Sweet Seduction Sacrifice (16 page)

I moaned back and then we were eating each other. Tongue and teeth and hips and bodies and my leg clinging to his frame the only way I could. He ground himself back against me, exactly in the right spot to elicit a response. I made a noise, he reciprocated and the kiss became heated, we were both on fire and in danger of setting the house alight. But still neither of us stopped.

It was as though we couldn't get close enough, couldn't taste enough, didn't have a moment to spare. His hand left my hair and stroked down my side, finding the bottom of the T-shirt and sneaking in underneath. His fingers felt hot against my flesh, a soft caress over my hip, above the track pants, a splayed, finger flexing moment as he wrapped his palm around my waist. And then, to my absolute delight, he moved it upwards. His thumb brushed the underside of the curve of my breast and my legs buckled. He held me upright by the length of his body pressed against mine, for some reason determined not to release my hands from their imprisonment above my head. In my mind I pleaded with him, I so desperately wanted to touch him as he was touching me, but my mouth was too occupied to voice my thoughts.

A hot hand placed over my whole breast. I whimpered into his mouth. A shift, as his thumb and forefinger found my already erect nipple and brushed it. I
groaned
into his mouth. Then with expertly timed precision, he rocked his so very hard erection in exactly the right spot and in exactly the right way, hitting me perfectly and timing it to match the pinch of his finger and thumb against my nipple to absolute mind numbing perfection. I shuddered against him, my groans and whimpers being kissed away, but he didn't stop, he knew how close I was and he wasn't giving me an inch to escape.

Suddenly he released my hands, but I barely acknowledged this, leaving them somewhere near where they had been, as his now free hand slipped between us and into the top of my track pants, finding no restriction in underwear, making a beeline for exactly the right spot. With his finger and thumb against my nipple, the heightened turned on state he had kissed me into, just one sweep of his finger inside my wet core and I was gone.

A low, deep moan escaped me as I convulsed and tightened around his finger, and my body shuddered against his frame. He kissed the sounds away and brought me slowly back down with soft sweeps inside.

"Christ," he muttered and I flicked my eyes open, my lids only making it halfway. "Christ," he repeated, hot breath washing over my face. I watched him swallow, his throat directly before my eyes. "Christ," he said for a third time, as though stunned.

I couldn't help it, I smiled.

"Oh, Christ." This time it was a resigned whisper, with a hint of a smile to back it up.

We stood staring at each other, my back against the door, my front flush against Dominic's. His hand had moved out from my intimate place, but was wrapped around my waist, resting on the curve of my hip, under the T-shirt and track pants, hot against my skin. His other hand was resting flat against the door frame beside my head, his face tipped down staring into my eyes. He looked a little stunned, completely transfixed and entirely too turned on.

I couldn't find my voice to save myself, he looked good enough to eat, but from the expression on
his
face, I was about to be the meal. In an effort to stall for time - God alone knows why I wanted to, but some part of me was still heading towards escape - I mentally searched for a distraction. I needn't have bothered.

"You know it's quite rude to leave a guest unattended for any length of time," Katie's amused voice came to us from down the hallway. "Didn't our parents teach us better than that?"

Dominic spun in a movement that was almost too quick to track, tucking my body behind his protectively as he faced off against his sister. He must have realised how ridiculous that was once he laid eyes on her, she was beaming that genuinely friendly, but now also slightly amused, smile back at him.

"Katie," he said, his voice still a little sexy-husky. "You always did know how to time an entrance."

"It's a natural gift, darling. Now, have you convinced our little gazelle not to run?"

Dominic reached around his back and with an arm around my shoulders pulled me out to face his sister. I was sure my face was beetroot red, not only because she knew damn well what we had been up to - hell, she probably heard my moans - but also because of how I had acted before running. She didn't seem pissed off about it, she just wore that supremely amused look, as though this was all entertaining and quite welcome in fact.

"Katie, this is Genevieve Cain." Dominic turned to look at me, his voice softening further. "Sweetheart, this is my little sister, Katie Anscombe." His lips tipped up in a sexy, but embarrassed smile. "I should have introduced you as soon as you walked in the room." He was blaming himself for how I acted?

