What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 8)

by Sabrina York

  “You could have asked me to go with you and the child. I do live in Portland.”

  “Sometimes.” Dom’s mouth tightened. “I did call your mother’s place, but she said you had gone off somewhere.”

  “Oh.” She suddenly smiled. “I was on my way to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “If you’ll excuse us, I’m going to take the baby upstairs,” Elena interrupted.

  Dom nodded, but his attention was on Lisa.

  She frowned at him. “Why? Do I need a reason to visit you?”

  He shrugged. “You don’t like spending time at the M & M.”

  Lisa sighed. “You know me so well, darling. I have an ulterior motive.”

  He quirked a brow. “Imagine that.”

  For just a second, her expression was irritated, but it quickly morphed back to pleasant. “Aushon Heally and his wife are throwing an anniversary party tomorrow night.” She slid off the sofa and sashayed to him. “You’ll be my escort, of course.”

  Dom shook his head. “I can’t.”

  “You aren’t too busy for me, are you?” She trailed a finger down his chest.

  The truth was, he didn’t want to spend the evening among a group of boring fashion people—the only kind she knew—when he could be at home with his family. He opened his mouth to tell her so, but her pleading expression robbed him of the words. “Of course not.”

  Her smile widened. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down.” She brushed a kiss against his lips. “I’ll stay here tonight so we can get an early start tomorrow. I’ve called the airport and filed a flight plan—”

  Dom put up his hand. “Hold on. Flight plan?”

  Lisa nodded. “Heally lives in L.A., darling. You have that adorable little plane you rarely use, and I knew you wouldn’t mind.” She flicked open the top button on his denim shirt. “You don’t mind, do you?”

  “That’s a long time to be away from Jessica and Mom.”

  She sniffed. “You have a nanny for that sort of thing, Dom. You can leave the child for one night.” She fluttered her lashes at him, seeming to realize he was going to say no. “We don’t have to stay overnight. We can fly back after the party.”

  “Those parties go on until the early hours. It doesn’t make sense to fly back. I really can’t afford to miss Monday, Lisa. I have a meeting—”

  “Reschedule it.” She snapped her fingers. “They’re at your beck and call.” Her lower lip protruded a bit more. “You thought nothing of taking all those days off when the child first arrived.”

  “That was different. It’s because of those days that I can’t take any others.”

  “Please, Dom. When was the last time I asked you for anything?”

  Damn his inability to say no. “Okay, but I have to leave early Monday.”

  Lisa’s expression turned seductive. “Do you think you’ll want to crawl out of my bed?”

  He sighed, but didn’t answer. The thought of a night in Lisa’s bed left him cold. He would have to come up with an excuse to sleep in the spare room of the apartment she kept in Los Angeles rather than risk a repeat episode of the other night’s events. “You can have the room at the end of the hall tonight.”

  She frowned. “I’m not staying in your room?”

  He shook his head. “Not with the baby in the house.”

  Lisa rolled her eyes. “She’s tiny. How will she know where I sleep?” Her voice lowered. “Or what we do?”

  “I’m going to do the right thing with Jessie.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Fine.” She curled her lip at him. “I’ll go freshen up for dinner.”

  As she walked away, Dom was surprised to find himself overwhelmed with relief. Even a few minutes of peace were welcome. Instead of taking advantage of the chance for some quiet time, he hurried up the stairs to check on Caris. He quietly knocked on the nursery door. Not to avoid alerting Lisa, but to keep from waking the baby, he assured himself.

  “Come in,” Elena called.

  He entered, finding his mother slipping Jessica into the crib. She tucked the blanket around her and fumbled with the bar. He hurried forward. “Let me, Mom.”

  She moved away. “To what do we owe the visit from Lisa?”

  Dom locked the bar in place. “She needs an escort for a party tomorrow night.”

  Elena’s mouth firmed, but she didn’t say anything. “You should check on Caris.”

  He nodded and moved toward her door, knocking again.

  “Yeah?”

  He pushed it open and peeked in. “How’s your knee?”

