Men of Power

CHAPTER FIVE

‘WHAT did you and Dad talk about while you were out?’ Kenzie prompted curiously as she came back from preparing for bed in the adjoining bathroom.

The two men had disappeared together for over an hour earlier once Dominick had come back downstairs, and Kenzie had been unable to stop feeling anxious the whole time they’d been gone. She wondered what two such different men could possibly have found to discuss for that length of time, and her look of concern had earned her quite a lot of teasing from her sisters as they had mistaken that anxiety for missing Dominick.

Her family obviously had no idea, but she had got used to missing Dominick during their months of separation. She had never quite accepted it, but at the same time she knew there was no point in pulling herself to emotional shreds over something she, and her love, couldn’t change. Dominick couldn’t ever change.

So she had smiled good-naturedly through her sisters’ teasing, the pressure having eased off by the arrival of Colin and Neil, which had been quickly followed by her father and Dominick’s return. The nine of them—Kathy’s fiancé Derek had been banned from seeing his bride until the wedding tomorrow—had then all sat down to the meal the women had prepared in the men’s absence.

Now was the first opportunity this evening Kenzie had had to talk to Dominick privately.

She needed to talk, to cover the awkwardness she felt in coming back to the bedroom wearing only peach-coloured silk pyjamas. Dominick was sprawled out on one of the beds still fully dressed, his gaze hooded as he straightened up on the pillow to look at her.

‘Very sexy,’ he murmured as he scrutinized her slowly up and down. ‘As I recall you always slept naked; how long have you been wearing those passion killers?’

Her eyes glittered angrily. ‘Since I knew I had to share a bedroom for the night with my ex-husband!’ She had slept naked during their marriage because there had been little point in her wearing anything—Dominick had always thrown it off within minutes of their getting into bed.

‘Almost ex-husband,’ Dominick corrected grimly, straightening to get a better look at her. ‘I haven’t decided whether or not to sign the papers yet,’ he added distractedly, revising his initial impression of the pyjamas now that he could see the way the silky material fell smoothly over the pertness of Kenzie’s breasts. He noticed that her nipples hardened under his gaze.

In arousal.

So she wasn’t as sexually immune to him as she wanted him to believe, after all…

Kenzie avoided meeting his eyes. ‘You didn’t answer my question about what you and my father talked about while you were out,’ she reminded him, determined to stay clear of any conversation that might cause an argument.

He shrugged, slowly sitting up. ‘This and that,’ he dismissed, his gaze unwavering on her. ‘Nothing of importance.’

Unless you counted Donald’s satisfaction in knowing that, after tomorrow, all of his girls would be happily married and settled.

It was a sentiment that gave Dominick an insight into the difficulty Kenzie must have felt in breaking the news of their separation to her family—he hadn’t felt in a position to disappoint the older man either!

‘You never did tell me how Jerome Carlton rates as a lover?’ he looked up as he challenged her.

Dominick had realized the last few days that he still couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else touching her silken curves, and all those secret, erotic places only he had known. He still hated the idea of someone else hearing her little cries of pleasure as she reached the pinnacle of her sensual enjoyment. And the thought of Kenzie kissing and caressing any other man in the way she had him still had the effect of making his stomach clench into knots!

Kenzie studied Dominick for several seconds, wondering if he actually cared if she’d had another lover, and whether it had been jealousy all along that had caused him to cut her out of his life with so much finality.

But the glittering of his dark eyes and the tightness of his jaw were evidence of cold anger rather than the jealousy she had been hoping for. By bringing Jerome back into the conversation at all he was just spoiling for another fight.

She raised her chin defiantly. ‘As it isn’t gentlemanly of a man to tell tales out of the bedroom, I’m sure it isn’t ladylike for a woman to do so, either—Dominick, what are you doing?’ she demanded incredulously as he sprang up off the bed to grasp her by the tops of her arms. ‘Let me go!’ she instructed impatiently, glaring up at him. ‘You don’t really care whether or not Jerome and I have been lovers—’

‘Don’t I?’ he grated.

She shook her head, her hair silky about her shoulders. ‘You have to feel love to care, Dominick!’

He became suddenly still, maintaining a firm hold of her arms, his face only inches from her own. ‘Perhaps I’m just wondering how your parents would feel if they knew their little Kenzie had been sleeping around.’

She glared at him. ‘I thought what we were discussing had nothing to do with sleeping!’

‘You little—’ He broke off abruptly, drawing in deep, controlling breaths as he continued to scowl down at her.

