She watched him undo the button and zipper, saw him sink his hands into her practical white panties. The sensation of watching and feeling his fingers touching her sent a bolt of heat through her belly. Then he bent to pull off the rest of her clothes. Was it her imagination or did he linger over the socks? His fingers pulled them off. First one, then the other. His hand settled on her calf and even that simple touch made her shudder.
She could hear the rustle of material behind her and knew that he was taking off his clothes. Instinct demanded that she turn and help him. That she entice him with small touches and kisses like he’d done as he undressed her, but instead she stood frozen staring at the bed. Soon he’d be inside her and it would probably change her life.
A hand gently grazed her ass as he stepped around her. He sat on the bed and moved to the center of it, stretching himself out. The moon, high on a clear night, provided more than enough illumination for her to see. He seemed bigger to her without his clothes. More substantial. His sex thrust up high and thick from a dark nest of hair between his legs. His thighs were slightly separated, urging her, it seemed, to step between them.
“Caroline.” Dominic reached out his hand to her.
Crawling-there was no other word for it-onto the bed and up his body, she settled her bottom gingerly on his belly, her arms pinned on either side of his head. His hands came up to play with her breasts again, his finger and thumb tugging on her nipple until her neck arched, then her back.
“Do we have a condom?” Her words were muffled as one of his hands circled her body. A finger traced her spine, ran over her bottom, then up her stomach until he once again palmed her breast.
“You can trust me. I’m safe.”
She shook her head, as if to say that wasn’t what she meant. But he was pulling her head down toward him, his tongue playing with her lips until it pushed deep into her mouth.
“This is your decision,” he muttered. He teased the corner of her lips making her want more than ever the deep impact of his kiss.
“Mine,” she conceded. Her choice. Her life. Her decision.
Her future.
She found herself shifting backward, twisting her hips until she felt the broad head of his erection butting up against her curls. She could feel how wet she was, knew he could feel it, too, and wasn’t sure if she should be embarrassed by how quickly he’d brought her to this state.
“You have to help me,” she said even as she reached down to bring him closer. She forgot how thrilling it was to hold a man’s sex in her hand. To feel it pulse. Soft skin over resolute hardness. It beckoned her to take more. His hand was on her hip, guiding her and she could feel him sinking into her one hard inch at a time. Her body resisted at first, but his insistence and her slickness were no match for any defense she might muster.
Joining. Mating. The words were weak in comparison to how it felt to take him inside.
Instinctively she moved on him as he thrust up slightly. His knuckle found its way between her legs, teasing that perfect spot that made her see light even though her eyes were closed.
“More,” he muttered. “Take more.”
Opening her eyes, she wasn’t sure what he meant. It felt as if she were already speared on him. But his eyes were closed and his jaw was tight. The muscles in his neck were corded as if he were in pain. It wasn’t what she wanted for him. Her hands rested on his smooth chest and she used them for leverage as she sat up and indeed felt him slide deeper. Then that persistent finger between her legs, so intent on pulling on her, stroking her, catapulted her into a climax before she knew she was that close.
When the last tug of her muscles had subsided, he rolled her onto her back with gentle persistence. His face above hers, his mouth only a breath away. In the dark, the harsh lines of his cheeks and chin should have been frightening, but they weren’t.
“Tell me if this is too much,” he muttered in her ear, as his body lowered completely over hers. She felt him push into her and knew that she’d barely taken half of his erection. For a moment she wanted to protest. Her nails dug into his shoulders as her body was stretched and filled beyond what she thought she could take. She felt him stop and instinctively knew what it cost him. Focusing on relaxing, she tilted her hips toward him, encouraging him.
“It’s okay,” she muttered. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” he growled.
She could feel him pulling back. In retaliation she wrapped her legs around his hips. The action sent him deeper and this time beyond the pain she knew a fulfillment she’d never dreamed was possible.
“You’re not hurting me.” At least not enough to make her give up the pleasure of it.
His head dipped and he took her lips even as his body began to move more urgently. Each penetration was so deep. Before she could think about how one thrust felt there was another and another. It was too much. Too much heat. Too much power. Too much intensity. But she wouldn’t have stopped him for the world. It was like being in the center of a storm. There was danger. A sense of fear. But also the thrill of watching it happen, of feeling it explode around her. She embraced it, all of it and relished in her triumph over the coward because for now it was gone.
For the second time she came and wondered if she might faint from the incredible rush.
Hanging on to her senses, she felt his body surge. She heard his muttered growl against her neck and felt the wet hot seed from his body pumping inside her. Caroline didn’t realize you could feel that. Didn’t know it was possible.
Slowly he eased away from her, rolling onto his back. She could still feel him between her legs and imagined she would continue to do so for hours. There was something entirely erotic about that. She rubbed her legs together and felt the wetness there.
Harsh short breaths from both of them broke the silence until she couldn’t not say something.
“I can’t believe we didn’t use anything,” she panted.
He said nothing.
