The Promise of a Kiss

by Synithia Williams

  About an hour into their talk, when she said something that made him laugh hard enough to bring tears to his eyes, he realized something. He was having fun. More fun than he’d had in a long time. He’d spent two years with a woman he’d planned to marry who’d eventually made a fool out of him and had never once laughed so hard with her that tears came to his eyes.

  “I can’t believe you actually tackled your sister over a brownie,” Dominic said, wiping his eye with his thumb.

  She held up a finger. “I didn’t tackle her. Get it right. She snatched my brownie and took off running. It was the family reunion. I couldn’t let her play me in front of all our cousins. I chased her, but she’s faster. I knew I wouldn’t catch her unless I jumped.”

  “The way you describe it, you soared through the air and tackled her to the ground.”

  Jeanette laughed and placed a hand over her mouth. “I kind of did. My aunt laughed so hard lemonade came out of her nose. To this day she still teases me and reminds the rest of the family what happens if they take food from me.”

  “Remind me to never, ever snatch food from you.”

  “My knees aren’t as good as they used to be, but I’ll still jump you over a brownie.”

  Dominic shook his head at the mental picture of a young Jeanette chasing her sister to get back her stolen brownie. Then he imagined Jeanette doing the same thing to him now. Having her dive through the air to throw herself at him might not be bad. Even better if they landed on a bed instead of a grassy lawn.

  He glanced over at her. The sun played with the bright highlights in her hair, making the strands a fiery radiant crown framing her face. The dark orange of her V-neck shirt brought out the reddish undertones in her brown skin. She’d lifted her leg until her foot rested on her seat. He’d cautioned her about sitting correctly in a car, and in true Jeanette fashion, she said everything would be okay. That was Jeanette: jump in headfirst and deal with the fallout later.

  His gaze lingered on the fading bruise on her face. Every time he looked at her and saw it, he fought back the urge to curse and find the asshole who’d dared hurt her. He’d verified the guy’s charges were still going to stick, but what he’d pulled hadn’t given him enough of the story.

  “So, are you ready to tell me the rest of the story behind that bruise on your face?” Dominic asked after their laughter faded.

  Jeanette let out a loud sigh. “I was hoping you’d just let this drop.”

  He should. She’d been bruised up before, mainly related to a case. She’d received cuts, scrapes and bruises from ducking, hiding or the occasional fall. But not because someone had hit her. Someone close to her personally, who had the ability to hurt her again. The idea of Jeanette getting occasional injuries on the job rattled him enough. The idea of someone having the ability and willingness to intentionally hurt her again made him want to breathe fire and declare war.

  “Not happening,” he said. “What gives?”

  “I already told you the story.”

  “You told me part of the story, but I want the rest. Will you come across him again? Is your friend going back to him?” Would he have to show the guy what would happen if he ever put a hand on Jeanette again?

  Jeanette wrapped her arms around her bent leg. She rested her cheek on her knee. “I’d like to think the answer is no, but I’ve been in this business long enough to realize you can never make assumptions about what people will do when it comes to love and relationships.”

  “She’s going to take him back?” Dominic couldn’t keep the disbelief out of his voice.

  “I hope she realizes she can do better. I really hope so.”

  For Jeanette’s sake and the sake of her friend, Dominic hoped for the same thing. “Did you know he was cheating on her?”

  She shook her head. “I haven’t looked into the backgrounds of my friends’ potential lovers since college.”

  “You used to do that?”

  Jeanette chuckled. “Actually, that’s how I got started with my business in the first place.”

  “Seriously? How is that possible?”

  “Back in college whenever one of my friends was interested in a guy, I was the one who did the internet stalking. I’d check out social media, email accounts and public records. I did it after one of my friends was suspicious about a guy she was dating. I did some digging and found out not only was he dating her, but he was also flirting with a sixteen-year-old girl in high school.” Disgust filled her voice at the last part. “She dumped him, obviously, then I sent the information I’d dug up to the police. After that all of my friends asked me to check out the backgrounds of the guys they dated. Before long I realized I was good at digging up stuff and had a gift for making people talk. I started taking money to look things up for people, which turned into opening my own private investigation firm and then hiring more PIs to work with me.”

  “Really? I had no idea that’s how you started off. I’m guessing that means you never planned to be a private investigator.”

  “Never,” she said with a shake of her head. “I was in business school. The plan was to get my MBA, work for a Fortune 500 company and become one of the youngest CEOs in American history.”

  “Wow, the youngest in history.”

  “Obviously, I was going to change the world.” Her voice was teasing, her dark eyes sparkling.

  “I believe you would have.” He matched her tone, but he was sincere. He believed if Jeanette wanted something she’d get it.

  “Thank you for that,” she said with a sweet smile that made his stomach feel weird. “Sometimes I still can’t believe I did it. When I switched to criminal justice my parents thought I’d become a cop or FBI or something.”