Kenzie was tall and usually found herself on a level with most men, but Dominick had always been four or five inches taller than her, and that impression of height, along with the powerful width of his shoulders, became even more apparent as he strove to regain control of the anger she had deliberately incited.

‘But you don’t care, Dominick,’ she taunted coolly, determined to meet the furious glitter of his eyes. ‘You never did. Because you don’t believe in love, remember?’ she mocked, recalling the painful disillusionment the moment she had realized that.

No, he didn’t believe in love, Dominick acknowledged, and he had no idea what he felt for Kenzie at that moment, only that the thought of her in Jerome Carlton’s arms was once again driving him crazy.

There hadn’t been any other women in his life during the four months of their separation. Having Kenzie walk out on him in that way, leaving him for another man, seemed to have killed all desire for sex in him.

Until the second he had seen Kenzie on Wednesday evening…

Since then he had been filled with nothing but a desire for sex. But only with Kenzie.

But not here. And not now. That would happen on his terms. For his pleasure.

His hands dropped abruptly to his sides as he released her. ‘I don’t believe in love,’ he said abruptly. ‘I’ll go and use the bathroom myself now. And I didn’t make provision for sharing a bedroom for the night with my ex-wife, so, if you don’t want to be shocked out of your romantic little mind, I should turn over and go to sleep before I get back!’ He strode over to the adjoining room and pulled the door shut firmly behind him.

Kenzie stared at the closed door, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. She knew there was no hope for her and Dominick, no common ground of conversation even. There was just anger and misunderstanding on Dominick’s part, and love, still love, on hers…

‘For God’s sake settle down and go to sleep, will you?’ Dominick snapped softly in the darkness of the bedroom.

Kenzie became still in the adjoining bed. ‘Sorry. I didn’t think you were awake,’ she muttered, having had no idea he had been aware of her restless movements for the last hour as sleep had eluded her.

He gave a heavy sigh. ‘You may think I lack a certain—insight where emotions are concerned, Kenzie, but I can assure you there is absolutely nothing wrong with my memory!’

And what was that supposed to mean?

That he was still thinking about her with Jerome Carlton?

Or something else…?

‘I can’t sleep,’ she sighed.

‘I think that’s pretty damned obvious!’ he bit out tersely. ‘Unfortunately, now neither can I!’

‘Sorry,’ she muttered again.

Dominick sat up in the bed, swinging his legs to the floor as he pushed the duvet aside.

He could see very little of Kenzie in the moonlight shining in through the window, only the paleness of her face and the dark cloud of her hair spread out on the pillow beside her.

‘Do you want me to come over there?’ he taunted.

No, of course she didn’t!

Did she…?

There was no denying that she was totally aware of him, and had been so since he’d called at her apartment earlier this afternoon. Sharing this bedroom with him, even in separate beds, was absolute torture to her senses.

She hadn’t thought it would be like this. Yes, she still loved Dominick, and, yes, she was still very aware of his physical attractiveness, but she had thought his total distrust of her, and his lack of love for her, would have killed all the sexual desire she had once felt for him.

In the last hour while she had lain here unable to sleep, she had been all too conscious of Dominick in the adjoining bed: of the even tenor of breathing, the slightly elusive tang of his aftershave, and of the heat of his body. All of which had shown her that she ached for him just as much as she ever had.

‘No, of course I don’t want you to come over here,’ she answered without conviction.

‘Are you sure?’

She bristled at his mocking tone of voice. ‘Of course I’m sure!’

‘You didn’t sound very sure,’ Dominick mused.

‘I’m not going to deny that this situation is—difficult,’ she told him quietly.

‘How difficult?’ he challenged, standing up, his lithe nakedness visible in the soft light.

Kenzie stopped breathing, her eyes wide as she looked at him. This was not a good idea. Not a good idea at all.

‘Look, Dominick,’ she told him quickly. ‘I’m sure we could quite easily make love together, here and now—’

‘We could?’ he derided.

‘Yes,’ she bit out awkwardly. ‘Statistics show that the majority of married couples who have separated have sex together at least once after that separation before they actually divorce. It’s usually a disappointment to both parties, and only serves to reaffirm their decision—’

‘I’m not interested in statistics, Kenzie,’ he dismissed impatiently. ‘And you have never disappointed me in bed, any more than I believe I have ever disappointed you, either—’

‘You’re talking about sex again, Dominick,’ she cut in frustratedly.

He gave a shake of his head, moving until he sat on the edge of her bed. ‘And talking has never solved anything between us, has it?’ he acknowledged ruefully, one of his hands moving up to smooth the creamy contour of her cheek. ‘The truth is, I would much rather show you what you threw away four months ago than talk about it!’ His head lowered before his lips captured hers.

