Risking It All: London Calling Book Three (11 page)

He’d pulled open the passenger door of a luxury black sedan by the time she caught her breath from her harried pursuit. Pushing aside propriety, or any sense of real dignity, she took a huge breath and shouted loudly enough for all of Mayfair to hear, “DOMINIC MARTIN!”

He froze. Then he had the grace to turn on his heel and face her. If he’d been any closer, she’d have knocked his amused smirk sideways off his face. The man was
impossible
.

“Toff! You called?”

She gritted her teeth so hard she was surprised they didn’t break off. Breathing heavily, she limped closer. Three-inch heels and a tight skirt did not make for efficient running gear. “Do
not
call me that.”

“Why?” He tilted his head, still sporting the maddening smirk. Damn, if it didn’t make her weak in the knees. “Will you get mad at me if I do?”

“Oh!” She stamped her foot before she could stop herself then blushed furiously as Dom burst out in hearty gales of laughter.

“Nat, you always kill me when you do that.”

“I wish,” she hissed. “I wish I could kill you by stomping my foot.”

He tutted then drawled, “Now there is no need for violence, sweetheart.”
 

“Don’t call me that either,” she clipped out. She wanted to kiss him breathless. If nothing else, he’d stop talking, teasing her with what once was.

“Well really, you’ve become rather difficult, Ms. Enfeld. Is that better?”

“I’d prefer it if you weren’t around to call me anything.”

He paused, searching her face. Seeming to come to a decision, he shrugged his broad shoulders. “I don’t think you mean that.”

Weakness invaded her limbs, nearly taking her to the curb. Why did he have such an effect on her, even knowing what he’d done? She forced herself to look away from his mossy green eyes.
 

His gaze felt like a caress. His nearness an embrace.

It was a lie, like everything else he did. She blinked, rapidly.

“Nat, are you
crying
?”

Pride snapped her spine straight. “No, I am not.” She neatly stepped out of reach from his outstretched hand. No
way
could she let him touch her. “I caught a little wind in my eyes, that’s all.”
 

He opened his mouth then shut it with a click. Natalie dared him to point out how still the night was. As if the heavens heard her silent plea, thunder rumbled from miles away.

The calm before the storm.

“Natalie, please.” Two words, softly spoken. They had the effect of someone squeezing a fist around her heart.

Backing up two steps, she wrapped her arms tight around her abdomen. She didn’t care how it looked, if she seemed vulnerable. With Dominic so close, she felt exposed. Raw.

Maybe she was like her mother after all.

The thought sent steel into her. Locking her knees before she fell at his feet, she whispered, “Why are you here?”

“Because I can’t
not
be, Nat.” He held out both hands, palms up. “I need to explain. I need to tell you how I feel—”

“I will not discuss the past with you.” Indignant, her voice sounded brittle as glass. “Tell me why you’re here. And do
not
lie to me.”

Both hands rose, facing outward in a gesture of surrender. “Fine. I’ll tell you. But somewhere else. Not here in the street.” He waved backward, signaling his car. “You won’t even be alone with me. Frank, my driver, will take us where you want, and he can stay as close as you need.”

She moved forward, her legs jerky, to where Dominic stood with one of the back doors open. She eased herself inside, partly because she doubted her ability to stand for much longer.
 

It was pathetic, but flashes of their past kept interfering with her resolve.

Like another day, another part of London, when they’d shared a cab, kissing in the backseat like young and carefree lovers as rain sheeted down around them. She would have sworn he was as entranced as she. Even the driver laughed along when Dominic handed over his credit card and told him to drive around the city until the sun went down.

It had been noon, she remembered. A stolen lunch. Tempted as she was, she’d gurgled in protest, explaining Bennett was expecting her. Dom went quiet, and at the time she’d thought he might be jealous.

What a joke.

She jumped a little when the door across from her opened to admit Dom. The car was roomy, but even so he had to fold his tall frame to angle his knees.
 

“Thank you.”
 

A sharp nod then she pressed her lips together.
 