I pulled my eyes away from his with tremendous effort and placed my best smile on my face, the one I reserve for important moments - or difficult customers.

"Hi, I owe you an apology," I said stepping forward, my hand outstretched to shake hers. "I acted appallingly, there's no excuse. I'm so sorry I flipped out on you."

She almost jumped up and down again on her heels, but took my hand in both of hers instead, shaking it enthusiastically.

"No apology necessary," she said breezily. "I haven't had this much fun at Dom's expense for years. I think the last time was when he got caught skinny-dipping in the Trevi Fountain by the
Polizia di Stato
when I was six. He never could resist a dare." She flashed a smirk at Dominic and then winked. I didn't see his response, but I felt the heat of his body at my back, just before he placed his hands on my shoulders and tugged me out of her grasp, pulling me back into the circle of his arms.

"Best you don't get too close, sweetheart, she's a minx when she's like this."

Katie pouted, but it didn't look convincing in the least.

I was already in trouble with Dominic, sexiest smile and name, god-like Anscombe. I suddenly realised that I was in even deeper trouble now, because I simply adored his sister. The more you get to know a person, the greater the risk, but when you become attached to their friends and family too, the risk can be cataclysmic.

"Dominic made something to eat, lets go have a bite," Katie suggested, turning and heading back towards the lounge.

I felt Dominic's lips against the skin on my neck briefly and then a muttered, "I could think of something better to eat," against my ear. I shivered, a full body shiver, I couldn't help it, he just had that effect on me. I heard his rumbling laughter behind me as he guided me after his sister. His hand in the small of my back, thumb brushing in a half circle as I walked. I was in
so
much trouble.

Dominic's culinary expertise had extended to the most delicious looking club sandwiches with a plethora of healthy and not so healthy ingredients, piled high on a plate. They looked fantastic and considering it was the middle of the afternoon, perfect for my appetite right then. I was famished, but despite the gnawing hunger eating away at my belly, I had spotted my handbag on the counter as we entered his industrial sized kitchen.

Katie started fussing with extra plates and napkins, while Dominic pulled drinks from the fridge and began to pour them into glasses. He didn't ask what we wanted, he simply went straight ahead and chose for us. It made me smile, despite how domineering it could be construed. It was only a drink and I didn't have a preference at all, besides I was mildly curious to see what he'd pick for me.

I slipped my hand into my handbag and fished out my cellphone, well aware that Kelly would have left a dozen messages by now and would be starting to get frantic with curiosity. Despite everything I had been through, putting Kelly's mind at rest won out over sitting down and stuffing my face and forgetting my troubles whilst listening to Katie babble. She was still babbling now, getting the occasional indulgent smile from Dominic, or semi-surly word in reply.

I fired up my phone and stared in disbelief at the number of missed calls. Twenty-seven. Twenty-five of which had left messages, as well as the eight text messages waiting to be read. With a resigned sigh, that garnered a flick of a gaze from Dominic, I thumbed through the numbers. Twelve from Kelly, so the dozen attempts I had predicted were bang on. Three from Jane, my weekend Sweet Seduction manager. Two from my brother who lives in Trentham, near Upper Hutt and always calls on the weekend for a chat when not on assignment. And ten from an unknown caller. I stared at the unknown caller ID and felt unease trickle down my spine.

I had long ago binned Brett's cellphone number and this was a new cell of mine, which he shouldn't have had access to, but in my gut I just knew, that was no longer the case. Delaying the inevitable, I listened to Kelly's messages first. They started out excitedly curious, progressed to excitedly expectant - as I obviously was not at home - then ended up screaming through pissed off expectant, angry expectant, indignant expectant to finally...

"Gen, hon, call me. I'm worried sick."

Without further ado I hit the call back button and waited for Kelly to answer.

"Where the friggin' hell have you been?" she demanded in a voice I knew held both reproach and concern.

"I'm OK," I answered, getting the most important thing out the way.

"What's happened?" She snapped to attention. She could always see through my hedging.

