All He Needs (All or Nothing) (9 page)

“Regardless, I don’t want to take any chances.”

“I noticed. She’s important to you.”

“I’ve barely slept the last month without her. We’re back together as of”—Dominic glanced at his watch—“three hours, twenty minutes ago and life’s worth living again. So, yeah, she’s important.” An unreadable look, then a smile. “Give my regards to Leo and Danny.”

“Yash is settled in,” Dominic said, as he reentered the bedroom. “Everything still good? Nothing hurts?”

“Everything’s good now that you’re back.” She smiled. “We were apart too long.”

He shut his eyes briefly, shaking away the memory of the last month. “I’m thinking about handcuffing you to my wrist—no joke.”

“You say the sweetest things,” she cooed.

He laughed and took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Just don’t leave my sight—okay?”

Tears suddenly choking her, she nodded.

Swinging up onto the bed, Dominic scooped her up in his arms, settled her on his lap, and held her close. “We’re going to make this work. I promise. Come hell or high water, floods, earthquakes, fucking acts of God. My word on it.”

A hiccupy little smile. “Thanks.”

Brushing her tears from her cheeks with his thumb, he dipped his head and kissed her softly. “We’re on the yellow brick road this time, baby. All the bad witches are gone.”

Her eyes widened in delight. “You watched
The Wizard of Oz
too?”

“I had to. My sister, Melanie, luuuuved it.”

Kate giggled. “I can’t imagine you as a kid.”

“Just as well. I was hell on wheels.”

“And you’re not now?” she teased.

“Depends who’s judging I suppose,” he said with a lecherous grin. “You’ve been known to like hell on wheels on occasion.”

“Speaking of which,” she murmured.

He softly exhaled. “Why don’t we wait until morning?”

She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t want to wait.”

“You never do.” He sighed. “But this is different. Maybe
immediately
doesn’t mean immediately. You heard Yash.”

“Then use a condom.”

“You’re allergic. Let’s just wait till morning.”

“How about I get off myself,” she offered with a flirty smile. “You can watch. Give me tips.”

“Tempting, baby, but I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Me getting off or you just watching?”

“Guess,” he said drily.

“Can I be selfish then? I think this shot is amping me.”

A lift of his brows. “Everything amps you.”

“Only when you’re around. Word of God,” she said to his skeptical look.

“I find that hard to believe. But thanks.”

“Hey, I mean it.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “You can bet your bank account on that,” she said, sitting back and smiling up at him.

“Good news,” he said softly, rather than respond with the cynicism nourished by his upbringing. Bending his head, he kissed her lush pink mouth and hoped the world really was all sweetness and light.

“So… are you coming along for the ride or not?” she said a few moments later, even more impatient; his kiss could have brought a corpse to life.

He shook his head. “Not this time. I’ll help you though.”

Her smile was sunny. “You’re such a dear. Unselfish. Magnanimous. Altruistic.”

“Sensible. Practical. Not looking for trouble.”

She grinned. “That too.”

“You’re sure nothing hurts now?”

“I’ll scream if something hurts.”

“That’s worthless,” he drawled. “You always scream.”

“I’ll scream
It hurts!
How about that?”

“Simple enough.” His blue gaze was lead-us-into-temptation enticing. “Would you like to play a little first?”

“Give me a minute to decide, yes.” She slid her fingers through his sleek hair, tugged his head down for a kiss. “Yes, yes, yes… yes.”

“God, it’s good to have you back, baby,” he whispered, his heart in his eyes, his old flawed world locked away. “It’s fucking heaven on earth…”

O
ne slow, stirring, hot and heavy kiss later—Kate was whimpering, Dominic was thinking,
Screw waiting,
when a tiny, still-functioning portion of his brain screamed, “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MOTHER-FUCKING MIND?” The sound was faint and distant, however, almost drowned out by reckless, dare-devil I-don’t-give-a-shit horniness. But Dominic’s hard-wired fight or flight reflex heard it, hit the panic button, and alarm bells blasted through his lust-addled mind. Sweeping Kate from his lap with dizzying speed, he dropped her on the bed, rolled away in a flash and lay on his back—eyes shut, breathing hard, bathed in a sudden cold sweat.

“I won’t… hold you… responsible,” Kate gasped, feverish, impatient, insatiable desire a hard, throbbing ache deep inside. She turned to look at him, her eyes half-lidded, passion-hazed. “Please, Dominic… don’t
do
this to me!”

He wouldn’t look at her, his self-control stretched to the limit. What if he listened to her, pleased her, pleased himself and his raging libido? What then? Every possible outcome raced through his mind—none of them advantageous, all of them pushing the 3 percent odds he was willing to accept. Dragging in a breath, he first raised his head, then sat up in a ripple of rock-hard abs. “I’ll find you… something else.” His voice was a harsh rasp, every muscle in his body taut with restraint.

“I don’t want something else! I want you!” Quivering with frustration, Kate grabbed for his dick.

