Free Supernova by C.L. Parker Page A

wasn’t something that came naturally to him in the first place, but then he made the mistake of letting his guard down, leaving himself open and vulnerable. It was a woman who took advantage of his temporary lapse in judgment and crushed it, killing his ability to ever trust another. He would never give someone that much power over him again. To remind him of his foolishness, he branded a small token to the inside of his right wrist.
    He pushed the jade bracelet that rested on the same wrist aside to read it again.
    “Corazón de Hierro,” Dominic murmured in a fluent Spanish accent that was thick and flawless.
    “Iron Heart.” He laughed bitterly at the translation before taking the last drink of his beer and tossing the empty bottle into the wastebasket. If only he had that little reminder tattooed there before he trusted that bitch, Sinclair.
    Availia had tried to convince him that it didn’t have to be that way, saying that she knew he would find someone who would change his mind – and his heart. That was the kind of stuff only found in fairytales. His life was a lot of things, but a fairytale it most certainly was not. More like a horror flick.
    Given the freak of nature he had become, he couldn’t even consider that someone could ever love him. Besides, a hardened person such as himself just didn’t have any love to give in return. It was impossible, and truthfully, he preferred it that way.
    Even if his mother hadn’t been a raging alcoholic, she was dead. His brother was miles away, and the only person who did anything for him in his life had just passed away. When that crazy shit went down in Availia’s room that night, it had been to protect him. He was there, unable to do a damn thing about it because he just couldn’t. What would Kerrigan think of him if she knew that?
    She would think he was a spineless coward, that’s what.
    He plopped down onto the futon and raked his hands over his face. There were secrets he would have to keep from her, and he hoped he would be able to do so with her living in such close proximity. Availia had put so much faith in him. It scared the shit out of him because as much as he wanted to grant her the one favor she had asked of him, he just didn’t know if he had it in him to give. He was only half a man now, but he would do the best that he could and hope that Kerrigan would prove not to be too much trouble.
    Oh, who the hell was he kidding? She was going to be a handful. Although Dominic knew full well the dangers that existed outside that house, she had no clue, and it was his job to protect her. She had already almost caused him to have to beat someone’s ass within moments of meeting her on the very first day. And they hadn’t even left the house. Her bastard of a fiancé must have lost his mind if he thought Dominic would just stand by and allow him to put his hands on Availia Cruz’s pride and joy. Not on his watch. Dominic would rip him limb from limb.
    He stood up and grabbed a clean pair of jeans and a towel before heading down to the bathroom on the second floor for a shower. He could hear Kerrigan and her mother through the cracked door of the bedroom right under his. From the sound of their conversation, they were unpacking and setting the room up to make her more comfortable.
    Gabe came out of the room closest to Availia’s old room and stopped when he saw Dominic in the hall. “Hey there, Dominatrix. Hitting the shower?”
    “Um, yeah.” Dominic looked down at the towel in his hands as if to point out the obvious. “Where I come from, that’s what people usually do when they feel dirty.”
    “Mm, I feel dirty, too. Shall I join you? I promise to drop the soap.”
    Dominic’s normally tanned face went almost white, but he light-heartedly laughed off Gabe’s suggestive comment.
    “Look, Gabe, I have no problem with whatever sexual preference you have because I’m secure enough with my own manhood to not freak out over it. But, please know