Midnight Heat (Black Phoenix Book 2) (11 page)

The sheet tented.

Her mouth went dry. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to find him watching her. “I…” She had to clear her throat to speak. “How’s your head?”

He brought his hand out from behind his head, down his chest, and slipped it beneath the sheet. He stared at her, bold as could be, as he stroked his impressive length. “It aches.”

Dear God
. Even knowing he was trying to make her uncomfortable, the sight before her was impossibly arousing. She had to force herself to look away. “I meant the one on your shoulders.”

“What do you want, Rebecca?” The question was harsh and hoarsely spoken.

She stepped further into the room. “I want to apologize for last night.”

“You changed your mind about going to bed with me?”

She moved her gaze over him, from the hand still cupping his erection, up his arm to his chest, where the white of the wrapping around his ribs stood out against the rumpled sheets. The image of them rolling across those sheets flashed through her mind and she shivered. “I…no. I mean about what was said. I…want to talk to you.”

“Yeah? Well, I want to throw you down, climb on top of you and fuck you ‘til you scream.”

Shock moved through her. Not that he was so blunt, but that her body immediately reacted. She grew wet as her nerves tingled and swelled. Every inch of her prepared to take him as she recalled how it felt to have him on top of her. God, she loved how it felt. The weight of his body. The press of his skin against hers from shoulder to groin. He would brace his forearms on either side of her face, bury his hands in her hair and focus all that intensity on her. Like she was the center of his universe. And at least for that moment, she was.

“You remember, don’t you?” She knew that husky murmur, the one he used when whispering in her ear while he drove deep within her body. He always said the nastiest, dirtiest things in that toe-curling accent. No matter how much she’d thought she wouldn’t go for that sort of thing, she did. At least from him. “You remember how it was between us.”

Her feet propelled her forward one step, then two. “Dom, I—”

“Rebecca,” he warned softly. “You take one more step into this room and that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

The trembling started in her knees and worked up her body. She didn’t doubt he’d do as he said. One more step and there’d be no stopping him. Oh, he wouldn’t force himself on her, he wouldn’t have to. Once touch of his calloused hands and her resolve would crumble. The conversation she needed to have with him, forgotten. Her spine stiffened and she stepped back.

“That’s what I thought.” The sarcasm did nothing to hide the sadness in his voice.

Dominic threw off the sheet and sat up, completely unconcerned with the fact that he was naked and fully erect. Sitting on the side of the bed, he muttered a few choice curse words as he scrubbed his hands over his face before pushing them through his hair. Then he picked up the jumbo bottle of pain reliever that rested on his night stand, shook a few into his hand, chewed them dry and swallowed before chasing them with the half empty bottle of water.

Rebecca offered him the mug and frowned.

He didn’t seem to notice. He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. His long lashes shadowed his high cheekbones, but did nothing to disguise the dark circles beneath his eyes.

Her frown deepened. If this was how he began every morning – afternoon, she corrected with a glance at the clock – it was no wonder Isabeau was concerned about him. “You should let me examine you.”

He met her gaze, a combination of pain and anger apparent in his bright blue eyes. His lips curled in an empty smile. “You did a thorough job of that when you sauntered into my room uninvited. You want a closer look…” He very deliberately let his gaze roam over her. “You’ll have to lose the clothes.”

She shivered. “I meant your head injury. I know you’re pissed off at me right now but…what are you…?”

He stood and moved toward her, slow and easy, like he wasn’t in a big hurry. Stalking her, like a wild animal stalked prey. The thought stuck. She was the prey – he, the one about to devour her.

She took a quick, involuntary step in retreat.
Dear Lord.
Her mouth watered and a tight thickness filled her chest. She tried to keep her eyes on his face, but the temptation was too great. She glanced down.

And took another step back.

It wasn’t until he lifted a hand to the door frame that Rebecca realized he’d backed her out into the hallway. The smile that curled his mouth told her she’d done exactly as he expected. The sadness that darkened his eyes had her stomach knotting painfully.

She shook her head as he reached out, but it wasn’t her he was reaching for. Curling his hand around the mug, he removed it from her slack fingers. Then he closed the door in her face.

