My eyebrows knit together and I take another step forward, sweeping my eyes over the headboard. Finally, I drag my eyes back to Dominic’s gaze and swallow before opening my mouth.
I take another couple steps towards him so that there’s only the half-finished table between us. I look at the headboard again, and I’m finally able to speak. My voice is hoarse, but I force out the words anyways.
“You made it,” I breathe. “You made my sketch.”
I make myself glance back at his face. His eyes are dark and unreadable. He’s staring at me with an intensity that I’ve never felt before. My whole body is sparking, and the pit of my stomach is on fire. I can feel the honey pooling between my legs as his eyes burn into mine.
I’m afraid to move, afraid to speak, afraid to breathe. All I do is just stand there and look at him until he finally breaks the spell between us and ever so slightly dips his chin.
Chapter 11 - Dominic
Her eyes shift from me to the headboard, and my heart starts hammering against my ribcage. I simultaneously regret making it, and want to ask her what she thinks of it. I want her to like it, and I want her to leave and never come back.
I’ve never been this conflicted.
I watch as she takes a tentative step towards me. She moves around the table I’m working on and walks towards the headboard. I watch her run her fingers over the top of it, feeling the smooth curve the same way I did. She runs her thumb along the beveled groove that I added, inspecting every inch of the piece. Finally, she takes a deep breath and turns towards me. When her eyes meet mine, a jolt passes through my chest.
“It’s beautiful,” she breathes. “It’s better than I imagined.”
I grunt. “Thanks.”
Her eyes shift back to the wood and she shakes her head. “You’re incredibly talented, you know.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “That’s probably why I’ve got people lining up to buy furniture off me. I’m surprised you could get through the door.”
She grins and flicks those blue eyes towards me. The same jolt passes through my chest. She turns towards me, keeping her hands on the headboard behind her. She tilts her head to the side and stares at me curiously.
“Why did you make it? I was sure you’d tell me you wouldn’t work with me”
“I don’t know. I was sure I’d tell you that too. I still don’t know if I want to work with you.”
She dips her chin down and grins. “The old feud strikes again,” she chuckles.
The corners of my mouth hitch upwards. “‘Fraternizing with the enemy’, I believe it’s called.”
Her smile broadens and her eyes stay glued on mine. It feels like my whole body is pulling towards her. All I want to do is press myself against her and tangle my fingers into that dark brown hair of hers. I want to pull her into me and feel her body against mine. I want to bury my face into her neck and inhale her scent before covering every inch of her skin with kisses. I want to run my fingers over that dusting of freckles on her face and hold her body against mine.
I drag my eyes away from her and turn back towards the forgotten table in front of me. I dip the paintbrush back into the rich brown stain and start brushing it back and forth along the top of the table. I can feel Mara’s eyes on me, and the heat of her stare is making my skin prickle.
“Dominic,” she says softly.
I grunt without looking up. I keep my eyes focused on the paint brush. It moves back and forth… Back and forth… Back and forth. I don’t see her move towards me, I feel it. I can almost sense her arm reaching up towards me. I’m like a coiled spring. When she finally touches my arm, an electric current passes through my entire body.
She places her fingers on my arm. She’s barely touching me and yet it feels like my whole body is on fire. I stop moving the paint brush and turn my body towards her. She drops her arm and lifts her eyes towards mine. I can see the questions in her stare, but neither of us says anything.
Her eyes are a deep blue, and her lips are full and pink. My mouth is watering as I stare at her delicate features. All I want to do is dip my chin down and press my lips against hers. I want to know how she tastes. I want to wrap my arms around her body and feel her against me. I want to run my hand up her spine and feel the heat of her skin against my palm.
Instead, we only stare at each other. My chest is inches from hers, and I can see it moving up and down ever so slightly with every breath. Her lips part and I wait for the sweet sound of her voice.
“Work with me,” she breathes. It’s hardly more than a whisper, but it sounds like a shout. Her eyes are searching my face and I can’t tear myself away from her gaze. I can still feel the spot on my arm where her fingers touched me, and it takes all my self-control to stop myself from wrapping my arms around her.
Almost as if I’m watching myself do it, I nod once. “Okay,” I hear myself say.
Her lips spread in a soft smile and her eyes spark.
“Good,” she whispers back. We stay like that, staring at each other – saying a thousand things without saying a word.
I could kiss her. All I’d have to do is dip my head down and I’d get to taste those lips. I could give in to my aching body, reach my arms around her and pull her into me.
I could, but I don’t.
Neither of us moves an inch until she nods her head. “I’ll come back tomorrow with some real drawings,” she says. I watch her walk towards the open door, and before she can leave I call out to her.
“Mara!” She turns towards me and raises an eyebrow. “Don’t… Don’t tell anyone. Not yet.”
She nods her head down without saying anything and slips outside. It’s not until the last hint of her disappears out the door that I finally exhale. I put my hand to my forehead and take a deep breath.
What have I done?
I’ve just agreed to work with Mara McCoy. No, I’ve agreed to work with the McCoy family. I’ve agreed to help them get recognition as official accommodation for the National Park. I’ve agreed to put them on the map.
