by Sabrina York
“I’m a considerate husband,” he purred against her ear. “In fact, I’m so considerate, I’ll wash your back.”
“Just my back?”
Dom pretended to consider it, saying, “And your front, if you’re lucky.”
Caris turned in his arms and ducked just as he leaned down to kiss her. “Morning breath,” she teased. Then she backed into the bathroom, pausing at the doorway. “Luck has nothing to do with it.” She squealed as he came charging toward her. Caris turned and ran into the bathroom, until she touched the sink. “I’m safe,” she cried when he scooped her into his arms.
“Says who?”
She fumbled for the wrapped toothbrush. “My bad breath.”
Dom wrinkled his nose and put her back on her feet. “Yeah, okay.”
Caris scowled at him, barely biting back a grin as she thrust the second complimentary toothbrush at him. “You aren’t breathing roses either, lover.”
They stood side by side at the double sink, brushing their teeth. Part of Caris couldn’t believe they stood so casually with each other, performing mundane tasks. Yet, the tingling in her thighs and fluttering in her stomach lent the activity an intimacy that made even the simple teeth cleaning new and exciting.
As she spat out a mouthful of toothpaste, Caris suddenly remembered a conversation she’d had with a girlfriend in high school. Her friend had been all talk, but she swore by mint toothpaste when going down on her boyfriend. She claimed it made his skin tingle and gave him a rush.
With a wicked grin, Caris put more toothpaste on her brush. Dom didn’t seem to notice anything amiss as he ran a glass of water and swished some around in his mouth. He didn’t pay attention until she knelt on the floor beside him. “Did you drop something?”
Her mouth was full of toothpaste, so Caris just shook her head and settled her hands on his naked hips.
He frowned as she slid forward. “What’re you doing?”
Caris almost swallowed to clear the lump in her throat, but remembered the mouthful of toothpaste. It tingled against the insides of her cheeks and on her tongue. She hoped her friend hadn’t been wrong. She moved one hand to hold his erection steady. Then, moving cautiously, she slid her mouth around it, feeling his body stiffen.
“Caris, what—” Dom suddenly broke off, and air hissed through his teeth. He grabbed a handful of her hair. “Oh, God.” He arched his hips.
Caris wiped off the toothpaste dripping down her chin and took in as much of him as she could. She could hear his gasping and feel his body tremble as she worked the mint-flavored gel around his shaft. When she darted her tongue across his most sensitive spot, his entire body visibly jerked. She moved her head backward and forward, making sure the toothpaste covered every inch of him, before narrowing in on the tip of his erection. Each quiver of his body made her want to smile, because it was proof of the pleasure she gave him. She felt heady and powerful before him, on her knees—a traditionally subservient posture that had transformed her into the one in charge. She could do anything to him at that moment, but she only wanted to do one thing, and that was love him.
His entire body convulsed with his climax, and the minty taste in her mouth grew salty. Caris pulled away from him and bent over the sink to spit out the toothpaste mingled with his satisfaction. Then she rinsed out her mouth with his glass of water before turning back to him.
The toothpaste was still smeared across his shaft, but he didn’t seem to care. His arms were propped on the counter and visibly trembling. His breathing was deep and ragged, and it took him awhile to ask, “Where did you learn about that?”
“A friend in high school.” Caris smiled at him. “She swore men loved it.” Her eyes dropped coyly. “Do they?”
He nodded. “It was incredible.”
Caris stripped off the slip, noticing a bit of toothpaste had dripped onto the lacy cup. “Want to wash my back now?”
Dom still seemed beyond speech as he nodded and followed her to the large shower.
Caris adjusted the water to very warm and stepped inside the frosted glass stall. She crooked her finger at Dom, and he willingly followed her inside. She turned away from him and lifted her hair so he could wash her back.