She didn’t turn toward him, didn’t feel that she could. The intimacy they had just shared was suddenly gone. He wasn’t touching her. Wasn’t stroking her. She felt tears well up in her eyes and willed them away. This had been good. Amazing. Maybe he was nervous about the step they had just taken. Maybe he was as afraid as she was.
“You said you wanted to be a father, but I didn’t realize you wanted it that quickly.”
The bed shifted as he adjusted his weight toward her, but he still didn’t touch her.
“I said I wanted a child. I have a legacy to offer. Something I’ve built. I want to give that to my child. What kind of father I will be, I don’t know. I want to be honest with you, Caroline.”
“You have been so far. I think.”
She turned her head and saw even through the darkness the stark white of his eyes. His hand reached out and settled on her stomach. A slow warmth built there and radiated throughout her limbs.
Finally. A touch.
“I don’t imagine that I would make a decent parent. Or husband, for that matter. My work, it is who I am, not just what I do. But I will provide for you. I will never let anyone hurt you or our baby. I will be as much a part of your lives as I can. That has to be enough.” He seemed to catch himself. “Is that enough?”
Was it enough?
Caroline glanced down at the hand that rested protectively against an unlikely conception. She easily could get up now, dress and leave. He’d given her a snapshot of her future, their marriage. An absent husband and father. She had no real ties to him. There were other men that the service she’d hired could set her up with. Another man might be more open to having a real family rather than simply inviting a woman and a child to come live in his house. If she’d found the courage to do this once, maybe she could do it again.
But that man wouldn’t be Dominic. That was the true trap. Not some wisp of an idea that their relationship might result in a child.
“What happens if you fall desperately in love with me?”
She smiled as she cupped his very stern face in her hand. She felt a muscle twitch under her palm and soothed it.
“Marry me, Caroline. Please.”
Talk about a leap of faith. She might as well have been standing outside on the cliffs. She could turn back and take the safe path home, something she’d been doing all of her life. Or she could jump. She waited for the fear to creep up on her. Was ready to do battle with it. But there was nothing. Nothing but a sense of certainty.
“All right.”
He thought she might have fallen asleep but it was hard to tell. The sex and the overwhelming release of his orgasm should have been enough to put him in a coma for the next few days, let alone hours. Instead he was staring at the ceiling.
A soft purr emanated from the space beside him.
Yes, she was definitely out. Dominic envied her sleep and wondered why he couldn’t follow. Surely, he’d gotten the better of the deal tonight. He wanted sex. He wanted a conclusion. He wanted a child.
He received one, was promised the other and had the hope of the last.
His eyes were wide open.
Was it because of the feelings she’d invoked? Taking her, he’d gone beyond desire or need. Yes, there was the symmetry of motion that made for good sex. It was easy to label it chemistry. He’d had good sex before. He knew what it felt like. This was good and different. Memorable, but also unnerving.
That was okay. They liked one another. Lusted after each other. That would help make their marriage stick.
He didn’t think that was keeping him awake.
It could be he had some antiquated notion that good sex automatically equaled a baby and as ready as he said he was for that, he wasn’t.
He only wished he could make himself believe that.
There was no point in lying to himself. He was wide awake, listening to his fiancée-his fiancée-breathe because he knew that despite his declarations he hadn’t told her the whole truth.
He should have told her who he really was. What he really was.
He should have let her know before she agreed to marry him that he could be dangerous.
Now it was too late. She was his.
Chapter 4
“Surprise!”
Caroline jerked back as a tall, svelte woman came bolting out of what was now her house and wrapped her in a ridiculously strong embrace.
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe it. You are Dominic’s wife. Of course he didn’t tell me. Didn’t give me any time to plan. If he hadn’t mentioned to Steven why he was actually going to Vegas this weekend, we might not have known about you until you showed up at the office Christmas party. So typical of Dominic.”
It took some effort, but Caroline was finally able to push her off. The woman stood over her by at least four inches and only two of those were because of her slim heels. Behind the affectionate stranger, Caroline could see a throng of people waiting for them inside the living room.
Oh, my.
A hand on her back nudged her inside and Dominic followed, dropping their bags in the foyer.
“Can you guess what this is? It’s a surprise wedding reception! Tell me I surprised you, Dominic. Tell me.” She moved around Caroline and leaned in to peck his cheek.
“I’m surprised,” he said.
Caroline sized up the brunette elegantly dressed in white slacks and a black silk sleeveless top. Money. She wore it well. It was in the cut of her clothes, in the silver designer watch that dangled from her wrist, and the two-carat stud earrings that sparkled in her lobes. She watched as the woman slid her hands up Dominic’s cotton-covered chest in an effort to balance herself while she leaned in to kiss him.
Instantly Caroline didn’t like her.
Then she shook her head. Wow, she thought. Jealous this quickly. They’d only been married two days.
The brunette turned back and offered a dazzling-and Caroline tried to believe sincere-smile. “You must be Caroline. I can’t tell you how excited I am to meet you. I’m sorry. This must be a shock for you. But I couldn’t resist. When Steven told me Dominic was getting married, I couldn’t believe it. I had to do something, so I just threw this little party together at the last minute. This way you can meet all of Dominic’s associates and friends. Although with Dominic, that’s usually one and the same.”
