His breathing, she noted, was just as hard and deep as hers. He tightened his arms around her as he fought for control. “Sorry,” he whispered his hot breath close to her ear made her shiver. “I enjoyed tasting you so much that I got carried away.”
She lifted her head and looked up at him. “No apology needed. I know the feeling, since I was right there with you.” She then placed her head back on his chest, wondering how long she would be able to hold out without letting him make love to her.
“Do you want me to show you around before I feed you?”
She lifted her head again and looked up at him. “Just as long as you don’t have an ulterior motive for doing so.”
He chuckled in a low, sexy voice. “In a way I do. Walking around will give me time to calm down. It’s pure hell in these jeans.”
Dominique laughed as she shook her head. “Do you talk this way to all the women you date?”
He shook his head. “No. Actually I haven’t started dating since moving here, and I only talk that way to you only because I’ve never felt this sort of chemistry before with another woman.” And that included his ex-wife. He wondered how he could explain that he had been married for four years and that they had never spoken intimately, not even while making love.
“Why do you feel comfortable talking that way to me?”
He didn’t respond. At least not for a few seconds. And when he did so, he studied her and then asked. “Does my talking that way bother you?”
She shook her head. “I have to admit that the first time you did it I was taken aback. No man had ever openly said such things to me before. But then I found that I rather liked it. It’s not as if you’re saying anything crude or vulgar. Between us it’s stimulating, intimate and deeply personal.” And to her it really was. To exchange conversation so personal somehow made her feel they were a close couple who had shared intimacies for years.
Jordan smiled, glad that’s how she saw things. “That’s the way I feel about it too. For some reason, talking that way with you seems natural, and in no way is it out of disrespect. If anything, it’s my way of expressing how I feel in the most blatant way I know how. Like I said, I’ve never had this sort of chemistry with another woman. And I want you to know just how much I want to make love to you.” He took her hand in his. “Come on and let me show you around. There’s one particular room I really want you to see.”
She lifted a brow as he led her out of the living room toward the back of his home. “And what room is that?”
He smiled. “It’s not the room you think. It’s an extra bedroom that I made into a workout room.”
***
Dominique glanced around. The room was set up like a fitness center and had every piece of exercise equipment you could imagine. “Wow, this is super.”
“Thanks. It saves me time and money. I don’t have to join a gym for a good workout and I can exercise any time I want.”
She looked at the state-of-the-art treadmill. “With something like this at your fingertips, why bother going out jogging?”
“Because I enjoy breathing in fresh air each day. The only time I use the treadmill is when the weather is bad outside.”
She nodded. “I liked staying toned and thought about joining a health spa but never got around to doing so.”
“And now you don’t have to. You can use my equipment any time.”
“I can?”
“Sure. In fact, if you want to come by tomorrow I can get you started on a few of the easier pieces, the ones I consider as the bare essentials for any workout program.”
Dominique frowned thoughtfully. “Tomorrow won’t be a good day. I’m driving my grandmother to Daytona to visit a friend after church.”
He nodded. “I know how hectic your schedule is during the week with the Fairchild case. What about next Saturday? We can do breakfast again here, and afterward we can spend an hour or so working out.”
“I hate for you to do breakfast two Saturdays in a row. The only way I’ll go along with it is if you let me prepare dinner at my place Tuesday night.”
He smiled. “Sure, I’d like that.” He took her hand in his. “Come on and let me show you the rest of the place before I feed you.”
***
Dominique took a sip of coffee and stared over the rim of the cup at Jordan. His back was to her as he stood at the kitchen counter putting the finishing touches on their pancakes. Even wearing something domestic like an apron, he still eluded sensuality and raw male energy. It was the kind that made her pulse race.
To say she had been surprised at his cooking skills would be an understatement. She had watched while he whipped together some of the fluffiest scrambled eggs she had ever seen and fried the bacon to a delicious crisp. On top of all of that, he had just finished making a batch of pancakes.
He had explained that he and his brother knew how to cook, something Lori Prescott had required of her sons. While preparing breakfast he had shared some more interesting tidbits about his family.
“What are you smiling about?”
She set her cup down when he placed the plate of food in front of her. She met his gaze when he came and sat across from her at the table. “I was just thinking about Michelle. She would love meeting your brother if he ever came to town.”
He lifted a brow. “You think so?”
She chuckled. “Trust me, I know so. She almost died when she found out you had one.”
Jordan shook his head grinning. “It’s hard to believe she’s your sister. From what you’ve told me, she sounds like a rebel.”
“And that’s putting it mildly. During our teen years there was never a dull moment at our house. She gave my parents plenty of grief while growing up. She resisted authority of any kind, and still does in a way. She has trouble keeping a boyfriend because she’s too domineering and bossy. She has this thing about always wanting to be in control.”
“Then it should be interesting if she were to meet Auburn, because they are two of a kind.”
Dominique nodded. She then thought about something. “You didn’t drool.”