Kenzie fought against the desire that quickly rose within her, pushing at the bareness of his chest as she wrenched her mouth from his. ‘No—’

‘Yes, Kenzie!’ he insisted gruffly. ‘Neither of us is going to find a moment’s rest until we get this out of the way!’

‘But it won’t solve anything—’

‘It will prove that you still want me!’ he grated. ‘Because you do still want me, don’t you, Kenzie?’ he encouraged huskily as his fingers trailed down her neck to the hollows of her throat.

Kenzie quivered with an awareness she was unable to hide. ‘You’re just trying to punish me, Dominick. Wreak some sort of revenge because I dared to leave you—’

‘Oh, no, Kenzie, a brief time together at the home of your parents isn’t going to be nearly enough recompense for that,’ he assured her grimly. ‘But a little down payment might not be a bad idea in the circumstances. And you do owe me, remember…?’

Oh, she remembered, all right. She also had a pretty good idea now of exactly what he was going to want in ‘payment’ for being here with her this weekend!

‘Dominick—’

‘Not now, Kenzie,’ he dismissed, his hand moving down to cup her breast, his thumbtip caressing the hardened tip as he bent his head to reclaim her lips.

Kenzie felt the heat in her body, wanting to continue fighting him, but knowing that her body betrayed her. She melted through her enjoyment of the feel of Dominick’s lips on hers as he began to kiss her, and found she was unable to stop herself from reaching up to entangle her fingers in his hair as she tasted him in return.

His hands moved restlessly across her back, moulding her body to his, and crushing her breasts against the hardness of his chest as they continued to kiss hungrily.

Kenzie groaned low in her throat as Dominick sat back slightly to push the gaping neckline of her top to one side, one hand finding her naked breast, while the other moved to unfasten the buttons down the front of the silky garment.

She felt the cool air on her bare flesh as Dominick cleared the material from her body, his lips leaving hers now so that he could feel the thrust of her breast with his mouth. As he drew the aching nipple into the heated moisture between his lips, the pad of his thumb moving across its twin, Kenzie dropped weakly back onto the pillow as she arched in pleasure.

She could feel his arousal pressed against her, an ache between her own thighs matching that need.

Her fingers tightened in his hair as she pulled him even closer, feeling the rasp of his tongue now, circling and flicking the tip of her breast, before drawing it into his mouth to suck rhythmically.

The heat was rapidly building inside her as she reached out to touch him, her fingers closing about him, revelling in the wild pulsing. She moved her hand along the length of the hardened shaft, knowing, as she always had, how to pleasure him.

He lifted his head, his eyes glittering in the darkness. ‘Do you want me to take you, Kenzie?’ he asked. ‘Do you want me inside you?’

‘Yes! Oh, God, yes!’ she groaned, completely, mindlessly, aroused.

‘How much do you want me, Kenzie?’ His hand lightly touched her breast. ‘Tell me how much!’

‘Dominick…?’ She looked up at him, feeling dazed.

‘How much, Kenzie?’ His voice hardened slightly.

‘Dominick, what do you want from me?’ she moaned, the desire he had aroused completely confusing her.

‘Right now?’ he considered as he sat up to move away from her. ‘Nothing else for now,’ he murmured with satisfaction. ‘When I next take you to bed, Kenzie—and I am going to take you to bed—it’s going to be on my terms, and when I choose. Tonight was just to see if you’re as immune to me as you claimed to be when you walked out on me.’ His teeth gleamed in the moonlight as he smiled. ‘You aren’t immune at all, Kenzie,’ he taunted.

No, she wasn’t. But this wasn’t the way. This would never be the way…

‘Please don’t do this, Dominick,’ she warned breathlessly. ‘Don’t destroy what feelings of respect we have left for each other—’

‘Me destroy those feelings?’ He surged to his feet to stand darkly forbidding beside the bed as he looked down at her with hard, glittering eyes. ‘You did that when you walked out the door four months ago!’

Yes, she had walked out—and, although Dominick might not believe it, it had almost killed her to do it.

Did Dominick really imagine that it had been easy for her to leave, to give up on the hope that he would one day love her as she loved him? Because if he really thought that—

‘Straight into Jerome Carlton’s arms and bed!’ he added harshly.

Jerome Carlton again.

It always came back to Jerome.

Kenzie had no idea why Dominick was so convinced she’d had an affair with the other man.

