Millionaire in Disguise (Special Edition, 1416)

by Brashear, Jean

  Lexie glanced over at him as he walked beside her, so tall and proud and commanding. “Honesty is very important to me.” I wish it were to you.

  He held her gaze. “Is it now?”

  Lexie frowned at his tone, but just then Bob came to a halt at the horseshoe pit. One of the employees looked up and grinned. “Hey, Bob—just the man I’ve been waiting for. Come on, let’s play.”

  Bob looked over at Lexie, his gaze uncertain.

  Dominic spoke up from beside her. “Why don’t you go ahead? I will be happy to answer any questions Ms. Grayson might have.”

  She wanted to be anywhere but here, but the older man obviously wanted to answer the challenge. “Go ahead,” she urged. “I’ll watch this round.”

  “If you’re sure…” Bob grinned and headed for the pit, rubbing his hands together.

  Lexie stood beside Dominic, feeling the heat from his body even through the heat of the day. He was like a pole to her magnet—a lodestar calling her to him, despite what she knew was wise. She risked a glance upward, only to meet his dark, compelling gaze.

  Quickly, she glanced away, but not before she saw amusement light his eyes. She tensed, waiting for him to bring up the subject she’d run away from at the Starlight Ball: their night together. The night of magic that had turned out to be strictly illusion. No substance at all.

  Lexie readied herself to make an excuse for why she needed to be elsewhere at this moment. Seek out Mrs. Murray. Powder her nose. Anything, anything at all but having that discussion—or having to lie to this man again.

  She hadn’t lied when she’d said that honesty was important to her. She’d never been tangled up in anything such as this, and even her intense loyalty to Max lay heavy on her heart. She didn’t want to lie to Dominic Santorini; she wanted to come clean, wanted him to come clean. Wanted to spill it all out and devil take the hindmost—

  But it was not her dream on the line.

  And, truth be told, she wasn’t sure she was ready to know if Dominic had played a part. Lexie glanced around for an excuse to get away.

  But he surprised her. “Do you see how he holds his horseshoe? His grip is light and easy. The horseshoe will go farther that way.” He leaned closer to her and pointed toward Bob with one long finger.

  A finger that had trailed over her skin to such devastating effect.

  Light-headed, Lexie struggled to answer. “Yes, I—” She cleared her throat of the tightness. “I think I see.”

  Dominic went on to explain the finer points of the game to her, but all the while, she could smell his scent, that spicy, mysterious scent that was so male, so…Nikos. So entwined with the night of her dreams.

  Lexie blinked, trying to follow what he said, but when he placed his hand on the small of her back and bent at the knees to point out something to her, it was all she could do to not press her lips to that strong, tanned throat so tantalizingly close.

  Bob threw his arms up in triumph and turned her way, beaming. “Ready, Lexie?”

  “Uh, I—” she stammered.

  “Come, I will help you.” With a small nudge to her back, Dominic urged her forward, the heat of his palm searing through her shirt.

  Panic skittered through her. Surely everyone could see how he affected her, could sense how easily he got under her skin, so magnetic, so very unforgettable.

  Lexie forced herself to smile at Bob and picked up her pace, moving away from Dominic’s hand. She reached her position past the other pole several steps ahead of him, but just as she bent to grasp her horseshoes, his longer reach seized them, too.

  Their hands clasped on the same iron curve, and the feel of him jolted her. She glanced up at him, wondering if he felt it, too. He must be used to bowling women over. She expected to see triumph.

  But his eyes were almost sad. A little haunted.

  Quickly she glanced away, confused. Uneasy. Wanting too much to reach out to him to soothe the distress she saw there.

  “Allow me to show you what I meant.” His voice was strictly neutral.

  When she glanced at him again, his face was the mask she’d come to expect. Lexie stepped back and yielded the pit to him.

  With strong, easy grace, he threw the first shoe and sent it ringing around the pole at the opposite end. The crowd that had gathered cheered, and even Bob was grinning at him. On their faces, she could see the respect, the admiration. He was a winner, and he’d made winners of all of them.