Jordan paused in taking a sip of his coffee and looked at her bemusedly. “Excuse me?”
“You didn’t drool. Most men drool when they meet Michelle. You smiled at her but you didn’t drool. Even Kenneth drooled when he first saw her.”
“Kenneth?”
“Yes, my ex-fiancé.”
Jordan frowned. As far as he was concerned that should have told her then that she needed to dump the guy. “Different things attract a man to a woman. I never was one to go after the tall, slender model-size woman.”
Dominique found that interesting. “Really? I thought most men were attracted to those types.”
He shrugged. “Not me. I like healthy looking women, women with meat on their bones.” He smiled. “Nothing turns me on quicker than seeing voluptuous hips, thighs and breasts.” He looked at her intently. “Like yours. They definitely arouse me.”
Dominique couldn’t help but smile. “Thanks.”
After a few moments of silence she said, “Your ex-wife. Was she a full-size woman?”
He looked at her as though it were taking his brain a while to comprehend what she was asking him. Then he said. “Yes.”
“Do I remind you of her?”
“No. Other than size the two of you are completely different.”
“In what way?”
“You may take things seriously but you also know when to smile and lighten up. She didn’t. She was a family practice attorney who didn’t know how to leave things at the office. She would bring home a lot of emotional garbage from the cases she handled.”
Dominique tilted her head. The tone of his voice sounded bitter. “And that came between the two of you?”
“Yes. She didn’t know how to let go and change her role from attorney to wife. You’re a judge. However, not once have we talked about any of your court cases. You know where your roles as Judge Kincaid ends and your role as Dom
inique Kincaid, the woman, begins.”
She nodded. “Being a judge is my job and not my life.”
“Yeah, well Paula never learned to differentiate the two, and it eventually ended our marriage. I have no desire to marry another attorney again.”
Dominique regretted he felt that way. “It’s not that way with everyone. Both my parents are attorneys.”
He lifted a brow. “They are?”
“Yes. They met in law school and have worked together ever since. They get along great at work and at home and have a good marriage. It’s my belief that an individual’s profession has nothing to do with whether or not they make their marriage work it’s how much you’re willing to sacrifice to make that marriage succeed.”
Jordan nodded. “Your ex-fiancé. Was he an attorney?”
“No. Kenneth was a college professor. He taught history at UCF.”
“What’s the reason the two of you broke up?” He already knew what Royce had told him but he wanted to hear it from her.
Dominique didn’t say anything for the longest time; then she spoke. “Kenneth said I had gotten so caught up in wedding plans that I stopped giving him the attention he needed. And it was during that time that he became involved with another woman. She was someone who moved into his apartment complex.”
She took a sip of coffee before continuing. She found Jordan easy to talk to. “According to him it was only a one-night stand. Although that may have been true, the woman got pregnant. He decided to tell me about her a week before our wedding, and only because she threatened to come to the wedding and make a scene unless he gave her enough money to start over in Texas somewhere. He actually had the nerve to ask my parents to loan him the money, and had expected me to continue on with our wedding.” She shook her head in disgust. “It never occurred to him that I would call off the wedding because of what he had done. After all, he felt everything was my fault.”
Jordan snorted angrily. “And I guess you zipped down his pants and forced him to stick his thing into the other woman as well. Did it ever occur to him that he had betrayed you in the worst possible way?”
The depth of Jordan’s anger surprised Dominique, and a part of her was touched it was on her behalf. “No, he didn’t see it that way.”
“Then he was a fool.”
She shook her head sadly. “He still is one. He honestly thinks we’ll get back together and eventually marry.”
Jordan’s chest tightened with some strange emotion he had never felt before. Abruptly, he asked. “Why does he think that? Have you given him reason to think the two of you will be getting back together?”
She lifted a brow at the hardness in his voice. “No. Like I said, he’s a fool. There’s no way he and I will ever get back together.”
Jordan nodded, unwilling at the moment to question why he was glad to hear that her ex-fiancé didn’t stand a chance with her again.
Nine
Three days later Dominique sat in her courtroom rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. She looked at the two men who were nervously staring back at her. “Please approach the bench. The both of you.”
When they stood directly in front of her, she said, “The two of you have really tried my patience today, and I refuse to let either of you turn my courtroom into a circus any longer. A woman is on trial for her life and I expect you to behave like the professionals you are or you will find yourselves in contempt of court.”
Both men nodded. Neither was eager to pay a contempt-of-court fine. “Now then, shall we continue?”
As they walked away she glanced at her watch. It was three o’clock already. The day had dragged by only because the prosecution and the defense had relentlessly bickered at each other, and had refused to give an inch. She had objected so much that her throat was raw.
She sighed angrily. She had looked forward to preparing dinner for Jordan tonight, and now from the looks of things there was no way she would make it home at a decent time. And on top of that, the prosecution had come up with some new evidence she needed to review to determine whether it was admissible. During one of the short recesses, she had left a message on Jordan’s answering machine explaining her situation.
