Deceptively honest eyes, he reminded himself with cold determination, thinking of how she continued to lie about her involvement with Jerome.
But now Kenzie was here, however briefly, and was willingly, if unwittingly, putting herself back in his power …
‘I’m sure staying over won’t be a problem, Kenzie,’ he accepted dismissively.
She eyed him thoughtfully, at last seeming to realize something of what she was doing. ‘It won’t?’
‘Not at all,’ he drawled with satisfaction. ‘We shared a bed for nine months, I’m sure we can share a bedroom again for a single night only.’
Kenzie felt knocked slightly off balance by his sudden acquiescence, as she had been sure she would have to do some more quick talking once Dominick knew the full extent of the commitment she was asking him to make.
‘I—fine,’ she accepted awkwardly, too relieved right now that he had agreed to come to the wedding with her to want to stand and dissect his response. No doubt she would have plenty of time to reflect on that later! All that was important at the moment was her father’s continuing peace of mind. ‘We’re expected in Worcestershire for about seven o’clock …’
‘I’ll drive us there.’ He nodded. ‘Does a four o’clock departure suit you?’
‘Perfect.’ She nodded, still frowning, but unable to read any of Dominick’s own thoughts from his deliberately closed expression.
‘My address in London is—’
‘I know your address, Kenzie,’ he cut in disparagingly.
He knew where she lived …? He knew of the apartment she had bought and moved into when she’d returned from the States?
‘It was on the divorce papers,’ Dominick reminded her grimly, all teasing gone now. ‘Now, if you wouldn’t mind …?’ he added tersely. ‘I’ve already wasted enough time on this subject this evening. I have some work I need to do.’
Her creamy brow cleared of its frown as she gave a derisive smile. ‘Of course you do,’ she accepted ruefully, turning to leave.
‘Oh, and, Kenzie …?’ He stopped her before she had taken two steps.
She turned back slowly, warily. ‘Yes …?’
His mouth twisted mockingly. ‘I’ll let you know what I want in return for—helping you out, in this way.’
Kenzie felt the colour drain from her cheeks. ‘What you want in return …?’ she repeated carefully.
‘Of course,’ Dominick replied. ‘You didn’t seriously think I was going to inconvenience myself in this way for nothing?’
She hadn’t had any thoughts at all beyond getting him to agree to come to the wedding on Saturday!
He shook his head as he stared at her. ‘How naïve you still are, Kenzie,’ he taunted. ‘I’ll give it some thought in the next few days and let you know what I decide is an appropriate payment.’
And until then she would have to be satisfied, Kenzie accepted wearily as she collected her clutch bag from the table in the hallway and let herself into the lift. She didn’t doubt that the payment Dominick would extract from her would be something she didn’t want to give.
Or worse, it would be something she did want to give, but would be opening herself up to all sorts of pain if she did so!
CHAPTER FOUR
‘CHEER up, Kenzie,’ Dominick said, turning in his car seat to look at her, having parked his black Ferrari in the driveway behind her father’s more sedate Mercedes. ‘For God’s sake, smile!’ he added impatiently. Instead of appearing excited and happy to be home for her sister’s wedding, Kenzie had the look of a prisoner about to be taken to the gallows. ‘I’m willing to do my part to convince your family that we’re still a happily married couple, but I’m going to be wasting my time if you continue to look like a whipped puppy!’ He scowled.
Heaven knew he was already finding this much more difficult than he had thought it was going to be.
He had viewed with cool detachment several photographs of Kenzie in magazines or on billboards the last four months—it was impossible not to see photographs of her when she was the face of the moment!—but those photographs had been studied perfection, and, while showing a beautiful woman, also gave her an air of untouchability.
He had forgotten just how sexy she looked with her hair wild down her back, and wearing the minimum of make-up. She was dressed in a tight white tee shirt, and faded jeans that fitted low down on her slender hips, their fashionable raggedness only adding to the air of sensuality around her.
An air he had been very much aware of as she sat beside him in the car on the two-hour drive they had just taken together!
Not that he had any intention of letting Kenzie see how much her appearance affected him, talking to her only when necessary, and then only tersely as he’d asked to be reminded of the directions to her parents’ home.
‘Sorry.’ Kenzie grimaced in apology now for her air of preoccupation. ‘I was miles away,’ she added, knowing by the way Dominick’s expression tightened that he wasn’t pleased at being told this.
No doubt he imagined she was thinking about her supposed lover, Jerome, and that she was eager to have this weekend over so that she could return to the other man’s arms!
The truth was she could think of nothing but Dominick, of how aware she was of him, of how just being with him again like this set her senses tingling.
No doubt Dominick would be extremely amused if he knew how his close proximity had been disturbing her the last two hours, the black tee shirt and faded jeans he wore giving him a much more approachable air—a sexually approachable air!—than his usual formal business suits.
She also couldn’t stop thinking, as she hadn’t been able to the last couple of days, of what he was going to demand from her in return for being here with her this weekend.
She wondered when he intended exacting that payment!
Dominick gave her one last impatient glance before getting out of the car, having already taken their bags and put them down on the driveway by the time he opened Kenzie’s car door and she scrambled out to join him.
‘Dominick …?’ She put her hand on his arm to stop him picking the bags back up and striding towards the house.
He looked down pointedly at her hand touching his arm. ‘What?’
Her mouth twisted ruefully as she let her hand fall back to her side, aware of a slight tingling in her palm just from their brief contact. ‘You’re right; neither of us exactly has the look of a happily married couple!’
Dominick smoothed his overlong hair back with impatient fingers. ‘I’m not sure I know how that’s supposed to look!’
Kenzie frowned. ‘Maybe if you could just try looking a little less—remote—’
‘A little less remote …’ he echoed thoughtfully, a look of intent suddenly crossing her face.
Kenzie’s eyes widened as she saw that look, taking a slight step backwards. ‘Dominick—’ She didn’t get very far before Dominick took a firm grasp of her arms and pulled her in tight against him, making her aware of every hard muscle and sinew of his body before his head lowered and his lips captured hers to kiss her.
Thoroughly.
Punishingly.
Passionately!
After his uncommunicative