Catching her hand midair, then her other hand, which was intent on the same target, he hauled her upright and held her at arm’s length. “Forgive me, baby,” he whispered.
God, he felt like shit turning her down.
“I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”

“No, now!” Trembling with need, heedless to reason, she struggled to free herself, twisting in his grasp. “Please, I can’t wait! I can’t talk myself out of coming like you! Dominic—have
pity
!”

His nostrils flared; a voice was goading him,
It’s only once.… Come on.
And she was so goddamn small and defenseless, so needy, his old, hard-core impulses were urging him to ram it home. His erection surged at the thought.

“See—you want to too!” Her gaze on his engorged dick swelling even larger before her eyes, Kate jerked against his constraining grip. “Dominic, just once more! Once more can’t matter,” she pleaded.

He shook away the brute image filling his mind, but it took him a second more to completely repress his savage impulses, keep his libido in check, and another second to remind himself that the last thing he wanted right now was to frighten Kate away. “Baby—listen to reason,” he said more calmly than he was feeling. “You don’t need my dick to come. We’ll do something else. And in a few hours everything’s wide open again—okay?”

“No, it’s not okay,” she muttered, flushed and overwrought, so close to orgasm that logic and reason were no longer functioning. “I thought this was about me, not you,
but you’re always in charge, aren’t you—every freaking minute.” She tried to wrench free. “Just let me go.”

His grip was unyielding, his voice, in contrast, gentle. “You don’t have to wait because I do, baby. There’s a hundred other things I can do to help you out.”
Oh shit.
Her gaze had instantly turned from flame-hot to arctic.

“Only a hundred?” Ice a mile high in her voice.

“It was an expression.”
He knew better than to prolong a lie by explaining too much.

A taut silence fell.

Kate was trying to deal with that hundred number like a rational adult.

Dominic was thinking how much easier it was to deal with women who wanted only his money.

“Fuck this,” she muttered. “I don’t even care anymore. You’re right. I’m wrong.” She tried to twist free. “Let go will you?”

“In a minute.”

Tension rippled through the air.

“Do you mind?” Kate tautly murmured, glancing at his hands pinioning hers, twitching in his grip.

“I’m waiting for you to relax.”

Her gaze came up like a laser. “Are you afraid I’ll hurt you?”

Laughter flickered in his eyes. “Should I be worried?”

She sniffed, then sighed. “God, I hate when you’re so bloody calm and sane.”

“One of us has to be.” In the interest of detente he didn’t mention he knew who that was.

“Maybe I can be calm too.”

“Good. Tell me when and I’ll let you go.”

“Jesus.” She half smiled. “Why do I always feel like an unruly child when you’re acting so—well… adult.”

“It’s probably just that I’m older. And—”

“You’ve been fucking way longer.”

His lashes dipped in acknowledgment. “Maybe that’s it.”

“I suppose you’ve done this a couple thousand times,” she said with a small grimace. “I try not to think about that too much.”

“I wish you wouldn’t think about it at all. Although,” he said with a small smile, “it’s better that we’re not both beginners.” A flash of amusement lit his gaze. “At least I know how to entertain you—right?”

He smiled at her reluctant nod.

“And seriously, baby, I really like your go-for-broke personality. I’m not knocking it. I’m just trying to keep our problems to a minimum. Okay?”

Another grudging nod.

Dominic dipped his head and held her gaze. “So are we done with this tug of war?”

“As long as this isn’t one of your games, Mr. I’m-in-Charge,” she said fretfully.

“I wish it were. I’m just being practical.”

“As always. Isn’t that your motto with women?”

“Not with you—never with you… which is the problem. Look, it’s only a few hours and admit it, you don’t want—well… unintended consequences any more than I do. Right?”

She didn’t immediately answer. “I suppose,” she finally said with a rueful grimace. Then she sighed softly. “Yeah,
you’re right,” she added, flushing slightly as she acknowledged his good judgment. “And I don’t mean as usual so don’t get a big head.”

He smiled. “Thank you. I won’t.” Dropping a kiss on her knuckles, he released her hands. “Now let me find something to get you through the night.”

A lift of her brows. “You have toys here? Why didn’t you say so before and we could have avoided all this bullshit?”

This wasn’t the time to point out to her that he
had
offered her alternatives. “Because I don’t have toys here, that’s why,” he said instead.

“Really?”

“Really.” He didn’t elaborate because he didn’t want any discussion of toys that might bring up memories of the Garden House video. “I should be able to manage a substitute of some kind to make you happy.”

Her sudden smile was the familiar one he remembered from their many arguments. The wide-open, cloudless smile that instantly beguiled. She never held grudges; she didn’t even much care whether she won or lost once the controversy was over. “How do you do it?” she murmured, running her finger along his jaw in a small possessive gesture he would have found objectionable in any other woman. “You’re always stay überreasonable when I’m freaking out. Thanks too—about well—the unintended consequences issue. Really. I’m grateful.”

