- D O M I N I C • P O V -
The weight of everything that happened today pressed down on me as soon as I stepped through the door. The familiar silence of the mansion was almost suffocating, like I could hear every little noise echo off the walls. My body was tense from the long hours of meetings, but it wasn't just the work that had my mind racing. It was her.
Raven.
She shouldn't have been on my mind tonight. She wasn't part of my plan, not in this world. But somehow, the memory of her lingered, and no matter how hard I tried to shake it, she was still there.
My jaw tightened, and I threw my keys onto the counter with a sharp clink, the only sound breaking the oppressive silence. I needed to burn this off, this itch that had crawled its way into my skin.
The gym.
I didn't even think twice about it. My steps were heavy, purposeful, as I moved through the mansion. I didn't bother turning on the lights-just the moonlight streaming through the skylight was enough to guide my way. I pulled off my shirt, tossing it onto the floor, feeling the cool air hit my chest. I could feel the tension in my muscles, the anger still simmering under the surface.
I needed something to push it out of me. Something that would allow me to forget.
I grabbed a pair of black gym shorts from the closet and slipped them on, feeling the fabric stretch tight across my legs. I didn't have time for warm-ups tonight. The burn in my muscles would be my distraction. The pain would drive her out of my head.
I reached the private gym in my large basement. The lights flickered on, revealing the sprawling space, the heavy weights, and the punching bags hanging like silent witnesses to my inner chaos. I cracked my knuckles, stretched my neck, and walked over to the largest set of dumbbells.
There was no easing into this tonight.
I gripped the 150-pound weights, the cold metal biting into my palms as I hoisted them into position. My breath came in shallow bursts as I pushed the weight up and down, the sweat already beading on my forehead. I didn't stop. I wasn't going to. Every lift, every push of the weight was a way to force Raven out of my mind. But she wasn't leaving.
I slammed the weights down and grabbed the barbell next. Loaded up with 300 pounds, it felt like it was going to crush me, but that was the point. I wasn't here to take it easy. I wasn't here to be calm. I was here to destroy myself, to leave nothing behind but a shell of a man, too exhausted to think about anything else.
I slammed the barbell onto my chest, the burn in my muscles searing every inch of my body as I pushed the weight up, gritting my teeth as my arms trembled with the effort. My breath was ragged, my heartbeat thumping so loud in my chest I could almost feel it reverberating through the room. I slammed the bar back into place and reached for the heavy dumbbells again, this time 100 pounds in each hand.
I wasn't just working out. I was punishing myself. Punishing myself for feeling anything when I should have been focused. Raven wasn't supposed to matter. She wasn't supposed to make my pulse race like this.
But she did.
I threw myself into set after set, each one harder than the last. I didn't care about anything anymore. The strain, the sweat, the way my body was beginning to give out-it all felt like a release. But still, the image of her lingered in my mind. The way she looked at me, the fear and gratitude in her eyes. It was all consuming, and it had me fucking twisted up inside.
By the time my body was drenched in sweat, my muscles screaming in agony, I finally dropped to the floor. My breath was heavy, my chest heaving with each inhale, but my mind was still spinning.
I reached for my phone, pulling it out of my pocket with shaky fingers. I stared at the screen for a moment before pulling up Raven's number. I shouldn't be doing this. Not tonight. But I couldn't help myself. She had me. All of me. And I couldn't ignore it any longer.
I tapped out a message, my fingers moving quickly across the screen, each word a pull on the thread that I was now tangled in.
Me: Get some rest. Don't make me regret letting you out of my sight tonight.
I stared at the screen, waiting. My heart was still pounding in my chest, the adrenaline of the workout mixing with the gnawing hunger I felt for her. I wanted her. I wanted to see her again. To touch her. To make her mine in a way no one else ever could.
I tossed the phone down beside me, sitting up and wiping the sweat from my face with the back of my hand. I had to clear my mind. It was the only way I could focus on what was coming next. But even as I tried to push her from my thoughts, the silence in the gym was broken by the vibration of my phone.
I glanced down at it, my heart skipping a beat when I saw her name.
She had responded.
I couldn't help the grin that pulled at my lips as I picked up the phone.
Her response would come soon enough. And when it did, I knew exactly how this was going to go.
And I was going to enjoy every fucking second of it.
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