“And you are?”
“I’m Anne. Surely, he mentioned me. I know he’s tight-lipped, but come on, Dominic.” Anne turned to Dominic with a chastising pout. “Really, besides Denny and Steven, I’m practically your best friend. And you didn’t mention me to your wife?”
Dominic stood awkwardly in the foyer. He glanced toward Caroline, but didn’t quite meet her eyes. Before she could wonder about that, Anne linked her arm and pulled her forward. “Come along. I’ll introduce you to everyone. And then you can tell me all about how Dominic swept you off your feet.”
Caroline followed the woman’s lead, recognizing that despite the fact that she wasn’t in the mood for a party after their tumultuous trip, she did want to meet the people in Dominic’s life.
Servers worked the party dressed in formal black-and-white attire offering trays of food and flutes of champagne. The house had been decorated with masses of white flowers-roses, daises, even tulips. Elegant and not over the top. A quartet played on the lower level of the house. Sixty or so guests seemed well fed and entertained. All things considered, it was a very nice party.
Anne pulled Caroline toward a small group gathered by the window. One of the men was tall, lean and handsome with a deep tan and a pretty face. To his right was an older gentleman that Anne introduced first.
“This is my father, Russell Long. Daddy, this is Dominic’s wife.” Anne disengaged herself from Caroline’s arm and headed off to mingle.
“It’s a pleasure, my dear.” The older man had the build of someone much younger than his full head of white hair suggested. Hair highlighted by a healthy complexion earned from either the sun or a booth. It was hard to tell. His eyes were fixed on hers and Caroline had the strangest sensation of being evaluated.
“Nice to meet you,” she mumbled.
“Steven Ford,” the younger man with the California looks announced. “Husband of Dominic’s best friend and son-in-law to Russell here. Sorry to spring this on you, but once Anne has an idea in her head she’s hard to stop.”
“No, that’s fine. I’m happy to meet all of you.”
“It must have been a whirlwind trip.”
“Yes, it was.”
That and the most emotionally wrenching experience of her life. The two weeks leading up to the ceremony had been chaos. Dominic had flown with her back to Virginia to help her pack up her clothes and her most precious possessions. Her life. She’d been uncertain, emotional and tense. If it hadn’t been for his bulldozer approach to each task, she might have changed her mind a thousand different times.
Instead he laid drop sheets on her furniture and promised her that once she was settled they could arrange another trip back to pick out the pieces she wanted shipped to California. He hadn’t suggested she sell the house. An idea which she would have rejected as she’d inherited it from her aunt. It was the only connection to her family she had left.
But wasn’t that the goal? She needed to break the connection to her past and embrace her future.
With Dominic. Her husband.
In the midst of all that, she’d learned she wasn’t pregnant. Not that she wanted it or expected it to happen so quickly, but inexplicably she felt disappointed.
“And so this is everyone he works with?”
“Most of us, yeah,” Steven answered. “There’s a bunch of programmers. Plus some account reps, salespeople and support staff. And Denny, of course. Denny, come over here and try to be sociable.”
Caroline spotted the man Steven was waving over. He wasn’t hard to miss. Separated from the rest of the room, he stood alone with a beer dangling between his fingers. His gaze lingered on something or someone behind Caroline, but before s
he could turn her head to see what it was, he moved and was walking toward them.
Different from the rest of the men who wore slacks and sport coats, he was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt that had seen better days. His sandy brown hair was unkempt and overlong, as was his five o’clock shadow. As he moved closer, she could see that his eyes were almost bright red. Caroline hoped with fatigue and not drugs. There was no polite way to say it. The man was a mess.
“Hey,” he nodded. “I’m Denny.”
She held out her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah.”
She wanted to say that Dominic had told her so much about him, but the truth was she only knew that he was a programmer. An excellent one.
“So you’ve got to tell me how all this happened.” Steven nudged her. “Dominic literally walks into my office on Friday, says he won’t be working this weekend because he’s off to Vegas to get hitched and leaves. Please tell me you guys haven’t been dating for years and I’ve been that oblivious.”
Caroline smiled and found herself instantly liking this man. He had an easy way about him that was in direct contrast to his wife’s intensity. “No, we haven’t been dating long.” She wondered what else to say, wondered how much Dominic wanted to reveal or conceal about their relationship. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed about using the agency, but the speed in which it all came about might raise a few eyebrows.
“I met her in Washington.”
Dominic came up behind Caroline and handed her a glass of wine. She took it gratefully.
“Yes,” she added. “A mutual friend set us up. And there was a connection at first sight.”
“Oh, isn’t that romantic!” Anne who had been circling, joined the group and beamed at the two of them. “And this was when?”
“Two months ago,” Caroline answered her, counting the time from when he first contacted her rather than when they actually met.
“And Dominic never said a word,” Anne repeated still evidently shocked by the news.
“He’s entitled to a private life,” Russell told his daughter.
Suspect Lover Page 3