“Are you okay?” he asked in a hushed voice, his lips brushing her forehead.
Hell yeah! “I just got screwed at an archeological dig, in what was used as a crypt. I’m great.”
“A crypt?” He raised her chin so their eyes could meet.
Verity chuckled. “Yes. This used to be a crypt.”
“Well, hell. That’s a new experience.”
Lifting up on one arm, Verity glanced down at him. Strong masculine features, an aquiline nose, and firm kissable lips. Then there were his eyes. The most beautiful shade of blue she’d ever seen. Not a light cornflower color but a rich, beautiful cornflower hue. Then they were framed by doubly thick, curved black lashes.
“For me too,” she said. His smirk prompted her to add, “But then, I’ve never had a pilot before.”
His eyes narrowed. “So the crypt thing is common?”
“Awww, look at you, getting all possessive sounding.”
“Not sounding, gorgeous, am.” Dominic tugged her down on top of him. “Am.”
Verity experienced an odd tug on her heart strings. “Come on, Dominic. I’m going to put you to work.”
Dominic sank a hand into her hair and rolled them so she lay beneath him. “Can you play hooky today?”
I wish. “No. I wish I could, I truly do. But I can’t.”
He nibbled along her lower lip and she squirmed. “Are you sure?” he whispered, using one hand to cup her breast and tease the puckered nipple. “I mean, is there any way I can convince you to change your mind?”
This man is way beyond dangerous. She arched into his touch, more wetness flooding her pussy. Verity grabbed the blanket and tried to recapture her lost breath. Sweet merciful heaven!
“Oh...I...you...fuck!” she expelled her breath when he pinched the taut tip and lightly bit the side of her neck. Verity shuddered with the orgasm crashing over her.
“I want you naked, Verity. With no concern of anyone interrupting us. I want you to scream as loud as you want when I sink my cock into your hot, tight, pussy. I want to taste you as you come all over my tongue.”
It was beyond hard to breathe. Her body burned for him. Biting her lower lip, Verity closed her eyes and struggled for control. One hand moved to rest against the back of his skull, she slid her fingers across the short hairs on his head. Dominic nipped and laved his way back to her mouth.
His gaze swirled with desire and she felt herself weakening towards his proposal.
“How about half a day?” she asked, her voice a low rasp.
He stared at her from beneath lowered lashes, which added to his sexual allure. “And the other half?” he questioned in a low tone which had a hint of a drawl in it.
“Well, I have food, drink, a bed, and a shower at my place.”
Dominic flexed his hips and she could feel the length of him, hard and unyielding against her. “Then I suggest you get to work, gorgeous, ‘cause come noontime, we’re outta here.”
“You have to move first,” she said, kissing him.
“Can’t work like this?”
“Well...not the kind they expect me to do here.”
One hard fast kiss and he had pushed to his feet and helped her up as well. “What can I do to help?” he asked, once they’d straightened up their clothing.
“Grab a seat for a bit, I can use your help in the next room, I just have to...” she trailed off and looked at him. “Scratch that. Come help me put up the new support beam. May as well use your strength.”
Her belly tensed at the smirk on his face. “Yes,” he drawled. “By all means, use my strength.”
Together they lifted and positioned the object in place. Wiping her hands off, Verity led the way to a small room off the crypt. It was a room she’d not really begun working in yet, but she had left a bag in there the last time she was here. She paused in the doorway looking through the dimly lit room to find her stuff in the corner.
“Just give me a second,” she stated.
Walking across the hard packed floor she halted before her bag. Crouching down, Verity zipped it closed and pushed to her feet, the strap in one hand. There was almost no warning.
Crack!
“Verity!”
Whoompff. All the air exploded from her lungs and Dominic’s large body bore her to the ground and rolled them away from the showering debris. Coughing and sputtering, she peered around Dominic’s shoulder from where he lay mostly over her, offering protection. Verity swore.
