Page 20 of Stirring Attraction (Second Shot 2)
“One more question,” he said.
She nodded, hoping he’d tack on another after that. She wasn’t ready for him to leave her alone in the house surrounded by dark corners. His presence filled her space. It stole her concentration away from the what-ifs that usually followed her around. What if someone jumped out at her again? What if there was someone hiding in her closet? Or behind her shower curtain?
“Why the hell did you paint your nails for him?” Dominic demanded.
Maybe it was the wine, or the possessive gleam in his green eyes, or his familiar presence, but she decided to give him the honest answer. Though she knew it might lead them down a path she wasn’t sure she wanted to travel again. But one that just might keep him in her home awhile longer.
“Well,” she murmured. “They had to match my panties.”
GODDAMN IT, I’VE missed her mouth.
Dominic cocked his head, hoping like hell she planned to down the entire bottle of wine. Not because he wanted to take advantage. No, he wanted an excuse to look at her a little longer. Her blond ringlets danced over her shoulders, teasing her dress’s modest scoop neckline. The garment he’d labeled “sinful” hugged her curves in a way that confirmed Good Guy Ted was an idiot. Add in her smart mouth and how the hell could Ted walk away from her?
How dare Mr. Good Guy leave her knowing she’s afraid of the dark and every corner of the house she grew up in? I should hunt him down and hurt him for that alone.
“Prove it,” he said, his tone level and even, as if he wouldn’t trade the use of his good hand to see her panties right now. “Show me what you wearing beneath that dress. Not because I brought you flowers—”
“You didn’t. And you ran the ones I had down the disposal.”
“Show me,” he ordered, a smile playing on his lips at her sharp retort.
Dominic waited for her anger to rise up and surpass her fears. Any second now, she’d send him back to his rental car. Probably after she demanded to know where he got off asking for a view he’d refused to come home to for so long. If he was lucky, she’d let him keep the coffee.
She drained her glass and set it on the coffee table. “I’ll show you my underwear if you lose your shirt.”
Chapter Six
DOMINIC REACHED BEHIND his head and tugged on his T-shirt. The rising fabric revealed his abdomen. And yeah, he liked the way her gaze followed the hemline. But his arm stilled, his bicep taut and his T-shirt covering his hair. If he kept going, she’d see the damaged skin on his chest from where the bullet had entered.
“Are you sure about this?” he asked. “My scars aren’t pretty.”
“I promise to focus on your abs,” she murmured without looking up. “And lower.”
He laughed as he pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Lily had never offered pity before. Why should she start now? No, the curve of her lips and excitement in her blue eyes suggested she’d take what she wanted from him. She wouldn’t hold back.
She never holds back. That’s me. I’m the one fighting this pull with everything I have in me.
He’d walked away from her over and over. He’d told himself it was the right thing to do. Be brave. Fight for freedom. Make your mark on this world while you still can. He’d buffered his heartbreak with good and noble intentions. Only to be sidelined by bullets. It was as if the enemy had won, taking him out before he’d done enough. And now he didn’t have a clue how to find his way forward.
Lily.
No, he was pretty damn certain he wouldn’t find his future staring at Lily’s panties. Plus, she was living day to day right now. She didn’t need his bullshit heaped on top of her struggles.
He shouldn’t look. Hell, he should stand up and walk out of here now. He’d done what he came to do—check on her. He’d come home to keep her safe. And he had to draw the line there. After all she’d been through he couldn’t drag her back into heartbreak.
He was leaving. That was a fact. He refused to stay in Forever and lick his wounds.
“My turn now,” she said.
Her red nails toyed with the hem of her skirt. One manicured hand held the fabric down while the other drew a small section of her dress up to her thighs. She reached the thin band of burgundy circling her hips.
“See,” she said, holding her fingers over the splash of color against her pale skin. “They match.”
Dominic stared at the elastic band as if he’d been ordered to memorize the details. But this wasn’t a reconnaissance mission. He wouldn’t be returning to see how her underwear looked from the back, her skirt pulled up to her hips . . .
I bet it’s a thong.
Desire raged like a spreading flame. But on its heels? A big green monster. He thought of the flowers in the disposal and the selfish bastard who’d left them behind.
