by A. P. Jensen
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said.
“Do you know what I did last night?”
She turned the cup between her hands. “Watch TV?”
“I went to sleep thinking of you. I had my first wet dream in years. So, we need to talk.”
She tried to bite back a smile, but didn’t quite succeed.
A muscle ticked in Dominick’s jaw. “It’s not funny.”
She raised a brow. “Sounds serious. You should take care of that.”
“That’s what we need to talk about.”
“You can have your pick of women.” She gestured around the restaurant to several MILFs that had their eye on him. “I’m no good for you. Its best if we steer clear of each other.”
“Well, well.”
Juliet stiffened as Brent strolled up to their booth. Their eyes clashed. Her throat tightened with the need to scream at him, to defend herself. In the end, she said nothing. Brent gave her a steely smile before he looked at Dominick.
“I hear you two are seeing a lot of each other,” Brent said.
“I’m trying to persuade Juliet to spend more time with me,” Dominick replied.
“I’m sure she has lots to do,” Brent said dismissively and shot her a pointed look. “Shouldn’t you be at Maile’s thrift shop?”
Before Juliet could respond, a woman and two kids stopped behind Brent. A little girl leaned into Brent’s side and eyed Juliet with great interest. Her brother was too busy with his iPhone to notice who his father was talking to.
“This is Juliet,” Brent informed his kids without giving Juliet the label of an aunt. “This is my daughter, Dia, and my son, Junior.” He squeezed the hand of the attractive blonde beside him. “And my wife, Trina.”
It was clear that Trina was in on Brent’s late-night visit. Trina smiled graciously at Dominick, but her eyes were frosty when they rested on Juliet. Worried about her kid’s inheritance, Juliet thought cynically.
“Are we eating with you?” Dia asked and before Juliet could say anything, Brent’s daughter scooted into the booth beside her.
“When is Aunt Scarlet coming?” Junior complained and plopped beside Dominick.
“There they are,” Brent said.
Scarlet came through the door with four boys and her daughter on her hip. Scarlet paused when she spotted Juliet and Dominick. Junior put down the iPhone and immediately started rough housing with Scarlet’s boys.
“Juliet, I didn’t know you’d be here,” Scarlet said with a strained smile.
“Likewise,” Juliet said.
“We eat here every Monday as a family.” Scarlet reddened under Dominick’s steady look. “Randy’s parking the car.”
“Where’s Callie?” Juliet asked.
Scarlet shifted the little girl who splayed a tiny hand on her mother’s breast. “She’s not feeling well. Freddy’s home with her. He’ll come into the office later today.”
“Grants, we have your table back here,” the server called.
Juliet was glad to see them go. The short interaction with Brent and Scarlet left a sour taste in her mouth.
“You and Brent looked like you wanted to kill each other,” Dominick commented.
The server set their breakfast in front of them. Juliet’s attention switched to the food, which looked divine. She took a bite of kahlua hash and nearly bounced on the seat. Even though nothing could come of her chemistry with Dominick, she liked him. He distracted her from her woes and fed her even though she wasn’t good company. He didn’t back off when he sensed how emotional she was this morning. He just did what he wanted and dragged her along. In this case, that was a good thing.
“He visited me last night,” she said and dug into her massive serving of hash browns.
“At Maile’s house?”
She didn’t see the dark look on his face as she slathered butter on toast. Now that she had food in her stomach, she felt almost normal. “Brent thinks I’m a gold-digging whore. He wants to make sure I don’t screw up your business association with him, so he offered to pay me to leave.”
When he started to rise, Juliet looked up with a frown. Her heart leapt into her throat when she saw how furious he was. She shot up and grabbed his arm before he could approach Brent who was in another part of the restaurant.
“Dominick, calm down.”
“Who the fuck does he think he is? You’re his sister!”
“It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not.”
“I can handle Brent,” she insisted and tugged him into the booth beside her. “You don’t really know me, so it’s stupid to fight with Brent on my behalf. He likes you. What happened between Brent and I is between us.”
Dominick leaned in so their faces were mere inches apart. His eyes were steady and dark. “You don’t deserve to be treated that way, even if they are your family.”
“I know that.”
“So why do you let him talk to you like that?”
Because she was what Brent thought she was. She was Margaret Lindsey’s daughter and nothing could change that. Her hand shook as she grabbed her fork. “You didn’t know me as a teenager.”
“You were a kid,” Dominick said dismissively. “They’re supposed to be promiscuous and not give a fuck about the consequences. That’s what your teenage years are for.”
Juliet ate with single-minded intent. Just eat, keep Dominick from confronting Brent and get the hell out of here. Dominick insisted on seeing her differently than everyone else. Why?
They didn’t talk during the rest of the meal, but several locals stopped by to talk to Dominick. When he introduced her, their eyes bulged comically. Juliet wasn’t in the mood to be gawked at. She wanted out of here. When they finished their food and got up to leave, Juliet grabbed Dominick’s arm to make sure he didn’t wander to the Grant table. He didn’t, but she could tell he wanted to.
