Page 62 of The Hunter's Empire

"I don't think I am."

I finally look up. Our faces are much closer than I realized. Close enough that I can feel his breath. Close enough that the room suddenly feels smaller.

The teasing disappears from his expression so gradually that I almost miss it. One moment he's looking at me with that familiar amusement, and the next something darker settles into his gaze, something quieter and far more dangerous.

His eyes drift downward, lingering briefly on my mouth before returning to mine. The movement lasts less than a second, but it is enough for me to notice, enough for my pulse to stumble unexpectedly in my chest.

Neither of us says anything for a moment. The silence stretches between us, thick and uncomfortable, made worse by how close we are sitting.

I can feel the warmth radiating from him, can feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing as I finish securing the bandage around his arm. Then his hand lifts slowly, deliberately, as if giving me every opportunity to move away before he reaches me. I don't.

His fingers settle against the back of my neck. The touch is light. Barely there. But it still sends a rush of heat racing down my spine.

"What did you find around the mansion, baby?" He asks quietly.

The nickname catches me off guard almost as much as the question itself. My breath stalls. Because he knows.

Before a single word can leave me, the doors swing open behind us.

"Let's go, gu…" Roisin’s voice cuts through the quiet room. She stops so abruptly that even I notice it immediately. Her gaze flickers from me to Domenico and then back again, taking in the distance between us, or rather, the lack of it.

A slow smile spreads across her face. "I seem to have interrupted something."

Heat floods my cheeks. I move away from Domenico so quickly that I nearly knock over the disinfectant and send the bandages tumbling to the floor.

"No." The denial leaves my mouth far too quickly to sound convincing.

Roisin's smile only grows wider. Across from me, Domenico looks completely unbothered by the situation. In fact, the corner of his mouth twitches as though he's enjoying every second of my embarrassment. The bastard actually looks entertained. Which somehow makes the entire situation infinitely worse.

I have come to Ireland expecting to battle the Keegans. But I am beginning to suspect they weren't going to be the most dangerous part of this trip. Not even close.

Chapter 15

Zora

By the time evening settles over the estate, the chaos from the morning hunt has faded into an uneasy calm. Most of the guests have scattered throughout the manor, some gathering in the lounges downstairs while others retreat to their rooms before dinner.

I make my way down the hallway, but my mind isn't on the upcoming evening. It's in Fergus' room. More specifically, the locked case hidden inside it.

The image has been bothering me ever since I found it.

When I push open the bedroom door, I find Domenico sitting on the edge of the bed. His shirt has been discarded onto a nearby chair, exposing the graze wound on his upper arm. A roll of bandage rests in one hand while the other awkwardly attempts to wrap the injury. He's failing miserably.

I watch him struggle with it for a few seconds before letting out a sigh. "You're making that look far more difficult than it needs to be."

His head immediately lifts. The moment he sees me, a familiar smirk appears. "Well, this is unexpected."

I walk toward the medical kit on the bedside table. "What is?"

"The woman who shot me voluntarily checking on her victim."

"If I actually wanted to shoot you, Nico, we wouldn't be having this conversation." The words leave my mouth before I can stop them.

Silence immediately follows. My hand freezes halfway to the medical kit. Across from me, Domenico goes still. Not completely. Just enough for me to notice. Enough for him to notice.

For a brief second, neither of us says anything. The nickname hangs awkwardly between us. I have no idea why I said it. I've always called him Domenico. Or Lucien when we're around other people. Never Nico. Never something that sounds so familiar and intimate.

His eyebrow slowly lifts.