“This woman lied to you, too, from the first moment you met her. Didn’t she?”
A strange look settled into Dominic’s eyes. Then he nodded. “I suppose she did.” He didn’t look at Bradley, only at her.
She wanted to speak, wanted to explain again.
But it was true. She had lied.
He had lied, too.
Bradley’s voice held triumph. “She lied again when you confronted her, telling you that ridiculous fairytale about the Easter egg.”
“Did she?” One dark brow lifted, a spike of anger in his voice.
For a moment, Lexie dared to hope. She drew in a breath to plead her case, to beg him to believe her and not Bradley, to say whatever it took to make those beloved features look at her with warmth again. With laughter and hope and longing and—
Love.
She almost groaned as the word rattled around in her brain. He was exactly the type of man she’d avoided at all costs. How had it happened? How had she fallen for this man whose world was too big for her, who was still too much a mystery?
But she knew. She’d fallen for the lonely wolf who needed the warmth she offered, the man who put everyone else’s needs ahead of his own. The man who obviously had been betrayed before and could be forgiven for not trusting now.
“Of course she did. I told you the Easter egg doesn’t exist. It was a ruse, a way to shift suspicion away from herself, to disguise her true purpose.”
No—Lexie wanted to shout. I didn’t. He’s lying, she wanted to say.
But she would not beg, would not defend herself. The only hope for her and Dominic lay in him stepping outside his suspicion. If he could not feel, somewhere deep inside him, the truth of who she really was, then nothing else mattered.
“Is Bradley right, Lexie? Are you a sham? Is the woman I saw so briefly a mirage? Which one of you is the real Lexie?”
She jerked her arm from Bradley’s grasp. “You know the truth, Dominic. Deep inside, you know—if you want to listen.”
The moment zinged with tension. She felt Bradley’s glare, but she only had eyes for the man before her, the man searching her face to divine her inner truth.
Then doubt rode his features, plain as day, and Lexie’s hopes evaporated.
Dominic studied the green eyes he wanted so badly to believe, but doubts clamored—jeering, taunting him with the bitter dregs of memory. Bradley had been his best friend for years, his trusted right arm. He’d known this woman a matter of days.
He owed so much to so many. The weight of his responsibilities demanded caution, logic, the solid ground of proof.
But deep inside him, the man named Nikos remembered laughter and ecstasy and lightness of heart. Remembered hope and joy and the tantalizing promise of a life outside the bonds that constrained him.
He’d been wrong before—dangerously wrong. The longings of his heart whispered sweet nothings, tempting him away from what he knew was his duty while his reason demanded that he surrender to longing at his peril.
Lexie watched the battle raging, her hopes sinking with every moment.
Dominic’s ebony eyes held hers in thrall, almost as if he were begging her to tip the balance, to give him the certainty he could not find within himself.
She couldn’t do that. Wouldn’t. Lexie fought the press of tears and glanced away to stop the agony of what was coming.
Then he drew in a breath and her own stilled. “Why did you lie about the Easter egg, Bradley?”
Lexie blinked in shock.
Bradley stiffened beside her. “What lies has she told you? I’m your best friend, Dominic. We’ve been through it all. Are you going to believe me—” His lip curled, and his glare should have withered her. “Or a liar like her?”
Lexie glanced quickly at Dominic, surprised to see a flicker of something warm in his gaze.
Quickly he shifted his gaze to Bradley, and his voice hardened. “You said you would take care of it, you would search every line of code to be certain that her claim could not be true. Instead, you told me what you wanted me to believe.”
“The Easter egg isn’t there.” Agitation sparked in Bradley’s frame, his voice sharp with an edge of hurt, of insult he would not easily forgive. “You are seriously going to believe her over me? Have you forgotten how long we’ve been friends, what we’ve meant to each other? She’s poisoned your mind, Dominic. You know you can trust me.”