  But instead of accepting the cheers as his due, he gestured toward Bob to take his turn, shrugging. “I have heard much of Bob’s skill. I can only claim the old saying, ‘Better to be lucky than good.’” With his easy manner, he gave Bob the stage instead of accepting it himself.

  It was hard to not like a man so confident that he didn’t need to prove himself at anyone else’s expense. No wonder his employees were so devoted.

  “Now—” He gestured. “Ms. Grayson?”

  Good thing she wasn’t shy. Instead she grinned at the people gathered around. “Everyone might want to move back. I’m afraid I was the kind of softball pitcher who beaned the batters.”

  Laughter rippled around the circle, and even Dominic chuckled. Lexie glanced over, struck by the beauty of his smile.

  This smile reached all the way to his eyes, and she had seen it only once before. She would never forget it, yet she feared it would never again be directed at her.

  He stepped behind her, clasping her waist lightly with one hand and grasping her wrist with the other. “Here, perhaps I can assist in protecting some of my very valuable staff.” The smile in his voice rendered an already attractive man too devastating by half.

  “Grip it loosely,” he murmured next to her ear.

  Lexie tried to loosen her death grip, but any sort of relaxation with him this close was asking the impossible. Yet she didn’t really want to ask him to move away. She should, but she didn’t want to.

  Maybe, just for this day, we don’t have to be at odds.

  So Lexie took a deep breath, trying to focus—until she felt his hand tighten on her waist and heard his own indrawn breath.

  How was a girl supposed to concentrate on a game when a man the likes of Dominic Santorini had his hands on her?

  “Would you please step back?” she murmured under her breath.

  “Why?” he murmured back, and there was mischief in his voice.

  Mischief? Dominic?

  She whipped her head around, meeting his grin. “Dirty pool, Mr. Santorini. Whose side are you on?”

  “Bothering you, Ms. Grayson?” His face was all innocence.

  “Not a bit.” Lexie smiled, baring her teeth and leaning closer. “Now step back, if you value your life.”

  He chuckled, but he stepped away, lifting his hands at his sides.

  Lexie tried to block out everyone around her, tried to focus on the pole. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them and sent the horseshoe flying.

  Bob leaped away just in time to save his toes.

  “Oops.” Lexie felt her face flame and glanced around, venturing a smile. “Well, I warned you.”

  “You sure did,” Bob replied past the laughter.

  Just then, Dominic stepped forward. “Quick—run for your lives. We have a company on the line. Save the women and children first.” Then he turned toward her and grinned.

  Laughter rippled through the crowd and a few people on the front did step back, but they smiled as they did it.

  Playing. Dominic Santorini, the somber tycoon, was playing with her. Knowing it did something funny to her insides, made her want to steal him away and hold him prisoner so that he never lost that smile. She could drown in that smile. It was Nikos who stood in front of her, and she missed him terribly.

  “Stage fright?” he asked.

  Lexie shook her head, then made a production out of rubbing her hands together while she tried to still the knot in her stomach. She reached for bravado. “Okay, Bob, this time I’ve got it.”

&nb
sp; After Bob took his next turn, she tried again and didn’t endanger anyone but missed the pole by three feet—in the opposite direction.

  Bob chuckled, then took his turn again, scoring a direct hit.

  “Would you like some help?” Dominic walked closer, his eyes sparkling.

  It was all she could do to concentrate. She shook her head. “Not on your life, buddy. This next one will hit, you’ll see.” She ignored the skeptical looks around her and forced herself to focus, shutting out everyone around her.

  She threw and barely breathed as the curved iron arced through the air—

  And clanged around the pole, swirling until it hit the sand.

  “Yes!” Lexie leaped up, throwing her fist in the air.

  Dominic caught her around the waist and swung her in the air as the people around them cheered.

  Between them, all went silent and breathless. Lexie lost herself in his ebony gaze, feeling him all along the front of her, his body against hers sending shivers over her skin.

