by C. L. Parker
“So…talk.” She shut the refrigerator door and threw her bottle cap across the room at the trashcan. It landed perfectly inside.
She was really going to have to stop being so damn sexy if she expected him to be able to get through the conversation without taking her right there on the kitchen table.
“About us,” Dominic started, wiping the image from his mind.
“What about us? There is no us,” Kerrigan said sarcastically, holding up her fingers to form quotations around the word “us” each time she said it. “There’s me…and then there’s you and, oh what’s that slut’s name that you’ve been running off to every night? Sinclair, right? Oh, and that’s after you’ve spent the day making out with me and acting like we’re sure as hell a whole lot more than friends. Gotta’ give you props for the whole going to work all night, every night thing. That was real smooth.”
Yep, she was pissed.
Dominic stepped toward her, but she held up her hand.
“Stop right there,” she warned him. “It’s much too easy for me to lose my bearings and forget why I’m mad at you when you’re in close proximity to me, and I’m not about to let you get away with anything. So you just keep your distance.”
“Fair enough,” Dominic conceded. He turned his back to the counter and leaned against it, crossing his legs at the ankles before continuing. “Kerrigan, there are things about me that you don’t know. Things that will likely disgust you.”
“Like how you’re a two-timing whoremonger?” Kerrigan challenged, not giving him a chance to finish. “Face it, Dominic, you’re a whoremonging addict. They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Say it with me…I. Am. A. Whoremonger.”
Dominic took a deep breath to keep his temper in check. He deserved the way she was lashing out, even if he knew what she was saying wasn’t true.
“I’m not a whoremonger.” His voice strained with the control it took not to get upset. “And, I am most certainly not two-timing you.”
“Oh. Well then you’re just a tease. Is that it?” she asked, the volume of her voice rising. “You just enjoy torturing me? Making me look like a fool? Making me think there’s something going on between the two of us? And while I’m throwing myself at you, you’re the one who always pulls away. Probably because you’re running off in the middle of the night to go meet your little hoochie momma. Is that it?”
“No, that’s not…” Dominic started, but Kerrigan cut him off again.
“I bet you get a real kick out of it, don’t you? Is it funny? Get a good laugh, Dominic? Do you and your whore sit around and talk about the way you lead me on as some sick, twisted form of foreplay?”
She just kept spouting out the accusations, never really expecting an answer from him. Her arms flailed around wildly in the air, the veins in her neck were in danger of bursting, and if her eyes narrowed any more, there was no way she would be able to see anything.
She was beyond pissed.
“Let me guess. You don’t find me attractive? Huh? Just not your cup of tea? Are my tits not big enough?” she asked, cupping them in her hands and pushing them together. Dominic tried hard not to stare at them, really he did. But men just can’t not look when a perfect rack is being shoved in their face.
“Well obviously the tits aren’t the problem, you perv!” Kerrigan crossed her arms over her chest to shield them from his ogling. “Oh, I’ve got it! I don’t have enough junk in the trunk. Right? Is that it? My badonk-a-donk not honky tonk enough for you? Answer me!”
Kerrigan was seeing red, seething with anger. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Dominic must have had balls of steel to want to have that conversation with her. She was convinced he had used her for his own entertainment purposes. Maybe he was one of those men that had to have the constant attention of the opposite sex to make him feel more confident. He hadn’t so much as moved past first base with her, and he was sleeping with another woman. She was most pissed about the fact that he acted like he was her friend, like they were in this thing together, like he shared her feelings. But he was sharing his body with someone else. It was like he had this whole other life that didn’t include her.
And he was just standing there looking like sex on legs, with a blank look on his face.
“Say something dammit!”
“Are you actually going to let me talk this time?”
Kerrigan glowered at him.
“Okay then. First of all, no matter what Sinclair said, I most definitely am not sleeping with her. She and I have a sordid past that I can’t go into with you right now, but know that I can’t stand her. That woman is evil. She’ll say and do anything to get what she wants. She was just trying to get under my skin and make you think shit’s going on between her and me so that she can come between us. I promise I’m not lying about that.
Secondly, your tits are perfect,” he said, eyeing her chest and admiring how ample her cleavage looked. “Like, really perfect. Especially in that shirt you’ve got on right now.”
Kerrigan crossed her arms over her chest self-consciously as she huffed and turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
“As for the honky tonk badonk-a-donk, I seriously don’t have a clue what the hell that even means. I don’t have a hoochie momma or a whore. And, yes, it’s my fault that things get a little heated between the two of us, but I find that I can’t help myself around you. Believe me, it’s no picnic in the park for me either when I have to stop the both of us from letting it go too far. Not pleasant, at all. And I assure you, should we ever get that far, you will most definitely find out my definition of foreplay, and I dare say you just might enjoy it. Last, but certainly not least,” he said and then looked around her to ogle her ass. “You most definitely have enough junk in the trunk.”
Kerrigan’s head snapped in his direction, and her jaw dropped before it snapped back shut and her eyes narrowed.
