Chapter Seven #2
Who had attacked her? A chill walked up her spine as she thought about the unexpected assault. She wondered why they had tried to kidnap her. And more importantly, would they try again?
THEY ATE EGGS and bacon and small-talked through the meal. Luke still couldn’t believe what had happened between them. Making love with Dominique had been the most powerful experience he’d ever had. Even now, as he gazed at her across her small kitchen table, he wanted her again.
He’d loved the feel and taste of her soft skin. It could become an addiction if he allowed it. She’d been so passionate and the whole experience had been mind-blowing.
“Dominique, everything happened so fast between us, we didn’t even use birth control,” he said once they were finished eating and she was cleaning up the dishes.
She turned from the sink to look at him. “It’s okay. I’m on birth control pills and I haven’t been with anyone for a long time.”
“Same for me,” he said. “Except the birth control pills part. You do realize we shouldn’t have fallen into bed together,” he added.
“Why not? We’re both consenting adults and we wanted each other. We certainly didn’t hurt anyone by acting on our desire for each other.”
“Yes, but I don’t want things to get confusing for us. I don’t want to complicate a relationship that I enjoy,” he replied.
“Luke, you’re taking things way too seriously,” she said. She turned back around to the sink.
He supposed he was getting weird about it. He wished he could be as nonchalant as she was, but he took making love with a woman seriously. He sipped his coffee in silence while she finished up with the dishes. But he wasn’t in love with her. He couldn’t be.
They went back into the living room where she turned on lanterns and then sank down next to him on the sofa. “Do you work tomorrow?” he asked.
“I do. I’m on breakfast duty.” Her beautiful chocolate eyes appeared to darken. “And there’s always a possibility a few of my regulars might come in. Sometimes they’re there for lunch and sometimes they come in for breakfast.”
“Keep in mind, right now they’re just men Daniel will investigate, but that doesn’t mean any of them are guilty.”
“Then who is?”
“I wish I could answer that for you,” he replied intensely. “If I knew who it was, I’d beat the hell out of him for what he did to you.”
She grinned at him. “You’d do that for me?”
“In a short minute,” he replied.
She sighed. “I’ll just be glad if Daniel gets whoever it is behind bars.”
“He will,” Luke replied, confident in his friend’s skills as a lawman.
“He hasn’t done so well in my mother’s murder investigation,” she replied.
“That’s a different animal altogether. Knowing somebody is guilty and having the evidence to prove it are two different things. And it wasn’t just Daniel investigating your mother’s murder—it was me, too.”
“Do you think it will ever be solved?” she asked. Her gaze held his intently.
“Oh, I think it’s already solved,” he replied.
“Okay, wrong question…do you think Pierre will ever be arrested?”
He grinned at her. “Well, if you have anything to do with it, definitely.”
“Now, you’re making fun of me,” she said, and her lower lip jutted out in a mock pout.
He laughed. “No, I swear I’m not, but I still have little faith that at some point in time Pierre will dig up your mother’s missing book and we’ll catch him.”
“It could happen.”
He laughed again. “Yes, it could happen, and that’s why I’m here with you.”
“Speaking of being here for me. Want to spend the night? We could be snuggle buddies.”
Although her tone was light, there was something in her gaze that told him she wasn’t quite ready to be alone yet. “I love snuggling,” he replied.
“Then you’ll stay?” This time her tone was less casual.
“I’ll stay.” It would be another blunder in the long list of mistakes he’d already made today.
“Thank you,” she replied, her gratitude rife in her tone. “And speaking of bedtime, I should probably head to bed now since I have to get up so early in the morning.”
“Yeah, I’m tired, too,” he admitted. It had been a day of intense emotions, both good and bad.
She stood and he also got up. She doused all the lit lanterns in the room. The lantern in the bedroom made it easy for them to find their way. She grabbed a pink nightgown from one of her drawers and then disappeared once again into the bathroom.
Luke stripped down to his boxers and then got into bed. He was happy to snuggle with her if that’s what she needed, but he had no intention of repeating what they had shared in bed earlier. That had definitely been a blunder.
She came back into the room, looking beautiful in the lantern’s soft light. The pink color of the nightgown was perfect against her dark hair and skin tone. Her hair was loose and spilled down her back like a waterfall of shiny silk.
“I wasn’t sure which side of the bed you wanted,” he said. She slid in next to him.
“This is perfect.” She was next to the nightstand where she placed his phone and hers. “I’ve got my alarm set for five. I hate to wake you up so early. If you can, feel free to stay here and sleep longer when I leave for work.”
