Jordan snorted angrily. “And I guess you zipped down his pants and forced him to stick his
thing
into the other woman as well. Did it ever occur to him that he had betrayed you in the worst possible way?”
The depth of Jordan’s anger surprised Dominique, and a part of her was touched it was on her behalf. “No, he didn’t see it that way.”
“Then he was a fool.”
She shook her head sadly. “He still is one. He honestly thinks we’ll get back together and eventually marry.”
Jordan’s chest tightened with some strange emotion he had never felt before. Abruptly, he asked. “Why does he think that? Have you given him reason to think the two of you will be getting back together?”
She lifted a brow at the hardness in his voice. “No. Like I said, he’s a fool. There’s no way he and I will ever get back together.”
Jordan nodded, unwilling at the moment to question why he was glad to hear that her ex-fiancé didn’t stand a chance with her again.
T
hree days later Dominique sat in her courtroom rubbing the bridge of her nose in frustration. She looked at the two men who were nervously staring back at her. “Please approach the bench. The both of you.”
When they stood directly in front of her, she said, “The two of you have really tried my patience today, and I refuse to let either of you turn my courtroom into a circus any longer. A woman is on trial for her life and I expect you to behave like the professionals you are or you will find yourselves in contempt of court.”
Both men nodded. Neither was eager to pay a contempt-of-court fine. “Now then, shall we continue?”
As they walked away she glanced at her watch. It was three o’clock already. The day had dragged by only because the prosecution and the defense had relentlessly bickered at each other, and had refused to give an inch. She had objected so much that her throat was raw.
She sighed angrily. She had looked forward to preparing dinner for Jordan tonight, and now from the looks of things there was no way she would make it home at a decent time. And on top of that, the prosecution had come up with some new evidence she needed to review to determine whether it was admissible. During one of the short recesses, she had left a message on Jordan’s answering machine explaining her situation.
She had seen Jordan that morning when they had jogged, but she hadn’t known the trial would go beyond the scheduled time.
A moment later, while a witness on the stand was going over what had happened the day that Lee Fairchild had gotten killed, Dominique felt goose bumps form on her arms. She looked up to see Jordan, dressed in a tailored business suit and looking like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, enter her courtroom and take a seat. When their gaze connected she felt her heart beginning to beat so fast that she had to take several deep breaths. She finally broke eye contact before she literally passed out from the all-too-familiar sensuous heat that was flooding through her body.
It didn’t seem fair, all these new sensations she was feeling. And if that weren’t bad enough, she often found herself fantasizing about him during the day and dreaming about him at night.
Taking another deep breath, she turned her full concentration back to what was going on in her courtroom.
***
Jordan was glad he had finished all his work for that day and was able to swing by the courthouse. He sat in the back and watched Dominique. What Royce had told him was true. She was tough but fair. He leaned back and settled comfortably in his seat finding her utterly fascinating. As he sat there and watched her, his imagination got wild. He remembered when he had kissed her at his place on Saturday and how his tongue had thrust in and out of her mouth over and over, nearly ravishing it. In fact, he had actually tried leaving his mark stamped somewhere, everywhere in her mouth. He couldn’t imagine a more enticing and delectable place to place his brand.
He inhaled deeply, feeling as if he was on fire, and looked at her. She was staring hot and heatedly right back at him. He liked that.
He also liked the fact that she was no push over. Nor was she easily swayed into doing something she didn’t feel comfortable with doing. He would have given almost anything for them to have slept together at his place Saturday morning before breakfast, after breakfast – the entire day. But she hadn’t been ready. As hot as he had made her for him, she had held back because she hadn’t felt fully comfortable with the situation yet. He was more than willing to give her time, just as long as she didn’t play games with him. And he felt fairly certain that she wasn’t playing games. She wanted him as much as he wanted her, but by nature she was a cautious person who didn’t immediately take anything at face value. Hell, considering what she did for a living, he couldn’t very well blame her.
But the truth of the matter was that he liked her. He liked her a hell of a lot. He could name over a hundred things about her that literally turned him on big-time, and without very much effort. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be good together in bed. But a part of him was enjoying her out of bed as well.
He knew without a doubt that Judge Dominique Kincaid, the woman, was definitely getting to him.
***
Dominique glanced at her watch. It was nine o’clock and she was still in her chambers going over pages and pages of legal documentation regarding the Fairchild case. She had convinced Ruth to go home hours ago, knowing it would well be past eleven before she would finally finish what she was doing.
She leaned back in her chair. She was getting a little hungry and thought about calling Michelle to bring her something to eat from a fast-food restaurant. She was surprised Ruth hadn’t asked her about dinner or had offered to order something for her before she’d left.
She glanced toward her chamber door when she heard a soft knock, wondering who it could be. The courthouse was usually empty this time of night, since most everyone had left for home. The only persons around were the security staff and the maintenance crew. “Come in.”
Her mouth went dry and her heart began beating wildly in her chest when Jordan appeared in the doorway. From the way he was dressed, wearing a pair of jeans and chambray shirt, it was obvious he had gone home and changed clothes.
She couldn’t stop her gaze from wandering up and down the full magnificent length of him. Whenever he was moving about he was temptation in motion, and whenever he was standing still, as he was doing now while leaning against the doorjamb, he was stationary sex appeal. The man was definitely all of that and a bag of chips. A big bag of chips. The spicy-hot kind.