Waving a hand to the front of the car, he said, “This is Frank.” The other man nodded toward Natalie. Dom hesitated, then, “Out of curiosity, how did you know it was me?”

In spite of herself, she had to smile. Leaning forward, she flicked a nail against his sleeve. “Cashmere. You’re the only man I know who would wear cashmere to dress thug.”

He stared for a second, and then he pressed her hand against his forearm as deep belly laughs poured out of him. She stiffened, but couldn’t make herself pull away as his self-deprecating humor boomed around the car. Even Frank’s lips curved as he looked back at them through the rearview mirror.

“Busted.” They pulled up outside a wine bar, its interior dimly lit with flickering sconces and tabletop tea lights. Dom touched his driver’s shoulder, stilling him. Instead, Dom popped open his door and was around the car before Natalie could protest.

Standing with her door open and his hand held out, she could almost fancy him as a knight from Arthur’s table. Handsome and gallant, faithful and generous. Placing her hand in his, Natalie decided to indulge her love of fairy tales for a few minutes more. She refused to admit she lacked the will to resist him.
 

It was only a drink, after all. And Dominic Martin was just a man.

He led her to an intimate booth for two near the back. Wood partitions and deep green velvet drapes muted conversations and allowed for privacy. It created a sexy atmosphere, all at once sophisticated and sybaritic. Even the air was perfumed. Curious, Natalie slid the tea light closer, sniffing while Dom ordered from the bar.

Scented candles. She breathed in the woodsy amber, thinking how she might use something similar in the casino. Nothing to interfere with diners and their sensory experience, but out on the floor and in some of the private rooms.

Dominic arrived carrying two glasses of white wine, one a deep golden color and the other lighter, more like straw. He settled down, and she detected the smell of his earthy cologne, similar yet vastly different from the candles.
 

She smoothed a hand over the table, appreciating its luster while trying to forget how she’d caressed Dominic in much the same way, admiring the golden ridges and muscle that comprised his body.
 

Taking a deep breath, she reached for the darker colored chardonnay. He cocked a brow but took the Chablis for himself. Before, it had always been the opposite. He preferred the buttery bombs from California while she favored their refined cousins from France.
 

One sip and she wished she’d chosen differently. Eyeing Dom, she wondered if he’d appreciate the wine’s chalky minerality and restrained nature. Drinking the heavily oaked alternative, she couldn’t see how.
 

She must have made a face, because Dominic broke into a wide grin that sent her body temperature rocketing. Reaching across the table, he prised her wine glass free and exchanged it for his. Then he winked.
 

If she hadn’t been sitting, she’d have fallen down. The man was lethal. And when he eased her out of the rigid poise that was her comfort zone, he never failed to seduce her. Desperately, she tried to remember why he was bad for her. How he’d nearly destroyed her while he played them all like it was a game.

Frowning, she accepted the glass and took a long swallow. Then, dabbing her mouth delicately, she forced herself to look him over. He was beautiful, for sure. He was almost too pretty to be a man, but his strong jawline and masculine bone structure left little doubt of his virility. Coupled with a devastating personality that could charm the birds out of the trees, it was no wonder she’d fallen for him.

Her eyes drifted, taking in the broad chest and muscular arms. Not overly bulky, she’d been pleasantly surprised by the power of his body, held in check but developed from what must have been years of training. Raising her eyes back to his, she noted a slight flush darkening his cheeks.

Yes, beautiful. Perfect.

Except it was just a shell. A decorative casing that hid a dishonorable, immoral man incapable of consideration for anyone other than himself.

“You have to stop following me.” Baldly, she broke the spell weaving around them.

He fidgeted, took a drink. “I’m not following you, Natalie.”

“If you continue to lie, I’m gone. You’ve got one shot here, Dominic.”

He ran a hand behind his neck, grimacing. “I’m not following you. I’m watching Sebastian Payne.”
 

Shocked, her mouth fell open. “Why?”

“Because he’s not what you think, Nat. I’m looking out for you.”

“By spying on my boss? By assuming the worst about him?”