After soaping his hands with a small bar, he started in slow circles at her neck, slowly moving outward and downward with each stroke. Caris squirmed as his hands dropped to her buttocks and kneaded them. She pushed herself against him, grunting when he pushed her away. She tried not to move as he lathered the back of her left thigh and moved down her leg. When he reached her foot, he moved to the right foot and worked his way up, pausing to concentrate on the tight muscles in her calf. Then he was back at her thigh again, and moving upward. His hand hovered between her legs.
She could have sobbed when he withdrew his hands.
Dom reached past her, pressing his front against her back, and took the soap again. “I’m getting dry,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’m not,” she said through a moan.
Dom chuckled and lathered his hands. “Now, where was I?”
Caris groaned as he cupped her buttocks. One of his hands slid between her thighs, briefly brushing against a sensitive area. She whimpered when he pulled his hand away and turned her around.
“Now for the front.” Dom winked and knelt on the shower floor to wash her feet and legs. Once more, he skipped over the part she most wanted him to touch and moved to her stomach. His slippery hands slid across her flesh to rest under her breasts.
Caris thrust her chest forward, silently pleading with her eyes. She scowled when he chuckled again. His hands settled briefly on her breasts, but did no more than move in quick circles and pause for a second to lightly tug on her nipples before sliding up her chest to her neck.
When she thought she couldn’t take anymore, Dom reached for the soap again. The glint of teasing was gone from his eyes as his hands traveled down her body. One stopped to explore her breast, but the other slid lower, seeking out the juncture at her thighs. She bit back a sob as he slid a finger inside her.
By the time he finished thoroughly washing her, she could barely hold back her scream. He denied her release when he pulled his hands away and put them under the water’s stream. “Dom!”
He feigned innocence. “I’m sorry. Did I miss a spot?”
“Dammit, Dom.”
He laughed as he lifted her against the wall of the shower and took possession of her. “Wrap your legs around me. Don’t let go.”
“Never,” she forced out as she held onto his shoulders and wrapped her legs around his waist.
“I love you, Caris.”
She pressed herself closer to him, eager to feel every inch of him. “I love you too,” she managed to grunt. Then she was lost in the pleasure of the moment and lost in her husband.
Chapter Fourteen
Caris stared out the window of their suite late Thursday morning and turned her head as Dom stepped up behind her. She snuggled against him when he put his arms around her. “All it’s done is rain since we got here.”
“I know you must be disappointed.” He rubbed his cheek against her hair. “We can still go shopping.”
She looked at the pile of bags in the corner. “Not interested. I wanted to go to the park, the wharf, out to Alcatraz—”
“I’m sorry, hon. I guess San Francisco in winter is a bad honeymoon spot.”
She turned around and pressed herself against him. “Who knew it would be like this?” Caris bit her lip. “Would you mind terribly if we went home?”
Dom lifted a brow. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. “I miss Jessica, and I’m worried about El—Mom.” She twirled a lock of his dark hair around her finger. “I don’t want to disappoint you, but I’m not having much fun.”
He nodded. “Neither am I.” Dom’s eyes gleamed suggestively. “I can keep you in bed as easily on the ranch as I can here.”
She hugged him. “Thank you for understanding. I want to be with you—”
“—at home,” he finished for her. “I’ll call the airport. Hopefully we can take off in this rain.”
As Dom spoke on the phone, Caris took their cases from the closet and began packing their clothes. She eyed the slinky red dress wistfully, but even the opera wasn’t interesting enough to keep her from home. She hadn’t said anything to Dom, but all day a headache had been building behind her eyes, and she couldn’t stop worrying about her daughter and his mother. She would feel better when they were home and knew everyone was all right.
Dom came to the bed, dropping the cordless on the spread. “We can take off if we leave in the next hour. After that, the fog will roll in and most flights will be canceled.”
“Okay. Help me finish packing.” She left Dom to rounding up their clothes and turned her attention to organizing their shopping bags. They didn’t have a limit on baggage since Dom owned the plane, but everything would still have to be searched. She condensed items down from ten bags to three. By then, Dom was ready. He had called the front desk to check them out, and they left the suite.
