Scandalous (13 page)

He shuddered at the thought. He just couldn’t
stand
the thought of that asshole’s hands on her!

Mateo literally had to physically jump out of the van and grab him. He had reminded Dominic of their undercover operation, and made Dominic repeat to him three or four times the fact that he could NOT tear those guys limb from limb when he got up to the room.

Dominic was seeing red, and had to force himself to calm down. It took a minute to get his rage under control. But, due to his overreaction, he had lost precious minutes that could have resulted in a very bad outcome.

He needed to get a grip on whatever he was feeling for Cristal. He could absolutely not have it interfering with his performance, not ever again.

He wasn’t mad at Cristal. He was mad at himself. Never before had he let anything affect his work ethic. NEVER. He didn't get emotional. He didn't lose control. He was calculated. Calm. Collected.

But not tonight. No, tonight he would have ripped those guys apart if Mateo had not stepped in and calmed him down. That was simply not acceptable.

He wanted to believe that it wouldn’t happen again. That now that he knew it was a problem he would be able to talk himself down. I mean, hell, acceptance was the first step…right?

But, then the thought of those sleazebags touching her would pop into his head again and his blood would began to boil. Again.

He sighed. Knowledge and acceptance may be the path to enlightenment, but they were not going to fix this problem.

As Dominic pulled into the driveway beside Cristal, he knew that she was not going to like what he was about to tell her. But that didn’t mean that it didn’t have to be said. He watched as she quickly got out of her car and made her way up the short walkway to the front door.

She had already had her keys in her hand and was through the front door before he had even reached the end of the walkway. He stepped through the door and shut it behind him.

She turned and crossed her arms in a defensive stance. He was pretty sure that she was not aware that the gesture caused her breasts to almost spill out of her dress.

She was so cute when she was mad! He knew that she was not one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, and the fact that she was physically displaying those emotions to him made him happy. Even if those emotions consisted of irritation and frustration, and even if those negative emotions were aimed at him, he was still glad that she wasn’t hiding them.

“Cristal, look…” he began, but stopped when she turned on her heels and strode down the hall.

“I’m going to change,” she said shortly. As she walked away from him, she began taking off her earrings. He remembered that she was still wearing her surveillance bling. Damn, how could he have forgotten that? He was about to have a heart to heart with the love of his life while the entire agency listened...and watched, for that matter.

He shook his head. He was sure to have said some choice little one-liners that would have been played on big screens at every company gathering from now until he retired. Not good. Crisis averted, thank you, Cristal!

He went to the kitchen to wait for her to return and he grabbed a bottle of water. As he was closing the fridge, she walked into the kitchen dressed in grey sweat shorts and a white tank top. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she no longer wore any jewelry or makeup. She walked up beside him and put out her hand out expectantly, with a small smile on her lips. He reached into the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water, smiling and slapping it into her palm, a collegial energy passing between them. She shook her head and wordlessly sat down at the kitchen table.

He followed behind and then sat across from her. They both silently opened their bottles and took a few drinks.

Finally, she sat hers down and said, “OK. So what do you propose we do about this?”

“About us?” he clarified.

“No, Sherlock. Global warming.”

He smiled inside, for two reasons. One, because in her own way she was admitting there was an ‘us’, and two, because he loved her sarcastic and sassy side.

He took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes, directly and clearly. “Cristal,” he said intensely, “I've given this a lot of thought. Promise me that you'll just consider what I'm proposing with an open mind. OK?”

She looked back into his eyes, and he saw that – although she still seemed to be holding a little back – she was being honest when she nodded her assent.

He took a deep breath and said, in the most sincere tone he could muster, “Stiffer penalties, both criminal and civil, for emissions violators.”

She stared at him blankly for a moment and then burst out laughing. His chest puffed out with pride. He didn't think that he had ever made her laugh like this before. Hell, he knew he hadn't. He would have remembered this!

As their laughter died down, Dominic realized that the atmosphere in the room had changed. It was now looser and easier than it had been. The ice had been broken. He was glad. He now sensed that she was ready to hear what he had to say.

He had always been a straight forward guy. He didn’t see any use in tiptoeing now. She was ready to hear what needed to be said, and he was ready to say it - time to put his cards on the table.

When she looked up, he smiled softly. Her smile faded. She could clearly see that he was serious now. He said, “I want you Cristal. I want to go to bed with you at night and wake up with you in the morning. This isn’t just a hook-up to me. I want to be with you. I love you.”

He waited patiently for her response. He didn’t expect her to declare her undying love for him, but he was hoping that she might at least entertain the possibility of a future for them.

“I don’t do relationships,” She said quietly, looking down at her hands. Not at all in the tone of the brash and brazen girl that he was used to dealing with. There was a vulnerability in her voice that broke his heart even wider open to her.

“I know you don’t,” he said gently, “But that’s what we have. It’s real. Whether you want to classify it as one or not, the truth is – we do have a relationship.”

He was tiptoeing through the argument, trying desperately to make his point without causing her to retreat behind the walls that she had constructed to protect herself.

He wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her that he would never hurt her, that he would always be there for her, that she could trust him. But he knew Cristal. He knew that those kinds of declarations wouldn’t mean anything to her. The only way she would ever believe any of those things was if she came to those realizations herself. And the only way she could do that was if he showed her by his actions.

