Viola's Risk (The Twin Destinies Saga Book 2) (7 page)

Dominic felt weird joining the family for dinner. The last
time he’d had a family dinner was when he was nine years old, before Anna had
entered his life, destroying everything.

As everyone chatted, as if they weren’t going on a critical
mission the next day, he ate quietly and looked over at his beautiful Viola as
often as he could without drawing attention. He wondered how in the world he’d
gotten so lucky to have her for a mate.

She was having an animated conversation with Angelica and
Cora about where they’d be shopping and what they’d be buying the next day.

“I think we should start with a trip to the salon,” Angelica
suggested and beamed when both girls squealed with excitement.

Sage rolled his eyes at the girls and Liam groaned out loud.
Thomas just sat back and observed the scene that was playing out in front of
him. It was obvious how much pride he had in his mate and daughters. He wished
his father had looked at him like that.

“What’s wrong Dominic?” Sage asked him without drawing
anyone else’s attention.

“Nothing. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been a part
of anything like this,” Dominic said and went back to eating the wonderful food
on his plate. Living under Anna’s thumb, he was lucky if he ate at all.

“We can talk later if you’d like,” Sage offered.

“Why would you care?” Dominic asked him, suspicion filling his
voice.

“Because as Viola’s mate, you are family and as family, we
take care of each other. It’s as simple as that,” Sage replied, taking Dominic
by surprise.

“You’re Liam’s brother right?” Dominic asked, trying to
figure out how the man could call him family.

“Yeah, he’s my younger brother. Cora’s his mate which makes
Viola my sister through them. We take family very seriously,” Sage said with a
shrug. “You don’t have to talk to me, but I’m here if you decide to.”

Dominic didn’t reply. His thoughts wandered back to his own
family. He was having a hard time remembering whether they would have been this
open and accepting of anyone he’d have brought home. Something told him
his father would have demanded he turn her over or
would disown him for Viola being his mate, even though he had no choice in the
matter. His mother had been a quiet woman who let his father walk all over her.

Viola reached over and put her hand over his. When he looked
up and met her eyes, she smiled so big it lit up the entire room and made his
heart swell.

She then went back to her conversation without letting go of
his hand. He loved how she knew, without asking, what he needed. He didn’t need
to be a part of the conversation, just to feel connected and she provided that
with her smile and by holding his hand. He was also relieved when Liam said
something to Sage, drawing the man’s attention away from him.

He found himself relaxing and enjoying the atmosphere. Funny,
he didn’t realize he’d been so tense, but he guessed it had been obvious
because both Sage and Viola had picked up on it before he had.

Dinner was over way too soon for him. Everyone stood and
began to head out of the dining room. Thomas and Angelica headed out together.
Cora and Liam left together smiling at each other. Sage looked over at Viola
and Dominic before clearing his throat.

“Viola, want to go with me while I show Dominic to his room,
and then I can walk you to yours since it’s right next door to mine?” he asked
her, his stance protective like an older brother.

“Give it a rest, Sage. We already know the rules, and I’ve
told Dominic what’s up. We don’t need a babysitter,” Viola said and gave Sage a
slight shove.

“I’m just following orders Vi,” Sage told her and gave her a
gentle shove back. If Dominic didn’t know better already, he’d think they were
flirting with each other.

“Thomas and his stinking rules,” Viola said, shaking her
head.

“Hey, how do you think I feel? I keep ending up being the
one on the babysitting detail. It’s getting old pretty fast,” Sage told her,
frustration showing on his face.

“It should be over soon. I’m sorry you’re stuck doing this.
You could always go back to your room and if anyone asks, I’ll tell them you
did what you were supposed to,” Viola suggested, trying to give him a break.

“Nah, I’ll be okay. It’s not that big of a deal. You guys
are good company,” Sage said, and Dominic picked up on something from the man
that he couldn’t quite put his finger on, but could relate to.

“Come on, let’s go see my new digs. If they’re as awesome as
yours, I think I’ll be in heaven, other than being too busy missing you to
truly enjoy it,” Dominic said, placing his arm around Viola’s shoulders and
pulling her close.

Viola nodded and Sage led the way out of the room. Dominic’s
room was located two doors down from Cora and Liam’s room on the downstairs
level as it turned out. They entered and Dominic looked around in awe.

“I have never stayed anywhere like this before,” he said as
he walked around the room.

“Really? Neither had Cora and I before a few days ago.
You’re in for a treat then, check out the bathroom,” Viola told him.

He headed over and opened one of the doors in the room only
to find a walk-in closet that was about the size of the room he’d slept in
where Anna housed her people. Of course, he shared that room with three other
guys, which left very little room for each of them, and zero privacy. He closed
that door and went to the other door and opened it.

“Uh, who do I have to share all of this with?” he asked,
disbelieving he could have the whole space and enormous bathroom to himself.

“You don’t have to share this with anyone,” Sage told him.

