His To Keep (7 page)

And Annie had realized, while sitting with the women after dinner, he’d been using her as a ticket to her mother’s monthly Friday night dinners, populated with the movers and shakers of Philadelphia and the Main Line.

Had she really become so disconnected lately that she hadn’t seen what Brad was doing? Using her only to forward his career?

Or had Nic’s kiss illuminated what was missing in her relationship with Brad?

“Andrea, I don’t understand.” Brad’s voice sounded choked. “I thought we had a lot going for us.”

With one hand tightening on the door, Annie forced back a sigh. She’d really hoped this wouldn’t turn into a scene. But it looked like it was headed that way.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I just don’t think we’re right for each other. You’re a nice man, Brad, but we would never—”

“Is there someone else?” There was a hard edge to his tone now, one that raised the hair on her neck. It smacked of possession. She’d heard that tone in another man’s voice, and she refused to let anyone hurt her like that again.

She straightened, sliding her hand into the hidden pocket on her purse where she kept her Mace. “No, there’s no one else.”

At least, no one I’ll admit to.

Brad was stumped. Annie could see it in his eyes. Then he appeared to come to a conclusion. “Andrea, you must know how I feel about you.”

Actually, she did, but she wasn’t about to tell him she knew he was only using her. Polite young women didn’t do that. Of course, polite young women didn’t allow men to kiss them without an explanation. Like Nic had.

Damn, this was all Nic’s fault.

“You must know,” he continued, “I planned on spending the rest of my life with you.”

Yeah, living off my trust fund and cashing in on my family name.

She dismantled her grimace in mid-formation.

“I don’t think that would be the best thing for either of us.” She dredged up a bittersweet smile. “I think it’s smart to end it now, before either one of us gets emotionally involved.”

She could see that last dig find its mark. He gave her one last searching glance before nodding curtly and turning on his heel.

She watched him walk away, looking like he’d had a stick shoved straight up his spine.

* * * * *

This was becoming a bad habit, Nic realized as he sat outside Annie’s house, waiting for her to get home.

He really needed to find a hobby.

He’d lost every hand of poker tonight, alerting his cousins to the fact that something was up. They didn’t pry but he’d called it a night at ten-thirty, pleading exhaustion.

He hadn’t gone home, though. He wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep. He would have lain there, thinking about Annie, about that kiss. Which is what he’d been doing all night, anyway.

Out of habit, he swept the street, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing.

But his inner radar blipped. Someone was watching him. He could feel it. Maybe it was a homeowner. He’d been sitting here for at least a half hour. He twisted his wrist to read his digital watch—ten o’clock.

Or maybe it was his caller.

All day, he’d racked his brain for suspects, but the call hadn’t given him much to go on. And that’s what had him worked up.

Give him any kind of machinery and he could make it work, no matter what the problem. Give him a straightforward kidnapping, a stalking—hell, even a good old-fashioned robbery and he could nail the guy.

Give him an indistinct threat and it blew his concentration all to hell. Especially if the threat was against his loved ones.

Nic was smart enough to know his own failings. He didn’t have his mother’s ability to extrapolate theories from whispered innuendos or his brother’s genius. He didn’t have his sister’s intuitive ability to read people.

Luckily, he took after his father—a bulldog who sank his teeth into a problem until he shook out the answers.

Whoever dared threaten the DeMarcos was in for a shitload of trouble.

But this was Nic’s problem and he would solve it.

A car passed and stopped at the curb in front of Annie’s house. Annie and the guy he’d met earlier tonight got out of the car. Nic forced himself not to jump out of the Jeep and rip the guy’s arm away from her shoulders.

When they stopped at the door, Nic knew he should leave now. He did not want to watch that guy walk into her home. And not come back out.

Biceps tensed and his hands curled into fists around the steering wheel.

God damn, he didn’t need this.

But he couldn’t look away.

When Annie turned to face the guy, Nic forced himself to watch, to torture himself for the kiss he’d stolen earlier.

Then relief stole over him like the rush of adrenaline when Annie and Brad remained on the porch. Talking.

Even from here, Nic could tell it wasn’t a good talk. They both stood stiff and unmoving. Then Brad stalked back to his car and peeled away in his silver Infiniti, leaving Annie to sag against the front door of her townhouse.

The next thing he knew he was at the bottom of the few steps that led to her small porch.

“Annie.”

A tight ball of anticipation curled in his gut when she gasped and turned at the sound of his voice.

Eyes wide, she had the bottle of Mace in her hand, ready to shoot.

“Oh, God. Dominic. What are you doing here?”

Good question.

“You okay?”

She dropped her gaze and lowered the Mace. “I’m fine.”