I’ve agreed to do exactly what I’ve spent the last ten years vowing I’d never condone. Last year I was burning down their new hotel, and this year I’m helping them expand their business.
My cheeks start to burn. The shame and guilt bubble in my stomach, and I stare around my workshop in despair. I can’t do this! I can’t work with them!
But then I picture the way Mara looked when she was running her fingers along the headboard. I touch the spot on my arm where those same fingers touched me, and I picture the way her lips looked when she stood there in front of me.
I know that my brothers would disapprove. I know that the town will talk and talk and talk about it. I know that I shouldn’t take the job. I know that nothing good can come of this.
But even though I know all these things, I still want to do it.
I want to feel her touch again. I want to see her smile and I want to smell that sweet perfume. I want to watch the way her lips part when she stares at the pieces of furniture I make, and I want to see the spark in her eye when she looks at me.
I want to be near her, and right now I’d do anything to make that happen. I’ll even work with the family that preyed on my brothers and I and stole my father’s business. I’ll work with the woman that my brothers despise.
My heart is thumping and my cock is heavy between my legs. My head is buzzing but all I can think of is the last thing she said to me today:
I’ll come back tomorrow, she said.
The corners of my lips curl into a smile and I take a deep breath, pulling myself out of my stupor and looking down at the half-finished table in front of me.
I’m going to see her tomorrow, and right now that’s the only thing I care about.
Chapter 12 - Mara
For the second time this week, my whole body is buzzing when I make my way back to my parents’ hotel. I walk quickly without looking back – trying to make sens
e of the hurricane of thoughts going through my mind. I do my best to ignore the thumping of my heart and the wetness between my legs, but my body feels like it’s on fire.
He said yes!
I can’t believe it. I never thought he’d agree. He doesn’t want me to tell anyone, which is understandable, but I can still hardly believe he agreed to do it.
I can’t even think about the work or the furniture right now. As I walk back through the lush greenery on my way to Main Street, all I can think of is the way he was looking at me. One more second and I would have reached up and crushed my lips against his. I would have fallen into his arms and never let go.
I take a deep breath and glance at the sky above me. This is complicated enough without adding sex to the equation. I’m going to have to find a way to ignore this attraction.
I force myself to think about the hotel. I have a thousand and one things to do for tomorrow if I’m going to be ready to give him drawings. Judging on the quality of the headboard he made in less than a day, neither I or my parents will be disappointed.
My parents.
How am I supposed to tell them about this? They’ve given me carte blanche to do whatever I want with the hotel, but how will they react when they find out it’s Dominic Clarke who’s making the new furniture? He’s one of the people who burned down the new hotel!
The McCoy Hotel comes into view at the end of the road and I take a deep breath. I’ll figure it out. Right now, I have a full list to do, starting with finalizing the designs and starting procure materials and labor. I want to have the application in to the National Park by the end of the month, which means mockups and drawings of the renovations need to be done as soon as possible.
I spend the rest of the day working, only resting to have a quick bite to eat. I draw up a contract for Dominic, and start making proper sketches for him. I work on the rest of the designs – updating the lobby, the dining room, and the hotel bedrooms.
By the time I look up from my desk, the sun has gone down and the stars are out. I lean back in my chair and stretch my neck from side to side, groaning at the stiffness that has set into my body. I stand up and tiptoe to the back of the hotel, slipping into my bedroom and closing the door behind me. That’ll have to be enough work for today.
I sit on the edge of the bed, taking a deep breath and kicking off my shoes. I close my eyes and rub my temples when I hear a knock on the sliding glass door. I frown, looking out into the darkness. I see the unmistakable shape of Dominic’s huge, muscular body silhouetted in the window and my heart skips a beat.
Getting off the bed, I adjust my clothes and pat my hair back. I take a deep breath and slide open the door. Dominic steps in, and a wave of freshness and pine and sawdust fills my nose. That familiar heat starts growing between my legs and I do my best to ignore it.
His eyes sweep around my room at the messy desk and my childhood bed, and then they finally they rest on my face.
“Dominic,” I say, closing the door behind him. “What are you doing here?”
“This is a bad idea,” he growls. I search his eyes and see a deep pain inside them. I take a deep breath and try to think of something to say. My fingers drift to his arm and I place them gently on his wrist.
“Dominic…” I breathe. He flinches at my touch and then relaxes, standing completely still in front of me. He seems so out of place in this room. He looks like he should be outside, or in his little cabin on the outskirts of town. It feels like even in a tiny town like Lang Creek, there are too many lights and too many people for him. He’s not made to be around other people.
He stares into my eyes and shakes his head from side to side. “My brother would kill me,” he finally says. I can hear the pain in his voice and my heart squeezes.
I nod my head slowly. “I understand,” I say. I lift my eyes up to his and take a step towards him. My heart is hammering against my ribcage and my mouth is suddenly dry. “Dominic,” I say again. “I’m so sorry. About your dad. About my parents. About everything… I….” My voice trails off and my eyes start to prickle. I wish I could make him understand that I’m not the person I was before. I wish I could make him understand that I’m not the person my parents want me to be.