“You’re kidding right? There’s no way I need all of this
space,” Dominic replied, still overwhelmed.

“Nope. All yours. At least until we’re mated and I move in,”
Viola said with a grin and a wink in his direction. His entire face lit up at
the thought.

“How did I get so lucky?” he asked in a voice so soft Viola
and Sage almost didn’t hear what he’d said.

Viola just grinned at him as he gazed at her in awe. “What does
luck have to do with it?” she asked.

“It must be luck, because I can’t think of a thing I’ve done
to ever have been able to deserve you as my mate,” he replied.

“Uh, I think I’m gonna wait in the hallway. Keep it short you
two,” Sage said, feeling out of place.

“I’ll be out in a couple of minutes,” Viola said, feeling
grateful for the privacy Sage was giving them, knowing it was against her
father’s orders.

Sage nodded and closed the door with a soft click behind him.
Viola walked over and stopped right before Dominic, looking up into his eyes.

He reached up and brushed her hair back from her face with a
feather-light touch as they gazed at each other.

“Are you sure you want me?” he asked her, fear making his
voice shaky. He wasn’t sure he could handle her rejection.

“I know we don’t know each other very well, but I haven’t
been able to stop thinking about you since we first saw each other that night.
If I’ve learned anything from my parents, and Cora’s mating with Liam, it is
that we don’t have a choice in the matter. But to answer your question, if it
had been my choice, I’m pretty sure I’d choose you,” she said from her heart.

“I don’t know why. I’m not a good guy. I’ve done horrible
things working for Anna. I’m sure if you knew all of the things I’ve done, you
wouldn’t want me,” he said, sorrow filling his voice.

“I’m not up for sainthood either. You’d be surprised at some
of the things I’ve done. You can’t beat yourself up about those things. You
were doing what you had to do to survive in a world that was treating you as if
it didn’t want you to survive, like mine,” Viola said, understanding written
all over her face, in her eyes and filling her words.

“I don’t deserve you,” he whispered.

“Yes, you do,” she responded, her voice breathless as they leaned
closer and closer towards each other. Before he knew what happened, they were
kissing and he felt like he had died and gone to heaven from the sheer joy of
it. He still doubted his worthiness of her, but in this moment, he shoved those
doubts to the back of his mind as his mouth moved with hers in the best kiss of
his life.

The next morning, Viola woke up in her bed and stretched
with a wide smile on her face. All she could think about was that mind-jarring
kiss she had shared with Dominic the night before. She knew they had a busy day
ahead of them, but she didn’t want to think about all of that just yet.

Closing her eyes, she just laid there and pictured the scene
in his room. He’d looked so vulnerable as he’d told her he wasn’t worthy of
her. To her, his feelings showed her how much she meant to him.

A loud knock on her bedroom door was an unwelcome intrusion.
Groaning, she threw the covers off and climbed out of bed. She threw on her
bathrobe as she reached the door and opened it to find Sage on the other side.

“Um, everyone’s waiting for you for breakfast,” Sage said,
feeling uncomfortable.

“Thanks, I’ll be down in a few minutes. Just let me grab a
quick shower and get dressed,” she said and started to close the door.

“No problem Vi. Can I ask you a favor though, before I head
back down?” he asked her with strong hesitation.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, her curiosity was peaked.

“Could you not mention that I left you and Dominic alone in
his room last night?” Sage asked and seemed as if he was about to explain when
Viola leaned up and gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“Don’t worry about it. I wasn’t going to. I know you took a
risk doing that for us and we appreciate it,” she said with a smile.

Sage heaved a huge sigh of relief and smiled back at her. He
reached up and ruffled her already messed up bed hair. “You’re a good kid,” he
said with a wink.

“Kid? Excuse me?” Viola said, pretending offense, but
knowing he was teasing her as he always did.

“You heard me. Now get your butt in gear, we’re all hungry
down there and waiting on you,” he said and laughed as he dodged the punch she
aimed at his gut.

“Well, just for that, you can wait longer,” she said and
stuck her tongue out at him.

“Watch it Sis, I may just carry you down there over my
shoulder just the way you are. Now, what would Dominic think of that?” he asked
and put his finger on his chin feigning thought.

“Get out of here. You are so annoying,” she exclaimed with a
laugh and closed the door before he could form another comeback.

She gathered what she needed for her shower and rushed into
the bathroom. The thought of seeing her mate again after last night’s kiss, lit
a fire inside of her.

Taking the quickest shower of her entire life, she towel
dried and got dressed as fast as she could. With her hair wrapped up in a
towel, she put on her makeup, making sure it was applied to perfection.

She removed the towel from her hair, blow dried it and
arranged it into a simple, but elegant style that looked very relaxed. After double
checking her appearance, she turned and left the bathroom and her room
altogether.

