by Debra Kayn
She opened the door.
Gary rushed her. She barely had time to prepare herself for one of his bear hugs when Dominic dove in front of her, plowing into Gary. Both men fell against the wall.
“Watch your hands,” Dominic growled, pushing Gary as he stepped away. “She’s a lady. You’ll hurt her if you hug like you tackle out on the field.”
“Tackle?” Gary laughed. “It’s called a hug, man. Try it sometime, spread the love.”
“We don’t need any love spreading going on around here either. Just back off and keep your hands to yourself,” Dominic muttered.
Gary raised his brows and glanced between her and Dominic. “Ah … so that’s how it is, huh?”
“That is not how it is.” She shot Dominic a scowl, and slapped his arm with the back of her hand before moving over to Gary and slipping her arm around his elbow. “Ignore him. He’s cranky and needs to eat. You can come in and join us for breakfast. Tell me what you’re doing here. Have you talked to Shauna and Grayson?”
“I came to see you, sexy.” Gary threw his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side.
“Bullshit,” Dominic mumbled behind them.
Gary laughed. “What’s with the big Russian?”
Good question. Dominic’s mood shifted drastically after Gary arrived. She glanced over her shoulder and caught Dominic’s eye. His gaze heated and his lips thinned. He had no reason to be upset with her.
She forced herself to turn around and go dish up the extra omelet she’d made in case Dominic wanted an extra helping. She returned to the table and instead of sitting down in the closest chair next to Gary, she sat at the end between the two men.
The heat of Dominic’s gaze warmed her cheeks. She glanced over at him, ready to cut him down with a sarcastic remark if he said anything about her choice of where she sat. Instead, he picked up his fork and started eating.
The moan of appreciation over his first bite of her cooking left her happy. One thing she knew how to do well was cook from scratch. She couldn’t wait to feed the visitors to her bed and breakfast after she purchased the Ferriday House.
Chapter Six
Dominic was going to kick Gary’s ass. Then he’d ban him from ever coming over to the condominium again. When Gary had called and asked if he could stay for a few hours during a layover on his way to Florida, Dominic had forgotten that Diana and his best friend had formed a friendship back in Cottage Grove during the fundraiser.
Hell, they might as well get a room for how much they were touching each other. He glared at Gary. Why did he have to put his hand on her arm every time he opened his mouth?
“That was the best breakfast I’ve had in a long time, Diana. Thank you.” Gary pushed his empty plate forward and leaned back in his chair, an expression of satisfaction all over his face.
“You’re welcome.” She stood and took all three of their dishes into the kitchen.
Dominic waited until she ran the faucet, and then leaned over the table. “You have to leave.”
“I’ve still got — he glanced at his watch — an hour and forty minutes before I have to head back to the airport.”
“Buy a drink in the lounge and wait like a normal person,” he said.
Gary laughed, and then lowered his voice. “Wait? I thought this was a business deal you worked out with Diana. Are you telling me she’s here because you two have hooked up?”
“Keep it down,” he said. “Not yet, but you’re making me look like shit.”
Gary latched his fingers behind his head and flexed his biceps. “I do that without trying, bro.”
Dominic spotted Diana coming back to the table and shut his mouth. She hugged Gary and told him goodbye.
“You’re not going to keep me company?” Gary stood.
She shook her head. “We got in late last night and I need to go put away my clothes before Dom fires me for messing up one of his bedrooms. I’ll leave you two to talk.”
“When you go back home, tell Shauna she better be taking care of my man Grayson.” Gary winked.
“Is there any doubt she loves him to an unhealthy obsession?” She laughed before walking out of the room.
Right now, Dominic wished some of Shauna’s deep belief in Grayson rubbed off on Diana. He could use the help to convince her to give him a chance.
“Listen, man.” Gary planted his hands on the table and leaned over. “You’ve gotta romance her. You’re all stiff and serious. Women need pretty words — ”
“I tried that. She thinks I called her fat.”
Gary’s brows rose. “Jesus … I don’t see how you’ve stayed alive this long.”
“What do I do?”
“Find something you both enjoy. Keep her mind on something else, besides you.” He lowered his voice. “I remember watching her dance with her friends back in Cottage Grove. She’s seriously hot, bro. Take her dancing.”
“I suck at dancing.”
“Have her teach you. You’re so used to women throwing themselves at you, not even lifting a finger, you’ve got to step it up. Diana isn’t one of your admirers, but she is a woman … a damn hot one. Treat her special.” Gary straightened. “Now, I’m gonna take your advice and get out of here. Give you two some space. Nipple up, man. Don’t disappoint the male race.”
He saw Gary out, and returned to the living room. If he asked her to go out clubbing, she’d tell him no. He flopped down on the couch. What he needed to do was find a way she’d agree to go out with him that’d leave her with no excuse to turn him down.
Taking her out in public meant he’d put himself in harm’s way of the women without his security team. He ran his hands over his face in frustration. It wasn’t the first time he wished he could lead a normal life.
Diana walked into the room. “Hey. Did Gary leave?”
