by Leah Brooke
He waited several seconds, intrigued that the woman who’d burst boldly into the club in search of him had a shy streak a mile wide. “Am I what?”
Lifting her gaze to his again, she placed her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing with impatience and just a small amount of anger. “Are you attracted to me?”
“Yes, Veronica. I am. I think you’re the most captivating woman I’ve ever met.”
His blunt answer seemed to surprise her.
Blinking again, she fisted her hands at her sides and came around to plop onto the sofa beside him. “Are you serious about wanting to take me to the island with you?”
“I am.”
She reached for her glass of wine and took a healthy sip.
“What’s it feel like to be a Dominant?”
He broke off another grape, hoping to appear nonchalant while burning with a hunger for her that tightened his entire body.
He could well imagine her face flushed with passion, her lips parted in breathless anticipation for his next touch.
Shrugging, he brushed an imaginary piece of lint from his pant leg.
“Fulfilling.”
She opened her mouth, only to snap it shut again.
Her blush deepened, and she tilted her head again as if trying to understand. “Oh. That was presumptuous of me. I understand. I’d like to go home now.”
“Oh, I’ll be glad to take you home, Veronica. You need some time to think and settle down.”
Getting to his feet, he approached her slowly, not wanting to startle her.
“You and I still have a lot to talk about. Once we finish this thing with your grandmother, you and I have unfinished business to attend to.”
* * * *
When they pulled up in front of her house, Sin took her hand in his, his touch sending currents of electricity up her arm.
“I want you to wear a dress tomorrow night. The red one you wore to my show.”
Incapable of speech, she nodded, struggling to control her breathing.
Still holding her hand, he smiled and gripped her chin, his breath warm against her lips.
“And wear your hair down. Imagining it draped across my pillow keeps me awake at night.”
Touching his lips to hers, he ran his hands down her arms.
“I’m very much looking forward to sinking my hands into it.”
* * * *
An hour later, Veronica still trembled.
Nerves, arousal, and an awareness of her body all combined, leaving her restless and out of sorts.
She’d taken a long bath, and it hadn’t helped at all.
She was restless.
She was edgy.
She was aroused.
Sin’s stunning effect on her senses still lingered long into the night, making her wish she could feel such things in the light of day.
Fixing herself a cup of herbal tea, she wandered around her house but couldn’t seem to stay still.
Hoping that reading would help her settle, she made her way back to her bedroom where she’d left a low light burning.
Sitting on the edge of her bed, she opened the drawer of her nightstand where she kept her favorite books.
The erotic ones—her own little secrets.
She knew just the one she wanted to read, already imagining Sin as the hero.
Her hand stilled, her heart in her throat.
The drawer was empty.
Her books and her vibrator were gone.
She could no longer deny the truth.
Someone had been in her house.
Chapter Five
Veronica steered clear of Robert the next morning, a little surprised that he made it easy.
He watched her, though, with an intensity that shook her, the combination of amusement and evil intent in his eyes chilling her.
Thoughts of Sin and the way he’d looked at her the night before kept intruding, warming her again.
She knew what their talk would be about—at least she thought she did.
He was a Dominant.
Her ultimate fantasy.
She glanced sideways at Robert to find him watching her again.
And her ultimate fear.
* * * *
In her grandmother’s living room, Veronica paced back and forth in front of the large picture window, running her sweaty palms over the silky material covering her hips.
The dress that had given her so much confidence the night of Sin’s show now gave her the feeling of being on display.
She’d been ordered to wear it.
What surprised her even more was that she’d actually done it.
But she hadn’t kept her hair down.
She admitted to herself that she’d done it purposely to defy him.
She just didn’t know why.
“Did you and Sinclair have a fight or something?”
Glancing at her grandmother, Veronica continued pacing. “Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
Her grandmother finished her cup of tea and stood, dabbing at her mouth with an embroidered napkin. “Because you’ve been like a cat in a room full of rocking chairs since you got here.”
Forcing a smile, Veronica sucked in a breath when Sin’s limo pulled into her grandmother’s driveway. “We barely know each other.”
If everything went as expected, they’d know each other intimately very soon.
“If he wasn’t taken with you, he wouldn’t be doing this, and he certainly wouldn’t be taking us to dinner. Besides, you wore that dress. You look beautiful in it.” Giggling, her grandmother carried her cup into the kitchen.
Veronica shrugged, raising her voice to be heard above the sound of running water. “He’s doing this because he doesn’t want to see anyone get cheated—and I wore this dress because I don’t want to embarrass him.”
The water shut off, and her grandmother appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands. “Something happened between the two of you, didn’t it? You’ve had a look about you since you met him.”
Blowing out a breath, Veronica forced a smile. “He’s a handsome man.”
Her grandmother touched her hand, giving her a satisfied smile.
“It’s more than that. I know you, Veronica. Something’s changed. You’ve been so tense the last several weeks, but tonight, you’re different. Thoughtful. You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
Her grandmother beamed.