Dom scrubbed a hand over his face. “I know he’s more than that. I’ve seen you going home with him.” Something bleak shot through his eyes, and then it was gone again.

“I live there.”

“Oh, I—” he cut himself off, swallowing hard. “I didn’t realize it was that serious.”

She let him suffer for about ten seconds. “As you say, Dominic, it’s not what you think.” His head shot up. “I’m not telling you this because I owe you an explanation or because you deserve one. But Sebastian Payne and I are professional colleagues. And friends. O
nly
friends.”

He sagged back, pressing both palms to his eyes. Natalie couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw his hands tremble. Either way, she was shutting this down.

“I’m telling you this because you’re wrong. Your assumptions about Bas and I are wrong, but more importantly, you’re wrong about him.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sebastian Payne is good and honest. He’s treated me with respect and high regard. I live in a private apartment within the estate. We are not involved because he’d never dream of taking advantage.”

A beat. “As you did.”

Dominic paled, but she continued, plowing through a year of heartbreak. “He was there for me when no one else was. He took a chance on me when no else would. And he is loyal. When I needed a place to stay, he offered. As my
friend
, maybe the only true one I have.”

Abruptly, she stopped. Her throat hurt and the muscles of her neck felt tight and strained. Dominic wasn’t faring much better. As he tugged a hand through his hair, she could see the pain etched into the skin around his eyes. She heard him swallow.

“I’m sorry, Nat. So sorry.”
 

She waved his words away, unable to take much more. Pushing her knuckles into the plush seat, she breathed in the scented air. Never had she expected to see anything like genuine remorse from Dominic Martin. It threw her off, made her wonder things she shouldn’t. It made her hope for their redemption, that some goodness could be salvaged from the ashes of what went before.

Finally, she could admit that she’d loved him. She’d fallen so deeply, gifting him her body, mind, and heart before she ever had a chance to build a single wall against him.

He’d destroyed her.

But not because of his lies or deceit, as she’d always assumed. No, he’d shattered her when he left her behind to pick up all the pieces. She’d withered like an abandoned flower not because of his schemes, but because he hadn’t loved her in return.

Her breath hitched. She pressed her hand against her breast, pushing at the old ache. Being this close to him was tearing her apart.

Looking across from her, all she could see was an unworthy man. Someone very much like her father.

She refused to follow in the footsteps her mother laid out. Hardening her heart, she stood. Picking up her wineglass, she drained the contents then precisely replaced it on the table. Looking somewhere over Dominic’s left shoulder, she said, “I feel less than nothing for you. I’ve told you before, and I’ll repeat it again and again. I don’t want to see you, Dominic. You’re not fit to lick the boots of someone like Sebastian.”

Her exit would have been flawless if he hadn’t caught up with her just outside the bar. Clamping a hand around her upper arm, he swung her around as she viciously cursed him.

Clasping her by the shoulders, he murmured, “If I’m to be damned as a sinner, at least let me leap.” Then he lowered his mouth to hers.

He was devastatingly gentle. Taken by surprise, she could only stand motionless as he teased her lips, lightly running his tongue along the seam. By the time he pulled away, she clutched at his shirt, desperate to deepen the connection.
 

Instead, though, he placed light kisses on her eyelids, then another on her forehead. By the time she recovered enough to open her eyes, she felt oddly boneless. Confused, she stared as he looked at her with rapt attention. Taking her hands between his, he executed a short bow.
 

“I love you, Natalie Enfeld.” His voice was raspy, as if the words were difficult. “I hope someday you can forgive me.”

She observed, frozen and speechless, as he hailed a cab then leaned down to speak with the man inside. She barely felt the taxi driver tap her shoulder. All she could do was watch as Dom got inside his own car, this time in the front seat beside Frank. They took off, Dom never looking back.

Finally getting inside the taxi, she hugged herself.
 

He loved her.
 

Her heart kicked. Begrudgingly, as it proved her a liar, she couldn’t deny the euphoria his words induced. But with them came confusion and bewilderment.

He said he loved her. Was he telling the truth?

CHAPTER FIVE