He stared at her, this time his gaze obviously curious. “Dominique, what exactly are we doing?”
“Nothing serious, so don’t get weird on me, Luke,” she replied. “Now, you can use the bathroom first.”
“Okay.” He slid out of the bed and grabbed his clothes from the floor, then left the bedroom.
She looked over to the window where twilight displayed itself in shades of dark purples and grays. The day was nearly done.She had no desire to go out into the swamp tonight. She just wanted to spend more time with Luke.
“The bathroom is all yours,” he said from the doorway. “I’ll just meet you in the living room.”
She got out of bed, grabbed her housedress and a clean pair of panties, and then headed into the bathroom. Once there she looked at herself in the mirror. She’d wanted to make love with Luke and now she had. She’d wondered what kind of a lover he’d be and now she knew.
At times he’d been gentle but he’d also been masterful and giving and the whole thing had been utterly magical. She’d assumed once her curiosity about him as a lover had been sated then that would be the end of it. But to her surprise, she wanted him again…and again. It had nothing to do with love, but everything to do with the crazy, wild desire she felt for him.
She turned away from the mirror, cleaned herself up and then redressed and left the bathroom. He was seated on the sofa and he smiled at her as she entered the room.
“I just thought of something,” she said.
“What’s that?” he asked curiously.
“You missed your six o’clock dinner. How about I fry up some bacon and make some eggs and toast?”
He grinned. “Even though I’m off my schedule, that sounds really good.”
“Why don’t you come into the kitchen and talk to me while I cook?”
“With pleasure.” He got up from the sofa and followed her into the kitchen. She gestured for him to sit at the table. “I’ll be right back,” she said and then went out the back door to start her generator.
For just a moment she stood at the railing and stared into the dark water beneath her. The last gasp of twilight played in the water, reflecting the colors of a dying day.
Who had attacked her? A chill walked up her spine as she thought about the unexpected assault. She wondered why they had tried to kidnap her. And more importantly, would they try again?
THEY ATE EGGSand bacon and small-talked through the meal. Luke still couldn’t believe what had happened between them. Making love with Dominique had been the most powerful experience he’d ever had. Even now, as he gazed at her across her small kitchen table, he wanted her again.
He’d loved the feel and taste of her soft skin. It could become an addiction if he allowed it. She’d been so passionate and the whole experience had been mind-blowing.
“Dominique, everything happened so fast between us, we didn’t even use birth control,” he said once they were finished eating and she was cleaning up the dishes.
She turned from the sink to look at him. “It’s okay. I’m on birth control pills and I haven’t been with anyone for a long time.”
“Same for me,” he said. “Except the birth control pills part. You do realize we shouldn’t have fallen into bed together,” he added.
“Why not? We’re both consenting adults and we wanted each other. We certainly didn’t hurt anyone by acting on our desire for each other.”
“Yes, but I don’t want things to get confusing for us. I don’t want to complicate a relationship that I enjoy,” he replied.
“Luke, you’re taking things way too seriously,” she said. She turned back around to the sink.
He supposed he was getting weird about it. He wished he could be as nonchalant as she was, but he took making love with a woman seriously. He sipped his coffee in silence while shefinished up with the dishes. But he wasn’t in love with her. He couldn’t be.
They went back into the living room where she turned on lanterns and then sank down next to him on the sofa. “Do you work tomorrow?” he asked.
“I do. I’m on breakfast duty.” Her beautiful chocolate eyes appeared to darken. “And there’s always a possibility a few of my regulars might come in. Sometimes they’re there for lunch and sometimes they come in for breakfast.”
“Keep in mind, right now they’re just men Daniel will investigate, but that doesn’t mean any of them are guilty.”
“Then who is?”
“I wish I could answer that for you,” he replied intensely. “If I knew who it was, I’d beat the hell out of him for what he did to you.”
