Dominique tensed when he took a step toward her. She automatically took a step backward and then blurted out the question that had been on her mind since seeing him in the courtroom. “What is your interest in Danah Fairchild?”
He eyed her considerably for a moment before responding. “I don’t have one.”
Dominique raised an arched brow. “Then why were you in my courtroom?” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you a reporter?”
He raised his eyebrows at the sting he heard in her voice. He then remembered what Royce had told him about how the newspapers had printed news of her aborted wedding. Evidently news reporters were not her favorite people. “No, I’m not a reporter. I’m an attorney.”
“An attorney?”
“Yes, for Smith, Hammond, and Rowe.” He saw the look on her face and quickly lifted a hand, cutting off the words he knew she was about to say. “I’m not involved with the Fairchild case in any way, so being here with you in your chambers is not unethical, and there is no conflict of interest. No harm’s been done.”
As far as Dominique was concerned this last statement was somewhat debatable, especially when every time she looked at him her body temperature rose. It wouldn’t be long before she blew a fuse. There was no doubt in her mind that she was definitely in harm’s way, and she intended to remove herself from that situation. But first she needed to know a few things.
“When did you move into the area?”
“A couple of months ago.”
“From where?”
“New York.”
“You were born and raised there?”
“No. I attended Morehouse in Atlanta, then moved to New York to attend Columbia University Law School. I’m originally from London.”
She raised a brow. “England?”
He chuckled. “No, London, Ohio. It’s a small town not far from Columbus.”
“Oh.” She then asked, “I assume you aren’t married?”
“No, I’m divorced.”
She let her breath out on a sigh, not knowing why she was glad to hear he was single when she had no plans to get involved with him.
“So are you going jogging in the morning?” he asked her.
“No.”
“I’m sorry if you think I came on too strong but I can’t help that everything about you turns me on, Dominique.”
Dominique tried not to let his words get to her but found they were getting to her anyway. She wasn’t a size ten like Michelle, but was comfortable with her full size-fourteen figure. It was one she was proud of and worked hard to keep toned. His dark eyes looked fiercely serious and his strong mouth looked as if it were capable of devouring her. She had to agree with what he said about there being raw, primal sexuality between them. And it had to be a once-in-a-lifetime feeling; she was quite certain of that. What other explanation could there be?
“Will you be at the park in the morning?”
His voice was so quiet and calm, he could have been asking her for the time of day. He took another step toward her, and every nerve in her body went on alert.
“Say you’ll be there, Dominique.”
She shuddered, drawing in a deep breath. No one, absolutely no one, said her name like he did. He had the kind of voice that could sink into every pore of her body and turn her bones to mush. Before she could say anything, his hand reached out and cupped her under her chin, lifting her face to his. She was aware of everything about him, his size, his strength, and his scent. It was all-male, robust, and earthy rolled up into one.
His look was intense when he said, “I know we don’t really know each other, but don’t, please don’t be afraid of me. I will not hurt you.” Then his look turned intimate. “There is this thing between us, Dominique. And it has been there from the first. I felt it then and I feel it now. And I believe that you do, too. Admit it.”
She swallowed, refusing to admit anything. “I don’t want to become involved with you or anyone.”
“That’s not the vibe I picked up from you that morning we ran together.”
She could just imagine what vibe he had picked up that morning. She had deliberately gone to the park hoping to see him. She had definitely been a woman on the prowl.
“My actions that morning went against my better judgment and were a mistake.”
“No”, he said gently. “It wasn’t a mistake. But there was something I didn’t get the chance to do before you ran off.”
“What?”
“This.”
Before she could take her next breath, he leaned down and touched his lips to hers. It was a kiss that robbed her of her senses. He took things slowly, teasing her mouth to interact with his, and it wasn’t a lost effort. It was a good thing his arms had moved to her waist to support her, or she would have fallen to her knees the moment his tongue entered her mouth and began mating sensuously with hers. She closed her eyes, and whatever strength she had left literally drained from her body, but he held on to her tightly as he tasted her and she tasted him. She had often wondered about his taste since meeting him, and now she knew, and doubted she would ever forget it.
No kiss, Dominique thought, had ever made her feel this dazed, this crazed. Red-hot passion ignited the flames of desire blazing through her. Every stroke of his tongue against hers worked incredible magic.
Then he took the kiss from slow to deep, and she returned it in a way she had never done with another man, and that included Kenneth. He captured her tongue with his and held it as he sucked on it, making her heart pound and deliriously drenching every part of her with such extreme pleasure that she actually heard herself whimper and moan.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she picked up on the fact that his hands were fumbling with her hair knotted on top of her head. Then she felt her hair fall to her shoulders and his fingers raking through the curls. Moments later those same hands moved boldly down her body to her bottom, bringing her snugly against his erection, letting her feel the long, hard length of it pressed against her belly. The feel of him sharpened every sense she had, and little by little she became disoriented by it all. Even with clothes on they seemed to be a perfect fit. She didn’t want to think how they would feel together with their clothes off.
But she did think about it. And the thought made her feel bold and reckless. She knew she would regret her actions later, but at this very minute the only thing that seemed important was that he was a man and she was a woman. She tightened her arms around his neck and pressed herself closer as an incredible case of hot lust consumed her.
“Harrumph!”
The clearing of someone’s throat shattered the moment. Jordan and Dominique broke off their kiss, panting, barely able to breathe air into their lungs. She blinked twice to get everything, including her mind, back in focus.