“Nah, I’ll get up with you and follow you into work and then I’ll force you to wait on me by sitting in your section. I’ll complain about the food and service and then I’ll leave you a five percent tip.”
She laughed. “You won’t do that,” she replied.
“No, I won’t complain no matter how bad the service is,” he said, making her laugh once again.
“Are you ready for the light to go off?” she asked once the laughter had passed.
“Whenever you are,” he said.
She reached out and turned off the lantern on the nightstand. He then pulled her into him, spooning around her back while she snuggled into him.
Torture. It was sheer torture to have her so close against him. Her scent filled his head as her bottom wiggled into him. He tightened his arm around her, wanting her to feel as safe as possible as she fell asleep.
Meanwhile, he prayed sleep would come quickly to him as he fought against another wave of desire. “Luke?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you,” she said softly.
“No need to thank me,” he replied. What she needed from him now was a sense of safety after the assault, and that thought doused his desire. “Good night, Dominique.”
“Good night, Luke.”
He knew the moment she fell asleep. Her body went completely limp against his and her breathing became slow and rhythmic. Unfortunately, sleep was elusive for him.
His mind whirled with everything that had happened from the moment he’d gotten the frantic phone call from her until now. It had been such a wild day.
He hoped that tomorrow she wouldn’t regret sleeping with him, and he hoped that she wouldn’t realize she’d made an impulsive jump into his arms because of the terrifying incident she’d suffered earlier.
It had been a very long time since he’d cuddled a woman in sleep. In his last relationship, the woman had hated being touched at night. She stayed on her side of the bed and he had stayed on his. That had been over a year ago and since that time he hadn’t dated or tried to cuddle with anyone.
He must have fallen asleep as he awakened to the sound of raucous loud music coming from Dominique’s phone. To his surprise, they were still in the position they had been in when they’d fallen asleep.
She stirred and he removed his arm from around her and moved away from her as she reached out to grab her phone. The music stopped and she let out a small groan. “Is it time to get up already?”
“Your phone says it is,” he replied.
She sat up and turned on the lantern against the darkness in the room. At five in the morning, there was no sign of the morning sun. “If you want to, go back to sleep,” she said as she got out of bed.
“Now that I’m awake, I’ll just get up and get dressed,” he replied.
“Why don’t you go ahead and get in the bathroom while I’m getting my clothes together,” she replied. As she turned on another lantern on top of the dresser, he slid out of the bed, grabbed his clothes and then headed to the bathroom.
He should have time to get home, take a shower and then head to the café for breakfast. Hopefully all of Dominique’s regulars would show up this morning and he could get a good look at them all.
You will belong to me. As he thought of the note she’d received along with the attack on her, his biggest fear right now was that another attack would come—only this time the perp would be successful.
HE AWAKENED EARLY, a wild disappointment still raging through him. He should have been able to take her yesterday. It had been so perfect. She’d been alone on the narrow path and hadn’t heard him creeping up behind her.
When he’d managed to get the bag over her head, he’d been so sure of his success. He hadn’t counted on her having a knife and he also hadn’t counted on how hard she would fight against him. It had been like trying to contain a hellcat in a paper bag.
He sat at his kitchen table, the eggs he’d made himself for breakfast growing cold as he stared out the nearby window and thought about her.
Dominique Santori. Her very name sang in his heart. She was the woman of his dreams and all he could think about was getting her into his house where he could enjoy her company forever. She would fill up the dark, lonely hours that had become his life.
He gazed down at the nick in his skin. The little knife cut was now covered with a small bandage and would heal up fairly quickly. But it was a reminder of his failure.
He got up from the table and dumped his eggs in the trash and then went down the hallway to the door that led into the room he’d prepared especially for her.
The walls had been soundproofed and were painted an eggshell beige. The twin bed was covered in a pink, frilly bedspread that nearly hid the ropes that fell to the floor on either side. He’d have to tie her down until she became obedient and understood that she was where she belonged.
He could just imagine her sitting at the vanity table in front of the aluminum mirror and brushing her long, beautiful hair. Then he would take his turn and brush through the silky strands.
The room also had a small table with two chairs. They would eat their meals there until the time came when he could trust her outside of this room. There was also an en suite bathroom for her to use.
He believed he’d thought of everything. There was nothing sharp in the room that she could use as a weapon and he had everything he needed for her, everything that would keep her here forever.
Oh, it was going to be so wonderful. He closed the door and returned to sit at the kitchen table. His life wouldn’t be complete until he had her in it.
And he would get her. She’d gotten away from him yesterday, but the next time he went after her, he would be better prepared. Oh yes…his excitement made him half dizzy. Sweet anticipation roared through him. Soon…very, very soon, she would be his.