“Are you okay, Dominic?” she asked, looking into his dirt-smudged face.
“I’m okay. What about you?” He smoothed a hand along her cheek.
Her arm ached slightly, but she was alive. “Fine, I think, thanks to you.”
Dominic rolled off her and they slowly got to their feet. Verity swore again as she slid her glasses on after cleaning them. A pile of rubble was piled over the spot she’d been moments before. Her bag was squashed under it. Verity shook the dirt from her hair and took a step towards the mess, only to find herself jerked back against Dominic’s chest.
“Umm, what do you think you’re doing?” he demanded.
“Checking it out.”
“Do you think that’s wise?”
“I don’t know how else I’ll figure out what’s going on. Besides, cave-ins do occur.” Although not so much lately.
“So this kind of thing happens?” he asked, moving with her to the mound of dirt and stone.
“Yes.” That sense of unease was back, more urgent than before. Again she was prevented from getting any closer because Dominic grabbed her arm. “Hey!”
“We’re getting out of here. This was no accident.”
Flicking her gaze to him, she asked, “How do you know that?”
Dominic pointed to a broken beam. “Because I don’t know of any beam that leaves a clean cut when it breaks.”
Verity looked at the beam. Shit! He’s right. She touched her upper right arm and flinched at the pain that spread through her. She ignored it, and instead reached out to touch the straight cut in the wood. A frown crossed her face when she looked at her fingers.
Blood.
She stared at her shoulder she muttered. Blood was seeping through the tear in her shirt sleeve. I can’t believe this. “What the hell?”
“What’s up?” Dominic queried from her left side.
“I must have cut my arm when this thing fell. I’m bleeding,” she said, meeting his eyes.
His expression sobered and he was at her side in a heartbeat. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”
“I just realized it.”
He moved to her right side and swore. “Come on, let’s get you looked at.”
Verity wanted to stay but she knew two things. One it wouldn’t be smart to leave the wound dirty and bleeding, and two, Dominic wouldn’t let her remain. So she didn’t even argue.
“Just have to grab my other things.”
“Right.”
Before long they were walking through the palace towards the exit. After a brief stop to tell Gaylon what had transpired, they were at her car and after a short disagreement on whether or not she needed a hospital, Verity found herself in the passenger seat as he drove her to one.
* * * *
Dominic stood nearby Verity while she got her wound cleaned out and stitched up. With a wall at his back, he had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Every protective instinct within him screamed that someone was after her. His belly heaved and rolled at the thought of her being buried beneath that heap of rubble. The only reason he’d made it to her side in time was his instincts and rapid reaction time.
And yet, she still got hurt. Not as bad as she could have been, but that didn’t make him feel any better. Dominic watched her talk to the nurse putting in the four stitches. They spoke in Greek and Verity had a smile on her face. She doesn’t seem concerned about this at all.
After they finished there, Verity drove them to her apartment. Dominic followed her inside and smiled as he ad
mired her place. She lived in a small two-storey. He gazed around the living room with the two couches covered with large pillows and the open kitchen. The color scheme was that of the Mediterranean and an abundance of plants and flowers flourished in pots. In the back corner he saw the staircase.
“You have a lovely home,” he said. It fits her. Calming and beautiful.
“Thanks. Look around; make yourself at home. I have to call Yusuf and update him. There’s a water closet in the back if you’d like to get rid of some of the dirt off. Towels are in there.”
Dominic accepted her offer on it and took a quick shower. Clad in only his jeans, he walked out to find her still on the phone. He wandered around and observed the items on her walls. These were the things which made her house a home. There were many ancient items when he assumed were replicas. And there were all the flowers and greenery. Every surface it seemed had a plant on it. Of the flowers, all he recognized were the tulips and the orchids.
“Adio, Gaylon,” Verity said in a low tone before she replaced the receiver.