“It was like that with your grandfather and me. We both knew it right away.”
“I barely know him, Grandma.”
“When it’s right, you know.”
Seeing a movement out of the corner of her eye, Veronica picked up her grandmother’s coat. “He’s here.”
Her grandmother’s eyes lit with excitement. “I can’t wait to meet him in person.” She glanced out the window, her jaw dropping. “We’re going out in a limousine?”
Smiling at her grandmother’s delight, Veronica held up her coat to help her into it, but her grandmother turned away, rushing toward the phone. “I’ve got to call Martha. She was pea green with envy when I told her that you met Sinclair Majors and that I was going out to dinner with the two of you. I can’t wait until she hears that we’re going in a limousine!”
“Tell her tomorrow, Grandma. We’re going to be late.” Veronica started toward her grandmother, stopping abruptly at the sharp knock on the front door. “Just remember that you promised to listen to him when he tells you that your psychic is a fake.”
Lifting the receiver, Veronica’s grandmother looked up as she punched in numbers. “He’ll say no such thing. He’s going to be impressed at how good she is.”
Not wanting to keep Sin waiting, Veronica rushed to the door and opened it, sucking in a breath at the sight that greeted her.
Sin’s half-smile stole her breath while the sight of him in a dark suit made her heart pound furiously. “Hello, Veronica.”
Pressing a hand to her fluttering stomach, Veronica took a steadying breath and force
d a smile. “Sin.”
Raising a brow, Sin smiled, letting his gaze rake over her, frowning. “You wore the dress, but you wore your hair up.” Leaning close, he looked into her eyes, a heat in them that mesmerized her. “Interesting tells, darling.”
Staring into her eyes, he lifted his hand, producing a length of rope.
Veronica gasped, the mental image of being bound for his pleasure sending a jolt of need to her slit so intense and unexpected that her legs buckled.
Sin caught her, his hands at her waist holding her steady.
“Another interesting tell, Veronica.”
Belatedly remembering her grandmother, she glanced over to see her talking animatedly to her sister and hurried to swipe the rope out of his hand—only to find his hands empty.
“What are you doing?”
“Learning what you’re either too shy or too stubborn to tell me. Are you ready to go?”
Trembling, Veronica tried to take a step back, but the hands at her waist tightened.
“Grandma had to call her sister. She already bragged that I knew you and that you were taking us out to dinner.” Veronica’s face burned at his faint smile of amusement. “Since you pulled up in the limo, she had to call and rub it in.”
“And does she think I do this kind of thing for everyone?”
Veronica’s face burned.
“She thinks that there’s something between us. I tried to tell her—”
“We wouldn’t want to disappoint her, now, would we?” Sin pulled her closer. “She’s looking this way. Don’t you want to give your lover a kiss?”
Her hands flattened on his chest of their own volition, the feel of solid warmth beneath her palms as exciting as she remembered.
Unable to get enough air in her lungs, she tilted her head back to meet his gaze again. “We’re not lovers.”
Lowering his head, Sin paused with his lips hovering over hers. “Oh, Veronica, I have a feeling that we’re going to be so much more than lovers.”
When he took her mouth with his, she clung to him, pouring her need for him into her kiss, jealous that he very well may go away with another woman at the end of the week.
Sin deepened his kiss and took her mouth with a sensuality that drove all thoughts from her mind.
Nothing existed for her at that moment except Sin and her hunger for him.
When he lifted his head, she groaned in frustration and tightened her hands on his shoulders to force him back down again.
His soft chuckle brought her back to the present. “Later, sweetheart.” Running a hand down her back, he turned her to face her grandmother, who stood watching them with a smile.
“You must be Veronica’s grandmother. I can see where she got her beauty.”
Her grandmother actually giggled, turning a becoming shade of pink. “Don’t think you’re going to get around me with flattery.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she faced Sin squarely, but her eyes danced with delight. “You’re just like my husband. It’s in the eyes.”
Leaping forward, Veronica shot her grandmother a warning look, which the older woman blithely ignored. “Grandma, this is Sinclair Majors. Sin, this is my grandmother, Elsa Sands.”
To Veronica’s surprise, Sin smiled and produced the rope again.
“I brought you a present. From what Veronica’s told me, flowers just wouldn’t do.”
To Veronica’s astonishment, Sin proceeded to show her grandmother how to manipulate the trick rope, much to the older woman’s excitement.
Grinning, her grandmother shoved the rope into her purse.
“Wait until I pull this trick on Martha!”
Studying his features, her grandmother smiled and shook her head. “You’re smooth. My Frederick was a smooth talker. Veronica is my only grandchild, and, it’s been my duty—and pleasure—to watch out for her.”
Sin smiled again. “Understood.”
Her grandmother turned away. “You may call me Elsa. We’d better get going. I don’t want to be late for my appointment with Esmerelda.”
Over dinner, Veronica tried to steer the conversation to the cheating psychic, but her grandmother seemed determined to learn Sinclair’s secrets.