Dominic ignored the death glare and took his chances, stepping to her and placing a hand on each of her arms to caress the sensitive skin on the underside. The action seemed to be effective at taming the savage beast inside her that was ready to rip his head off moments before.
“I’m crazy about you, Kerrigan,” he all but whispered. “Can’t you see that?”
The icy walls she had so carefully constructed melted with his words. “You have a funny way of showing it.” She pouted, looking down at their feet.
“What? Stealing kisses, making excuses to touch you, to be in the same room with you…that’s not proof enough?” He shook his head and ducked down so that he could see her face. “Querida, you know the affect you have on me because you feel the same way, too.”
Dominic took her hand, and Kerrigan unfolded her arms without resistance. He pulled her closer and placed the palm of her hand to his chest, just over his heart. She could feel his heart thumping erratically under his shirt.
“Take my heart. It’s all I have left. I would rip it out and serve it to you on a silver platter if I thought it would make you happy. But as for my soul…well, that already belongs to you. Mi alma es tuya. Remember? My soul is yours.”
And, that would be the point where Kerrigan melted into a puddle of goo at that imperfect man’s perfect feet.
“If you feel that way, then why do you keep pushing me away? And, are you really going to work every night?”
Dominic sighed, not really knowing how to answer her. This was it, the part where she goes running and screaming through the streets of St. Augustine shouting at the top of her lungs that she’s living with a freak, a real live monster straight out of the pages of some gruesome Brothers Grimm fairytale. The townspeople will come marching down the street carrying pitchforks and torches, ready to carry him off to God knows where, and put him on display for the whole world to see what a freak of nature he really was. What he wouldn’t have done for a bell tower to hide away in right about then.
Kerrigan pulled away from him. “I’m going to guess that your lack o
f an answer is the answer.”
“No, no wait,” Dominic said, flustered. She probably wouldn’t believe him if he just told her. He would have to show her because, like they say, seeing is believing. “Come to my room tonight, and I’ll explain everything.”
There was a knock on the door which Kerrigan found weird because the only people that ever visited them were their friends, and they never knocked. She looked back to Dominic who was looking in the direction of the door as well with the same confused look on his face. He leaned down and gave her a chaste, but sweet kiss on the lips before he walked toward the front room.
Kerrigan placed her fingertips where his lips had met hers, and a small smile crept up on her face. The smile completely vanished when Dominic opened the front door and she found out the identity of their mystery guest.
“Dominigo! Where’s my little wifey?” Jackson’s voice greeted him.
Kerrigan could see every muscle in Dominic’s body draw taut, and she slipped around his tall frame to stand between him and Jackson in the doorway.
“What the hell do you want, Jackson?” she asked, not even bothering to open the screen door to invite him in.
“Well isn’t it obvious? I’ve come back to get you and give you another chance.” Judging by the look on his face, Jackson actually believed he was doing her a favor.
“I don’t want you, Jackson. Get that through your thick skull,” she said as calmly as she could.
“Either that, or my boot is going to drill it in there for you,” Dominic seethed from behind her.
“This is between me and Kerri,” Jackson said, looking Dominic in the eye. “I think it would be best if you mind your own business.”
“Kerrigan is my business!” Dominic was furious. “She’s my girl!”
“Oh, she’s your girl now?” Jackson asked with a chuckle. Then he looked back down at Kerrigan. “Are you screwing him now, Kerri? Is that it? You’re whoring around?”
Dominic lunged toward the door, but Kerrigan pushed back on his chest. “Stop it! Both of you!”
“It’s okay, Kerri. I forgive you. We all have needs, and knowing how much you craved my body back in Chicago…I guess I can see why you felt the need to fill that empty void in your life, even if it was with someone below the standards you’re used to. You were slumming. I get it. But, big daddy Jack is back and ready to hear you moan and scream my name again.”
“Jackson!” she screeched, appalled.
“Well, it wasn’t exactly like that, but close,” he said with an arrogant smile and a wink.
Dominic dropped his head and let out one humorless snort before he looked back up at Jackson with a lazy smile on his face. “And now I’m going to have to kill you.”
Faster than she could register what was happening, Dominic had shoved Kerrigan out of the way and thrown the screen door open. It smacked Jackson in the forehead and momentarily stunned him. Jackson backed up a little, and Dominic threw the first punch, landing it with a loud crack to the left side of his face. Before Jackson could retaliate, Dominic landed another blow to the right side of his ribcage. The force sent Jackson careening down the porch stairs, and he landed with a thud onto the walkway.
“Get up!” Dominic bellowed, stalking down the stairs after him. He pulled his shirt over his head and threw it aside.
Jackson scrambled to his feet. Kerrigan rushed out the door, but didn’t dare approach them because Dominic looked entirely too lethal. His fists were raised, the muscles in his arms and back flexing with his fighter’s stance as he bounced around. Jackson looked terrified, but as with most other man, he refused to back down.
Jackson took a swing at him, but Dominic ducked and landed a punch to Jackson’s stomach. The air whooshed out of his lungs, and he doubled over in pain. It only took him a moment to regain his composure, stand back up, and swing again. This time, Jackson managed to make contact with Dominic’s mouth. Dominic took a step back and flicked his tongue over his lip, tasting the blood trickling from the small cut.
