The Promise of a Kiss

by Synithia Williams

  She held his stare. “I have a feeling that won’t be a problem at all.”

  His eyes widened a fraction. The small smile that spread across his handsome features made her want to grin and pull him into her arms. She turned away and took her overnight bag across the room before she did just that. Slowly—she had to try to take this thing slowly.

  She put her bag into the closet. Dominic parked his at the foot of the bed.

  Dominic cleared his throat. “While we’re waiting on Zoe, we should talk about how we’ll handle things when we see her tomorrow.”

  Jeanette shook her head. She wasn’t about to let him go back into work mode after picking up the gauntlet she’d haphazardly thrown. She crossed over and stood in front of him. “No. I suggest we go out and see a little bit of the town.”

  His eyes narrowed. “Go sightseeing?” he said in a deadpan voice. He shook his head. “We’re not here for fun.”

  “Until Zoe is here there’s no reason for us to just sit in this room pretending to work while staring at the one bed.” She stepped closer and toyed with a button on his shirt. One of his brows raised, but he didn’t pull back. “How about before we talk more about my willingness to share said bed with you, we spend a little more time out of the room just to be sure?”

  There, she’d done it. She’d put her true thoughts on the line. She didn’t want to hide behind coy words or have him try to guess their meaning. She was well aware doing this might not be the best precursor to the professional partnership she wanted with Dominic, but they were adults. They both understood the benefits of continuing to work together. If things didn’t go well personally, they could move past it. As long as they had time to consider what they were both thinking.

  At least, I hope so.

  Heat flared in his gaze. His large hand covered hers and pressed her palm against his chest. His heart beat heavily beneath her palm. When he spoke, his voice was serious. “Jeanette, are you sure you want to do this?”

  She was only sure that she was tired of pretending as if her body didn’t come alive when Dominic was near. That she didn’t enjoy the way he grumpily told her to be careful. How he made her feel both cared for and respected. The wariness in his brown eyes placed a sliver of doubt in her chest.

  “The real question is, do you?” she asked. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve been thinking about what things would be like with you for a while. We’re both free. We both know this won’t turn into something long and complicated. If you want me like I want you, then why don’t we give it a try?” Her best friend would say she was once again jumping headfirst into a situation without thoughts of the consequences. The last time she’d done that, she’d ended up with a bruised face. At least this time she knew to keep her guard up and protect against a bruised heart.

  She planned to step away. Let him think about what she’d said and respect whatever decision he made. Dominic’s hand gripped her waist. He pulled her body flush against his.

  “You know what I want.” His hard gaze bored into hers. The fierce passion in the depths of his eyes robbed her of the ability to breathe. The tantalizing thrill of having his hard body against hers set her body on fire.

  She lifted on her toes and raised her chin until only a few inches separated their lips. “What do you want?”

  “You. Just you.” The words fell from his lips like a heavy weight he was tired of carrying.

  Dominic’s mouth claimed hers. Electricity exploded between them. Hot and fierce. Jeanette wanted to cling to Dominic. Get swept away in the passion and drag him to the bed. But he had other plans and took control. Kissing her slowly and thoroughly. His smooth lips and talented tongue exploring her mouth as if he’d wanted this forever and was taking his time, which only increased her fervor. Her breasts ached, liquid heat pooled between her thighs and her soft moan echoed in the room.

  Her arms wrapped around his neck, pressing her breasts even harder against his chest. Dominic’s strong arm snaked around her waist, and he hugged her body close. The hard press of his erection grew against her belly. Jeanette’s knees felt weak.

  The urgency pulsing through her veins to get this man naked took her breath away. With just a kiss she was ready to abandon all plans for the afternoon and spend hours in bed with him. What would she be willing to abandon when they slept together? Could she keep her heart out of this?

  They slowly broke the kiss, their deep, ragged breaths the only sound in the quiet bedroom. Dominic’s eyes were closed as his forehead pressed against hers.

  “That was even better than I’d ever imagined.” His confession came out in a husky passion-soaked voice.

  Jeanette bit her lip to suppress the grin trying to take over her lips. “I think we should do the sightseeing now.”

  His eyes cracked open. “You sure?” His gaze darted over to the bed and back.

  Oh, man, why did he have to be so sexy and tempting? With willpower she didn’t think she possessed, she nodded and stepped out of his arms. As if he couldn’t release his hold on her, he kept a hand loosely resting on her hips.

  “I’m pretty sure that I’d like to keep having fun with you outside of the bedroom. At least a little longer.”

  His fingers gently squeezed her hips. “Sightseeing it is.”

  * * *

  “THERE IS NO way in hell I’m going in there.”

  Jeanette’s laughter drifted back to Dominic. Her brown eyes sparkled with mischief and humor. His stomach tightened, and for the hundredth time that afternoon he wondered why he’d agreed to go sightseeing along the boardwalk instead of staying back at the hotel room and getting lost in the curves of Jeanette’s body.

  This is why. So you can get lost in her smile and spend more time with her before everything changes.

  Once they slept together everything would change. No matter what they said about keeping things casual, he knew he’d never be the same afterward. A few days wouldn’t be enough.