He strode to where she sat upon a stool, her darker skin pale and he knew it wasn’t from the dust still covering her. “Everything okay?” he asked, his eyes trailing over the stitches in her arm.
She had her lower lip caught in her teeth as she slid off the stool and headed to the fridge. Pulling out two bottled drinks, Verity set one down before him. “I think I’m beginning to rethink this. Maybe someone is out to get me, after all.”
Dominic twisted off both bottle tops and took a drink of his root beer. He swallowed the bubbled liquid while he tried to control the flare of panic that arose within him. “Why do you say that?” he asked, proud his voice was calm.
“That was Gaylon; they got to my bag under the pile.”
Her silence brought his gaze back to her face. There was a look of disbelief on it. “And that’s not normal for them to clean?”
“Oh, no, it is...it’s just that...well...nothing, it’s nothing.”
He leaned across the counter and gripped her chin. “Don’t tell me it’s nothing, Verity. What’s going on?”
“There was a dead snake in my bag.”
Releasing her chin, he sat back upon the stool. “Like a warning?”
“As in freshly killed from the stuff collapsing on it. An adder, an Ohiá Adder. We don’t have them on Crete; they’re in Greece, but not here. So that means it was deliberately put in there.”
“Wait a second; you’re saying someone put a poisonous snake in your bag?”
“Yes.” Her response was low and he heard the uncertainty in it.
“What are the police doing about it?”
“Nothing they can do really.” She sighed and pushed her drink away. “I mean, it’s not like the snake is talking.”
Dominic ground his teeth. This wasn’t making him happy. “You are taking this pretty calmly, Verity.”
“What am I supposed to do, Dominic? Run and scream? I don’t understand what is going on. I haven’t found anything big; this is mundane stuff I’m working on right now, small finds, if anything. And really, I can’t think of any enemies I would have. I spend most of my time alone with dirt and small tools.”
“Well, someone has it in for you.”
She looked at him and shook her head. “But why? I don’t have anything.”
“You have something they want.” He took another drink. “Maybe you should take a vacation until things cool down.”
“I will not run,” she bit off.
“This is your life, Verity. It’s more important than some things buried in the dirt.”
A cold fire blazed in her eyes. “Not to me.”
“Seriously, you’d risk your life even knowing someone was out there after you?”
“Strange question coming from the fighter pilot.” She cocked a brow and held his gaze.
Dominic sighed and took another drink. She made a valid point, truly she did, but it didn’t matter. He shook his head and stared at her. “I’m not unarmed up there.”
“But you are in danger.” She fiddled with her bottle before pushing to her feet. “I need to get cleaned up.” Verity disappeared in a flash.
Dominic listened as her footfalls carry her to the second floor. Drink in hand he got to his feet and made his way to the bottom of the stairs. In the back of his mind, Dominic knew he was about to invade her privacy, but it didn’t stop him. Deep within his soul he knew she needed him with her more than she needed him to remain out of her room. He jogged with ease up to the top and stared down the narrow hall. A thin window at the end illuminated the hallway and a hanging plant. Dominic walked to the first door and stared inside at a room set up as an office.
Continuing on, he passed the bathroom and paused outside her bedroom. The door stood open and he peered inside. The room was done in blues, greens, and platinum. Neat and tidy. He lingered on the full sized bed and for a moment though of laying Verity back on the smooth bedspread. A movement on the other side of the room caught his attention.
Verity stood at her dresser, head bowed, and her fingers gripping the edge. She’d gotten as far as removing her boots and socks. Even though he stood at the door, he could see her body trembling. Dominic moved up behind her, set his drink on the dark brown surface of her bureau and drew her into his arms, turning her so her face pressed against his chest.
“Hey, it’ll be okay, Verity.”
Her body shook and he held her tighter.
“I don’t understand why this is happening.” Verity stepped back. “I need to shower. I’ll be right back.”
Dominic cupped her cheek. “We’ll figure it out.”
