the cold water. Yes, like that. I’ll get a bandage from—”
“No, really. I’m fine.” She put her finger in her mouth and cranked her head up to look at him. In this light, the blue of his eyes looked a little darker. “See? It’s no big deal.” But when she pulled it out, the blood oozed again.
In less than a heartbeat, he sucked her finger between his lips, and the breath stalled in her throat. Oh my Lord. His mouth was hot and when his tongue slid against the pad of her finger, she shivered, a delicious heat pooling low in her belly. Teeth grazed against—
Suddenly he pulled away from her and strode out of the kitchen. “It needs a bandage,” he called gruffly over his shoulder, his steps heavy on the wood floor as if he were eager to get away.
Out of breath, she held her hand to her chest, her finger still moist from his mouth. She heard a door slam shut somewhere down the hallway. Leaning against the counter, she closed her eyes. What just happened?
“Better?”
She jumped, hadn’t heard him return. “Um, yeah. It doesn’t sting any longer and it’s…a…a… I can’t even see it.”
“Let me put a bandage on it just to be safe.” He took her back to her seat and a piece of damp hair hung in his face as he concentrated on her finger. Sweat? She looked at him more closely. No, she didn’t think so. Water, maybe.
“So where were we?” He returned to the other side of the island, refilled her wineglass, and began sautйing the onions. “Oh yes, you were just about to tell me why you didn’t get your degree.”
It took her a few moments to collect her thoughts. Her need to keep things shallow and less emotional didn’t seem to be as important as it usually was.
“My mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when I was in college and she had to be moved into a special facility. I quit school to care for my brother, who was still in high school, and because the money earmarked for college was needed for Mom now.”
“How was there money for him to go to college and not you?”
Okay, he’s much too perceptive. She wasn’t ready for this. But how would he understand? How could anyone really understand? She let out a long slow breath and stared into her glass. Holding it by the stem, she tilted it slightly and watched as the wine clung to the inside, seeping back down in narrow rivulets. “It’s sort of complicated and a really long story.”
“I’m in no hurry.”
“It probably won’t make sense to you.”
“I’m also fairly intelligent. Sorry if you hadn’t noticed.” One side of his mouth turned up as if to encourage her.
“Well, then you really won’t understand. All the academic types think it’s nonsense.”
“I didn’t say I was an academic type.”
She shuffled through her thoughts, a little muddled from the wine, searching for that little nugget to satisfy his curiosity in order for them to move on to something else. Anything else. This just wasn’t the topic of conversation for a first date. And way too deep for a one-nighter.
She took a bigger sip this time. The wine warmed the back of her tongue and slid down her throat. “My family—” oh, what the hell “—I told you my father died, right? Well, he went out one evening and never came back. I was ten years old at the time.”
“He ran out on you?” Dom looked up from the stove.
“No. That’s what everyone thinks, including the police. But they found his wallet, his car, his credit cards, his money. The only thing missing was his driver’s license. He just disappeared that day. Never came home.”
Dom was quiet for a moment, probably wishing he’d never asked about all this in the first place. It made most people uncomfortable. She knew that. That’s why she hardly ever spoke about it. So why were they talking about it now?
“How long have you—” She tried to change the subject, to save him the trouble, but he interrupted with more questions.
“So what does that have to do with you having to quit school when there’s money for your brother to attend?”
“That’s where it gets really complicated. Why don’t we talk about something simple and non-depressing, like what you’re fixing for dinner.”
“Salmon. Now please continue. I’d like to hear more.”
He reached a hand out and touched hers. His eyes, though piercing, had a kindness behind them, prompting her to