  He scrunched his nose and tried to picture Jeanette as a cop. Imagined her following orders and dealing with the bureaucracy of a police department. “Nah, I can’t see it.”

  “Neither could I,” she agreed. “I appreciate law enforcement and the work they do enough to know I’d be terrible at it. I enjoy what I do, and hope to keep doing it. Maybe at a larger scale.”

  “Larger how?”

  She opened her mouth to say something then snapped it closed. Her brows drew together and she gave a small shake of her head. “Everyone wants their business to grow. I’m not different.”

  He didn’t think that was what she meant. Then again, he wasn’t exactly good at predicting what Jeanette would say or do. Earlier, when she’d said this trip provided a chance to explore opportunities right after mentioning them having to share a hotel room, his mind had immediately gone to exploring the opportunity to have Jeanette in his arms. The opportunity to have his lips on hers, their bodies pressed together, filling hours in a hotel bedroom with the door locked. Then she’d said they could get to know each other better and he’d felt like an idiot. The quick gleam in her eye when she’d mentioned it and the way her voice had thickened to the consistency of warm honey had immediately opened the door to his feelings for Jeanette. A door he needed to keep closed during this entire trip.

  “So how about you?” Jeanette said after a few seconds.

  Dominic blinked and brought his mind back to the conversation. “What about me?”

  “How did you get started in politics? I don’t think anyone thinks as a kid that they want to grow up and solve politicians’ problems.”

  Dominic grinned and tilted his head to the side. “Nah, I can’t say that I did.”

  “So.” She rolled her wrist in a come-on gesture. “How did you end up doing this? Were you a political science major, or did you come from a long line of politicians?”

  “You haven’t dug into my past?”

  “Of course not. I trust you, Dominic,” she said as if the idea was preposterous. “I figure if there is anything you want to tell me then you’ll tell me. I wouldn’t go digging. I’d rather earn your trust than barge in a
nd try to take what I can get.”

  He was stunned for a few seconds. He’d spent too much time around people accustomed to paying to have whatever they wanted. Not to mention a relationship with a woman who thought his affection was an invitation to his credit cards and social security number. He’d assumed Jeanette had already checked his background and knew everything there was to know about him.

  “Oh.” He didn’t know what else to say.

  “Oh? So...are you going to tell me or is it a trade secret?”

  “Not a trade secret. Actually, I kind of fell into doing this, too. My family wasn’t the most honest.”

  “Really? You are the most honorable guy I know.”

  “I am?” Once again she stunned him. He tried to be honest, but sometimes he had to walk the thin line between bending the truth and lies by omission in order to get the answers he needed for clients. He never misled people with the intention of hurting or taking advantage of them, and was straight up in most cases. That didn’t mean he’d expect Jeanette to view him as honorable.

  “Yes. You do what you say you’re going to do and deliver on all of your promises. I’ve never once had to worry about you not following through on anything or doubting your word when we’ve collaborated. I like working with you.”

  He didn’t know how to respond. For so long he’d felt like he still had to make up for his family’s mistakes, but never thought he’d be able to. “Thank you, but I wasn’t always like this. My life wasn’t always like this.”

  He stretched his fingers, then gripped the steering wheel. He didn’t talk to many people about his background. The scams his parents ran. He preferred keeping that part of his past in the past. Jeanette waited patiently. He saw the interest in her eyes but knew she wouldn’t push if he decided to clam up. She didn’t feel entitled to his secrets, which made sharing them with her easier.

  “My parents were the king and queen of scams,” he said. “They knew exactly what to say and what to do in order to get whatever they wanted. Money, clothes, handouts, it didn’t matter. There wasn’t a lie they couldn’t tell. After growing up and seeing how easily someone can game the system, I decided I wasn’t going to let anyone run game on me. After a while, people realized I was able to cut through the crap. Once I finished law school—”

  “I forgot you went to law school.”

  He laughed. “You looked up a little about me.”

  She gently hit his shoulder. “I mean, of course I checked your professional references.”

  “Of course.” He’d checked hers, too. “After law school, I was legal counsel for Congressman Hodges. After I realized someone trying to blackmail him was bluffing, I fixed that situation before it blew up, and he added me as a permanent part of his campaign team. After he was elected, word spread and I continued working other high-profile cases. The rest is history.”

  “Do you like doing what you do?”

  He thought about it. No one ever asked him that, and he’d never taken the time to consider his career choice. “Honestly, I do. Being able to tell who’s a liar and who isn’t works both ways. I don’t mind helping those politicians that really want to do good. I just want to make sure the people who will do the most work for their constituents are able to win and stop the ones who don’t.”

  “That’s kind of sweet.”

  “Sweet.” He fought not to squirm in his seat as prickles of heat spread across his face. Sweet wasn’t a word he would have wanted associated with him, but hearing it coming from her lips with that slight hint of admiration made him wish he were sweet.