  Caris tugged on the bottom of the short robe. “I’ll live. I was just about to put some ointment on.”

  He came forward and knelt on the floor by the bed. “Did you wash it?”

  “I took a bath, which made it feel a lot better.”

  “Did you use iodine?”

  Caris’s eyes widened. “Are you nuts?”

  Dom laughed. “Wait here. I think there’s some in the medicine cabinet in your bathroom.” He went into the bathroom, hearing her speaking from the other room while he searched through the medicine cabinet.

  “I have Neosporin.”

  He found the dark brown bottle and reentered the bedroom to find her sitting with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “This will do just fine.” She picked up the ointment and waved the tube at him.

  He grinned at her, waving the bottle in imitation of her movements. “Iodine does the trick every time.”

  She grimaced. “I hope you don’t plan to inflict such tortures on Jess.”

  Dom laughed as he knelt on the carpet. His breath cut off when he realized how close he was to her. Her shin pressed against his side, and his hand was a scant inch from her thigh where it rested on the bed. He cleared his throat and focused his attention on the iodine.

  “Dom, I don’t want that stuff.”

  Caris put her hand on his shoulder to get him to look up, and he felt her tremble. He lifted his head, and their eyes locked. She moistened her lips as she leaned forward, and his eyes traced the path of her tongue. “Uh, right.” He tore away his gaze to unscrew the cap and lift the brush from the antiseptic. “Still…” Before she could utter another protest, he made a clean swipe across the scrape.

  A breath hissed through her teeth as the iodine worked its way into the wound. She balled her hands into fists, accidentally catching hold of his shirt in the process. “Ow. I told you—” She cut off as he lowered his head to blow on the cut.

  Caris’s entire body stiffened as he blew gently on the cut. He heard her moan low in her throat, and it wasn’t a sound of pain. Was she as affected as him? He held onto her calf and upper thigh to balance himself as he leaned forward, and his hands traveled across her smooth skin. He sighed when he felt her hands tighten on his shirt. She felt it too.

  Dom leaned forward more so he could focus his breath better on the wound. His cheek brushed her leg, and his lips hovered within touching distance of her knee. He sighed, wanting to kiss the expanse of flesh unmarred by a mark, but uncertain how she would react.

  Jessica’s wail split them apart like a peal of thunder. Caris jumped up from the bed and stepped away from him, taking deep breaths as she pushed damp hair off her forehead. “Thanks.”

  Dom nodded and stood up, feeling awkward. “Sure. I’ll get the baby while you dress.” She looked like she needed a few minutes, and he certainly needed time to compose himself and regain his physical control. Why was tending to her wound more arousing than any of a hundred things he had done with anyone in the past?

  “Thanks,” she said again as she followed him to the door and closed it behind him.

  He stood on the other side of the closed door for a long moment, torn between the need to do the sensible thing, and the need to give into his body’s urgings. He ached for her. Part of him demanded he push open the door and tell her what he was thinking. Fortunately, the more rational part of his being responded to Jessica’s second
cry. With a sound of regret, he turned his attention to the baby, settling her before leaving the nursery to dress for dinner.

  She leaned against the wooden barrier separating them as she sucked in deep breaths. The imprint of Dom’s hands seemed burned into the skin of her legs, and her heart raced. Had she imagined his reaction, or was he feeling an attraction too?

  That was the last thing she wanted. Things were already too complicated without giving in to her raging hormones. Getting involved with him would be crazy. What would she do if he turned out to be like his brother? She couldn’t survive that sort of hell again, especially with Jessica to think of now.

  She stood with her ear pressed against the door until she heard him leave the nursery. Then she moved away from the door and threw herself across the bed. Instead of self-recriminations, her mind insisted on picking up where he had left off. She closed her eyes and imagined Dom’s hands and mouth moving over her body. She knew nothing could come of her fantasies, but what harm did it do to indulge in a few?