  “Come on, Dominic.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him forward. “This will be fun.”

  Dominic eyed the window display. Black-and-white pictures of people dressed in historical Western attire filled the window. The words Old Timey Picture Place were painted in red on a sign above the door.

  “Me dressing up like a cowboy does not seem fun.”

  She slid forward and brushed against his chest. “You dressing up as an outlaw and me as your sexy barmaid might be fun.”

  His lips quirked up as the image came into his mind. “You are hilarious, you know that?”

  “And you need to smile more. You know you love it.”

  Thing was, he did love it. He loved spending time with her. Always had. This impromptu road trip was only reinforcing how much he did love being around her. Why had it taken him so long to realize that? He’d been so busy thinking he’d found what he wanted that he’d missed the blessing that had already been in his life.

  “Fine. One picture, but we are not telling or showing anyone.” He tried to sound firm and no-nonsense, as if that ever worked with Jeanette.

  She did a little bounce on the balls of her feet that made her look sexy and adorable before dragging him by the hand into the building.

  Once inside the owner welcomed them before giving them the rundown of how things worked. They would first choose whatever Western-themed outfit and background they wanted, change and get their picture taken. After much intense debate—mostly her countering every argument Dominic tried to throw her way—they finally agreed on a theme for their picture. Dominic would dress as a gunslinging outlaw and Jeanette would be a sassy saloon girl.

  His chest tightened when she came out of the small dressing area in the red sleeveless bustier top, short lacy black skirt that stopped at her knees and fishnet knee-highs. His crotch stirred, as well. She clutched a prop bottle of whiskey and stuck fake hundred-dollar bills in the garter around her
calf.

  With her head tilted to the side she took in his outfit: an oversized trench coat, white button-up shirt and red bandanna. A black cowboy hat was propped on his head.

  “Damn,” she murmured as her gaze trailed him from head to toe. “You make one scary sexy gunslinger.”

  Dominic ran a hand over his chest and grunted. “Scary sexy? I don’t think those words are supposed to go together when discussing an outlaw.”

  “I’m pretty sure those words have gone together several times in outlaw discussions over the years.”

  The photographer called them over and they posed for the picture. Dominic stood with his fake guns in a holster low on his hips and a prop rifle resting on his shoulder. Jeanette stood next to him with one leg propped up on a stool to reveal the fake money in her garter. The entire time he felt absolutely ridiculous, but it was worth it for every sexy smile Jeanette threw his way.

  Later, as they were admiring their pictures as they walked down the boardwalk to the arcade, Dominic grinned and slid his arm around her shoulders. The movement was easy and effortless and he knew once again that a quick fling with her wouldn’t be enough. What he was feeling for Jeanette was deeper than that, more than scratching an itch.

  If only he could tell if she felt the same. The last thing he wanted was to put the topic of a relationship on the table if the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. He’d been through a bad relationship with someone he couldn’t trust. The idea of putting himself out there again, of trusting someone who could take advantage of him made his stomach churn. The way his ex had completely fooled him had him second-guessing everything.

  He couldn’t lose sight of what he ultimately needed to do: rebuild the nest egg he’d lost fixing the fraud Jules created and solve this problem for the Robidoux family. Finishing the case would bring in the money he needed to clear up that last settlement. He wanted Jeanette, but he couldn’t risk screwing up this case just because his head and heart got mixed up while he worked. Before he put the word relationship on the table and asked Jeanette if she was interested in something more than a couple nights in bed together, he needed to get through the weekend. He’d find Zoe, resolve the situation in Byron’s favor, get paid handsomely and ensure he had more to offer Jeanette than a pile of problems “The Fixer” couldn’t repair.

  CHAPTER SIX

  JEANETTE EYED THE Skee-Ball game, tried to block out Dominic’s smug smile as he watched her and aimed for the hundred-point hole at the end of the ramp. They were at the arcade and in the middle of a heated competition. She rolled her ball up the brown ramp toward the white plastic rims where the points were scored, then crossed her fingers. It jumped over the hump at the end into the hole marked twenty points.

  She slapped her hands together. “Dang! I thought that one was going into the hundred-point hole.”

  Dominic laughed and palmed a ball in his hand. He played on the machine next to hers and was beating the crap out of her. She’d never seen anyone hit a hundred points so often in one game.

  “It’s all in the wrist,” he said. “I’ve tried to tell you.”

  He turned to his game and deftly rolled his ball up the ramp and into the hundred-point slot. Again. Jeanette tried very hard to give him an angry glare and crossed her arms.

  “All in the wrist, my ass. You’re cheating and I want to know how.”

  Dominic’s deep laugh burst from his chest. “I am not cheating. Come on, let me show you.”

  The smile on his face made her stomach flip. Her stomach had been doing a lot of that today. Things were so easy with him. The talking and laughing, the way he didn’t shy away from wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Dominic was making it really hard for her to think about spending only a few nights with him. Which was really freaking her out. She did not want her heart, stomach or any other organ to flip because flipping usually led to thoughts of what happened when the morning came and whether there was a chance for something more long-term.