It pained Dominic more than he would ever admit, having to press the issue. But the discrepancies were too glaring, the stakes too high. “I have already seen the truth. The man who wrote the code unveiled the Easter egg on my master of the game just a few moments ago.” And the knowledge that his old friend had lied was a wound Dominic would not shrug off easily. “Why, Bradley? What is your stake in this?”
With a feral growl, Bradley jerking Lexie to him, one arm around her throat, his other hand lifted in a posture Dominic couldn’t fail to recognize from the many classes they’d attended, the many mock battles they’d staged, working out together. He could snap her neck in seconds—
And he looked suddenly desperate enough to do it.
Lexie choked, struggling against Bradley’s hold.
“Tell her to stop moving, Dominic. You know what I can do. I promise you I will.”
Dominic forced his attention away from Bradley’s hands and focused on Lexie. “Be still, sweetheart. The hold he has on you is deadly. He could snap your neck between one breath and another.” Dominic fought the talons of fear clawing their way up his throat, forced himself to keep his voice steady. “Just be very still. I’m certain Bradley will listen to reason.” Though he knew nothing of the sort.
He turned to the friend he barely recognized, fury twisting Bradley’s once-handsome face into a misshapen mask. “Let her go. She’s done nothing to you.”
Bradley’s sharp laughter mocked him. “Of course she has—she’s spoiled everything.” His eyes had a far-off look Dominic had never seen before. “I had it all in hand. I was this close, then she turned your head and upset the balance. At first she seemed a wonderful twist I could use to keep you in the dark. I’d figured a way to turn her meddling to my advantage.”
He tightened his grip on her throat, and Dominic watched fear leap into Lexie’s eyes as she desperately tried to force his arm away. He took a step forward.
“Stop—” Bradley shouted. “Stop or I’ll get a better revenge. I’ll take away something you care about even more than your precious company—” His eyes glittered, and Dominic began to wonder if his friend was completely sane.
One wrong move…
He had to stay calm, despite his savage urge to charge, to tear Bradley limb from limb. Ruthlessly he clamped down on the violence simmering inside him. “Ease up on her, Bradley. It’s me you hate, not her.”
Bradley laughed, the pitch higher than normal. When he laughed, his grip eased.
Dominic watched with relief as Lexie’s breathing steadied. The flush drained from her face; her skin went paper-white, her eyes huge with terror. He wished he could reassure her that he would make sure she was safe, but he didn’t dare take his attention away from the man who presented a very real danger to her.
“I do hate you, you know.” An odd peace slid over Bradley’s face. “I didn’t want to. It bothered me, at first—because I had loved you like a brother for so many years.”
He had to keep Bradley talking. Surely someone would notice their absence. Perhaps Max would come looking. But Dominic counted on nothing except his own vigilance for Bradley’s slightest mistake.
“What changed?” He couldn’t quite keep the pain from his voice. “You were my brother and my best friend, the person I trusted most in the world.”
“You don’t have a very good track record with trust, do you, my friend? It’s a flaw in your character that you want so badly to trust, yet experience should have taught you by now that it’s a luxury you should not indulge.”
“But we built Poseidon together. We
went through so many rough times. We were partners, Bradley—partners and friends.”
Bitterness echoed in Bradley’s voice. “Oh, how you deceive yourself when it suits you.” His face became a mask of hate. “We haven’t been partners in a very long time. Everything is always about Dominic, St. Dominic, Mr. High-and-Mighty.”
“You’ve been an important part of building this company.”
Bradley snorted. “Ah yes… your trusted lieutenant, your indispensable right arm. I’m sick of standing in your shadow, Dominic. I want to stand in the sun for a change.”
“I’ll buy your stock from you at a more than fair price. You’ll have the cash to start your own company.”
Lexie could feel the tremors of fury rock Bradley’s frame. His arm tightened on her throat again, and frantically she tried to slip her fingers beneath his arm to keep him from choking her again.
Dominic glanced at her, his gaze pleading. For what? What did he want?
Be still, he’d said. It went against every ounce of instinct, but she forced herself to master the powerful urge to fight her way out of the hold.