“You can take me back to my car,” she said as they walked towards his truck.
“What are you going to do today?” Dominick asked.
“I have to go to the store and then I have paperwork to do,” she answered, relieved when he got into the cab beside her.
“The store is right across the street,” he said. “What do you need?”
“Once you drop me off at my car I’ll swing by on my way back.”
Dominick ignored her protests and drove to the drug store. Juliet glared at him as he parked. Would nothing chase this guy off?
“Don’t you have to go to work?” she demanded.
“I’m the boss. I drop in when I want to.”
“You know what? You have a problem. You’re a bully! What is with you? You obviously don’t have to chase after women, so why are you chauffeuring me around?”
He glanced at her outraged face and grinned, good mood restored now that they were away from her family. “I like you.”
“You’ll get tired of me real quick.” She had a lot of baggage. No man wanted to take that on. Even she didn’t want to deal with herself so why would this man?
“You think so?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll put it to the test, then.”
Juliet made an impatient sound as she slid out of the truck. “You’re stubborn.”
“So are you.”
“No, I’m not!” she snapped.
“Okay, you’re not stubborn,” he said agreeably.
Dominick walked by her side into the small drug store. Juliet knew exactly what she needed. She was disconcerted when he stayed by her side. Juliet decided to ignore him as she grabbed a hand basket and tossed in deodorant, toothbrush, hairbrush, moisturizer and other toiletries.
“You lose your luggage?” Dominick asked.
“I didn’t bring one. I was supposed to be here less than five hours.”
“You bought a ticket to come to Hawaii to be here for only five hours?”
Her phone rang. Juliet resisted the urge to break it in half when she saw Chad’s name on the screen. When wo
uld he get it through his head that accepting a bribe from someone plus falsely accusing her equaled never getting back together?
“Who is it?” Dominick asked.
“My ex,” she said flippantly.
A pause and then, “How recent of an ex?”
“A month ago, we were engaged and living together.”
“And now?”
Juliet stopped in the aisle and turned to face him. Dominick towered over her and even in his surf shorts, slippers and worn shirt he looked better than any man in a three-piece suit. She had “hot mess” written all over her, but he wasn’t running for the hills. No, he stood toe to toe with her. “Chad and I are done.”
“How done?”
“Very.”
“Tell me about it.”
Juliet saw someone come into the aisle behind him and turned away. Talking about her issues in her hometown where everyone knew everyone wasn’t smart. “It’s a long story.”
Dominick took the hand basket from her and grasped the back of her neck. He drew her in against him and kissed her on the forehead. “But you’ll tell me?”
Juliet stilled at his touch. “If you really want to know.” Maybe he would get over whatever infatuation he had with her when he realized what a bitch she was.
“I do.”
“Fine. On the ride back to my car, I’ll tell you.”
“Deal.”
Juliet was forced to buy cheap underwear in a pack of five. When she checked out, Dominick handed over his credit card. Juliet tried to snatch his card back and give her own, but Dominick blocked her and handed her the paper bag.
“You just bought me underwear and deodorant,” Juliet mumbled as they walked out of the store.
“And lotion and—”
Juliet stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “I can pay for it myself.”
“I know you can.”
“Then why did you pay for it? It’s not your stuff!” She didn’t know how to deal with Dominick. He was generous, affectionate and came to her defense even though it would put his business relationship with the Grants in jeopardy. He was standing up and taking care of her. She wasn’t his responsibility… or anyone else’s for that matter. She had been on her own for so long that she didn’t know how to accept help and after the experience with Chad, she didn’t dare trust anyone. Everyone had a price. What would Dominick’s be? Would Gray threaten to ruin his business? Is that what would make him turn from her? Just the thought of Gray doing something similar like that to Maile made her sick.
“How much did he offer you to leave?” Dominick asked.
Juliet jerked. “What?”
“Brent. How much did you turn down?”
“Six figures.” She wasn’t sure why she answered truthfully.
“You turned down six figures and are fighting with me for paying fifty bucks for things you need?” He shook his head and tossed an arm over her shoulders. “Gold digger, my ass.”
“Maybe he thinks I can get more out of you,” Juliet said archly.
Dominick snorted. “I can tell when women are after me for money. You’ve told me to leave you alone at least five times in two days.”
“You should.”
“No.”
“You like women with trouble?”
“Normally I go out of my way to stay away from women like that, but I’m making an exception for you.”
“Why?” She really didn’t see what Dominick saw in her.
“You have a lot of facets to your personality.”
“Facets?” Juliet asked as she climbed into the truck and they left the parking lot.
“You’re independent, seductive, loyal, defensive, beautiful and reckless. It intrigues me.”
Juliet’s throat tightened. “I shouldn’t be flattered.”
“But you are.”
Most men would run from what Dominick witnessed. Dysfunctional family, daddy issues and the whole “gold digging whore” thing was a lot of drama. A theory formed and she turned to him.
