Her finally thought as her face came within inches of meeting the floor was who on earth would pair those together?
She squeezed her eyes shut as her entire body tensed for the crushing fall that she knew would hurt. Her arms flew out in front of her, but the crash never came. It never came because in a flash a pair of strong arms caught her, lifting her up and away. Dominic picked her up like a hero saving a damsel. Etched lines of worry crinkled around his eyes as he searched her for injury. His pupils had dilated and tension boomed off his shoulders. He was pissed.
That anger, she realized, wasn’t for her but at someone behind her. She had a feeling she knew who it was.
“Zeke, I suggest you get control over your woman before I have her arrested for assault.”
The alpha had a slow voice that sounded as if it had been dunked in a southern drawl then rolled in tar. “’Scuse me, Dom,” which he pronounced more like Dahm, “but just because the lady’s with me doesn’t mean I’m responsible for her actions. Ain’t that right, darlin’?”
Helena answered but all Felicity heard was an arrangement of hissing sounds.
“That’s it, we’re leaving,” Dom said.
About time, Felicity thought. Dom sent his goodbyes to everyone they passed. Only after she began to struggle did he send her a scathing look.
She glared. “Put me down and what are you looking at me like that for? It’s not my fault she pushed me.”
He arched a dark brow. “It’s not?”
Nothing she could do could hide the bright blush that heated her cheeks. She looked away. “No,” she said in a very little voice.
“Look at me, Felicity and then I’ll put you down.”
She didn’t look at him, but she did weigh the pros and cons. She had just lied to him. He obviously knew something was up, but Helena had started it! Oh, great, she thought. Now she was starting to sound like a petulant child.
“Felicity,” he said. His voice sent little alarm bells off inside her head.
Sighing, she turned her face back to meet his gaze. His eyes were burning bright but she found amusement not anger in his eyes.
“Will you put me down? Everyone is watching us.”
They stood at the edge of the ballroom, all eyes on them. Whispers were getting louder as word spread about what happened. Felicity could see the eyes and ears of everyone perking up that something exciting had happened. On some faces she could see the disappointment that they hadn’t been able to witness the fun. Considering how boring campaigning was, she couldn’t say she wouldn’t feel disappointed if she was in their position.
“I’ll put you down after you stop lying to me.”
She narrowed her eyes on him. “How did you know I was lying?”
He looked so amazed that for a moment she thought he might snort, burst out laughing, or something else uncharacteristic of him. “Felicity, her dress is dirty and torn down her back. Her hair looks like someone tried to rip it out and—”
“Well, I had nothing to do with that little part,” she said.
He continued as if she hadn’t interrupted him. “And she followed you out of the bathroom. Now explain what happened so I can put you down.”
They fell into a staring match she felt confident to win. In the meantime, she tried to review what had happened between her and Helena and how much she should tell him. He was already under a lot of stress with the election in two days. If she told him about what Helena said then it could infuriate him and make things worse. However, if she didn’t tell him then Helena was going to challenge Felicity tomorrow and Felicity may or may not win. She was a designer, not a fighter, after all. She also recognized that the strongest muscle on Helena’s body was her tongue, so even though the woman was quite a bit older and could be seriously strong she probably didn’t know how to fight. But do I know how to fight any better?
Also, she may or may not be nervous to tell Dom that she hit Helena first. Damn it. She had to tell him everything. She couldn’t lie to him.
Biting her lip, they still stared into each other’s eyes.
His pupil’s dilated and she recognized the tightening of his jaw. He was losing patience.
“Okay,” she said. “I hit her first but only after she told me I had a fat ass and threatened to take you from me!” In her defense, there really was no way to explain what happened without sounding like a whining child.
Quirking a brow as if he found her explanation amusing he set her down. Next thing she knew, he had her hand in his, and they swept out the ballroom.
With a flick of his wrist, the valet jumped to get their car. Their bodyguards, silently blending in wearing suits, seemed to come out from everywhere at once. She blinked as they surrounded them. She’d actually forgotten they’d come.
“I have something else to tell you that Helena said to me.”
Dom sighed, it sounded every bit as weary as he looked. His lips were sagged down into the beginnings of a frown and an all-around stiffness forced the muscles of his face into a grimace. “I have no doubt that Helena was every bit as I remember her.”
Their car pulled up before she could voice the rest of her story. Dom held the door open for her. Guards piled in after them, two of which sat across from them, their eyes trained outside the windows. From all appearances, they looked as if they weren’t paying any attention to what they said but Felicity didn’t like it. The guards might make it look like they weren’t listening but they would still hear every word she or Dom said.
“Listen, I need to talk to you about what Helena said.”
Dom’s big body sagged back into the seat. He held her hand, turning it over to gaze at her palm. A soft, tender expression came over his face, softening the creases around his eyes making him look younger.
“Not now. I’m tired and when we get back to the house I have work to do.”
She turned her palm to entangle her fingers with his. One corner of his beautiful mouth quirked up and he lifted his gaze to her face. At the sight of this man looking at her like she was his world, her chest constricted making it hard to breathe. When had she become so lucky? Did she even deserve a man such as him? She did not have a drop of aristocratic blood inside her. Her family did not come from a long line of royalty that helped to establish their people and keep them safe.
The drive home was quiet and comfortable with the only tension coming from Dominic’s brooding thoughts and hers for what she had to tell him.
They arrived back at Blackmoore estate. The sun was only hours from coming up. She could feel the early rays already starting to brighten places on the other side of the globe. Vampires always had an acute feel for the sun. They had to in order to survive.
Diane Blackmoore waited in the middle of the foyer with her hands clasped as tight as the expression on her face. “How did it go?” she asked at once.
Dom started nodding but he did not speak.
Felicity shot him a concerned gaze. What was going on with him? He seemed to be getting more and more subdued as the night went on. “Everything went pretty well. I didn’t mess up. Except, well...” her words trailed off as she a blush.
Dom sighed, this time exhaustion clouding the sound. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She attacked Helena after some provocation in the lady’s salon.”
Felicity’s gaze instantly went from concerned to a death glare. How could he rat her out like that?