  “It is. I think it’s great what you’re doing. I know you care about your clients and getting to the truth. You’re one of the good guys and, honestly, I like that you’re on my side.”

  “Sweet or not, my background helps me tell the difference between the good people and the bad.”

  Or, at least, it used to help him. He hadn’t seen a thing with Jules. Only what he’d wanted to see, and for that his credit and personal finances were in ruin and he had to work harder to keep his professional life from suffering. He needed a win. The Robidoux case was the biggest one he’d taken since having to clean up the mess Jules had left behind. He couldn’t afford to screw this up, or get distracted by the way the light played in Jeanette’s hair or how the smile on her face brightened his world.

  He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. “Byron Robidoux isn’t one of the bad guys. It’s why I want to help him.”

  “Neither is Zoe,” she said with conviction. She reached over and placed her hand on his biceps. “We can help them both.”

  Her touch was brief. Too brief. “You think she needs help?”

  She shrugged again. “She ran from everyone and started over. If her past with Byron gets in the media, then she and her daughter are exposed to their scrutiny. She doesn’t deserve that either.”

  Dominic nodded slowly. He thought about the fading bruise on Jeanette’s face, Byron’s story about Zoe’s abusive ex-boyfriend and Jeanette’s conviction that Zoe wasn’t a threat. He reached over and placed his hand on hers. “Then we’ll help both of them.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  THEY ARRIVED AT the Myrtle Beach hotel and convention center by late afternoon. While getting checked in, Jeanette worked her magic by chatting up the guy working the reception desk to find out if Zoe had already checked into the hotel. She hadn’t, and since the conference wasn’t scheduled to start fully until the next day, Jeanette made it her mission to try to get Dominic to relax and enjoy their night together.

  The time in the car had only proved she wanted to spend more time with him. Time that wasn’t related to working on a case or proving they made a good team. She wanted personal time with him. She knew she was quickly sliding past the point of mild crush to “oh, shit, I’m really into this guy,” but she didn’t know how to stop herself.

  Jeanette opened the door to their hotel room and stopped just after she crossed the threshold. “Ooh.”

  “What?” Dominic came up behind her. He sucked in a breath. “Oh.”

  Yeah, one bed. One king-sized bed. She’d been too busy trying to figure out if Zoe had arrived she hadn’t thought to confirm if the room had two double beds.

  “I can go down and see if there’s another room, or ask about the availability of a double,” Dominic said.

  She shook her head and moved out of the way so he could fully enter the room. “No, don’t worry about that. It’s a king bed. Two people can easily share a king and not bother one another.”

  Though she couldn’t help but wonder what might happen if they did. Maybe he’d accidentally roll over and press against her in his sleep. His strong arm would slide around her waist and pull her closer. The hard length of his arousal would press into her backside.

  Whoa there, Jeanette. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

  She needed to get her mind away from the fantasies of tangled sheets and focus on reality. Dominic wasn’t here for a hookup. He was here to fix a problem.

  Dominic looked from the bed back to Jeanette. He drummed his fingers along the side of his thigh. “I don’t know. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He turned back to the door. “I’ll talk to the front desk.”

  Jeanette knew if he thought for a second she’d be upset sharing a bed with him he’d argue with the hotel staff or walk the Myrtle Beach strip until he found a hotel with an available room. “Dominic, it’s really okay.”

  “No, I should at least ask.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Sleeping in the same bed with you won’t make me uncomfortable. If anything, I’ll enjoy it.” Jeanette clamped her teeth together. She closed her eyes as mortification washed over her. Had she really said that out loud?

  She couldn’t look him in the eye, but she heard the rustle of his clothes as he faced her. Felt the unwavering focus of his gaze. Okay, she wasn�
��t afraid of anything. She’d said it; now she had to deal with it. Taking a steadying breath, she squared her shoulders and opened her eyes.

  On the plus side, he didn’t look offended or disgusted. Not that she’d expected disgust, but she didn’t like to be overly cocky at all times. He studied her. There was definite interest in his eyes, hesitation, as well. But what made her pulse race was the desire. She imagined the same ideas going through her head were in his. Just a night or two. How would things change? Could they work together afterward? Did they want to risk their current relationship?

  Dominic’s forehead crinkled. After a heartbeat, he blinked and slowly lifted and lowered his head. “That’s good to know,” he said slowly.

  She prepared herself for his voice of reason to come through. Dominic was more methodical about his approach. Most days she got on his nerves with her brash behavior. No way would he go for this and potentially ruin their working relationship.

  “I’d much prefer you relaxed and willing when you’re in bed with me.” His deep voice held the steady confidence that drew her to him. His unwavering gaze watched her.

  She could wave off his words and her blurted-out admission by pretending as if she didn’t get his underlying meaning or... Heat flashed through her entire body. She bit her lower lip. Her heart beat so hard she could feel the pounding in every corner of her body. From the hardening tips of her breasts to the slick heat of her sex, her desire pulsed to life.