She had been so astonished that in those first moments she had not realized her danger, but when she had, she had instantly resolved not to go meekly and had struggled as stubbornly as she dared to escape from him. With a pistol pressed terrifyingly into her temple, she had been frightened to do much beyond dragging her feet and trying to throw off his hold on her arm. Once she had kicked him, but he had struck her savagely across the cheek and she had not known if she dared to anger him further And now, worse than any nightmare, was Dominic, his poor wounded face making her heart weep as he stood there risking his life for her. Latimer would kill him! She sensed this in the sudden coiling of his body. Could feel him loosening his grip on her arm. Felt the pistol leave her temple as he began to swing the weapon in Dominic's direction. . . .
Screaming a warning, Melissa viciously jabbed her elbow into Latimer's midriff. Her mind moving at blinding speed, she had known instinctively that Dominic would never risk a shot as long as there was a chance that she might be hit; and almost simultaneous with her jab at Latimer, she dropped to the ground, her bronze silken gown billowing around her, leaving Latimer standing there with no shield.
Dominic did not hesitate. His aim true and sure, he killed Latimer where he stood, a clean shot between the eyes. And then he was flinging aside the smoking pistol to leap up the steps, to gather his love close to his breast....
That night, as they lay together in the quiet and privacy of their bedroom, Melissa said softly, "I wasn't really frightened until I saw you standing out there-then I was terrified! "
Dominic's arm tightened around her as he too remembered his awful fear for her, and he pulled her slender length nearer to him. "Don't dwell on it, sweetheart. It is over and done with and Latimer will bother us no more."
"What will happen to Deborah?" she asked.
Dominic shrugged. "Nothing. The Deborahs of the world can take care of themselves, and while I am sure that she will miss him, I am equally sure that it will be , only a matter of time before she finds another man who will take care of her."
"I couldn't," Melissa said quietly, one hand trailing gently down the side of his face.
"Couldn't what?" he asked, surprised.
"Couldn't find someone else."
"I should hope not-at least not until a decent interval had passed," Dominic said with a laugh. Then he loomed up over her, his laughter gone, and muttered in a shaken voice, "I love you so, Lissa. If Latimer hadHer eyes soft and glowing, Melissa pressed a silencing finger to his lips. "Shh. We will not talk of it. We will talk only of our love for each other and our new home." In the darkness, she shot him a mischievous glance. "You are going to take me to Thousand Oaks someday, aren't you?"
"Yes!" Dominic said with mock fierceness, and kissing her teasingly at the corner of her mouth, he added, "But only after you have told me how much you love me. . . . "
Sighing blissfully, she put her arms around his neck. "Well, I love you more than Uncle Josh and Aunt Sally," she said innocently. "And I love you more than Zachary and Royce. And I think I love you even more than Folly."
"Think you love me more than a damned horse?" he asked dryly, his fingers moving caressingly through her tawny curls.
Melissa kissed him soundly. "I know I love you much more than Folly!"
"How much more?" he demanded huskily.
Her arms tightened around his neck. "Oh, so very much more," she breathed fervently. "So very, very, very much more....'
Midnight Masqerade Page 49
