So much for his holiday from reality. If Mrs. Murray hadn’t come up, he’d have had Lexie on the ground beneath him, lost in his rage to protect her, to seal her, to mark her as his.
Damn Gary for noticing that tempting backside. Damn Bradley for playing rough. Damn every man here for wanting her. She was his.
But she could not be. Not until he could prove her innocence. He was not so lost in lust that he couldn’t see the danger of trusting the wrong person. The wrong woman. It was an early lesson he’d taken too long to master.
He wanted to smash something with his fist. He wanted to fight, to rail against the fates that dropped such a woman in his life at the very worst time—and made it impossible for him to know whether to trust his heart or his mind.
Then he heard her laughter. And sighed. What would it take to free him from the spell she’d woven?
What would it take to wipe her out of his mind?
Six days. In six days, the gala. In seven days, he could have her out of his life. He wouldn’t have to see her every day, have to hear the laughter she gave to everyone but him. Wouldn’t have the constant reminder in the smiles she left behind on the faces of everyone she met.
Then he could concentrate. He could redouble his efforts to eliminate the threat to Poseidon. He could give his sister more attention when his own wasn’t so frayed.
Seven days.
A lifetime. And at the end, what would he have?
His life back, an orderly, controlled life. Not a tomboy in sight.
Damn it.
The laughter rang out again and he followed its music. Lexie rode the carousel, a dark-haired toddler in her lap. She sat the wooden horse easily, smiling at the child whose relaxed posture indicated total trust.
She would be an incredible mother. Dominic could so easily picture the nursery Lexie would create, a magical kingdom to make a child as imaginative as she was. The small dark head nestled between her breasts, and Dominic was seized by a powerful image—his own dark-haired child, carried in that woman’s body.
He went hard in a rush. Even more dangerously, longing swept through him like a storm. She could be a traitor, he reminded himself. A spy. There was nothing sensible he could do but wait.
And try to stop wanting her.
Chapter Seven
He could be a thief, Lexie thought as she glimpsed Dominic a while later, surrounded by employees all vying for the attention of the man responsible for this Utopia of a company. Women preened for him here much as society ladies had done at the Starlight Ball. Men respected him, admired him, sought out his counsel. Was he a charlatan, a powermonger, or the man who’d wiped grease from her cheek?
She itched to confront him, to get it all out in the open.
Don’t you dare jeopardize your contract with them, trying to be my champion. But Max didn’t understand how badly she needed to know. Lexie was caught between loyalties, between her dearest friend and the man she could not seem to forget. She wanted choices she didn’t have.
She entered the ladies’ room in search of a faucet, as much to cool the cauldron of her mind as to splash her sun-warmed skin. When she entered, she heard voices and readied herself to be friendly when all she really wanted was refuge.
Then the words sank in, hasty whispers.
“I’m telling you that Mr. Stafford blew up at one of the temps over nothing at all, and even B.D. is looking worried. My friend Janine in accounting says there’s a problem, that the company’s in trouble.”
“Poseidon is steady as a rock, girl. What kind of foolishness you listenin’ to?”
“My husband and I just bought our first house. If I lose my job—”
“Get on with you—that ain’t gonna happen. Anyway, Legend Quest is coming out real soon, and we gonna be rollin’ in the bonus money. I hear it’s the hottest thing ever to see the market.”
“Then tell me why B.D. told us to double-check every badge, every day. Something’s wrong, I’m telling you. I’ve never seen him so worried.”
“B.D. ain’t never let us down before, and he ain’t gonna do it now. You just ain’t been here long enough, girl. I been here practically since the beginning. This company been through rough times before. B.D. don’t get scared. He pulled rabbits outta the hat before, he can do it again.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Why do you think everybody believes that man walks on water? ’Cause he always comes through.”
Lexie heard the stall doors open and quickly shuffled back to the outside door, her mind whirling.
Poseidon was in trouble?
She didn’t need anyone to tell her that the devotion of Dominic’s employees was returned full measure by the man they called The Big Dog. Hadn’t she watched him all day, surrounded by people who acted as though he was the Second Coming? She’d watched him accept their regard with serious deliberation. No puffed chest for him, no monster ego, just a quiet acceptance of his role as the pillar on which the phenomenal success of this company rested.
If the company were in trouble…if the success of Legend Quest were that important…
How far would Dominic Santorini go to safeguard the well-being of all these people?
Lexie sank back against the wall. Here, at last, was a reason she could believe. She’d fought the image of Dominic, even cold as he’d seemed, being a man who would pay any price for ambition. Oh, he was ambitious, all right—no one who wasn’t could have created the powerhouse that was Poseidon from out of nothing.
She’d read up on him since they’d met and knew the story now—how he’d started with only the money from selling his car—and his formidable intellect and will. He’d gathered a group of people together and kept them all going on a shoestring budget, literally working out of the garage below his tiny apartment.
With a combination of killer hours and fierce determination, he’d created a company that now employed several hundred people, with millions of dollars in sales worldwide. And he’d done it and still commanded the affection of his employees, who seemed to be his extended family.
