ridges of his stomach muscles making a pathway into the waistband of his black boxer-briefs. No, she desperately tried not to notice any of these things.
“Mackenzie.” He expelled her name like an expletive.
“You.” Her voice sounded too breathy and the thin fabric of her T-shirt fluttered with her pounding heart. The memory of what he’d done to her on the terrace made her cheeks heat with embarrassment. She’d been intimate with a man—this man—though she hardly knew him. Many times over the past week, thoughts of him had invaded her head, and she wished he was more than just a stranger who’d shown her a good time. She’d wondered if she’d ever see him again but doubted she ever would. “I didn’t know…how did you—” Totally unprepared, she willed the floor to swallow her up and disappear.
She clamped her eyes shut, sucked a deep breath through her teeth and tried to get ahold of herself. Then it dawned on her. Was this what he meant by “not tonight” when they were on the terrace, because he knew she’d be coming here later? Had he set this whole damn thing up? Mortification gave way as a flood of anger roared in her ears.
Steeling herself for a confrontation, her eyes flew open. But now he was on the other side of the foyer. She blinked a few times, wondering how he could’ve moved so fast. With white knuckles, he clutched the wrought-iron railing and his towel-draped head hung down between the straining muscles of his shoulders.
Was he sick? Outrage dissolved into concern and she approached him tentatively. An odd sense of dйjа vu needled at her memory.
Her sneakers squeaked lightly on the smooth wooden floor of the foyer. She stopped and slipped them off her feet. “Are you okay? What just happened? I heard you on the phone. Is something wrong?”
He continued leaning on the railing and remained silent until she moved closer.
“Stay there.” He threw a hand back and she hesitated again.
“I’ll just come back later, then.” She turned to leave.
“NO.” DOM HELD the towel tighter around his head, a desperate barrier between the two of them. If he’d had the slightest idea Mackenzie was delivering the painting, he would’ve been ready for the overwhelming force of her presence. How could he have missed picking up her energy trail? He’d assumed the knot in his chest was because he was so pissed off with San Diego’s ineptness. There was certainly no mistaking that she was inches from him now.
Heat from her body ignited his bare skin, while the rush of blood through her veins seduced the beast inside him. A familiar throbbing vibrated his gums. He bit down hard, but it was no use. Razor-sharp fangs pushed through, cutting his lips, and he was forced to open his mouth to accommodate them. With every muscle tensed, his body prepared to spring, straining against his will. He gripped the railing with such force that it compressed beneath his fingers.
She hesitated, he could hear the breath catch in her throat, then, with one final step, she was at his side, and impossibly cool fingers grazed his shoulder. A thrill surged through his body, yet calmed him at the same time and in the span of a heartbeat, the violent tension left his muscles like water pouring from a glass.
“Dom?” She dipped her head close, her voice velvety in his ear.
Her fingers caressed his back so subtly, like the automatic touch of a lover, and he doubted she realized her hand was moving. His fangs retracted, but he was powerless to control the needs of a man. When his erection threatened to emerge from the top of his briefs, he shifted his stance and Mackenzie dropped her hand.
No fear emanated from her pores, nor could he taste it in the air. He perceived only her concern for him along with the remnants of anger. What the hell? It made no sense. Why wasn’t she freaked out like most people would be? And how was he able to control himself?
With his back to her, he straightened up and scrubbed his face with the towel. “I’m fine. Head rush.” What a pathetic explanation. “You caught me off— I was expecting one of Martin’s people. Not you.” He stumbled into the kitchen and carefully zipped his fly.
“I am one of Martin’s people.” She sounded irritated now. “I work for him, remember? But of course, you knew that. I’ll come back another time. Or better yet, Martin can.”