Dominic rose from his seat as Viola entered the room. He
moved over and pulled out the chair right beside him for her to be seated and
Viola’s eyes widened a bit in surprise. She had never had a guy be a true
gentleman to her like he was being right now. She murmured her thanks as she
took her seat and he helped to scoot the chair under the table a little.

“You look gorgeous Beautiful One,” he told her with an
appreciating look in his eyes.

“Thank you Dominic,” she said, feeling shy for the first
time she could ever remember.

“So nice of you to join us sis,” Cora said with a smirk.

“Oh, you’re so welcome Cora. I should be late more often if everyone
appreciates it so much,” Viola returned with a laugh.

“Yeah, we all just love starving to death while you get a few
extra minutes of beauty sleep,” Liam joined in on the teasing.

“Thanks for the info Liam. I’ll make it a point, since you
enjoy it so much, to be late a lot more often,” Viola said, her eyes twinkling
with amusement.

“Viola, I swear if you’re late to breakfast again, I will
carry you down here,” Sage growled out while reaching for his fork.

“Really? I doubt that,” Viola returned and added some fruit
to her plate.

“That’s enough,” Thomas said with a small smile on his face.
It seemed that, for once, their father was enjoying their playful banter. It
was a relief to see he had a sliver of a sense of humor.

“I trust you all slept well last night?” Angelica asked
everyone.

A chorus of “Yes” echoed around the table and the
conversation about the day ahead got started. They worked through the details
of what laid ahead of them.

Once breakfast was finished, they sat back and sipped on
their coffee as they ironed out the final details. Although she was nervous
about the events to come, Viola was also certain the plan would work and by the
end of the day, they’d have the breathing room they needed from Anna
and Dominic would be safe from her grasp. She reached
over and clasped his hand in hers.

After a while, they decided there wasn’t anything else they
could work through on their plan. Angelica looked at her watch and stood.

“It’s time ladies. We have a date at the salon we wouldn’t
want to miss, now would we?” she asked the girls with a smile that grew even
larger as the twins stood up so fast their chairs almost tipped over behind
them.

“Ready when you are,” Cora told her, excitement flowing from
both twins.

Liam stood, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her with
all of the love he felt in his heart for her. “You stay safe. Sage and I will
both be a part of the guard around you during the public excursion. We’ll be
close by at all times, if you need us throughout the entire mission. Please do
not do anything to put yourselves in unnecessary danger.”

“Both of us have too much to look forward to. Don’t worry so
much Liam. We’ll be fine,” Viola said as Dominic pulled her into his arms.
Thomas cleared his throat in disapproval, but they both ignored him as Dominic
leaned down and kissed her as he had the night before, making her insides turn
to jelly and her knees threaten to give out.

It took a few minutes for both couples to break apart and
the women to gather what they planned on taking with them, before they headed out
of the house. The guys went straight into mission mode while Angelica and the
twins played their roles of mother and daughters bonding to perfection.

The day went according to plan and the twins found
themselves enjoying their mother’s company more and more. The trip to the spa
had been heaven and the clothes and shoe shopping had made them ecstatic.

By the time they left the last store, they were carrying so
many bags even their guards, including Sage and Liam, were overloaded. The
three women were talking and laughing as they headed to their vehicles for the
crucial trip home, where the most important part of the mission came into play.

After loading into the vehicles, Cora and Viola became
somber and attentive. Their eyes scanned everything around them through the
tinted windows as the entourage took off.

“Relax girls. Everything will go according to plan,”
Angelica said, trying to keep her own nervousness out of her voice.

“What if something goes wrong? What if Anna realizes it’s a
trap and somehow catches Dominic? What if…” Viola started, fear clutching her
heart.

“Viola stop. You can’t think like that. We planned this out
very well. There is a ton of backup protecting us. Dominic is not alone either,
your father and I made sure of that,” Angelica tried soothing her daughter.

“It’s all gonna work out okay Sis. Try to relax and don’t
borrow trouble. That never works in our favor,” Cora told her giving her a
tight hug and then leaning back into the comfortable seat.

“I can’t stop thinking that something’s going to go wrong,”
Viola told them. “It’s almost like a gut feeling.”

This got Cora’s attention, making her sit up and look
intently at her sister.

“What do you mean?” she asked her warily.

“There’s this nagging feeling that something’s going to go
wrong. I can’t explain it any better than that,” she told her sister.

“Cora, what’s wrong?” Angelica asked her, worry written all
over her face.

“Anytime Viola’s had that feeling in the past, something’s
gone terribly wrong. Can we check on the others and make sure they’re all okay?”
Cora said, looking around even more.

Viola sat back in the seat, worry and fear written all over
her and spreading through her sister and mother.

Angelica pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial for
Thomas. When he answered, she explained the situation and asked him to check on
everyone and get back to her before getting off and trying to reassure her
daughters, once again, that everything would work out as planned.

Nothing she said seemed to ease the girls’ worry so she sat
back and waited for Thomas to get back to her.