Page 50 of Monster

He placed two fingers under my chin and lifted until I met his eyes.

“Time for bed, wildcat.”

He led me away from the bathroom door before I could really process his words. I dug my heels into the floor when my brain finally registered what he’d said, and I grabbed onto the hand holding my other hand captive.

“Dominic, wait!”

My heart jumped in a panic. I didn’t want to go anywhere with him, but I especially didn’t want to go near the bed with him.

The harder I struggled, the more I realized just how fuckingeasyit was for him to manhandle me.

He wasn’t listening to me. Frustration made my chest burn, and I just… I just wished I was strong enough.

Fuck, how could he be so strong when I was so weak? It wasn’t fair.

He plopped me down on the bed, pulled back the covers, and pushed me under before he walked around to the other side and got in as well.

He wrapped his arms around my middle.

It took a while for me to realize all he intended to do was hold me. His hand splayed across my stomach, the size of it covering the entirety of my belly, and he used that hand to draw me toward him until there was no space left between us, until I could feel the heat of him on my back, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

I tried to put some space between us, but all I did was tire myself out.

He reached over me and clicked off the lamp, bathing the room in darkness save for the streetlamp just outside his window.

I wiggled against him.

He tightened his arms around me even more, making breathing almost impossible.

“Go to sleep, wildcat.”

“Dominic—”

He squeezed me.

I took in a deep breath, unsure of what I was supposed to do.

“Sleep.”

Was that all he could say?

Was that all he was going to do?

This whole day had been unexpected. I had been plagued with turmoil for hours, filled with so many emotions I thought I was experiencing whiplash at one point. And now he was holding me.

And that was all he was doing.

I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.

Or—just one thing.

Dominic Madden was a strange fucking man.

8

EMMY

Dominic Madden was a fucking monster.

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