Multiple times they’d been interrupted, or rather, Dominic had been called away to deal with this or that. But it was good. It gave her a chance to watch him in action.
Gage tipped his glass in her direction. “Your mother was right to hand this over to you. There will be a time, very soon I think, where working with witches across practice and clan affiliation will be necessary to protect ourselves. You’ve known this for some time now. I respect the job your mother has done. But your vision is what’s needed to lead the next generation.”
She blushed, glad for the darkness in the club. “Thanks. I just hope we’re catching this early enough to combat it.”
Gage’s usually amused expression went hard. “We’ll take this shit out. Period. Listen, we’ve spent two hours talking about this. It’s Friday night and you’re on a date. I see a lovely woman at the bar who really appears to need some company.”
She looked to see who he meant and grinned, shaking her head. “Go on then. Make her night.”
Gage’s mouth tipped up into a sexy grin. “He’s all right. Your Dominic. Gonna be a lot to handle so it’s good he’s your bond-mate. Another woman might get swallowed up by a man like him.” He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she knew without even looking up that Dominic’s attention had been snagged and he’d be making his way back to her.
“Thanks for listening.”
“I told you already, I’m your friend.” He slid out and moved toward the bar, snagging the woman’s awareness immediately.
“Hm. He likes touching you.”
She turned to Dominic and laughed right in his face. “He likes touching me? And the eleven thousand woman who’ve given you an arm or chest full of mammaries as you’ve walked around here being all bossy and stuff? What’s their excuse? Have you known them their entire lives like I have Gage?”
“No. They’re meaningless and also, I never claimed to be rational when the subject is you.”
Disarmed and flattered, she snorted. “You are aware that I’d never let anyone but you get away with this sort of thing, right?”
Grinning, he pulled her close. “Yeah. It gets me hot.” He kissed her long and slow there in the dark, the music around them, the heat of all the bodies, the scent of magick and sex everywhere.
Though she’d never been the make-out-with-a-man-in-a-nightclub type, she sure was just then. Like whoa.
“We should go.”
He was so close, his heat against her face. She so should not. Yes, they had sexual heat. No question they wanted one another. But that wasn’t the issue.
He walked her to the car and once they were both inside he turned to her. “You’re going to make me wait, aren’t you?”
“We’ve known each other a few days. I keep telling you sex will make this need stronger. You’re going to see me tomorrow night anyway.”
He groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. “We both know this is going to happen.”
“Exactly. So why rush?”
“You’re holding sex hostage.”
She burst out laughing. “Is that what you think? Really? Oh, Dominic.” She shook her head. “I want it as much as you do, silly. This isn’t easy for me either. I’m not holding anything hostage. Such an assertion is insulting. Like I’m some dumb bimbo who has to trick you into sex.”
She straightened her spine and he groaned again. Lethal, this woman. And still he smiled because she totally caught him.
“Fine, fine.” He pulled away and headed back to her place. “And I don’t think that, by the way. The last thing you are is dumb. It’s all the backup of sperm in my system.”
She laughed again, the annoyance gone from her features.
“I have to go to New York on Sunday. I’ll be back Thursday unless something dire comes up. That friend I told you about? He’s opening a new club and we’re going to be talking about some possible joint business ventures. The rest of my group of friends will be there too.” He realized he wanted her to know he’d be back.
“Oh. All right then.”
He pulled up in front of her building. “Have a coffee with me?”
Chapter 10
DOMINIC was fairly sure he’d never wanted to have sex more in his entire life. And that included the year he was fourteen.
He’d picked her up at her place for the opera and she’d come to her door looking like she’d stepped from a magazine ad. Hair in a chic updo. She wore some sort of fancy dress and equally fancy shoes. No one could accuse Meriel Owen of not dressing up enough for an evening out.
She’d been elegant and beautiful on his arm. He’d never been to the opera and found himself totally falling into the story. But never enough not to be totally aware of the way she smelled. Or of the rise and fall of those ridiculously beautiful breasts heaved up at the bodice of her dress.
She’d shared a big part of herself that evening and the one before. She’d shown him some of her magick, had helped him with his. They’d debated politics both witch and human. She was a fierce opponent and their discussions had the sort of heat that only left him craving more.
They stopped by Heart of Darkness for a bit, but all he really wanted was her. All to himself. “My building has a rooftop garden. Would you like to come up and see it?”
She grinned. “Is that like asking if I want to see your etchings?”
“It is a lovely garden, even in the cold and wet. And yes, it would leave us astonishingly close to my place. Where my bed is.”
She watched him, clearly wrestling with herself. He gave himself stern lectures to let her figure it out without any pressure.
“I suppose I like gardens.”
“So glad to hear that,” he said as he pulled her from the booth.
He was pretty sure if he didn’t get inside her soon he might die. She was something else and he wanted more.
“FEELS like you can see my building from here,” she said as she shivered just a little.
Nice opportunity for him to touch her though. He took his suit jacket off and put it around her shoulders and held her to his side.
“My father has a garden. Like an acre and a half of garden. Every year he takes on some new project and my mother just sighs and tells him to get on with it. He loves working in the dirt.”
“Are you a gardener?”
She laughed. “No. I am a disaster with plants. I can’t even keep a houseplant alive. At work my office has fake plants in it. What about you?”
“I haven’t been up here in ages. I like gardens and all, but I’m not usually around during the day.”
And then she turned to him, remaining in his arms. “I’d like to go inside now.”
He tried to remain nonchalant but it was a chore not to drive her down to his place at a harried pace. As it was, it wasn’t until he’d closed the door, locking it as he watched her toe her pretty heels off, that he allowed himself to believe it was going to happen. She turned her head, still slightly bent to get her shoe loose, a sexy smile on her face.
“I swear to you I totally am fine with whatever increased connection we gain after we have sex,” he blurted and she straightened, one hand on her hip, head cocked to the side.
“I don’t know if you are really. But looking at you right now, feeling the way you make me feel … I can’t seem to find any willpower at all to make you wait. Hell, make me wait. I want you, Dominic. The need will grow, but I can’t manage to tell you no anymore. I’m not expecting more than sex from you at this point. Feel what you’re supposed to feel.”