  A few minutes later, Caris opened her eyes and lifted her head when a knock sounded at her door. “Just a sec,” she called as she rose from the bed and tightened her robe. She walked to the door and peeked out, half-expecting Dom. Instead, Elena stood there, holding a few items. “Yes?”

  “I brought you some things, dear. My niece left these on her last visit, and I thought they might suit you.”

  Caris opened the door to admit his mother and took the armful of clothes Elena passed her. “Um, thanks.” She carried them to the bed and laid the garments down. “I appreciate it, but why didn’t you offer these sooner?”

  Elena’s eyes slid from hers. “I had forgotten all about them. They were folded away in a trunk in one of the spare rooms. I thought you might like to wear the red set for dinner.”

  She lifted a long wool skirt and matching vermilion cap-sleeved sweater from the pile. “It’s lovely, but I couldn’t borrow this. What if something happened to it?” She couldn’t afford the replacement costs of those high-quality items.

  “Andrea’s last visit was three years ago, during her senior year at U of O. She isn’t coming back for them.”

  Any further protests were cut short by Elena’s departure. Caris resolved not to wear any of the borrowed clothes, even as she caressed a silky gold blouse. It wouldn’t be right to take someone else’s things, even if they hadn’t claimed them in three years.

  The vermilion set beckoned to her, and she lifted the sweater, fingering the delicate rosettes that formed a diagonal line from below the bust to the waist. It was so pretty. She hadn’t worn anything that nice since she left Brendan. What could it hurt?

  She sighed and dropped it on the bed, deciding to stick with her policy of not accepting charity. She had worn her wardrobe in front of Dom and Elena for the last week. Tonight was no different.

  Caris jumped when another knock sounded at her door. This time she was certain it would be Dom, and she blocked her body from his view by using the door as a shield when she opened it. She looked through the gap, and her mouth dropped open when she saw Lisa. Before she could open the door, the other woman had shoved it open and marched into the room. She stared at her for a moment before finding her tongue. “What can I do for you?”

  Lisa eyed the room with a sneer. “Get out.”

  “What?”

  “You can’t compete with me, kid.” Lisa put her hands on her hips, causing her breasts to strain against the linen jacket of her mint suit.

  Caris’s eyes widened. “I’m not trying to.”

  She snorted. “I don’t for one minute believe you’re a photographer, or that you just stumbled onto M & M when they needed a nanny.” She curled her lip. “This is a set-up, and there can only be one purpose.”

  Her heart dropped at Lisa’s words. What would she do? How could she convince the other woman not to reveal her? “I—”

  “It’s obvious you want Dom.” She lifted a hand from her hip to examine the ruined nails. “Not that I blame you. He is quite a catch, but this is my territory.”

  Caris laughed. “My only interest in this family is Jessica.”

  Lisa waved her hand. “Don’t play your games with me. You’re good at the nurturer, and probably practiced at the innocent, but I know your type.” Her voice lowered, and a gleam appeared in her eyes. “I am your type, sweetie. No one is going to get in my way. Not the brat and certainly not you.”

  “Are you finished?” Caris bit out through clenched teeth.

  A pleasant smile curved across her face. “I’ll see you at dinner, but that better be the last time if you want to avoid facing off with me.”

  Caris went to the door and held it open for her. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Once the blonde had swept through the doorway, Caris slammed the door behind her and winced at the noise. She awaited a cry from Jessica, but the baby remained asleep. When she was certain her daughter wasn’t going to awaken, Caris returned to the pile of clothes on the bed.

  She hung each item in her closet with a careful hand, except the vermilion suit. She couldn’t compete with Lisa? Just watch her!

  As she dressed for dinner, her cautious nature abandoned her; swept away by a tide of anger. She temporarily made herself forget she wanted to avoid emotional entanglements with Dom as she brushed her hair and applied a bit of makeup. Lisa had declared war, and she wasn’t about to back down from the challenge.