As she got her wits back she noticed he held two things in his hand – his briefcase and a huge white paper bag. The aroma of food suddenly flooded her chambers. “Jordan? What are you doing here? Didn’t you get my message about dinner at my place being canceled?”
His smile immediately igniting every female part of her body. Her breasts suddenly felt tender, and the area between her legs got warm. With shaking fingers she placed the papers she had been reading aside.
“Yes, I got it and completely understood. I called and spoke with Ruth a few hours ago and she mentioned that chances were you would be staying late tonight. So instead of you feeding me, I decided the decent thing to do,
Your Honor
, was feed you.”
Dominique thought of the breakfast that he had prepared for her that past Saturday. “You’ve fed me once this week. I already owe you a meal.”
“I’m not keeping tabs, Dominique. Besides, all I did tonight was order take out at Sharkey’s.”
She raised a brow. “When did Sharkey’s start doing take out?”
His smiled widened and she felt it all the way to her toes. “Actually they don’t. Someone I know has connections and arranged things for me.”
“Oh.”
He walked into her chambers, closing the door behind him with his foot. “So I’m ordering you to take a break and eat.”
Because she was hungry, he really didn’t have to order her twice. She stood to remove the papers off her desk. “I really appreciate this. I was just thinking about calling Michelle and asking her to bring me something. You’re a lifesaver.”
He placed the food on her desk. “No, I’m not. I would have used any excuse to keep our date tonight.”
She lifted her head to stare at him. The thought that he had wanted to spend the evening with her touched her. “You’re sharing dinner with me?”
He grinned. “Yes, and don’t worry, I brought enough if you’re feeling somewhat greedy and concerned with sharing.”
She chuckled as she pulled the containers from the bag. “No, that’s not it. In fact I’d like the company.”
“Good. And afterwards while you read whatever it is you have to read, I have some papers I need to read as well.”
She lifted a brow. “You’re sticking around after we eat?”
“Yes. I don’t like the idea of you going to your car late at night alone, so I plan to stay here, then walk you out.”
Dominique smiled, once again touched by his concern. “I’ve worked late at night several times. The parking lot is well lit and there’s security on duty. I’ll be fine.”
“I’m making sure of it, Dominique.”
“Thanks.” She tried to remember if Kenneth had ever bothered to show up at the courthouse late at night, concerned for her safety, and couldn’t think of a single time he had done so.
While they ate they talked about everything other than work. He had listened while she had told him about her parents and grandparents and how her grandfather’s family had once owned most of the land surrounding International Drive.
“It’s amazing when I hear people talk about what a small town Orlando used to be before Disney World came to town. It doesn’t sound like the same place.”
Jordan nodded. “London is still pretty much a small town. Hell, it’s so small there’s a man who delivers milk each day, and the doctor still makes house calls on occasion. It’s country but pleasant. More and more of the young people are moving back home to escape the rat race of the big cities.”
Later, after disposing of their garbage, Jordan took a seat on the sofa that rested on the other side of the room and pulled out the papers he’d brought along from his briefcase. Dominique resumed reading the legal papers about the Fairchild case.
She thought it was nice having him share her space and wasn’t at all bothered by it. After reading for what seemed like hours, she lifted her head to rotate her stiff neck. She glanced across the room at Jordan and smiled. As if he’d known she was looking at him, he lifted his head from the papers he was reading and smiled back. Her heart began beating so fast for a moment she thought she had forgotten how to breathe. Finally, when she remembered, she broke eye contact and lowered her gaze to begin reading again.
***
An hour or so later Dominique read the last sentence on the page. Her eyes felt tired and strained. Glancing at the crystal clock on her desk, a gift from her parents, she noted that the hour was past eleven. It was much later than she had intended to stay.
“All finished?”
She glanced over in Jordan’s direction. “Yes, what about you?”
“Yes, I’m done.”
She stood. “It won’t take me long to get everything together to leave.”
“Take your time.”
She was putting the last of the papers in her briefcase when she felt his presence directly behind her.
“I meant to tell you the other day, before I got kind of side tracked, that you have nice chambers.”
“Thanks.” She sighed as she slowly turned around, and couldn’t help it when she automatically leaned forward, parting her lips.
He couldn’t help it either when he leaned down and captured her mouth, taking hold of her waist and pulling her closer. He couldn’t think of a better way to end the evening than to take his fill of her like this, especially since she wasn’t quite ready for the next level yet.
Deciding it was time to end the kiss before he was tempted to spread her out on her desk, Jordan pulled back and smiled when he saw that her lips were still damp from the taste of him. “Dominique,” he whispered.
She lifted her gaze up to his. “Yes?”
“Are you going jogging with me in the morning?” he asked in a voice filled with the same lust she felt.
“Yes.”
He was watching her intently. “And on Saturday morning, will you join me at my place for a workout and breakfast?”
Her eyes were glazed with seductive heat. “Are you sure you want to feed me again?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“And during the workout, are you going to teach me all the essentials I need to know?”
Jordan inhaled deeply, thinking about all the things he wanted to teach her, to show her, and to experience with her. “Yes,” he whispered, bringing her back close to him and liking the way she felt in his arms. “I’m teaching you everything you need to know, and first we’ll start off by getting you familiar with the bare essentials.”