Love Thy Enemy (Red Stone Security #13)(23)
Even if she did have ulterior motives, a dark part of him didn’t care if she used him. He’d let himself be used by her if it meant he got a taste of her in the bargain.
Chapter 8
Dominique couldn’t fight the jitters humming through her as Viktor opened the front door of the restaurant leading out into the parking lot. Dinner with him had been fun, even if he had seemed awkward at times. If anything, it endeared him even more to her.
He truly was nothing like she’d expected.
When he placed his big hand at the small of her back she could feel the heat of his touch straight to her skin. And she wondered what it would feel like to have him touching her bare skin. She’d been thinking about it all through dinner and questioning if she’d lost her mind. More than anything, she wondered if he’d be sensual, gentle…maybe a little rough.
“Thank you for dinner,” she murmured. Her flat sandals crunched over the gravelly parking lot as they made their way to his SUV. She was glad that he hadn’t had a driver tonight, that it was just them. She kept obsessing, wondering if he was going to kiss her—and really hoping he would. Everything about him screamed sex and power, and she really, really wanted to see what it would be like to lose herself with a man like Viktor.
He grunted a non-response before clearing his throat. “I’d like to take you out again. Tomorrow.”
Yep, those butterflies were out of control in her stomach right about now. “I’d like that too,” she said as they reached the passenger-side door.
Instead of opening the door for her, he gripped the handle and looked down at her, his body turned toward hers. She wondered what it would be like if he pressed her up against the vehicle and kissed her senseless, just took complete control. She squeezed her legs together at the thought. Everything about Viktor screamed power and control, and she found that she liked that. A lot. In college she’d dated a little, and when she hung out with her girlfriends they usually brought guys.
Now, the guys she’d dated or gone out with seemed like boys. There was nothing boyish about Viktor. He had a hard, dangerous edge to him that shouldn’t fascinate her so much, but…she couldn’t help herself.
When he reached out to cup her cheek, she sucked in a slight breath. His palm was callused and she liked the feel of it against her skin. There was nothing soft about this man. Her nipples beaded tightly against her bra at his simple touch.
His gaze fell to her mouth as he stroked a gentle thumb across her cheek. There was something intense about the moment as he looked down at her. When he looked at her like that she felt as if she was the only person who existed for him.
On instinct, she arched her body into his, erasing the space between them. He seemed to be keeping a wall up between them, but if he was going to kiss her, she wanted to feel him pressed up against her, feel that huge body on hers. And she really hoped he would take control. She might not know exactly what she wanted in a relationship or even sex, but deep down she thought that might be something she needed to be satisfied with a partner. For most of her life she’d towered over men, and while she was confident in who she was, she wanted a man who made her feel treasured and who could take complete control.
He murmured something in Russian, the words harsh sounding before he lowered his mouth to hers.
She closed her eyes as his lips barely touched hers—and cried out as a hard hand shoved into the middle of her back, sending her flying into Viktor. Her purse was ripped from her hand as she slammed into him. His back collided with the side mirror as her nose rammed against his chest. Tears stung her eyes from the abrupt impact.
She held onto him, trying to steady herself, but he grasped her upper arms and quickly shoved her behind him just as she heard the squeal of tires and flying gravel. Had someone been waiting in a car for this?
“Stay put,” he ordered, pulling out a gun before racing to the back of the SUV.
Shock punched through her at the sight of the gun, but she swiped at the tears on her cheeks and stayed crouched by the front tire.
He let out a string of angry Russian words she was pretty sure were curses, before turning back to her. “He’s gone. He had a getaway driver.”
On trembling legs she pushed up from her crouch. Her nose felt sensitive but she was just glad she and Viktor were unharmed. “You carry a gun?” she blurted out even though yeah, it was pretty freaking obvious he did.
Ignoring her question, he tucked it under his shirt and out of sight. She probably shouldn’t be surprised but it somehow took her off guard. That wasn’t the thing she should be worrying about right now though. But she was feeling off balance in a big way. Trembles racked her body as she thought about what could have truly happened, how much worse things could have been. Someone could have stabbed or shot them.
Moving to her, he ran his hands up and down her arms, his gaze sweeping over her from head to foot in a purely clinical way. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I…we need to call the police. And I need to cancel my bank card immediately. Are you okay?”
He blinked, frowning at the question, as if she’d asked the most insane thing ever. He pulled out his phone. “Do you know your bank’s number?”
“Yes… Crap, I’ve got to cancel my phone now too. God, that was insane. Did you get a look at who took my purse? Oh, maybe they have security footage here the cops can use.”