His Merciless Redemption novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Dominic’s POV

I should have announced myself.

:

That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I stepped into the training arena.

The second was far less civilized.

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Isabella stood in the center of the room, sweat-sheened skin exposed, dressed in nothing but a fitted sports bra and tight black yoga pants. Her every movement was precise, controlled and powerful. Her body bent and struck with a grace that was almost violent in its beauty.

And my men were watching, too.

Something dark and possessive surged through me so fast it nearly knocked the air from my lungs.

Mine.

The word echoed instinctively, sharp and dangerous.

I didn’t like the way their eyes followed her movements. Didn’t like that they saw her like this, strong, flushed, and alive. I wanted to bark orders, to clear the room, to put a shirt on her myself just to reclaim what felt suddenly, irrationally threatened.

The jealousy shocked me.

It thrilled me too.

That was the part that scared me.

There had always been a lot of sexual chemistry between the both of us, specially in the early days of our marriage. It was also precisely what had led to us having a kid together. And now, I could feel all of that sexual chemistry and then some hitting me all at once as I looked at her sparring with Paolo. This attraction, this need to be with her right then was something I was still used to.

But the jealousy flowing through my veins, the urge to pummel Paolo within an inch of his life even though he was only doing what I’d myself instructed him to, wasn’t something I was used to. At all.

Thankfully, Paolo noticed me without me having to say anything, and when he did, the fear on his face was almost comical. He fled the moment I dismissed him, and I told myself it was irritation at his training methods that tightened my jaw, not the way Isabella’s body had been burned into my retinas.

I tested her skills. Let her strike me.

She was good. Better than I’d expected.

And when she broke free of my hold, smirking up at me with defiance and heat in her eyes, I knew I was standing on a very, very thin line.

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Chapter 42

So I changed the terrain.

:

“Come with me,” I told her, my voice rougher than I’d intended.

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I led her into the arms training room, a colder, quieter space. Steel and discipline. Somewhere I could breathe again.

I retrieved a handgun from the locker and cleared it in front of her before handing it over. Then I grabbed ear protection muff’s from the wall behind us and placed them over her head.

“I hope you never have to use one of these,” I said. “But hope isn’t protection.”

She nodded, serious now.

I showed her the basics, stance, grip, breath control, how she must anticipate a recoil. I expected hesitation.

I didn’t get it.

She moved like she already knew, almost as if this was something she did everything.

Her aim was steady. Her posture natural.

When she hit the target cleanly, I stared at her, completely shocked.

She glanced at me, amused. “My father taught me,” she explained. “When I was young. I was always good at it. A natural, he used to say.”

Something softened painfully in my chest. I’d almost forgotten that her father had been in the same line of work as me. Guns and violence had always been a part of it. It was only natural he’d teach his daughter to protect herself should the need ever arise. Just like I was doing right now.

“My father taught me too,” I admitted. The words came easier than I had expected. I didn’t really talk about him much, if at all, but somehow, the words seemed to flow easily with her. “He believed a man should know how to protect what’s his.”

I paused, then added quietly, “I miss him. More than I thought I would.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

She stared at me then, her gaze softening.

And then Isabella stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.

Instinct. Comfort.

Her bare skin pressed against mine, her breath warm against my chest. The hug was meant to be gentle, but it

wasn’t innocent.

My hands hovered at her waist, aware of every place we touched, every place we didn’t.

For a heartbeat, I forgot everything else.

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Chapter 42

The war. The danger. The walls.

I leaned down without thinking, practically melting into the hug. Into her.

She tilted her face up.

And then-

“Dominic?”

Alessia’s voice cut through the moment like a blade.

I pulled back instantly.

Isabella stepped away, breath uneven, eyes dark with something unspoken.

The space between us snapped back into place, suddenly too wide, too sudden.

Alessia stood at the doorway, gaze sharp, unreadable.

And just like that, the moment was gone.

But the hunger?

That stayed.

AD

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