So if his back was to the wall and all that was threatened, how far would he go to protect them? It made an awful kind of sense, eased her mind a little that she had not been so wrong about the nature of the man who had stolen his way inside her heart on that magical night.
But it didn’t excuse what had been done to her dearest friend. And she still didn’t know what to do.
Perhaps it was time to go. The party was far from over, but her time had run out, she thought. Head whirling, she began to work her way through the crowds, trying to find the path to the parking lot.
She passed through a grove of trees, wondering what had attracted the crowd she could see gathered in the open area past the horseshoe pit. As people moved, she caught a glimpse of two figures in some sort of combat.
A fight? Surely not. Everyone at Poseidon seemed to get along so well. She shook her head and kept going, but when she reached the right flank of the group, she glanced over and stopped in shock.
Dominic was one of the figures. Lean runner’s legs, strong bare feet, arms flexing with ropy muscle, he towered over Josh Logan.
And aimed a kick at the boy’s head.
Lexie gasped, then realized he didn’t make contact.
She frowned and moved closer, trying to understand what was going on. “What is this?” she whispered to her nearest neighbor.
“B.D. is teaching Josh martial arts.”
“He knows martial arts?”
“Oh yeah, honey. You should see B.D. and Mr. Stafford go at each other in the gym. They’ve been training together for years. Both are real gung-ho about it—that’s how he gets all those muscles, that and running every day.”
She watched Dominic stand next to Josh, murmuring in low tones, one hand on the boy’s shoulder. Josh’s adoration shone clearly in his gaze. Then Dominic turned and saw her. For a second he hesitated, an odd look on his face, his gaze seeming to bore right through he
r.
Then Josh looked over and spotted her. He waved, a self-conscious grin on his face. “Mr. Santorini, he’s showing me how to defend myself.”
She resisted the urge to shrink back into the crowd. “That’s good. What are you learning?”
Josh’s face lit. “Want to join us?”
Lexie stepped back. “Oh, I don’t think I—” Around them, people began to clap and urge her forward.
“Come on, Ms. Grayson. It’s not hard—well, not the first part, anyway.”
She hazarded a glance at Dominic. He gave nothing away, his usual mask firmly in place.
“Come on, I’ll show you what I just learned.” Josh moved closer. “See, hold your arms like this.” He demonstrated. “Now come at me and try to hit me in the chest.”
“Josh, I can’t hit you.” Lexie didn’t think she’d ever hit another person in her life. “I don’t like fighting.”
“This isn’t fighting, Ms. Grayson. This is self-defense.”
“I don’t care. I’ll take my chances at talking my way out of trouble.” She grinned, backing up another step.
She came up against a hard chest and jerked as though she’d touched a hot stove. Whirling, she realized that Dominic had moved behind her.
Ebony eyes she’d never forget seemed to see down into her soul. “Sometimes one has no choice. Talking is not always an option.” He moved a step closer, his very presence making the air around them shimmer with heat and memory. “Allow me to show you a few basic moves.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t think so.” She’d never minded the limelight but right now she was painfully aware of all the eyes upon them. “I’m just not the physical type.”
Dark eyes raked her, and she might as well have been naked. “I beg to differ.”
She backed up a step. “Why don’t you two just go on? I’ll just play like I’m a girl and watch, all right?”
The people around them chuckled.
“I thought you did not like being treated differently because you’re a woman.”
In the midnight depths, she saw a pirate. Remembered a hot Sunday afternoon.
A hotter Sunday night.
Lexie swallowed hard. “Depends on who’s doing the treating,” she answered tartly, rewarded by another round of laughter.
Dominic studied her for a moment, and suddenly she was back in her swinging bed, feeling his hard, powerful body, knowing his exquisite touch. Swept away on a tide of rapture so intense she could barely breathe.
He broke off the glance and turned to Josh.
Released from the spell, Lexie’s knees turned to mush.
“Remember, Josh,” he said, but he looked back at her. “Do the unexpected. If your opponent expects resistance, do the opposite.” He held up one hand, closed into a fist, then released it. “Give way. Melt, do not force.” Grip, relax. Grip. Relax. “It will upset your opponent’s balance and give you the advantage.”
“Yes, sir,” Josh replied, but Lexie was left trying to figure out if there was a message there for her.
He was never what she expected.
Dominic turned away and focused on the boy, ignoring her completely as he continued to demonstrate.
Lexie took his advice. She melted. Into the crowd, away from his very disturbing presence.
As she neared the pavilion, she heard the music. Normally Lexie loved to dance, but right now, dancing was the furthest thing from her mind.
“Hey, Lexie, come join us. Know how to line dance?” Bob’s eyes sparkled.
She shook her head. “I’m not really into country music.”
“You like to dance, though, right? Girl with your bubble’s got to love to dance.”
Lexie shrugged slightly. “Usually, but maybe not tonight. I think I’d better go.”
His eyes rounded in horror. “You can’t leave this early—the party’s just getting started. Come on, just one dance, okay? If an old geezer like me can learn to do it, a pretty young thing like you surely can.” He leaned over and whispered like a conspirator, “Besides, rumor has it they’re doing the Chicken Dance next.”