She could see the tension beneath Dominic’s outward calm. One hand curled into a fist, then flexed, the motion repeating.
Grip. Relax. Grip. Relax.
Bradley’s laughter held only a sneer now. “But I don’t want a new company, old friend. I want Poseidon.”
Lexie saw disbelief slide over Dominic’s face.
“What?”
“I almost had it, too.” He laughed again, sharp and edgy. “You bought into the whole Kassaros scenario, hook line and sinker. Your old enemy has been a great convenience to me.”
Lexie felt his arm tighten, but this time she forced herself not to tense in reaction.
Bradley continued. “I had it carefully worked out. I had to be flexible, of course. Ariana’s appearance saved me the effort of having a proxy seek her out. A little wining and dining…your sister is quite delectable, Dominic. Fragile and so easily charmed by tender care—until Ms. Grayson supplanted my position as confidante.”
He leaned closer, whispering loudly in Lexie’s ear. “I really did not appreciate your very inconvenient timing. You complicated things far too much. With the new graphics in place and clever little pointers toward Dominic, I only needed a little more time to cement my position before the launch, before he would be revealed as a thief and lose everything—then you spoiled all my careful plans.”
She felt his other hand come up, rest against her head. A shiver ran down her backbone. She could see fear in Dominic’s eyes, the knowledge that danger was only a breath away.
Grip. Relax. Grip. Relax. Relax. Re—
Suddenly, Lexie got it. His advice at the picnic—
Do the unexpected. If your opponent expects resistance, do the opposite. Give way. Melt, do not force.
Dominic’s voice sounded so casual. “How did you steal the code and integrate it without anyone suspecting?”
Bradley relaxed, boasting. “Easier than you might like to think. Some of the design crew heard rumors in a chat room and mentioned it to me on one of my frequent visits to them. Lancaster was foolish enough to have shown his code to an old friend in need of money I was only too glad to provide. Lancaster should never have breathed a word about his code—he knows better, but an impulsive moment of rejoicing cost him. And you only care about preserving your legacy. You were only too happy to capitalize on a new innovation.”
Lexie stared at Dominic, who caught her look. She mimicked his hand motion, and he nodded so faintly she might have imagined it.
“The code he shared was not quite perfected, but naïve little Josh took on the challenge I—”
She seized the advantage of Bradley’s inattention and let her muscles go lax, sinking as dead weight—
Dominic charged, ramming Bradley’s shoulder, shoving Lexie away from danger.
She hit the ground and the breath whooshed out of her lungs. Gasping for air, she scrambled to her feet, looking frantically for something to help Dominic—
But rage turned him into a man she’d never seen, a creature of immense power, of savage intent. Bradley fought back with desperation, his eyes gone feral, his lips drawn back from his teeth as though he’d gladly tear Dominic’s flesh from his body. The bruises on her throat reminded her that Bradley was prepared to go all the way, that he had nothing to lose now.
She thought she heard voices, heard the sound of footsteps, but she couldn’t take her eyes off the struggle, wishing she could help.
Savage blows rained down; Bradley whirled, striking Dominic from behind. Dominic staggered, shook his head. Someone screamed, and Lexie realized it was her.
Bradley moved in, his voice shouting triumph as his hand sliced toward the tender place on Dominic’s throat—
A killing blow. She watched with horror, Bradley’s murderous intent plain on his face. Lexie knew a moment of fear so intense she couldn’t breathe.
At the last possible moment, Dominic gave way, just as he’d instructed her. Do the unexpected.
Bradley’s balance faltered. Quickly, he scrambled to recover but he’d been too committed; now he was vulnerable. Dominic came at him with cold, deadly resolve, dropping him to the ground, arm raised back to strike, his face brutal as any warrior of ancient times caught in a fight to the death—
“Dominic—” she called softly, afraid to upset the balance but knowing he’d never be able to live with himself if he—
Then she saw the subtle shift in him, saw the knowledge of defeat in Bradley’s face. Dominic rose, using one foot to shove Bradley to his back, his disdain and disgust complete.