“What about when we’re working?” She asked, looking up at him with her trademark laser gaze, “You seemed off your game tonight. Was that because of what's going on with us?”

Damn, why did she have to be so insightful?

“I was off tonight and, yes, it had to do with us,” he answered honestly, “I wanted to rip those guys apart before they even touched you. Mateo had to talk me down.”

She took a deep breath, nodding and considering. When she looked up again, the expression on her face was one of determination.

“That can’t happen, Dominic, you know that. You can’t go into jobs letting your emotions cloud your judgment. That's a good way to blow the job, and we value our clients more than that. Hell, it's a good way to get killed. I don't want that on my conscience. Oh, and, by the way? I can handle myself.”

“I know, I know that. Believe me I do. I just…I couldn’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”

He raked his hands through his hair in frustration. This was not how he wanted this conversation to go down. He was supposed to be convincing her that they could do this, they could figure out a way to be together. She was supposed to be looking at him with doe-eyed trust, hope springing forth for the first time in years, saying softly, “Do you really think we can make it work, Dominic? Really?”

Rather, he was sitting here getting a thorough – and accurate – dressing down about his professional competency...or lack thereof, judging by tonight. He shook his head. He didn't know why he had expected anything different from Cristal, but he was getting what he deserved. All he could do was agree with her.

--- ~ ---

Cristal was trying to process the words that Dominic had spoken to her…I love you. He had said that he loved her. And she knew that he meant it.

But now he looked miserable. She didn’t want him beating himself up over what happened tonight. She didn’t want whatever was happening between them to make him feel like he couldn’t do his job. Not that she even knew what was happening between them. She wasn’t sure if they could have a future together. She wanted to believe that they could somehow.

Watching him be so unlike the cocky, fun-loving guy she was used to seeing was making it even harder to keep her emotions unattached. She had an overwhelming urge to reach out and try to make things better. That was annoying. Her normal reaction would be to tell him to man-up, get a grip. But seeing how sincerely he felt about the thought that something might happen to her...well it was definitely making her soften to the idea of 'them' – the two of them, together, in a relationship.

But, how would that work? They were both trying to buy the agency. And, presumably, Red would sell to one or the other of them. Then what? Would she be his boss? Would he be hers? Would he stay if she was his boss? Would she stay if he was hers?

It all made her head spin!

And that was only when considering how the two of
them
would handle it. What about when you started getting other people involved? How would everyone at the agency deal with them being together? And not only that - what about when they ended whatever this was? Would they be able to go back to being just coworkers? She had a hard time doing that after just their one night together...

Oh, man. She had been trying to prepare herself for returning to their casual business association after this stint of co-habitation was over, but she wasn’t even sure, now,
if she would EVER be able to see him as “just” a co-worker.

Because even, now sitting across from him, watching the way his brow furrowed, seeing his biceps filling out his black t-shirt, looking at the strong the line of his jaw and the curve of his neck...phew...she was getting all kinds of hot and bothered!

Damn. She might be able to reach orgasm by just
looking
at him. How could she possibly go back to seeing him at the office, or on jobs, and not remember how it felt when he touched her, when he kissed her? Or how good it felt when he was inside of her?

She squirmed in her seat now. All of the heat and tingling that was developing down south was making it hard for her to sit still.

She stared at his chest and remembered what it felt like to fall asleep against him, wrapped safely in his arms.

“Cristal,” he growled.

Her eyes shot up to meet his and what she saw was hunger, desire, need.

“If you keep looking at me like that, we are not going to be able to finish this conversation,” the look in his eyes held a promise of exactly what Cristal needed.

“I’ve always thought talking was overrated,” she said, letting her own hunger bleed through into her voice as she stood and pulled her shirt over her head. She dropped the discarded tank top to the ground and watched his eyes grow even more ravenous as he took in her naked chest.

He stood and stalked around the table.

She didn’t know what came over her but she started backing away. She had never been one to back down, or back up, but the way he was walking towards her had her heart beating at a pace she could not control and she felt her feet moving backwards. They didn’t stop until she had backed all the way against the wall.

Dominic stood in front of her and placed his hands on the wall on either side of her face. She let herself revel in the fire that this encounter was igniting in her.

She had never been the kind of person who got a little thrill from men that had a dominating energy. If anything, she liked to dominate, it let her feel safe. And if the guy wasn't into that, well...tough titty, as they say.

But with Dominic, it was different. She realized that, because she felt so safe with him on a foundational level...she could enjoy this little encounter. Enjoy his intense energy, enjoy being backed up against a wall. Because she felt so safe with him in every other part of their lives, she could actually enjoy feeling like he was a little dangerous when they started to get naughty together.

Hmmm...she took a mental inventory of her body's responses as she looked into Dominic's sparking eyes, only a centimeter or so from her own.

Skin flushed? Check. Knees trembling? Check. Breath shallow and rapid? Check, and check. Nipples hard as rocks? Check. Area between her legs on fire, throbbing, and soaking wet? Oh, HHHEEEEELLLL to the check!

Wow. She guessed she enjoyed it quite a lot!

As she stood against the wall, between Dominic's steel strong arms, making her mental checklist of how turned on she felt, she reached her tongue out of her mouth and ran it along her lips, closing her eyes in sheer surrender to what was coming.