“You’re not alone in being unreasonable.” He smiled. “I have my moments too.”
Like monitoring her activities the last month.
“Now, can you wait a few minutes while I scope out some toys?”

“What’s a few minutes?” She grinned. “No pressure.”

He smiled. “You tell me.”

“Five.”

“Ten. This is a big house.”

“Eight.”

“Nine.”

She glanced at the bedside clock. “And counting.”

“Do I get a prize if I come in under the limit?” But he was already halfway to the door.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Do that or maybe I won’t give you a choice, maybe you’ll have to—” Whether promise or threat, the door shut on the rest of his sentence.

Dominic returned in record time to find an empty bedroom. The doors to the veranda hadn’t been opened. Katherine wasn’t likely to be playing hide and seek; the corridor had been empty. That left his dressing room. Dropping the items he’d found on the bed, he strode toward the closed door.

Quietly opening it, he stood on the threshold of his dressing room and felt a chill run up his spine. Kate was halfway down his wardrobe wall, several doors left open behind her; she was currently flipping through his neatly hung shirts. “Could I help you with something?” His voice was ultrasoft.

She swung around, his long robe brushing the floor. “Sure you could,” she said softly, smiling.

“I meant could I help you with something in here.”
He’d never considered himself gullible. This might be a first.

Another smile. “Here’s fine.”

He didn’t smile back. “What are you looking for?”

“Women’s things. With your track record at the Garden House, I’m inclined to trust but verify. Maybe you’re not the only one with control issues.”

He felt his muscles relax, felt a profound sense of relief—dicey issues of trust resolved. “You—controlling? That could be interesting.”

She shot a quick glance over her shoulder as she turned back to the wall of closets. “Call it morbid curiosity if you like; this is what I do in my line of work. Look for things: clues, patterns, details that don’t make sense in the grand scheme of the universe.”

He leaned against the door jamb. “Curiosity killed the cat, baby. Just kidding,” he quickly said as she spun around. “Look all night. You won’t find anything. I’m a monk here.”

“That must make up for you not being a monk anywhere else,” she murmured.

He shrugged. “I’m moving on to better times.”

“With me.”

She was the only woman he’d allow such unreserved presumption and he wondered whether it was because she was the only woman who’d ever left him. But more interested in the present, he pleasantly said, “That’s the plan. You and me. Good times, happy times. Sunshine and fucking roses from now on.” He gestured toward the wardrobe with a flick of his finger. “Come on, you’re wasting your time. Let me entertain you instead.”

She grinned. “I’ll hurry. How’s that?”

He rolled his eyes and she went back to opening doors and flicking through his clothes. “Christ, you have lots of, well… everything,” she said.

“I do.” His voice was mild; he had no intention of arguing.

“How can you possibly wear all this?” She began systematically opening and shutting drawers in a built-in bureau.

“Three hundred sixty-five days a year times two or three years before most clothes go out of style. You do the math.”

“It’s still seriously plutocratic.”

“I’m sorry if it offends you.”

“No you’re not.” Shutting a drawer full of blue socks, she opened another filled with black socks.

“I fund several charitable foundations if that helps,” he said, his voice scrupulously neutral. “I could show them to you if you like.”

She turned. “Would you?”

“Certainly. Later. I thought you wanted to play.”

“Are you trying to change the subject?”

“No, just the schedule of events. You won’t find anything but my clothes in here because I’ve never had a woman in this house.” He briefly raised his hand. “Scout’s honor—not even my mother. She prefers shopping in Hong Kong. And I apologize for my wealth, but making it helps keep me sane.” A faint smile. “I consider that a good cause too. Now, I found a few things you might like. Could these policy issues wait?”

“No women ever?”
She wasn’t so easily diverted.

“Only you last month when you came to talk to the bankers.”

“No female staff?” She smiled. “You see I’m incredibly jealous.”

“None. I’m incredibly careful.”

She grinned. “So there’s a possibility I could take you to court and wring some money from you if I play my cards right?”

“You could try,” he murmured, although he’d gladly give her whatever she wanted for the pleasure she afforded him.

“I suppose you have phalanxes of attorneys guarding you and your assets.”

“Yes. Offices full.”

She smiled sweetly. “But not from me.”

She knew.
“But not from you,” he quietly agreed.

“I have no defenses against you either.” She swallowed hard so she wouldn’t cry. “Not a single one.” Her eyes were suddenly wet with tears.

He was at her side before the first tear spilled over and, drawing her into his arms, he held her close. “We’re both helpless against our feelings,” he whispered, wiping the wetness from her cheeks with his fingers. “But happy too, right?”

She nodded and stretched up on her toes to kiss him.

Dipping his head, he met her lips, and whether fate or destiny, accident or chance, had brought them together, they understood that what they had was an astonishing gift.

Actually a goddamn miracle
, Dominic reflected, inured as he was to the concept of benevolence.
A miracle he intended to preserve.