“No way.” Lexie had heard about the Chicken Dance from a friend with roots in the German communities surrounding Austin, but she’d never seen it.
Bob lifted his hands. “Would I lie to my new friend? Come on, Lexie, live a little.”
And behind his carefree manner, she saw the widower trying to learn to live again. Knowing herself for a soft touch, she relented. “All right. One dance.”
“One dance and the Chicken Dance.”
She grinned. “It’s a deal.”
Dominic did not dance. He could, and often would, when necessity called, but he barely remembered a time when he had danced for sheer pleasure—
As Lexie danced now.
And Dominic watched, unable to keep his eyes from her.
Watching was enough. Almost enough.
Not nearly enough.
Her flame-bright hair bounced as she laughed and half stumbled through the first awkward steps of the Chicken Dance, an exercise in self-abandon surely hatched by a mischievous mind. Totally devoid of self-consciousness, arms akimbo to mimic flapping wings, Lexie stuck her tongue out one side of her mouth as she concentrated on her feet. Her natural grace asserted itself quickly, missteps concerning her not in the least.
She was too busy laughing, green eyes alight, face flushed with a pleasure she showered on everyone fortunate enough to be around her.
Or even to be watching.
She was a flame in the darkness, the light that guided a weary traveler home to safety and comfort and refuge.
He wanted her so badly he ached. Literally. Like a man in the grips of ague.
When the dance ended, the entire assembly applauded. Lexie glanced around, startled when she realized it was for her. Cheeks aflame, she grinned and sketched an exaggerated bow.
The band segued into a slow song, and before logic could stop him, Dominic let longing lead him to her.
She was surrounded by a crowd, but as though an invisible thread linked them, she looked up as he approached. The group around her gave way, and Dominic held out his hand.
Not a word was said. Words were barriers; he wanted touch. He had to touch her, had to warm himself at her fire. So despite the confusion circling in her gaze, battering at the walls he’d erected between what was smart and what he needed, Dominic led Lexie onto the dance floor and pulled her into his arms.
He heard the hitch in her breath. “Dominic…”
“Sh-hh—” He wanted to be Nikos again, for just a moment. He wanted to go back to a night when they had been more than two strangers, less than reality…when they had found something together that he’d searched for all his life.
Please, Lexie, he pleaded silently. Let us be who we were, not who we really are. Just for now. Just for this dance.
And as if she’d heard him, Lexie sighed softly and settled against him.
He felt her over every inch of his body. His hand tightened at her waist as his insides began to hum like the electric singing of a high-tension wire. She made his every cell vibrate with a gut-deep need for her, yet a strange sort of peace settled around his heart, as though her mere touch was the oasis he’d been seeking without ever knowing he was lost in the desert and dying of thirst.
In an act as foolish as it was essential, Dominic consigned his doubts about her role in his current troubles to another place, another moment.
For this one moment, this one dance, he was Nikos and she was Lexie, and that was all either had to know. He pressed his lips to her hair and pressed her against him, knowing that she would feel his body’s reaction.
She pressed her cheek against his chest and nestled closer, the movement of her flesh against his wrenching a not-quite-stifled groan from deep inside him.
Lexie felt the vibration, registered the squeeze of his big hand swallowing hers, bringing it close between them. His fingers brushed the top of her breast, and a sharp hunger clawe
d its way down her whole body.
It was the most delicious kind of torture to be here in public, surrounded by others, unable to move as she wanted, say what she wished…yet locked inside a space so intimate they could have been alone. Should have been alone.
Oh, how she wished for an escape to a world where only she and Nikos existed. For that’s how it felt, as though she had Nikos back. She could smell him, could feel him, could see him if she’d open her eyes—
But instead she squeezed her eyes shut, trapping the moment behind them, keeping reality at bay for just a little longer. She didn’t want to think about all that divided them, all the repercussions of forgetting who he was, what he’d done.
Maybe…
Stop it, Lexie. Aren’t you almost sure you saw the proof with your own eyes?
She hadn’t realized how she’d tensed until she felt his hand slide up and down her back, soothing her, urging her to settle against him once more. He pressed another kiss to her hair, and her heart ached with longing.
Lexie lifted her head, wishing she could find the truth, find a way out, find some solution that would work for them both—
She realized suddenly that Dominic had worked them out of the center and into the shadows away from the crowd. Eyes so dark she could drown in them pulled her in, drew her like magnets. She tilted her head, entranced, watching his head lower to hers, feeling his breath brush her cheek, wanting to know again the power of his kiss—
The music stopped, and Nikos—
No, not Nikos. Dominic. A man she didn’t know, a powerful man who was all but a stranger.
But she knew her own willingness to let that pass, to ignore the lessons of her past, her mother’s warnings. Look what happened to me. Never let a man sweep you off your feet.
What did she really know about him? her mind cried out, overruling her longing, a need so deep and brutal that she knew to her marrow that it could destroy her.
Hadn’t the past taught her more than enough about the price of needing too much? Hadn’t she failed, again and again, at being the kind of woman a man really loves?
He wasn’t offering to love her, and love was what she must have.
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