But he could tell she wasn’t.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Maybe she was right to ignore that kiss. Annie didn’t want him and hadn’t for some time. He was kidding himself if he thought her response to his kiss meant something. He should just turn around and—

Yeah, right. “We need to talk.”

She shook her head and one long golden tendril escaped the knot at her nape to curl onto her shoulder.

“It’s late and I’m tir—”

“This won’t take long.”

She swallowed loud enough for him to hear over the muted din coming from the carnival atmosphere of Friday night on South Street, one block over.

“Fine.”

With practiced fingers, she disengaged the security system Nic himself had supervised. Not that she knew that. She thought his dad had taken care of it.

He followed her down the entrance hall, past the stairs that led to the second floor and into the living room. She’d left a small light burning in the corner, the lamp’s stained glass shade casting a warm glow. She turned in the middle of the room to face him, almost as if she was facing a firing squad.

“What do you want, Dominic?”

He wanted her. He’d never stopped wanting her. He wondered what she’d do if he just came out and said it.

But he couldn’t have her. Not now. But maybe later…

“I figure we need to talk about that kiss.”

She crossed her arms over her stomach and stuck out her chin. “Why?”

He swallowed a sigh at her belligerent stance. “I need to apologize.”

There. That got a response. Her eyes narrowed and he could have sworn hurt passed through the glass-green depths before she wiped it away.

“Fine.” There was no emotion in her voice. “Anything else?”

“Yeah.” Anger started to heat his blood, made his stomach tighten. “Tell me why you liked it?”

Her mouth dropped open before she could stop it. “You arrogant bastard,” she hissed. “Of all the things you could— Get out.” She pointed toward the door, but her hands trembled and he knew it wasn’t from fear. “Right now. Damn you, Dominic, get out now before I…”

“Before you what?” he taunted.

He couldn’t seem to stop. Her eyes turned the most brilliant shade of emerald when she was angry and right now she was furious. Or, at least he thought she was. Until he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes.

Damn. He’d never been able to handle female tears. They made him want to fix whatever was wrong and the only things he could fix were mechanical.

“Oh, hell, Annie. I am sorry.” He pulled his handkerchief out of his back pocket and waved it in her direction. She grabbed it with deadly force.

“Don’t. Don’t you dare say that again.” She shook the cloth at him, then dabbed at her eyes. When she was done, she threw the thing back at him. “There’s nothing to apologize for, you big jerk. Just forget it and everything will go back to normal.”

He snorted. “There’s been no normal in my life for a long time. Not since you came to work at the office.”

She stiffened even more. “Well, forgive me for ruining your life— No, wait. You know what? This isn’t my fault, Dominic. Not at all. But it’s over. I know you regret kissing me. I know it won’t happen again.” She deliberately looked at her watch. “It’s late. You need to go.”

Now she looked him straight in the eyes. And what he saw there made him mentally dig in his heels. Something didn’t fit.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like it, Annie.” He forced himself to relax against the living room wall. “I’m just sorry I frightened you.”

Her mouth tightened. “You don’t frighten me, Dominic. It would take a lot more than your pathetic kiss to scare me.”

His eyes brows rose. “Pathetic, huh? If it was so pathetic, then why were you shaking?”

She drew in an outraged gasp. “You are the most conceited…the most arrogant… Ooh, damn you, Dominic.” Eyes blazing, she pointed to the door with a shaking finger. “Get out. Now.”

No way in hell. Things were just getting interesting.

“Now hold on.” He spoke slowly, drawing out his words as if he were talking to a child, which was sure to piss her off even more. Exactly what he wanted. “What’s got your panties in a twist?”

“I refuse to do this with you, Nic. I’m not going to get into a war of words with you.”

“I’m not talking about words here, Annie. I’m talking about that kiss tonight.”

He moved toward her, got right in her face, curious to see if she’d blink. Move away. Hit him.

She stood her ground, drawing her back into a rigid line, and he knew he’d made a tactical error. Because the heat in her eyes, the darkness of the room and the mess of emotions between them started to drag him under, back to that place where he had to touch her, no matter what.

Her lids flickered for the briefest second. “There’s no need to talk about that. I want you to go. Now. Please.”

It was that last word that got to him. Stifling his own feelings, he noticed the paleness of her skin, the slight tremble of her fingers as she clasped them together in front of her.

He couldn’t stop from raising one finger to trail down her cold cheek. “What’s wrong?”

She gave an almost vicious shake of her head and more hair escaped from the knot. Turning away from him, she reached up to draw the few pins from her hair. He watched it spill over her shoulders and midway down her back. He clenched his hands into fists as he fought the overwhelming desire to sink his fingers in that golden silk.