“You like to save people, don’t you?” she asked a bit triumphantly, convinced that she pinpointed his fatal flaw. “You think I’m a damsel in distress.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman who needed less saving than you. You can take care of yourself.”
She was slightly mollified by the compliment. “Then why are you doing this?” She flicked the paper bag and gestured between them. “You want sex? Is that it?”
“I told you, I can get sex easily. It’s who I want that appears to be a problem.” When Juliet didn’t comment, he said, “Okay, tell me about your ex.”
“I started a consulting business. I’ve been working for the biggest tech companies in Washington for the past ten years. I learned from the ground up what makes the company succeed, what it takes to make it run smoothly, efficiently. Chad invested in my company. I gave it all I had.”
It was hard to dredge up the energy to be bitter and furious with wild beauty stretching out before her in every direction. Away from the city bustle, she felt curiously detached from the outside world.
“Three years I worked day and night, hustled to obtain and keep clients and get the word out. I nearly tricked myself into believing I could make it.” Juliet sighed. “Chad accused me of embezzling money from a client and even came up with proof. He said he couldn’t ignore the facts and I was forced to resign from my own company. He was surprised when I broke off our engagement and moved out.” Juliet let out a hollow laugh. “It took three weeks of constant badgering for Chad to admit that Gray bribed him to get rid of me.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Juliet saw Dominick’s head turn towards her, but she didn’t look at him. She stared straight ahead. In for a penny, in for a pound.
“Things always start off well for me. I get into a company, work my way up. I shoot for the highest position I can and then, out of nowhere, I’m let go. I convinced myself it was me, that I had to work harder or I wasn’t good enough.” Juliet closed her eyes and slumped in the seat. “I came to the wedding to confront Gray, to force him to admit what he’s been doing. Chad was there.” Juliet snorted and shook her head. “He had no idea that I knew Gray. He didn’t wonder why mighty Gray Grant would be interested in some stupid small consulting company or why he didn’t want me to be a part of it. Chad says Gray can see his potential.” Juliet’s hands fisted in her lap. “I lost everything.”
“You were going to marry the guy and didn’t tell him your dad is a shipping tycoon?”
“He isn’t my father. I’m adopted,” Juliet said in a tight voice. “And I never talk about my past. There’s no reason to.”
“Why does Gray hate you?”
“You must have heard what I did.” There was no way he didn’t hear what she’d done, especially after she made that scene at the wedding.
“I want to hear it from you.”
“I made my mom commit suicide.”
The words hung in the cab. Juliet accepted the familiar stab of guilt and grief that hadn’t lost its potency in fifteen years.
“You can’t make someone commit suicide,” Dominick said.
“She was fragile. I… upset her.” Juliet blinked back tears as the confrontation with Brent replayed in her head. He would never forgive her. She couldn’t forgive herself so why should they? “I left with Kai a week after she died.”
“And this is the first time you came back?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t ask any more questions. She stared out the window through blurry vision and tried to keep her emotions in check. Now Dominick knew she had major issues and was better off without her.
Dominick parked beside the bug in the beach parking lot, which was busy. She hopped out of the truck with her bag and set it in the back seat.
“Thank you,” she said without looking at him.
When she would have gotten into the driver’s seat, Dominick pulled her out and pinned her against the car. Juliet jerked her head up and looked into his
bottle green eyes, which were piercing and focused.
“If Brent threatens you again,” Dominick began.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“I don’t want anyone talking to you like that.”
Her heart melted a little. He was such a nice guy. “I can handle Brent.”
Dominick’s hand cradled her cheek and he leaned down so their faces were close. Juliet held her breath.
“Your ex is weak. You’re better off without him,” he said.
Juliet nodded.
“Gray is a bastard.”
She nodded again. “Brent warned me away from you. He doesn’t want me messing with your business relationship.”
“You think they’ll do something to me?”
Juliet didn’t say a thing, she just looked at him. He moved in closer so his body pressed against hers. Their chemistry flared again, potent and electric. Juliet tried to ignore it as his thumb drifted over her bottom lip, making her lightheaded with need. She never had this with Chad, Kai or any man. Why Dominick Bryson? He could do so much better than her, but his hungry eyes told her he felt everything she did.
“Gray didn’t do anything to me when I helped Lee leave Grant Shipping. What does that say about me?” Dominick murmured.
He was a powerful adversary. Juliet didn’t need to say it out loud.
“Fate brought you back. You have to recognize the signs. If you want to stay, you should. You shouldn’t let them chase you away.”
Juliet said nothing. She felt safe with Dominick touching her, but it wouldn’t last.
“If you need me, call me,” he said.
“Okay,” she said, even though she never would.
“I mean it.”
“Why do you care so much?”
Dominick leaned down and set his lips on hers. Juliet’s hand splayed on his chest as his hands sank into her hair, destroying her braid. His mouth moved on hers, slow and sure. Juliet let him take control and enjoyed the drugging effect he had on her senses. When he pulled away, she tried to tug him back. He chuckled and gave her another quick kiss.