The lock clicked.

* * *

Dominic turned the lock, then gripped the knob. He closed his eyes, and worked to control an overwhelming urge to go after Rebecca. What had she been doing here, anyway? Hadn’t she said enough last night? Was she trying to completely destroy him?

If so, she was doing a damn good job.

He didn’t know what hurt more; the pounding ache in his skull or the throbbing in his groin. Waking to her standing over his bed had been like a blow to his solar plexus. He’d become aware of her scent first, then had opened his eyes to find her gaze devouring every inch of him. Damn it, her heart might not want him, but her body did. That had been as obvious as the flush of her cheeks, the way her tongue darted out and wet her lips just before she realized he’d awakened.

But it was also pretty obvious that no matter how much her body wanted it, she wasn’t going to give in, so he’d gotten rid of her the quickest way he knew how. It had been just too damn painful looking at her, while her words swam through his memory.

I don’t love you anymore, Dominic.

Turning abruptly, Dom crossed the room and entered his private bath. He placed his tea on the vanity, turned on the shower with a flick of the wrist, then stepped beneath the spray without waiting for the water to heat.

His testicles ached. He was hard as a brick.

He wrapped his hand around himself and stroked all the way to the tip and back again. Emptiness would be all he ever had with Becca, some loser tossing off in the shower.

Chapter Nine

“Egads, girlfriend! You look like hell!”

Rebecca burst into tears before the words were even out of her best friend’s mouth.

“Oh, shit.” One of Karmen’s eyebrows arched as she stared at Rebecca, a worried tilt to her mouth. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to make you cry. Come sit on the couch. I’ll get you something to drink.”

“I’m okay,” Rebecca whispered, embarrassment heating her face. “I just need a minute.”

Karmen was quiet a moment. “You don’t look okay to me,” she said, then disappeared into the kitchen.

In spite of everything, Rebecca smiled. Karmen’s direct, straight-to-the-point nature was what she loved most about her. In a world full of political correctness and half-truths meant to keep people’s feelings intact, honesty, even when it was difficult to hear, was a welcome change.

They’d met when Rebecca was a first-year resident and hit it off right away. Over the course of their friendship, they’d laughed together, cried together, overindulged a few times together, and become each other’s rock. Which is why, after being driven from Dominic’s bedroom, Karmen’s apartment was the obvious destination.

Karmen returned from the kitchen carrying two mugs. She shoved one into Rebecca’s hands then sat next to her on the couch. “Talk to me, Bec.”

Letting out a long breath, she curled chilled fingers around the mug, greedily soaking up its heat, before lifting it to her lips. But it only served to remind her of the warmth of the cup she’d brought for Dom and how he’d looked naked as the day he was born. “Holy—”Rebecca inhaled sharply, the burn as she swallowed having nothing to do with temperature. “What did you put in this coffee?”

“Bailey’s,” Karmen replied, then took a healthy swig from her own mug. “You looked like you could use it.”

“I’m probably going to pass out on your couch if I drink this. I didn’t get any sleep last night.”

“Mi casa es su casa.”
Karmen’s eyes were warm and full of concern as she sipped her coffee, waiting for Rebecca to start talking.

The problem was, Rebecca didn’t know where to begin. She stared down at the mug in her hands. “Nathan swung by my condo last night.”

“Yeah? What did he want?”

“Me.”

Karmen swallowed wrong and began coughing.

Shifting in her seat, Rebecca patted her back. “Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me. Explain!”

“He kissed me.” If what he gave her could really qualify as a kiss. Which if compared to the second kiss she’d received last night…well, there was no comparison. “One minute he’s lecturing me on the possible side effects of strangulation injuries and the next he’s kissing me.”

Karmen stared at her. “He seriously just planted one on you?”

“He seriously did.”

“What a jerk,” she said in a disgusted tone. “You’ve been pretty clear about being done with him, right?”

“I thought I had.”

“What possessed him?”

That was the question. Rebecca could only think of one explanation. “It could be that my father has made it abundantly clear Nathan is his choice for me. Which is infuriating. Why does everyone assume that’s what I want?”