She had seen Jordan that morning when they had jogged, but she hadn’t known the trial would go beyond the scheduled time.
A moment later, while a witness on the stand was going over what had happened the day that Lee Fairchild had gotten killed, Dominique felt goose bumps form on her arms. She looked up to see Jordan, dressed in a tailored business suit and looking like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, enter her courtroom and take a seat. When their gaze connected she felt her heart beginning to beat so fast that she had to take several deep breaths. She finally broke eye contact before she literally passed out from the all-too-familiar sensuous heat that was flooding through her body.
It didn’t seem fair, all these new sensations she was feeling. And if that weren’t bad enough, she often found herself fantasizing about him during the day and dreaming about him at night.
Taking another deep breath, she turned her full concentration back to what was going on in her courtroom.
***
Jordan was glad he had finished all his work for that day and was able to swing by the courthouse. He sat in the back and watched Dominique. What Royce had told him was true. She was tough but fair. He leaned back and settled comfortably in his seat finding her utterly fascinating. As he sat there and watched her, his imagination got wild. He remembered when he had kissed her at his place on Saturday and how his tongue had thrust in and out of her mouth over and over, nearly ravishing it. In fact, he had actually tried leaving his mark stamped somewhere, everywhere in her mouth. He couldn’t imagine a more enticing and delectable place to place his brand.
He inhaled deeply, feeling as if he was on fire, and looked at her. She was staring hot and heatedly right back at him. He liked that.
He also liked the fact that she was no push over. Nor was she easily swayed into doing something she didn’t feel comfortable with doing. He would have given almost anything for them to have slept together at his place Saturday morning before breakfast, after breakfast – the entire day. But she hadn’t been ready. As hot as he had made her for him, she had held back because she hadn’t felt fully comfortable with the situation yet. He was more than willing to give her time, just as long as she didn’t play games with him. And he felt fairly certain that she wasn’t playing games. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, but by nature she was a cautious person who didn’t immediately take anything at face value. Hell, considering what she did for a living, he couldn’t very well blame her.
But the truth of the matter was that he liked her. He liked her a hell of a lot. He could name over a hundred things about her that literally turned him on big-time, and without very much effort. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be good together in bed. But a part of him was enjoying her out of bed as well.
He knew without a doubt that Judge Dominique Kincaid, the woman, was definitely getting to him.
***
Dominique glanced at her watch. It was nine o’clock and she was still in her chambers going over pages and pages of legal documentation regarding the Fairchild case. She had convinced Ruth to go home hours ago, knowing it would well be past eleven before she would finally finish what she was doing.
She leaned back in her chair. She was getting a little hungry and thought about calling Michelle to bring her something to eat from a fast-food restaurant. She was surprised Ruth hadn’t asked her about dinner or had offered to order something for her before she’d left.
She glanced toward her chamber door when she heard a soft knock, wondering who it could be. The courthouse was usually empty this time of night, since most everyone had left for home. The only persons around were the security staff and the maintenance crew. “Come in.”
Her mouth went dry and her heart began beating wildly in her chest when Jordan appeared in the doorway. From
the way he was dressed, wearing a pair of jeans and chambray shirt, it was obvious he had gone home and changed clothes.
She couldn’t stop her gaze from wandering up and down the full magnificent length of him. Whenever he was moving about he was temptation in motion, and whenever he was standing still, as he was doing now while leaning against the doorjamb, he was stationary sex appeal. The man was definitely all of that and a bag of chips. A big bag of chips. The spicy-hot kind.
As she got her wits back she noticed he held two things in his hand – his briefcase and a huge white paper bag. The aroma of food suddenly flooded her chambers. “Jordan? What are you doing here? Didn’t you get my message about dinner at my place being canceled?”
His smile immediately igniting every female part of her body. Her breasts suddenly felt tender, and the area between her legs got warm. With shaking fingers she placed the papers she had been reading aside.
“Yes, I got it and completely understood. I called and spoke with Ruth a few hours ago and she mentioned that chances were you would be staying late tonight. So instead of you feeding me, I decided the decent thing to do, Your Honor, was feed you.”
Dominique thought of the breakfast that he had prepared for her that past Saturday. “You’ve fed me once this week. I already owe you a meal.”
“I’m not keeping tabs, Dominique. Besides, all I did tonight was order take out at Sharkey’s.”
She raised a brow. “When did Sharkey’s start doing take out?”
His smiled widened and she felt it all the way to her toes. “Actually they don’t. Someone I know has connections and arranged things for me.”
“Oh.”
He walked into her chambers, closing the door behind him with his foot. “So I’m ordering you to take a break and eat.”
Because she was hungry, he really didn’t have to order her twice. She stood to remove the papers off her desk. “I really appreciate this. I was just thinking about calling Michelle and asking her to bring me something. You’re a lifesaver.”
ALL HE DESIRES (Voluptuous Woman Series) Page 6
