“Are you sure you really want to play this game with me?” Dom asked, his lips so close to her ear she could practically feel them. “I promise, I’m much better at it than you.”
She couldn’t blame the frost in the air for the state of her nipples or the liquid heat curling in her belly. Dammit, this was not the time for her body to go all gooey and pliant. Or was it?
She let herself go slack. The two seconds when shock made him loosen his hold were her opening. She slipped underneath his arm and bolted forward. She had to get a few steps ahead of Dom’s extralong wingspan, pivot and fire while on the run. One. Two.
Something—or, more exactly, someone—grabbed her by the hair and jerked her back. Pain shot through her, and she lost focus for a heartbeat. It was all the time Dom needed. He grabbed her gun arm and swung her around until the Mercedes was at her back and he blocked her in from the front. With an embarrassingly little amount of effort on his part, he twisted the Glock out of her fingers and flung it across the drive. Her scalp ached, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of rubbing it.
“Going so soon?” he asked.
“The company isn’t to my liking.”
Dom raised one eyebrow, a smirk tugging up the edges of his full lips. Bastard. He knew. He knew she was pissed off, determined to escape, and so fucking turned on at the same time that just looking at him had her clenching her thighs together. It was official—she’d finally cracked. Ten years on the run, and her brain picked this moment to break. He crossed his arms, the move accentuating his thick biceps straining against his suit jacket. Sweet mama.
He glowered down at her. “Let’s get one thing straight. You’re not going anywhere without me. It’s not safe.”
“And you’re safe?” He radiated danger the way her stove emitted heat.
“Without a doubt.”
He wasn’t here to hurt her, she believed him there. The Resistance were the good guys. They had been instrumental in getting her out of the country when the Fjende took power in the coup, but after they got her on the plane to America, she’d been on her own. Why had they come for her now? What had changed? “Who are you?”
“Dominick Rasmussen, international financier and playboy.” He smiled, but there wasn’t any joy in it. “I spend most of my time in London but have homes in Harbor City, Los Angeles, Sydney, and Madrid.”
“No, who are you really?” Was he the Resistance’s leader?
“Batman, remember?”
Frustration spilled over. This was her life, not a war game. The men behind the coup had killed her father and had their sights set on her, the next in line, when her father’s aide had thrown himself in front of her, saving her life. She wouldn’t dishonor their memory by just following along like a sheep. “If you can’t give me answers, I’m not staying.”
She’d find a way to survive on her own. She always had.
“You’re staying,” he said. “You don’t have a choice.”
“I always have choices.” Sure, they were usually shitty, but after what had happened to her father, she made sure of it.
“Not in this case. This is bigger than you or me. Let’s go inside. I’ll tell you everything.”
The temptation to follow his lead nearly overpowered her, but once she walked inside the massive château, she’d lose her best chance to escape, and escape had always meant survival. Her gaze flickered down at the Mercedes.
He took a step closer, angling his body so she’d have to go through him to get to the door handle. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Can’t blame a girl for having thoughts.”
Dom’s eyes darkened, and his gaze dropped to her lips. “Depends on what kind of thoughts.”
And there it was, that zing of attraction that put her at the corner of insanity and desire. The man radiated confidence, strength, power, and even in these circumstances he made her body purr with want. If she couldn’t ditch him, at least not yet, why not a little mental excursion that ended in Orgasmville? It was, after all, her favorite escape.
She closed the gap between them. “Why don’t you show me what you’re thinking?”
The vein in his temple throbbed, and he gulped. “That’s not a good idea.”
“Then stop thinking.”
She did for the both of them. Acting on instinct and the need to find a little distance from the crazy turn her life had just taken, she lifted herself up onto her toes and kissed him.
It started out soft, an easy touch meant to tease as she parted her lips and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth, letting her teeth graze the tender flesh. He tasted of dark coffee, expensive chocolate, and knee-knocking, naughty talents that took
her breath away.