“Yeah.” He put his feet on the floor and sat straighter.
“Oh.” She sat across from him in the chair. “It was nice to see him again. It’s weird, but I was just thinking that if Shauna hadn’t moved back to Cottage Grove to go after Grayson, I never would’ve met Gary … or you. It’s weird how things work out, don’t you think?”
“I guess.” He studied her, but when she shrugged and crossed her legs without another word, he let her fascination with his friend go. “I think we need to expose our relationship.”
“Our relationship?”
“Yes, it’s all about you pretending to be my girlfriend.” He nodded. “Because I play for the Sharks, everywhere I go they usually write a column in the paper about where I went, who I was seen with, and then they predict if I’ve become attached.”
“Gossip,” she murmured.
“Yes.”
“You want me to do more than go to your practices?”
“I think we should go out on a date.” He held up his hand when she opened her mouth. “A pretend date. That way Nomora and the women will see what I’m doing in my private life.”
She sighed. “If we must.”
“We do.” He stood and crossed his arms across his chest. He liked the new dominating orders he was giving her. “I think we should go to a nightclub, have a few drinks, and maybe dance during a couple of songs. We’ll let people take pictures of us together. We’ll do that tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll go out somewhere else. Maybe to dinner. Being seen with you two nights in a row will have people speculating on our relationship.”
“Bed shopping.” She pursed her lips.
He grinned, practically patting himself on the back. This was working out better than he’d hoped. He had her thinking about beds, which meant sex with her was still in his future.
“I already have a bed. A very good one,” he said.
“No. We need to be seen together bed shopping. A real girlfriend wouldn’t want to sleep with you where you’ve had sex a million times,” she said.
He scoffed and when she arched her perfectly manicured brows, he realized she truly believed he slept with all the women who threw themselves
at him. No wonder she thought so little of him. Any denying on his part would make him look guilty, and he was guilty, not that he’d confess to her.
“Great idea.” He picked his cell off the end table. “I’ll make reservations at a club I know of downtown. We’ll get the VIP room. They all love me there.”
“Make sure the thugs you hire as bodyguards don’t come. We have to be alone.”
“Okay.” He walked over to the window, turning his back on her.
It took him no time to arrange their night. When he was done, he smiled. Date planning was easier than he thought.
“Do I have time to go shopping? Shauna only packed one dress for me.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s … well, I’ve never worn it.”
“It’ll be fine.”
“I could take the Porsche. It wouldn’t take much time at all. I’d be in and out.” She stood. “I have my own money, so you don’t have to worry about me owing you.”
He shook his head. “There’s no reason to buy a new dress for a night at a club. You’ll be fine with whatever you decide to wear.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
It wasn’t so much her posture or her words. Her tone announced he’d said something wrong. He played the conversation back in his mind. Diana was out of his league. Women fell for his words, his attention, but she looked for anything to dig her claws into.
“You’re beautiful.” He spoke softly and slowly. “I would enjoy taking you out in public wearing my jersey and nothing else.”
She blinked at him without saying a word. A smile curled the edges of his lips in satisfaction. He’d stunned her speechless.
The gush of disgust came seconds later. “Ugh. You are such a perv.”
He held his hands out to the sides of him. “What did I say now?”
She clamped her lips together, pivoted, and marched down the hallway with her hips swaying. He leaned to follow the side-to-side action, and flinched when she slammed the bedroom door. What the hell? She’s mad because I was being honest?
Chapter Seven
“I’m going to kill Shauna.” Diana slammed the last dresser drawer shut.
Not only had her best friend packed the one dress Diana wasn’t brave enough to wear, but Shauna also knew she’d bought it on a dare when Kate announced wearing a sexy dress was the only way to get a man. She gazed down at her chest. Talk about major spillage.
Away from home, she had nothing to wear as a cover and donning her winter ski jacket would make her a laughing joke if her picture ended up in the newspaper. She raised her arms, testing the dress, and sure enough, her boobs popped over the top of the material.
Two knocks on the door sent her shimmying to pull the dress back into position.
“It’s time to go.” Dominic’s voice broke through her panic.
She slowly walked to the bed, pressing her arms against her ribs, and slipped into her heels. If she barely moved, she might make it through the evening without flashing everyone at the club. “Hang on.”
Not ready to show the world parts of herself that rarely saw daylight, she cracked the door open. “You wouldn’t happen to have any ladies’ clothes in your room leftover from one of your skanky friends, would you?”
Dominic shook his head. “No.”
“Oh.” She peered through the opening. “I might have a little problem then … ”
“What can I do?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Let’s start with you telling me what the problem is,” he said.
“Promise you won’t laugh?” She waited for him to agree, and then shut the door.
Double-checking her dress, she turned the handle and walked out into the hall. She sucked in her bottom lip and clamped her teeth.
Dominic’s gaze raked over her with unbridled lust. She turned around, warmth filling her chest. The dress had to go.
“I’ll wear the slacks and blouse I wear to work.” She managed to take one step before Dominic grasped her hand.