Caris and Dom took the elevator down to the lobby, stopping at the front desk to sign out and turn in the electronic key card before they left the towering hotel. A taxi drew up as soon as they stepped into the deluge. Caris huddled in the raincoat she had picked up yesterday and ran with Dom to the taxi. It was raining so hard that the driver didn’t even get out. He popped the trunk with a button in the car and left them to load their own luggage.
“Get in the car,” Dom said. “I’ll finish here.”
“Your coat isn’t waterproof.”
He took the bags from her. “By the time we argue about it, I’ll be finished.”
She walked to the back door of the cab and opened it, sliding inside. “SFO, please.”
A moment later, Dom slid in beside her, bringing a splash of rain with him. Once the cab took off, he removed the satellite phone from his pocket and dialed the M & M. After a short pause, he said, “Mom, we’re coming home early.”
“No, it’s like a flood here.”
“Yeah, we’ll be careful. Love you too.”
When Dom hung up, he turned slightly in the seat. “Mom said everything is fine, but the snow is really coming down. The weather station issued a snow advisory for their area.”
“Will we be able to land?”
“Yeah. It’s probably not too bad yet.” He grinned. “Mom tends to overreact.”
The flight that normally took about ninety minutes stretched beyond two hours as Dom fought for visibility and relied on Skip to guide him in during the landing. Caris’s hands felt like they had frozen in a permanent clench when they finally touched down on the runway, and she vowed to never fly again. The flight had been nerve-racking and left her nauseated. Worst of all, they had been unable to call Elena to let her know they were running late. The satellite phone couldn’t send or receive transmissions because of the thick snow.
They left the plane’s maintenance to Skip and hurried to the Toyota, parked where they had left it. Dom dumped the bags in the back area behind his seat, climbed in and started the engine, turning the heater up full blast. “Lovely weather, isn’t it?”
She shuddered. “I’ve seen much worse in Kansas, but I wasn’t in a plane then.”
Dom squeezed her hand. “We made it through just fine. When we get home, I’ll make you a cocoa and Kahlua to soothe your nerves.”
Caris checked her safety belt before he drove cautiously from the lot. “We have to get through this snow first.”
Dom shrugged, appearing relaxed. “We will.”
The tires spun as they hit a patch of ice, sending the truck fishtailing. Caris bit back a cry and grasped the handle above her window. She breathed a sigh of relief when Dom regained control. She closed her eyes as he got onto the road, deciding she would feel better if she didn’t see what was coming their way or following them. Her body remained rigid during the half-hour it took Dom to get the Toyota into their driveway.
She finally opened her eyes and frowned when she saw a Jeep Wrangler in the drive. Snow was piled high on its tires, but tread marks indicated the vehicle was stuck and had tried to get out. “Who is that?”
Dom shrugged. “I don’t know.” He cursed as the truck shuddered to a halt. He shifted to a different gear and hit the accelerator, which caused the truck to buck and slide to the left. That was its only movement. “It looks like we’re stuck too. Can you walk to the house in those shoes?”
Caris nodded. “My feet will get soaked, but at least I didn’t wear the heels.” She looked down at the tennis shoes and shook her head. Why hadn’t she worn the water repellent hiking boots she picked up at that sporting goods store in San Francisco? She sighed, knowing she wasn’t omnipotent. Had she been, she would have known to stay safely ensconced in the bridal suite of The Palace.
Dom passed her a small case, grabbing the bags and the other suitcase. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and pushed open her door. Caris braced herself for the cold snow when she stepped out of the truck. She gasped with surprise anyway when her feet sank into snow up to her ankles. She used the door for support to get away from the truck before she slammed it. Dom had made it to the front of the truck, and he held out his hand. Stinging snow pelted her uncovered skin as it fell from the sky in a sideways drift.
Caris picked her way through the hard snow, slipping once or twice when she found a patch of ice under the snow. She clutched Dom’s hand, and they battled their way to the porch. The steps were icy, and she nearly fell. He held onto her arm, dropping a case in the process. Dom indicated she should go on up as he bent to retrieve the case.