The corner of his mouth turned up into a smirk. “You made me bleed. I hope you know that means I’m definitely going to have to fuck you up now.”
He threw his fists back up, but before he could take a swing, Jackson ran at him. He wrapped his big arms around Dominic’s waist, tackling him to the ground. Kerrigan watched them roll around. Fists were swung, punches were landed, and she was having a really hard time figuring out who was winning. But then Dominic was on top, and he threw punch after punch that landed to various spots on Jackson’s face and head.
With each blow, an indescribable, fearsome growl clawed its way out of his chest. Kerrigan knew she had to get him under control before he ended up killing Jackson.
“Dominic.” She stepped carefully, not wanting to startle him. “Dominic, stop.” Her voice was calm, but her hand was unsteady as she reached toward him, making contact with his skin. He stilled his movements, but his body was so tense and volatile, she knew he was ripe for another explosion.
She inched closer to him, careful not to move too suddenly. Her fingertips crawled across his skin until she found the scar on his shoulder. Dominic’s head dropped back, and he closed his eyes. Kerrigan watched his body relax.
“Come here, Dominic,” she whispered, trying to get him off Jackson’s limp body.
Dominic took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles. He rose from the body beneath him and wrapped his arms around Kerrigan’s waist.
“Look at me. Only at me.” Her soothing voice calmed him. Her hands wrapped in the hair at the back of his neck and urged him to bow his head toward her. Their foreheads touched, and Dominic looked into her eyes, seeing a hint of brightness there that illuminated the darkness that had taken him over.
“You okay?” she asked, stroking his cheek.
Dominic nodded.
“Let’s get you inside and find you a cigarette and a beer, yeah?” Dominic nodded again. She always knew exactly what he needed, because she was exactly what he needed.
They turned to walk toward the house, and Kerrigan felt a hand around her ankle. She looked down at Jackson’s marred face and sighed. “Jackson, I’m with Dominic now. I don’t want anything to do with you. Now please go back home to Chicago, and leave me alone.”
With that, she yanked her ankle from his grasp and wrapped her arms around Dominic’s waist, leading him inside.
I’m crazy about you, Kerrigan. Can’t you see that?
Take my heart. It’s all I have left. I would rip it out and serve it to you on a silver platter if I thought it would make you happy. But as for my soul, well, that already belongs to you. Mi alma es tuya. Remember? My soul is yours.
Kerrigan had committed Dominic’s words to memory. Even as she showered for the evening, she kept them on repeat, playing over and over again in her mind. It was as if by not doing so it would make them a figment of her imagination.
He gave her his soul and offered his heart. Then he beat the crap out of a man for calling her a whore.
Swoon.
She stood under the spray of the shower allowing the hot water to cascade over her bare skin. The defenses she had been building up to keep him away washed down the drain with the last remnants of her shampoo suds. Her body relaxed, and her muscles melted into tangible desire.
She wanted him, wanted to be his. She smiled to herself. He told Jackson she was his girl.
The atmosphere around them oozed with their mutual attraction. So much Kerrigan sometimes couldn’t even find the air to breathe unless she was in that little bubble she shared only with Dominic. He was becoming that air, and she craved him. His presence, his touch, everything that was Dominic Grayson.
The magnetism they held for each other had taken on a life of its own, something organic and raw. Something real. It was an actual living, breathing entity with an existence of its own and a promise of what they could be together. Two halves coexisting to create one whole. A formidable force they would be, able to take on the world
or anyone foolish enough to stand in their way.
Like Jackson. And even that Sinclair woman, whoever she was or whatever she was to him.
After the fight, she had taken him inside and up to his room. He sat out on the balcony with his cigarette and a beer, assuring her that he was fine. It seemed like he wanted some time to himself, so she left. Before she did, he made her promise she would be back later for their talk. She had no idea if what he had to say would be the one thing that could keep them apart. He still had a lot of explaining to do, but the sincerity in his eyes when he smiled at her before she left was intense, palpable.
Sinclair’s exposure of Dominic’s supposed late night trysts with her was still a major concern for her. He said he couldn’t stand her and promised to explain everything, so she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. She realized that he had never denied he had a relationship with Sinclair, just that it was a sordid past. That could mean anything.
Sweet Jesus! What if he had a whole family with her that he’s kept hidden? A Mrs. Grayson, 2.4 Grayson babies, and a dog named…Grayson. Poor Millie would be so heartbroken. So would she.
She groaned inwardly at the thought and shut the water off. Stepping from the shower, she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around her naked body. Shoved into the corner of the room, was one of Dominic’s wife beaters. It was discarded on the floor, forgotten and left behind after his earlier shower. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled his manly scent. What she wouldn’t have given to be enveloped in it all the time.
A hint of wickedness sparkled in her eye as an idea began to formulate in her devious mind. She slipped his shirt over her head and stepped into the panties and sleep shorts she had brought with her. After brushing her teeth and combing her wet hair, she walked into the darkened hallway and headed straight for Dominic’s bedroom door.