“Don’t.” He spoke softly. “You’re perfect. More than perfect, you’re stunning.”
She turned. “Really?”
“Absolutely.” He held her hand in the air and twirled her.
She clasped her hand to her chest, keeping her dress in place. “Dancing might be tricky.”
His eyes gleamed. “I’d have to disagree.”
“Dom.” Her tone warned him to step back.
He crooked his finger and motioned for her to follow. “I can solve the problem.”
In the living room, he held his black blazer open in front of him. She walked to him, sliding her arms into the sleeves. The jacket fell to mid-thigh, past her dress and big enough to wrap around her twice.
He rolled the sleeves above her elbows. She posed, feeling more like a football player with the added padding on her shoulders.
“Mm … ” Dominic stepped back and appraised her new outfit.
“Too much? Too manly? Too stupid to be seen at the club when every other woman will be knock out gorgeous?”
“Hell no,” he whispered. “Even better. No one can argue with us about our relationship. You’re my woman.”
What was it with him enjoying seeing his clothes on her? She pulled her hair out from under the collar, choosing to ignore his kink for tonight, because she sorta dug the I’m taken style that came with wearing his jacket.
He hesitated before opening the door. She ran into his back, clutched his shirt, and steadied herself. The four-inch heels were higher than she normally wore.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t call the security team?” he asked. “It’d be safer.”
“We need to look authentic. Nobody will believe we’re lovers out for a night of alone time if we’re dragging your thugs around.”
“Stay close to me.” He sighed. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
To her delight, he handed the keys to the Porsche over to her. She grinned as she slid into the driver’s seat. The leather seats caressed the back of her legs.
A few times during the drive, she sped over the speed limit. She glanced at Dominic. He smiled as if he understood her desire to ignore the rules for the night. She tried to pretend the excitement racing through her veins came from operating the Porsche.
Driving was only the whip cream on her piece of Dominic pie. Alone, he gave her all of his attention. The spark of attraction hovered below the surface, becoming harder to ignore. It was in the way he helped her into his jacket, the way his gaze heated her core, and the way it felt to sit beside a man almost twice her size and come away feeling feminine and cared for.
For once, she enjoyed forgetting about her personal deadline she’d set to own a bed and breakfast, or her job at the hotel, or how her parents would freak when she splurged out on her own and gambled with her life savings by buying the Ferriday House. Tonight was all about her and Dom, even if they were only pretending.
Somehow when they arrived at their destination, Dominic arranged a way through the backdoor of the Pulse nightclub. Rushed through the stairway and sequestered into the VIP room on the second floor overlooking the dance floor and bar, she collapsed in a chair, laughing.
“The point of being seen in public was to actually mingle with the crowd.” She wiggled out of his jacket, hitched her dress higher, and peered out to the packed club below them. “This is wild. I’m definitely no longer at the Quayside, but I’m afraid no one will see us up here all alone.”
“I’m not so sure we should do this.” He sank down onto the chair. “I don’t want you getting mixed up in the crowd.
“Oh, come on, Dom.” She leaned forward. “Live a little.”
The waitress came in their room. Diana glanced down, making sure her dress stayed put. When she peered back at the woman, it wouldn’t have mattered if she was naked and doing the hula hoop. Dominic had the woman’s whole attention.
This time, she wasn’t giving an inch. She reached over and slipped her fingers into his hand. He gave her a sq
ueeze back.
“What would you like to drink?” he asked.
“Depends. Are you driving or am I?”
He chuckled. “I will.”
“Blue Lagoon then.”
Dominic shifted to the waitress. “My girlfriend will have a Blue Lagoon. I’ll have whatever beer you have on tap.”
The waitress sighed. “I get off in an hour. Will you still be here?”
Dominic’s mouth opened, and before he could say anything, Diana stood and separated the woman from her pretend boyfriend. “Let’s get something straight. That’s my man. Hands off, or things will get ugly real fast, chica. Got it? Oh, and before you leave, you might want to spread the news to everyone. I’m in a bad mood tonight, and it isn’t going to take much for me to go crazy on someone interrupting my night.”
The woman frowned. “I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be ready.” She hitched up her dress, and remained standing while the woman left.
When it was safe to let down her guard, she returned to the table. Dominic stared. She shrugged self-consciously.
“Don’t get any wild ideas that my rushing to your defense meant anything.” She glanced at him below her lashes. “This is all an act. I kind of got caught up in playing the badass.”
“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispered.
She laughed, relaxing. Hot or not, it was fun to pretend she was tougher than she normally was.
To be on the safe side, she slipped his jacket back on. Then she double checked her dress and exhaled in relief when she stayed covered. If she had to use her muscles to get rid of the waitress when she returned, she’d be ready.
The song changed below them. She turned and leaned over the railing. The atmosphere infectious, she danced in her seat enjoying the music.
“Do you want to dance?”
She shook her head. “Not yet, unless you want to go down there with everyone.”
“I’m good.” He pointed. “See the guy in the black shirt next to the blonde with the dark blue dress?”