  Dom nearly choked on his neat whiskey when Caris entered the room in a clingy red skirt and blouse. Even the sneakers on her bare feet did nothing to detract from the elegant picture she presented. Her hair fell in shining brown waves just past her shoulders, where it rested against the red sweater. Most of her arms were on display below the short sleeves. The skirt rested against her calf, but a split up the side diminished the appearance of modesty. The outfit’s purpose was to draw attention and keep it.

  He tore his eyes from her when he heard Lisa’s ragged breath. He focused on her, barely seeing the little black dress she wore. Even its sparkly sequins couldn’t hold his attention. From the corner of his eye, he focused on Caris, who had taken Elena’s arm to help her into the kitchen.

  “Dom,” Lisa said in a strident tone, holding out her arm.

  His eyes caught hers, and he forced a smile as he took her arm. They followed behind Caris and his mother, and he couldn’t keep his eyes from her rounded backside, hugged by the tight red skirt. He swallowed down a moan when they entered the dining room, and she crouched lower to help Elena into a chair.

  Dom almost shoved Lisa into a chair and pushed too hard on it, sending her into the table.

  She yelped in protest and rubbed her elbow. “Do be more careful.”

  “Sorry.” He rushed into the kitchen, desperate to escape Caris and the thoughts she inspired. It wasn’t right to have these feelings for her when he was still with Lisa. It would be stupid to get involved with the only nanny Jessica had ever responded to favorably. What would happen to the baby if things didn’t work out between them?

  “Do you need help with anything?”

  He turned to find Caris leaning against the counter. The neckline of the sweater was high, but it didn’t matter, because the woolen material clung to her breasts. The outline of her bra was plainly visible through the material, and he had a mental image of himself pulling it off and gazing at her unrestrained glory. He blinked as sweat trailed into his eyes. “Uh, no. I think I have everything under control.”

  She gave him a smile and shrugged. “If you say so.”

  He bit his knuckle as she walked away. His eyes insisted on following the gentle sway of her hips until she had disappeared from sight. Then he focused on controlling his body’s reaction to her as he removed the salad bowl from the fridge and added it to the tray holding the pasta and bread. Several minutes later, he had regained enough control enough to reenter the dining room, where he endured a mostly silent meal and found himself unable to contribute much conversationally
for fear of blurting out idiotic compliments to Caris and enraging Lisa.

  As soon as it was polite after dinner, Dom had escaped to his room. There had been a smoldering tenseness in the atmosphere of the dining room that he didn’t think he was imagining. Lisa had been more attentive than usual, going so far as to grope him during dinner. She had pouted at him and blinked her lashes each time their eyes met.

  Caris hadn’t been any better. He knew it simply couldn’t be, but it had felt like she was flirting with him. Hadn’t she deliberately touched him several times throughout the meal? What about when they both reached for the salad tongs at the same time? What had happened during those few moments when neither seemed willing to relinquish their hold? Only his mother’s request for salad had forced his hand away. Had he imagined the looks she shot him, or the way she had repeatedly run her hands through her hair?

  Regardless if it had all been in his head, he was in quite a state by the time he pulled off his clothes and tried to curl up with the latest Cornwell. His eyes kept straying from the words, and his thoughts led him down the hall to Caris’s room. As the house quieted, his mind led him through her bedtime preparations. He sighed as he imagined her stripping off the sweater slowly, before easing the skirt down her legs. The bra would come next, and her breasts would spring free. They would be eager for his touch. His hands would push the scrap of silk down her legs to reveal—he jumped at the timid knock on his door.

  Dom glanced at the bedside clock, surprised to see it was already after eleven. He should have been asleep by now, instead of lost in his fantasies of Caris.

  The knock sounded again, this time more urgently. He slid from the bed and padded to the door. His heart raced as he twisted the knob, hoping she would be on the other side. He sighed when he saw Lisa standing before him in a skimpy silk gown the shade of champagne. “Yes?”

  Her lower lip protruded. “I’m lonely.”

  Dom lifted a brow. “It’s only one night.”

  Lisa tilted her head. “I can’t sleep.”

  “There are lots of books in the library.”

  Her brow wrinkled. “Don’t be mean, Dom. I need you.”