  Then he blinked, and the noise around them crowded in. Suddenly, Lexie remembered that they were surrounded by at least fifty people. She stepped away, rubbing her hands against her shorts to keep from reaching for him.

  Dominic saw the moment she fell back to earth and cursed silently that he was the boss, that all these people looked up to him. That he had no idea who this woman really was or if he could trust her.

  And just as the glow of her green eyes began to fade, he let impulse take him. Today would be a day out of time, time out of mind, a vacation from reality. It was a picnic, an occasion for levity. He would seize it and wring it dry of all its promise.

  “Come with me,” he urged. Let tomorrow take care of tomorrow. I’ll be Dominic Santorini tomorrow. For the rest of today, I want to be Nikos. Only a man. A man who wanted this woman more than his next breath.

  He could see the doubt in her eyes. “Just to wander,” he soothed. “Simply to enjoy the moment.”

  “But you’re—”

  He shook his head. “I’ll be no one. No corporation, no gala, no employee, no boss. No A. Grayson, no Dominic Santorini. Just a man and a woman.”

  He could see temptation battle with fear. He even thought he saw guilt, and he damned it. I don’t want to know, he thought. Not today.

  “How are you at volleyball?” he asked.

  Her eyebrows rose. “I may be short, but I’m feisty.”

  “Spirit can move mountains.” Dominic grinned and held out his hand. “This way, hotshot.”

  When she placed her hand in his, he closed his eyes for one quick moment. Just today, he pleaded with the fates. Just this little while. Then I’ll be responsible again. I’ll remember my place, my duties.

  Lexie pulled on his hand and skipped ahead. “Hurry—time’s a-wastin’.”

  And for one brief moment, he felt lighter and younger than he had in years.

  Lexie kicked off her huaraches and stood on the edge of the sand.

  “Everyone, this is Lexie Grayson,” Dominic said. “Where do you want us?”

  “You serve, B.D. We could use a break,” one woman said.

  He pointed to the center of the middle row. “Lexie, how about there?”

  She took her place, then turned to look. Those strong muscular legs were spread as he prepared to serve the ball. Hair disordered by the wind, he flashed the pirate’s grin and something in those dark eyes reached out to—

  She turned away quickly. Oh, God. Her goose was cooked. He looked like seven kinds of sin, and Lexie knew she was doomed. Just behind and to her right, she could feel him. Feel him. His touch. His gaze. Could remember the body beneath those clothes. She should never have agreed to this.

  His serve rocketed over the net. No one could return it.

  Was there anything the man didn’t do well?

  Settle down and pay attention. She focused forward, trying to forget who was behind her. Then the ball headed her way, and she was forced to move fast. She was so rattled that her return landed right in the net.

  “I’m sorry,” she said to the rest of the team.

  The guy next to her shrugged. “No sweat, babe. You just stand there and look good, and we’ll watch the ball.”

  “I think I’d look better standing over there under the trees.”

  One woman laughed. The guy flashed her a grin. “I’m Gary.”

  “Lexie.”

  “Where do you work, Lexie?”

  “I’m designing the set for the gala.”

  “No sh—no lie? I hear it’s really gonna be something.”

  “I hope so. I’m trying my best.”

  “So, you married?”

  Lexie laughed in surprise. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

  “Ms. Grayson is not married,” Dominic intervened. “She is, however, a member of this team, as are you. Would you care to ask any other questions before we continue?”

  Gary shrugged and grinned before stepping back into his spot. “Hey, B.D. Can you blame me for checking her out?”

  Lexie flushed to the roots of her hair. Glancing around at smiling faces, she finally dared a glance at Dominic, only to discover he had moved closer, his dark eyes intense upon her despite the humor in his voice.

  “Perhaps, like a good schoolmaster, I should remove you from temptation. Why don’t you serve?” Dominic handed the ball over and took Gary’s place beside Lexie.

  “The view’s pretty great from back here, too,” the cocky voice answered.

  Lexie was constantly amazed at how different Dominic was with the people who worked for him. There was nothing of the unapproachable stranger. The respect and affection he engendered was constant and impressive. The people of Poseidon worked hard, but they worked as a team.