Cutting into her chicken, her grandmother gave Sin one of her best smiles. “How do you get out of that box without those swords going through you? Are you really in there when those assistants of yours are running those swords through the box?”
Swallowing his bite of lobster, Sin reached for his wine glass with a smile. “Of course. It’s magic.”
“I don’t believe in magic.”
Veronica laughed at that. “Yes. You do. You love magic.”
Sin sat back, eyeing her grandmother. “I think I’m insulted. You don’t believe in magic, but you believe a woman who says she can talk to your Frederick?”
“How else can you explain how she knows so much about him? Martha keeps telling me that I’m being an old fool.”
Veronica knew that her grandmother and great aunt bickered on occasion, but she hadn’t suspected that they’d had words about the psychic.
“You never told me that!”
Focusing on her grandmother, Sin shrugged and set his glass aside. “Esmerelda could probably find out quite a bit on the internet.”
Her grandmother shook her head and sipped her iced tea.
“No. My Frederick had never been on the internet in his life. I don’t even have a computer.”
Sin’s lips twitched. “There’s a lot of information online. You don’t have to be on the internet to have information about you there.”
Frowning, her grandmother set her fork aside. “Really?”
Pleased that Sin seemed able to get her grandmother to listen, Veronica nodded. “Really.”
Sin stabbed another bite of lobster. “She’s probably asked you quite a few questions, too. Hasn’t she?”
Her grandmother blushed again. “Well, she said she has a lot of people up there who want to talk. Esmerelda says that she has to sort them out to find my Frederick.” Stabbing another bite of chicken, she lifted her chin. “She makes all the other ones be quiet so she can hear Frederick.”
Listening attentively, Sin nodded. “What else happens when you’re there?”
Her grandmother nodded excitedly. “When Frederick arrives, there’s a cool breeze that makes the candles flicker. That’s what always happens when a spirit comes from the other side. The table lifts a few inches off the floor and then it shakes. At first, she started telling me all this stuff about the spirit going into her and giving her a headache. Then, she said that it doesn’t always work, and I would have to come back. I told her to get lost. Not until the breeze came and the table moved did I believe it was true.”
Shaking her head, her grandmother reached for Veronica’s hand. “It took me a while to get used to it. The first time it happened, I screamed and started to run for the door!”
Sin’s lips twitched. “But someone stopped you. Her assistant, perhaps?”
“Oh, no!” The older woman shook her head. “Victor isn’t her assistant. He’s her brother, and he’s only there to help her because she gets so weak. He gets worried because letting those from the other side speak through Esmerelda takes a lot out of her.”
“Hmm.” Sin reached out to take her grandmother’s hand in his. “I have a feeling that this woman is cheating you, but I promise to keep an open mind. If it turns out she is, you don’t have to let your sister know. It’ll be our little secret.”
“Really?”
Surprised that she hadn’t realized that the reason her grandmother had been so stubborn was because she didn’t want to look bad to her sister, Veronica watched the exchange between Sin and her grandmother with awe.
Sin patted her grandmother’s hand. “Really. You can tell Martha that you figured it out yourself or that you just decided not to go anymore.”
To Veronica’s stunned amazement, her grandmother nodded. “Okay. We don’t have to go tonight.”
* * * *
Dark-haired, dark-eyed, Esmerelda was an exotic beauty that instantly set Veronica’s teeth on edge, especially when she saw the way Sin smiled at her.
She wore a dark blue caftan that shimmered with what appeared to be gold coins sewn throughout it.
A matching scarf tied on one side had little gold beads around the edges that covered part of Esmerelda’s forehead.
Large gold hoop earrings hung from her ears, and at least a dozen bracelets clanged when she moved.
Heavily made up, her eyes lined with black eyeliner and her lips painted a deep red, she touched one of the crystals that hung from a chain on her neck when she saw them.
The psychic seemed more than a little surprised to see that her grandmother didn’t arrive alone, and when she saw Sin, she paled, her eyes going wide.
“Sinclair Majors.”
The fear in her horrified whisper made Veronica want to laugh out loud.
Instead, she helped her grandmother to her seat, watching Sin with the fake psychic out of the corner of her eye.
Giving Esmerelda one of his devastating smiles, he shook hands with her, leaving the fake psychic looking more than a little flustered.
“You have quite a setup here. It looks like you’ve been doing this for some time.”
Sin’s smile appeared friendly, but Veronica detected the underlying steel in his tone, something the other woman didn’t seem to notice.
What the other woman took as praise seemed to fluster her even more.
She followed Sin around the room, wide-eyed, commenting on everything he admired.
Little by little, Esmerelda smiled flirtatiously, apparently falling under Sin’s spell, and started explaining the powers in the crystals Sin bent to look at.
Veronica narrowed her eyes at the other woman, furious at herself for being jealous.
Circling the round table, Sin eventually made his way back to Veronica’s side.