  Before she could once again talk herself out of thinking of what a relationship with Dominic would be like, he slid up behind her and placed his hands on her waist. The flipping of her stomach commenced, accompanied by a flood of heat and sparks across her skin. He eased her back against him, and all thought flew out of her head as the solid weight of his muscles anchored her.

  “You have to hold me this close to show me how to play Skee-Ball?” she asked with a grin.

  Dominic squeezed her waist with one hand. The other trailed lightly down her arm, where his fingers lightly circled her wrist. “No, but I like holding you this close.”

  “Oh, well, in that case, go ahead and teach me.”

  His chest vibrated with his laugh. Her body vibrated in response. He gently bent her forward and guided her arm back and forth to aim the ball. When he told her to roll, the ball barely made it up the ramp, giving her a measly ten points.

  “You’re distracting me,” she said in a breathless voice.

  His lips brushed her ear. “You’re pretty distracting yourself.”

  Jeanette had to bite her lip to keep the smile from taking over her face. She shook her head and pointed to his score. “That doesn’t seem to be stopping you from winning.”

  Dominic ran his hand down her arm and bent it so the back of her hand faced them. His finger brushed her ring finger. “You never told me what happened to the fiancé.”

  Jeanette tilted her head for a better look at his face. He frowned at her ringless left hand. She took a deep breath and turned to face him. “You really want to go there now?”

  They’d spilled a lot of personal business so far, but she’d never expected him to bring up her loser ex-fiancé.

  He lifted a shoulder, but didn’t look as if he wanted to retract his question. His gaze was determined as it bored into hers. “I’m curious. You seemed like you were happy with him. I thought you’d found the right person.”

  Jeanette turned back to the game and picked up another ball. “I wanted him to be the right person, but there were signs long before we finally broke up that he wasn’t.”

  “Signs?”

  “He didn’t trust me.” The ultimate destroyer of many relationships.

  Dominic sat on the end of his game’s ramp and frowned at her. “He didn’t trust you? Of all people. That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. He would accuse me of spying on him. Not all the time, but enough to let me know he meant it. If he was texting and I asked who he was talking to, he’d get defensive. Accuse me of always questioning him. Then heaven forbid if I were near his phone later, because he’d swear I was going through it. If I told him about someone I caught cheating, he’d say he knew I thought he was going to do the same.”

  “He sounds like he had something to hide.”

  “I never checked to find out. For the longest time I tried to pretend like he just wasn’t used to the idea of dating a private investigator. I mentioned I did a basic background check when we first started dating and he didn’t immediately freak out, but over time his paranoia began to show. Most days he was loving and treated me like I was the answer to his dreams. I thought he was getting over his suspicions when he asked me to marry him. Things had been good and a part of me loved him. Then, one day when I literally just picked up his phone to check the time, he went ballistic. He told me I was sneaky and always trying to get in his business. He said he couldn’t trust me and that I had to swear to stay out of his stuff after we got married. That’s when I snapped. I’d never once checked his text messages, social media accounts or looked into what he did when he wasn’t with me. I know dating a private investigator can be difficult, so I tried to respect his privacy. I let that blind me to who he really was. Petty, paranoid and obviously hiding something.”

  “You don’t want to know what he was hiding?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. We’re done. W
hen I gave him back the ring, a weight lifted off my shoulders. Never again will I be with someone who doesn’t trust me. I’ve seen what a lack of trust can do to a relationship. I don’t want to be in that position.”

  She tossed her ball. It rolled up the ramp and landed in the fifty-points hole. She pumped her fist with the small victory then glanced at Dominic.

  “You know what’s funny about the whole thing?” she said.

  He looked at her as if he couldn’t imagine anything humorous about her situation. “There was something funny about it?”

  “Hard to believe, but yes. After we broke up, my best friend was quick to tell me she knew he wasn’t the one shortly after we got together.”

  He tossed the ball back and forth in his hands and slowly nodded. “Oh, yes, I’ve been there. When people tell you after the fact that they never liked the person you were with.” His mouth twisted with the words.

  “I get it,” Jeanette said, raising her hands in front of her. “No one wants to tell their friend they’re with someone you hate, but when she gave me the reason why I understood completely. He never bought me flowers.”

  Dominic’s brows drew together. “You like getting flowers?”

  She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t have to have flowers. They die after a few days anyway, so I get why people don’t like giving flowers as a gift. That’s why it wasn’t that big of a deal not to get them.”

  “Not even for Valentine’s Day, or your birthday?”

  “Believe it or not, I was usually single around Valentine’s Day, and for my birthday I’ve typically received more practical gifts.”

  Dominic studied her for several seconds. “Wait, are you saying no one has ever brought you flowers?”

  Heat filled Jeanette’s cheeks. She really didn’t care about getting flowers, and she didn’t want to whine about never receiving them. She did not need Dominic to do a pity purchase for her if this turned into something serious.

  “What about you? What happened to your ex-girlfriend?” Not the most subtle way to change the subject, but she was both desperate to get off the subject of never receiving flowers and curious to dig into his past relationship. “I figured one day you would come into my office and tell me you were getting married.”