Realm of the Rogues

Chapter XXXVIII

I meet Dom in the hallway standing outside what I suppose must have been his room last night. I swipe my hands down the dress, making sure there are no folds or creases. I'm about to walk on, but stop as I notice Dom's stare at me. He is giving me the elevator gaze with a kind of hungry look in his eyes, making me defensively clasp my hands in front of my body and avert my eyes.

"You look delicious," he says in a deep raspy voice, after which he slightly shakes his head, tears his gaze away, and turns around.

"Alright, let's go, Princess. We have a long drive ahead of us." I proceed to walk towards the front door, and as I pass Dom, he puts one of his hands on the low of my back and guides me out. The touch sends small electric chills up through my spine and into my scalp. I try to suppress a cautious grin, not quite sure why the gesture would make me smile.

As we reach the front door, Dom urges me to wait for him as he pulls the car up to the front. I decide to take a seat in one of the armchairs in the small foyer, as he walks out of the door. I try to pass the time by looking down at my nails, seeing if there is some dirt I can remove. I am quickly pulled out of my thoughts, however, as I hear a voice from behind me.

"I'm sorry if I was rude to you yesterday. Your husband is quite the charmer." I look up in confusion and meet the eyes of the lady who had greeted us yesterday when we checked in. For a moment I am taken aback, not quite sure how to answer.

"Uhm, he is not my husband," I then blurt out. The old lady just laughs a bit at that, making her eyes crinkle in the process.

"Well, I suggest you endeavor to change that as soon as possible. You won't find another man like him." With that, she turns around and continues her work. I am just left sitting with my mouth slightly agape, utterly stunned by her remark. I am not left sitting for long though, as Dom pulls up in front of the entrance and revves the engine, to catch my attention. I quickly shake my head and get to my feet to walk out to the car. As I approach I see Dom lean over the passenger seat and open the door from the inside for me.

"Here you go m'lady," he says with a mock bow of his head as I fall into the seat. I just roll my eyes and buckle the seatbelt.

"How long is the drive?" I ask, adjusting some of the fabric under my arms, as it scratches a bit.

"About a 3-hour drive," he says and puts the car in gear. I sigh and lean forward to take off the shoes, which are still the same pair that I took from the cabin. I need to be as comfortable as possible if we have to drive for that long.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Dom starts as he leans backward and grabs something from the backseat.

"I forgot to give you these." He puts a pair of black high heels on my lap. As he notices my questioning stare up at him, he continues,

"You don't have to put them on now, just for when we meet the council. You need every advantage you can get, and a few inches surely wouldn't hurt your small stature," he says with a chuckle and pulls out onto the road, going back in the direction we came from yesterday. I throw the high heels back onto the backseat, and notice another pair of shoes - these being just some comfortable normal sneakers. I sigh in relief and gratitude, that I won't have to walk around all the time in shoes that could potentially break my ankles with every step.

"Thank you," I say, genuinely meaning it.

"Anything for you, Princess," he answers in a soft voice.

"Besides, whatever you wear shines right back at me, so I'm really just doing myself a favor," he adds with a laugh and a small double clap on my thigh with his right hand. I just look at him with mock offendedness and give his shoulder a playful push while laughing back at him.

"Woah, watch out you don't make me crash this thing," he teases and swerves a little, which makes my stomach clench up a little, and in turn makes me laugh even more. If you had asked me two days ago, I would have vehemently sworn, that I would never laugh in Dom's company, but now it feels harder not to do so. I fall deeper into the seat, as I am relieved at the knowledge, that I not only won't have to fear for my life in his presence but that I could actually enjoy it a little as well. I still haven't quite forgiven him for freaking me out by stalking us, or that he bit me, but I decide to move past the past and look at the future, just like Dom urged me earlier. It's damn sound advice, and I would be foolish to not listen to it.

We drive on for quite some time before Dom suddenly looks over at me. 

"Want to try?". I just look at him in question, unsure what he means.

"Try what?" I ask as he doesn't elaborate.

"Driving," he clarifies and looks kind of giddy with excitement.

"Uhm, I have never driven on public roads before, so I don't think I should," I answer hesitantly. It would be cool to learn how to drive properly, but my nerves are a little too high right now to be comfortable with it.

"Oh well, I have another idea then," he continues before reaching over to me with his right hand. I tense up for a second, as he grabs my left hand and pulls it towards him. By the trajectory, I fear he might just place my hand in his lap, but instead, he places it on the bottom of the steering wheel. I just look up at him with surprise, as he lets go of both me and the wheel, puts his hands behind his head, and leans back with a great stretch. He looks over at me with laughter in his eyes.

"Eyes on the road cowboy, you are in control now." I whip my eyes to the road, still with a surprised look on my face. Then I let out a breath and get comfortable, making sure we stay on the road. After a couple of minutes, I realize that it is actually quite fun. A few times Dom has had to grab my hand and guide us to drive in the center of our own lane, but I suspect it's just an excuse to touch me. Luckily for him, I don't mind it that much. 

I flip my now dry hair over my shoulder and onto my back and look over at Dom with sparkles in my eyes and a smile on my face. I am taken aback, however, as I see that he is already staring at me with a suddenly very hungry look in his eyes.