She cleared the stairs and paused to wait for him under the shelter of the porch. She blinked the snow from her eyes and watched him struggle with the bags. When he cleared the stairs, she went to him and took one of the shopping bags. “We should have left all of this in the truck.”
Dom nodded. “Probably, but I didn’t want Mom’s Ghiridelli chocolate to freeze.”
“You’re always so sweet.” She kissed his cold cheek, walking with him to the front door. Caris shivered as he fumbled with the key, finally fitting it in the lock. Before he even turned the key, the door opened.
He frowned when he removed the key and pocketed his key ring. Dom stepped inside first, and Caris followed. The minute she was inside and had closed the door, she kicked off her wet shoes and unzipped the coat. She draped it over the coat rack, and she was visibly shivering. “How about that cocoa and Kahlua?”
Dom turned to look at her, frowning with concern. “Do you hear how quiet it is?”
Caris frowned. “Quiet?”
“Jessica usually makes some kind of noise. Surely they heard us open the door.” Dom dropped the bags and luggage before moving toward the hallway. “Stay here.”
She ignored him, pressing close to his back. Dom sighed at her stubbornness, but didn’t ask her to stay again. Maybe it was safer to have her with him. He was probably overreacting, but if he wasn’t, it was better to know she was right behind him.
They stopped in the doorway of the sitting room. At first glance, it appeared Elena was asleep in her chair. Then he saw the blood smeared across the light fabric, and her cane on the floor, several feet out of her reach. He forgot all about being cautious as he rushed into the room, followed by Caris. He went to his mother, feeling her neck. “She’s still alive. Call 9-1-1, Caris.”
She nodded and went to the phone. Caris’s already pale complexion turned white when she lifted the receiver to her ear. “It’s dead.”
“Probably the weather,” Dom automatically soothed. He searched in his pocket for the satellite phone and pulled it out, disgusted to find it still had no reception.
“What happened here?” She sank to her knees.
Dom was alarmed by her weak tone, and he went to her, lifting her from the floor. He rubbed her arms and looked into her eyes. “Stay with me, okay? You can’t fall apart.”
Her lips trembled, but she nodded. “What do we do about your mother?”
Dom bit back a frustrated sound. “I don’t know. Keep trying the phones, I guess. I’m going upstairs to check on Jessica and Lindsay.” He didn’t wait for her to agree as he left the room and ran up the stairs. He looked in the nursery and saw signs of a rushed escape. Diapers were scattered on the floor, and clothes hung out of the dresser. Neither the baby or Lindsay was in the room, but the girl’s thick glasses were near the mirror. There was a crack in the lens, and the frame was bent, suggesting they had been stepped on.
As he checked each room on the second floor, Dom’s stomach knotted tighter and tighter. When he found no sign of them on the upper floor, he returned to the main floor and checked each room. In his study, he found the first indication of who was responsible. He gathered up some of the shreds and returned to the sitting room.
Caris knelt by his mother, and she pressed a cloth to the head wound. The cordless lay on the floor beside her. When she looked up, her expression held a note of suppressed terror. “Jessica?”
Dom shook his head and held up long strips of shredded paper. “The custody agreement my attorney drafted. He took time to shred it.”
“Brendan.” The name emerged more as a breath than a vocalized sound, and so low that he barely heard her. Caris shook her head. “No, it can’t be. He doesn’t want Jessica. He wouldn’t take her.”
“He did.” Dom walked into the room, dropping the scraps as he went. He knelt beside Caris and felt his mother’s pulse again. He was relieved to note it hadn’t weakened, but it was still too thready and slow. “Any luck with the phones?”
“No. They’re still out.” Caris clutched his hand. “Why did he take our baby?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Revenge?” Dom stood up and paced. “He had to leave on foot or by horse. His vehicle was snowed in, and he couldn’t risk calling a cab.”
“Why not?”
“He took Lindsay too.” Dom took a deep breath when he noticed his voice was ragged and tears filled his eyes. “I don’t know why he brought her. Maybe because Jessica cried when he picked her up?”