Michelle was standing by the door with her arms crossed over her chest and a smirky grin on her face. Dominique stiffened as she watched her sister’s gaze skim over them. She was still wearing her black robe, although it was bunched up and twisted. And her hair was no longer in a neat knot on top of her head.
A part of Dominique wanted to hide from her sister’s close scrutiny. But Jordan’s arms were still around her waist, holding her tight against him, and after feeling his hard erection still pressing against her, she understood why.
She had a feeling that Michelle understood as well. The grin she wore got smirkier. Then she said, “Hmmm, I must say, Dominique, it’s about time you decided to let your hair down.”
D
ominique inwardly groaned. The last thing she needed was Michelle being a smart-mouth, and from the amused expression on her sister’s face, she was being entertained at her and Jordan’s expense.
“Michelle,” she said, glaring at her sister. “Don’t you believe in knocking?”
Michelle shrugged, not bothered by Dominique’s apparent anger. “Sure I do. However, according to Ruth, you said I didn’t have to be announced, so I assumed that meant I could just walk in. Had I known you and this gorgeous hunk were engaging in such important business, I would definitely have knocked first.” Her smile widened. “But I’ll be more than happy to step back outside awhile and chat with Ruth while the two of you finish up what you were doing.”
No, no, no.
The last thing she needed was Michelle hanging around and chatting with Ruth. “Maybe you should go on home and call me later tonight,” she suggested.
“And miss the chance to meet this guy? Are you crazy!”
Dominique raised her eyes to the ceiling, asking for strength and tolerance. At the moment she could very well kill her sister. Seeing no other choice, she made introductions. “Jordan, this is my sister, Michelle.”
“Hi, Michelle.”
“Oh, my, you sound just as sexy as you look.”
A husky chuckle came from deep within Jordan’s throat. “Thanks.”
Dominique groaned. “Go away, Michelle. Now,” she said warningly. She glanced up at Jordan. He was smiling, but so far he wasn’t drooling, like most men did whenever they saw Michelle.
“Oh, all right,” Michelle said with a pretended pout. “I’ll be waiting outside.” And with that last statement she opened the door and eased it closed behind her.
Dominique stepped away from Jordan and walked over to her desk. She wondered if she could pay Michelle to keep quiet about today. Chances were that even now she was spilling her guts to Ruth.
“That’s your sister?”
Jordan’s question interrupted her thoughts. She met his gaze and saw an amused expression on his face. “So I’m told, although I wonder at times. All I know is that when I was two years old, my parents brought her home from the hospital, and she’s been a thorn in my side ever since.”
He chuckled. “No, I don’t think so. It’s obvious the two of you are close.”
She gave him a startled look. “How could you tell that?”
His smile widened. “Because my brother and I act the same way. Although we get on each other’s nerves at times, we’re very close.”
“Does he still live in London, Ohio?”
“No. We moved away from home when we left for college, but since we’re a pretty close family, we usually go home for the holidays as well as other times in between. My parents are doing fine and are in good health, but they claim they need to see us every once in a while.”
She nodded, wondering if his brother looked anything like him. “What is your brother’s name? How old is he?”
“His name is Auburn, and he is three years younger than me. He’s a doctor living in Atlanta.”
Dominique lifted a curious brow. “And how old are you?”
“I’m thirty-five.” He tilted his head and smiled at her. “So there you have the history of the Prescott brothers.”
Dominique blinked. “Prescott?”
“Yes, Prescott,” he said, recalling that he hadn’t shared his last name with her until now.
“Jordan Prescott.” Dominique let the name roll slowly off her lips, liking the sound of it. In fact she liked the sound of it too much. Her gaze met his again, and for an instant she froze. Less than ten minutes ago she had gotten the kiss of her life from him, and now, at this very moment, those memories were attacking her better senses. Everything about him was overwhelming: the way he kissed, the way he was built, his strength, his scent… and, she thought, as her gaze dropped to his midsection, even his erection. She couldn’t believe that after all this time it hadn’t gone down.
Taking a deep breath, she clamored to get her thoughts in order. “Look, Jordan, I have to talk to my sister before she does too much damage with her wagging tongue.” Quickly crossing the room, she picked up his briefcase off the floor and handed it to him. “I suggest that you continue to use this as a shield for now.”
He chuckled in a low, sexy way as he took the briefcase from her hand. “And later?”
“Later I suggest you take a cold shower.”
Jordan didn’t hold back his mirth when he laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound that did crazy, intimate things to Dominique’s insides. “Yes, I guess that would work. And what about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” she asked.
“Yes, tomorrow. Will you meet me at the park in the morning?”
Dominique knew she shouldn’t consider doing such a thing, but she
was
considering it. “Will you be able to keep yourself under control?”
Jordan grinned. “Hey, you can’t hold me responsible when you’re the reason I’m behaving this way. It’s not my fault that I find you so incredibly sexy.”
His words made Dominique’s pulse rate quicken and filled her with a pleasure she had never felt before. “Yes, I’ll be at the park in the morning.”
“And you won’t stand me up again?” he asked, drawing her closer to him.
For once Dominique knew she would not back out. Maybe her family and Ruth were right. It was time to finally put Kenneth and his betrayal behind her and really start living again. “No, I’ll be there.”
He leaned over and gently kissed her lips. “Then I’ll see you in the morning.”
She nodded and watched as he crossed the room and walked out of her door.
***
Michelle’s eyes widened. “So you’re really going to have an affair with him?”