A deep growl rumbles through his chest and Dominic stares deeply into my eyes. “Stop apologizing,” he says. His voice is gravelly and deep, and it sends a thrill through my whole body. “It was an accident. I forgave you for that a long time ago.”
“You did?” My voice is nothing more than a squeak. Dominic takes a step towards me, and my hand slides further up his arm. The tips of his fingers touch my waist and my whole body feels like it’s about to burst. The desire is overwhelming me. My centre is pulsing and the wetness is seeping into my panties as I stare into Dominic’s dark eyes. The heat of his body is intoxicating.
I lift my other hand and place it on his chest. His heartbeat pulses against my palm. I can’t tell where my heartbeat ends and his begins. We stand there, our fingers barely brushing against each other’s bodies, staring into each others eyes. There’s ten years of pain… Ten years of anger… Ten years of things unsaid between us.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he says. His voice is so low that I feel it more than I hear it. I slide my hand up his arm and brush my fingers along his neck. His chest rumbles and he wraps his arms around my waist, sliding his hand under my shirt so that I can feel the heat of his palm on the small of my back.
I’m melting into him, and I can’t do anything about it.
“I shouldn’t be here,” he says again.
“I’m glad you are,” I whisper back. In an instant, his lips crush against mine and his hands are pulling me into him. He slides his hand further up my back so that I can feel the warmth of his skin against me. My whole body is pulsing with desire as he presses his body against mine and kisses me like I’ve never been kissed before.
This is so wrong. It’s so wrong and my head is spinning, but somehow I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. I slide my hands over his shoulders and tangle them into his hair, pulling Dominic in for a deeper kiss.
Our families have been at war for a decade. His brothers hate me. My parents used me. I don’t know why I’m here, or where I’m going. All I know is that right now, Dominic Clarke’s kiss tastes better than anything I’ve ever tasted before. His body feels like it’s made for me, and his hands feel like they know my body better than I know it myself.
My head is spinning, and my heart is hammering, and right now I don’t care about anything except Dominic’s kiss and the pulsing heat between my legs.
Chapter 13 - Dominic
I’m not sure why I came here. It wasn’t for this. It was never for this. I wanted to tell her I’d changed my mind… That I wouldn’t do it.
But now I’m here and her body is pressed against mine – and all I can think about is how badly I want her. My cock is harder than it’s ever been, and when she grinds her hips against me all I want to do is plunge it deep inside her.
I know I shouldn’t be doing this. Even if we don’t work together, I shouldn’t be doing this. Even if she leaves town tomorrow and never comes back, I still shouldn’t be doing this.
There’s too much history and too much baggage between our families.
But when she runs her fingers along the nape of my neck and presses her chest against mine, all those thoughts disappear from my head. Maybe I shouldn’t be here – but it feels way too good to stop.
I drop my hands down towards her ass and pull her into me. She grinds her hips towards me again, and the heat of my erection is burning against me. She moans into me and my cock throbs.
Finally, our lips separate and she’s panting. I keep one hand on her ass and bring my other hand between us. I slide it up between her thighs until I can feel the heat of her desire through her pants. I groan, keeping my palm against her center as she whimpers.
Her arms are wrapped around my neck and she pulls her face away
from mine. Mara stares at me as I move my palm slowly back and forth between her legs. She lets out a soft moan and my cock throbs at the sound. She closes her eyes and parts her lips, and I dip my head down once again to taste her kiss.
She’s trembling. Her body feels like it’s going to fall over at any moment, so I wrap my arms around her. I lift her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist. I shuffle over to the bed and lay Mara down, letting the weight of my body press down on top of her. She runs her fingers through my hair, wrapping it into her fist and pulling gently as I groan.
“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen,” I growl. I press myself into her as she grinds her hips against me, letting out a soft moan.
Mara parts her lips and kisses my neck, biting it gently as I peel her clothes away from her collarbone. I want to know every part of her. I want to kiss every inch of skin that I come across. I want to remember every detail of her body.
She reaches down and grabs the hem of her shirt, lifting it up over head. Then follows a flurry of undressing. I’m pulling off my clothes, she’s pulling off hers until we’re both down to our underwear. She wraps her arms around me again and I crush my lips against hers, grinding my cock against her center.
The feeling of her skin against mine is exhilarating. It makes me feel like I’m drunk. She runs her fingers down my back and across my shoulders as I trail kisses down her neck and between her breasts. I run my hands over her stomach and feel my way over her entire body. My fingers leave trails of sparks everywhere they touch, and my heart is beating so fast I feel like I’m going to collapse.
She runs her hand down my stomach towards my hard cock, but I pull away. I glance up at her face to see her eyebrows shooting upwards. I grin and shake my head.
“Not yet,” I growl. “You first.”
My kisses take me all the way down the soft skin of her stomach to the fabric of her panties. I love the way she shifts her hips towards me and exhales when my mouth gets nearer to her center. I let the heat of my breath wash over her skin as I move towards her inner thigh, laying soft kisses on her skin as she parts her legs for me. I run my fingers over her panties, feeling the heat of her desire through the thin fabric.
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