I let a long breath of air out and noticed Dominic was watching me intently, bottle of Ginger Beer to his lips as he leaned back casually against the kitchen counter, no longer even paying attention to his sister's ramblings. For her part, Katie was doing her best to offer me some privacy, in the guise of distracting her brother. It wasn't working.

"Things have been a little strange," I continued to hedge, unable to face scaring my best friend.

"Strange, butterflies-in-tummy-strange or strange, I'm-packing-my-bags-and-going-to-Timbuktu-strange?"

Ah, hell, there was no avoiding it, we'd just walk around in circles. "Brett had me kidnapped last night from the loft." I heard a choked sound on the other end of the line, but because I'd started to share simply couldn't pull on the handbrake now. "He sent these goons called Greeny and Lofty round to my place, Lofty pretended to be a cop and when I let the chain off the door," - it should be noted here that Dominic had his arms crossed over his chest by now, Ginger Beer forgotten on the bench. Even Katie had stopped rambling and was pretending to flatten a napkin into the bench's surface, all the while listening as though her life depended on it. It still didn't stop me spilling the beans though - of course not! "and when he pushed the door over, he fell, and the door smashed into my nose and broke it. That hurt like fuck by the way. And then I was out for a while. Eventually I woke up in a sleazy motel room and Brett was there. Anyway," I added, thinking it was best to just wind this up, why I hadn't thought that at the beginning is anyone's guess, "the hotties of the hot-rush bunch came to my rescue and all's good. I'm having a late lunch at Dominic's, having just met his sister."

Silence, both in the room and down the line met my ears.

"You still there, Kel?"

"What the fuck?" came screeching down the phone, I pulled the device from my ear and waited for her to get a handle on her temper. It took a bit of time, enough for me to flick a glance over Dominic and Katie. Dominic was looking impassively angry, if that's even possible. The type of anger you assume is there, but can't be certain because he's looking really calm. Way calm. Too calm. Katie just looked shocked. I returned my attention to Kelly.

"Kelly, get a grip," I commanded, she didn't comply.

"I knew that arsehole would do something like this!" Wow, I hadn't thought Brett had it in him, but she did? "Can't be all man about it and simply walk away, has to go all Neanderthal and act like an ape. What a piece of shit!"

"Oh, come on, Kel, he's just delusional, that's all."

"Delusional?" Her voice had gone soft, it was impressive. Dominic had progressed from impassive angry, to downright angry. Katie was still in shock. "No. No, Gen honey, you are delusional if you think kidnapping an ex-girlfriend is something a
delusional
man does. It's criminal. It's insane. It's unacceptable, that's what it is. Don't you dare make excuses for that sorry piece of shit. He broke your heart. He stole from you. He blackmailed you. And he. Fucking. Kidnapped. You. Do not tell me he is delusional. Do not tell yourself that either, I beg you."

I didn't know what to say. I was stunned at her vehemence and I was hurt. Embarrassed too, if I was honest, because I was sure both Katie and Dominic had been able to hear ever word. Cellphones are not private. I should have walked from the room to make the call, but I had never expected my best friend to have a go at me like this. I was in shock, numbed and the tears - God help me - were threatening to spill again. I couldn't move a muscle to make an escape. I couldn't even open my mouth to tell Kelly to shut up. I thought it. I mentally wished it. But I just stood there like a fool waiting for her next tirade.

"He needs a good ass-kicking, that's what he needs. I hope those hotties are going to catch his sorry arse and put a cap in it." Who talks like this? "I'd like to get my hands on him and wring his pathetic neck." Not a picture I could envisage, Kelly's hands wouldn't even make it around Brett's neck, he might have been an arse, but he was a buffed one. "The sooner he is behind bars the sooner your life can return to normal and I'm telling you now, Genevieve Cain, I will not let you make the same mistakes you've been making ever again." My heart thudded unmercifully inside my chest. She'd never,
never,
called me out on my mistakes before. She'd always just been there for me. "I've tried to be understanding, hon, but he
kidnapped
you, broke your nose. Enough is enough. I'm calling your brother."