do you care?”
His gaze stays on mine steadily. “Answer the question.”
“That’s not an answer either.”
A quiet silence settles between us.
Then Dominic says calmly, “I don’t like the idea of you with another man.”
My pulse stumbles.
There it is again.
That possessiveness.
That dangerous honesty.
I stare at him in disbelief. “You really don’t hear yourself when you say things like that?”
“I hear myself perfectly.”
“You’re engaged.”
His jaw tightens slightly.
“And you keep repeating that like I’ve forgotten.”
“Maybe because you act like you have.”
The words come out sharper than intended.
For the first time, something shifts in Dominic’s expression.
Not anger exactly.
Frustration.
“You think this situation is easy for me?” he asks quietly.
I blink.
Because somehow I never stopped to consider that.
Not really.
Dominic leans back slowly, dragging one hand through his hair before exhaling.
“I spent weeks planning a future that made sense.” His eyes return to mine. “Then I met you in that elevator and suddenly nothing feels simple anymore.”
The honesty in his voice completely wrecks me.
Because I understand exactly what he means.
And that’s terrifying.
“You shouldn’t say things like that,” I whisper.
“Why?”
“Because they matter.”
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Then quieter this time, Dominic says, “They matter to me too.”
The waitress returns with my coffee before I can respond.
Thank God.
I grab the cup too quickly, desperate for distraction.
Unfortunately, the coffee is burning hot.
I hiss immediately after taking a sip.
Dominic’s expression changes instantly. “Careful.”
“I’m fine,” I mumble.
“You’re terrible at pretending things don’t affect you.”
The irony of that statement almost makes me laugh.
“You’re one to talk.”
His mouth curves slightly. “Fair.”
For a while neither of us speaks.
People move around us.
Coffee machines hiss in the background.
Soft music plays overhead.
And somehow sitting here with Dominic feels strangely normal now.
That realization alone should scare me more than it does.
“You know what the worst part is?” I say quietly without thinking.
His eyes lift to mine immediately. “What?”
“I’m starting to get used to you.”
Something dangerous flickers across his face.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Because every second with him makes it harder to remember why we should stay apart.
Because every conversation feels easier than the last.
Because I’m starting to look for him in every room before I even realize I’m doing it.
I look down at my coffee instead of answering.
Dominic watches me silently for a long moment.
Then very softly, he says, “You can keep trying to avoid this, Alina. But every time we’re together, you look at me like you already know we crossed the line a long time ago.”
My breath catches.
And deep down?
I know he’s right.