Karmen shrugged. “I don’t assume.”

The more she thought about it, the more upset Rebecca got. “If I wanted an arrogant, pain-in-the-ass doctor for a lover, I’d have grabbed onto him with both hands already. I’m thirty-four for God’s sake!”

“Ancient. Better be careful, or your eggs will shrivel up and turn to dust.”

“They will!”

Karmen sighed. “Talk to me, Bec. What brought you to my door today in tears? It’s not Nathan or your father. Is it the little boy from yesterday?”

Her anger dissipated, replaced by a wave of pain and sadness. “No. Not exactly.”

Her friend waited, the same emotions mirrored in her eyes.

“Nathan wasn’t the only one who stopped by last night.”

“Let me guess, Tall, Dark and Studly?”

Rebecca looked away, toward the sliding glass door leading to the balcony. Rays of sunlight slanted through the glass, pooling on the floor. The tiny kitten Karmen had rescued from the side of the highway last month, slept curled in a ball in the patch of light.

“What did he do?” Karmen asked. “Did he kiss you, too?”

She closed her eyes against the memory. “He offered me comfort.”

“Between the sheets?”

“Not at first. He just…held me. No questions. Just whispered words of reassurance, his arms around me, heartbeat in my ear.”

“Then he ruined it by making a pass,” Karmen guessed.

“No. That would be me.” Rebecca set her mug on the coffee table and launched out of her seat. She began to pace. “He just smelled so damn good, and felt—”

“Like a hot, sexy rock star?”

“Yes,” she said on a whisper. “I don’t know what came over me.”

She slid Rebecca a long look, a mischievous grin in place. “It’s called lust.”

Rebecca continued as if Karmen never spoke. “I couldn’t stop myself. He smells the same, Karmen, feels…so familiar. I had to see if he tasted the same.”

“And?”

“He does. For a minute there, I forgot my name.”

Karmen fanned air in front of her face. “Damn.”

“Then I remembered. I remembered everything.” The sadness, pain and loneliness. Everything she was feeling now.

“Tell me you didn’t.”

“I pushed him away. I told him to stop coming by, that I didn’t love him anymore.”

Karmen pulled back, clearly shocked. “Did he believe you?”

“He left.” Unable to stand the look on Karmen’s face any longer, Rebecca dropped back onto the couch. She pinched the bridge of her nose as a tension headache began to make itself known. “It would be so much simpler if I was attracted to Nathan. He’s comfortable. Safe.”

“Boring,” Karmen sing-songed.

“Dominic is…intense, funny, not comfortable and definitely not safe.”

“Don’t forget hot as hell and British.”

Rebecca frowned. “He’s also a bad bet. Future for him means two weeks.”

“Sure, it used to. It’s been nearly three years.”

“People don’t change, Karmen.”

“People change all the time, Rebecca. Life changes them. The only way for that not to happen is if someone slept through life.”

“Don’t give up on me, Rebecca. I’ve changed.”
Her stomach rolled as Dominic’s words popped into her head. “Do you really believe that?”

“We live, we learn. From our mistakes, even our successes. How can that not change a person?”

Rebecca hugged herself, fisting the material of her shirt. “I went to see him this morning,” she admitted softly. “I wanted to tell him….”

“What?”

She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

“What happened?”

“I panicked. He was naked and gloriously erect and…” She felt her entire body come alive at the memory.

“And?
Don’t clam up now!”

“Angry,” she whispered. “He’s so angry at me. He told me unless I was planning to crawl into the bed with him I could leave.”

“Let me see if I’m following you correctly. You had Dominic, buck-ass naked, ready and willing, and you ran away?” Karmen didn’t wait for an answer, just continued. “Dominic Price, the man who gets you hotter than Hades?”

“I can’t do it again.” Let him inside her heart, her body, only to have him leave.

“Do what? Allow a man to worship your body?”

“Karmen,” Rebecca sighed.

“I’m sorry. I am, but honey he’s a walking fantasy.”

“Yes, right before he walks out the door.”

“Who says this time he will?”

“I can’t go through it again. I only just got over him.”

Karmen’s response was an unladylike snort. “Ha!”