  “Serve the ball, Gary.”

  “Party pooper.”

  Lexie laughed, and Dominic’s head swiveled her way. The look in his eyes stole her breath.

  She jerked her gaze away and concentrated on the game.

  The action was fast and furious—and fun. Lexie began to see that part of what made Poseidon great was its people, their dedication to excellence, whatever they did. They played as hard as they worked.

  Her hands stung from the impact of the ball, but she was getting better. She’d missed too many, but Dominic was always there to cover. Their team was ahead until Bradley joined the other side.

  He glared across the net at her, and she wanted to take a step backward from his displeasure, wondering what she’d done to earn it.

  He served the ball as hard as Dominic, and it rocketed straight toward her. She knew she could never return it, but her feet wouldn’t seem to move.

  Dominic threw himself in front of her just in time, spiking the ball so it could be returned, but because Lexie hadn’t moved, he unbalanced her, and they both fell to the sand.

  Dominic rolled quickly to take the brunt of his weight from her and pulled her close.

  Time froze as she lay half sprawled across his hard body, every cell in her wanting to inch closer, to plaster herself against him.

  She jerked up, but his hand at her back held her captive for a second, plenty long enough to feel his body’s reaction to their nearness.

  The heat of the day, the fire of his touch… Lexie felt dizzy, dry of mouth, unable to breathe. Unable to think, as those dark eyes held her in thrall.

  “You all right, Lexie?” someone asked.

  The team crowded around them, and Lexie sprang to her feet. “I’m fine.” Her vision grayed and she swayed slightly.

  Dominic steadied her. “Come with me,” he commanded. “You have been out in the heat too long.” He pulled her off the sand and reached as though to pick her up. She took an awkward step to the side.

  He looked at her oddly, then dropped his hands. “Please. Sit under the tree. I will bring you water.” All playfulness had vanished; his voice turned formal again.

  “I’ll be fine—” But she was talking to his back.

  Lex
ie walked to the shade, sank to the grass and dropped her head to her bent knees. Oh, God. She was in trouble.

  In just moments she felt him even before she heard him approach.

  “Here. Drink this. I have also brought a damp cloth.”

  It would be cowardly to remain curled up against her legs, right? But oh, how she wanted to hide.

  Almost as much as she wanted to be near him.

  Oh, Max, she thought. I don’t want to believe Dominic knew.

  She felt a cool dampness slide over the nape of her neck and shivered. Her nipples rose, her every sense aware of his nearness.

  “Lexie, drink this. Please.”

  Though it went against every grain of sense, she lifted her head to find his own very near, his breath whispering across her cheek.

  Ebony eyes studied her, troubled and weary. He was so alone, even in the midst of this crowd of people who admired him so.

  His head moved toward hers a fraction, and she stopped breathing. Stopped thinking, caught in a moment of exquisite longing for a state of grace she’d experienced only once.

  In this man’s arms.

  Her eyelids began a slow descent as his mouth neared hers.

  “Oh, Lexie, are you all right?” Mrs. Murray rushed toward them.

  Lexie jerked back. Dominic straightened, cursing beneath his breath.

  “Oh—I—” Mrs. Murray halted, glancing back and forth between them. “Perhaps I should—”

  Dominic handed Lexie the glass, his face a stone mask of reserve. “It’s all right, Mrs. Murray. If you would care to sit with her a moment, I will see to a few details.”

  Without a glance backward, he walked away, his long strides putting distance between them.

  “Oh, dear. I’m sorry, Lexie. I didn’t realize—”

  Lexie squeezed the older woman’s hand, still shaken by how close she’d come to casting away every concern but how badly she’d wanted him to kiss her. “It’s fine. Dominic was only being a good host.”

  Mrs. Murray, ever the soul of discretion, didn’t argue. But her eyes betrayed her doubts.

  Dominic made it halfway across the recreation area, cursing himself soundly, before he noticed where he was. He stopped, hands on hips, and exhaled a great gust.