She waited for Bradley to come at him again, but instead, Bradley closed his eyes, threw one arm over his face.
Dominic stood over him, his expression shifting from rage to pity to pain. “You were my friend,” he murmured. “I trusted you completely.”
She thought she’d never seen anything more sad in her life than the anguish that passed over Dominic’s face. She crossed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Dominic looked down at her for a moment, his eyes naked and vulnerable. Lost.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.
A spasm passed over his features and his jaw went tight. “Do not pity me.”
She lifted to her tiptoes, pressed her hand to his cheek as her lips neared his. “It’s not pity, Nikos. I love you.”
Midnight eyes scanned hers for truth. His arms tightened fiercely around her, his head lowering to take hers in a hot, needy kiss—
Suddenly, the chamber filled with people and shouts.
“Lexie—” she heard Max shout.
“Mr. Santorini—”
“Nikos—” Ariana cried out.
They were swept up in the chaos. The policemen hired for security took Bradley into custody. Reporters there to cover the launch clamored for Dominic’s attention. Shocked employees clustered around him, trying to understand what had happened, what it meant to Poseidon.
Dominic was swallowed up in the needs of all those people who had prior claim on him. Lexie stayed behind, watching from a distance, every passing moment making her more aware of the chasm between them.
It was over. Dominic was innocent, just as she’d wanted so badly to believe. He’d only had a moment to ask Max to give him a chance to discuss compensation for the theft and ask for silence until they’d spoken. Max had agreed, and Dominic was very busy at the moment making sure that Bradley’s actions were explained in a way that would minimize the damage to Poseidon’s reputation.
He’d asked her to wait for him but watching him, she’d never been more painfully aware of his stature in the world, his fame and visibility, his importance to so many people.
He was every inch Dominic Santorini, tycoon of the gaming world. Not one tiny glimpse of her devilish, breath-stealing Nikos showed from behind the reserved and serious man who stood in the spotlight of cameras and microphones only y
ards away.
And she was only Lexie Grayson, the skinny orphan who lived in a geodesic dome and drove a pickup. They were not suited. The heat, the hunger of that kiss, that embrace…it was only the moment, the brush with danger.
She would never fit in his world, even if he wanted it. Better to walk away now, before she bled to death from a stubborn heart that insisted on wishing for things that would never work.
She slipped away, resolving to call him later and thank him. That he’d believed her and not Bradley touched her deeply. She wanted to make sure he knew that what they’d had together was something she’d never forget, even as she would reassure him that she didn’t expect more.
Perhaps they could be friends, though. She’d like that—
Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her arm, whirled her around—
“You said you would wait.”
“Dominic, I—” Her heart sped up as ebony eyes bored into her. She glanced back toward where they’d been. “You’re very busy. People need you. We can talk later—”
Dominic swore darkly, out of breath as he had not been while battling Bradley. Out of breath because he’d looked up and seen her slipping away—and known somehow that she would not be back. His voice turned harsh. “Forget what they need. What about you? What about me?”
She frowned. “What?”
He clasped her shoulders to keep her there. “You can say you love me and just walk away?”
Those green eyes shifted, glanced down. “Forget I said it. It was the heat of the moment.”
His heart stuttered. “You do not mean that.” His hands tightened.
Her lashes swept up, and anguish filled her gaze. “How can you tell what to believe? I did lie to you, Dominic. I spied on you. I withheld secrets you needed to know—” Suddenly her voice cracked. “Bradley could have killed you—” Tears spilled over her lashes.
Dominic goggled. “Me? Lexie, he was within a breath of snapping your neck—to get back at me. I was not the one in danger.” Until the day he died, that image would haunt him—her pale skin, her huge eyes, her slender throat beneath the hands of a man who would end her life without remorse. “I died more with every moment, watching him, knowing how easily—” He crushed her into his arms.
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