Her gaze was tired when it met his. Another deep sigh was followed by a shudder. Without hesitation, he gathered her close again and rubbed her back in large, slow circles. She sobbed, but Dominic made no mention of it. Burying his nose into her hair, he held her and let Verity work through the emotions which rocked her. When she stepped back, Dominic didn’t try to stop her.
“I’ll be right back,” Verity said in a soft voice.
“Okay.” The second she was out of his arms, Dominic wanted her back in them. “I’ll be downstairs.”
Dominic got to the door when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. He glanced back to her face. Need lingered behind the worry in her eyes. Dominic lifted a brow in silent question.
“Stay.”
She didn’t have to ask him twice. Dominic turned back to her and bit the inside of his lip before setting down his drink again. Dust covered her body and clothing and he’d never seen anyone more desirable in his life. Her dark hazel eyes framed by thick sooty lashes watched him through strands of her wavy hair. Full lips were tempting, her whole body was.
Silent, Dominic walked closer and with a slow but deliberate motion reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it off her body, leaving her in only a cream colored bra. He dropped her shirt on the floor, mesmerized by her torso. She had a flat stomach and a piercing in her belly button.
Damn! “Beautiful,” he muttered, unfastening the button on her shorts.
Sinking to his knees, he drew them down and lifted each bare foot free before he tossed the shorts away. Her underwear was plain, like her bra. His cock pulsed and his mouth went drier than the arid plains of his home state of Texas. Licking his lips, he settled his hands along the dip of her waist. Her long toned legs were smooth, despite being dust-covered. Her toes had polish on them, a soft green. She also had silver toe rings. Two on her right foot; one had engraved on it the word “HOPE” and the other “FAITH.” The one on her left read “LOVE.” He trailed one hand down the outside of her leg and back up to the top of her panties.
Leaning forward, Dominic pressed a kiss to the side of her belly button and pushed to his feet. Eyes on hers, he reached around to her back and undid the bra. Within his pants his hard length throbbed when her full breasts came into view. The moisture which had been absent flooded his mouth at the sight of her nipples. Like dark choco
late kisses. He wanted them in his mouth.
“Damn!”
In answer, Verity took one finger, hooked it through his belt loop, and walked backward, tugging him along, through the door to the bathroom. He stripped while she turned on the water. His cock was harder than steel when she removed her panties. Dominic stared in awe, enjoying the sight of her naked body. A low growl rose up within him and he followed her into the steamy shower. He gathered her close as the heated water sluiced down their skins, his cock hard between them as her nakedness pressed tight against him. Sinking his hands into her hair, he began to devour her mouth. She purred and responded eagerly. Dominic pressed her against the shower tiles, dropped his hands, and lifted her up and settled her back down upon his shaft.
Her tightness gripped him and he nipped her lower lip as he ended the kiss.
“You’re so tight,” he grunted, clenching his jaw to not lose it right then and there. “Jesus, Verity, you’re gonna kill me.”
Her gaze swirled with want and she latched her ankles behind his back while she sucked her lower lip into her mouth. Verity leaned up and hungrily ate at his mouth while her fingers dug into the back of his skull. Her pussy walls rippled along his length and he began to move.
In and out he stroked. Nice even pace.
Verity undulated against him, drawing hard on his tongue in time with his thrusts. She released his mouth and nipped his shoulder before burying her face into his neck, her cries muffled. Dominic sank his fingers into the flesh of her hips and began to power into her.
“Ohh,” she moaned in his ear.
“Yes,” he rumbled, his balls tingling, warning him he was near to release.
Back and forth. Her angle allowed him to thrust in nice and deep. Verity’s fingers clenched deeper and she grew breathless. Dominic moved faster, jaw set and eyes closed.
“D...please...I...uh...oh...oh God!”
“So hot and wet, Verity. So fucking perfect around my cock.” His hips pistoned harder.
Born To Fly Wild As The Wind Page 4