All that Jerome had done was offer her a contract with his company, and had been there for her when she’d sat beside him on the plane to America, still slightly shell-shocked from the last argument with Dominick. Jerome had obviously not known exactly why she was so unhappy, but he had been there for her anyway, and he had continued to be attentive during the weeks she’d spent in America when she had seemed so unhappy.

He had asked nothing in return.

But Dominick wouldn’t understand that. He didn’t understand that there could be just friendship between a man and a woman. He didn’t understand love between a man and a woman, so how could he possibly understand friendship?

‘Please, don’t do anything that is going to make me hate you, Dominick,’ she pleaded forcefully, not sure she would be able to bear that when she loved him so much.

He gave a humourless laugh. ‘Why not? They say that hate is akin to love! Either emotion has to be an improvement on that coolness you showed me for the month before you ended the torture of our marriage. It has to be better than the distant politeness with which you’ve been treating me all evening!’

But that distant politeness was her protection, Kenzie thought. It was the only thing she had to stop this man from making her suffer more than he was already.

She couldn’t let Dominick hurt her all over again; she had barely survived the first time!

‘Get some sleep, Kenzie,’ he advised harshly as he began to pull on his clothes.

‘Where are you going?’ She frowned.

‘I have no idea,’ he grated after pulling his tee shirt on over his head. ‘But don’t worry, Kenzie, I’m not leaving.’ He paused to look down at her. ‘I don’t like weddings, but I’ve said I’ll fulfil my half of the bargain, and so I will. Just be prepared, when the time comes, to fulfil yours!’

CHAPTER SIX

KENZIE had no idea where Dominick had spent the night, only knowing that he hadn’t come back to the bedroom they should have shared.

She knew he hadn’t returned because she had spent most of the night awake, too troubled, and too disturbed by what had happened, to be able to fall asleep.

A fact that the bathroom mirror had all too readily confirmed when she went through to shower and dress this morning, dark circles under her eyes, and her face pale.

A great glowing bridesmaid she was going to make, she thought as she put on enough make-up to cover up her pallor.

Just the thought of facing Dominick again, after the intimacies they had shared during the night, wasn’t something she relished.

Although she knew it was something she wasn’t going to have a choice about. Dominick had said he wouldn’t leave, and she knew him well enough by now to know that when he said something he meant it. He intended staying for the wedding.

If only so that he could collect on his half of their bargain.

Exactly what sort of revenge did Dominick intend exacting?

Although after what he had said last night, and the way he had so deliberately kissed and caressed her, she didn’t really need to ask that!

But could he really want to take her like that, to make love to her and know that she hated every minute of it?

Except she so obviously wouldn’t…!

After her response last night Dominick couldn’t be in any doubts about that, either.

His revenge, she was sure, would be to make love to her and show her exactly how little will-power she really had where he was concerned. He wanted to prove that she still wanted him, in spite of herself.

When and where he intended this to take place, she had no idea, but she knew that it wasn’t going to be here.

It was like waiting for the other shoe to drop, although it was a little hard to place the vengeful Dominick she’d seen last night in the man she discovered in the kitchen a few minutes later. He was with her mother, trying on the bow-tie that matched the deep green colour of the bridesmaid dresses that he was expected to wear as her partner at the wedding.

It was a little unnerving to hear Dominick’s throaty laughter and her mother’s girlish chuckles when Kenzie had been steeling herself to face her arrogant and demanding husband of last night.

Admittedly Dominick did look slightly ridiculous with the bow-tie around his neck above the black tee shirt, but Kenzie didn’t think it was funny enough for this amount of hilarity…

She stood in the kitchen doorway simply staring at the two of them, marvelling at this slightly softer Dominick, and wondering if he was actually aware of how relaxed he looked. Probably not.

Dominick didn’t let his guard down often. And last night he had made it pretty plain that with her he didn’t intend letting his barriers down at all.

Nevertheless, it was still a little unnerving to see Dominick so relaxed and at ease with her mother. Unless it was all an act? Was this all an effort on his part to show he was keeping to his side of their bargain?

That was probably nearer the truth!

‘Am I interrupting something?’ Kenzie finally murmured.

Dominick’s laughter faded quickly, his expression mockingly questioning as he turned to look at her.

Confirming to Kenzie that he really was just continuing the act, and that he intended giving her no reason whatsoever to complain about his behaviour in front of her family.

Her mother continued to smile. ‘Dominick and I were just thinking he looks like one of those male strippers—just before he whips his clothes off and leaves on only the bow-tie.’

Kenzie deliberately didn’t look at Dominick again as her dark brows raised towards her mother. ‘And when did you last see a male stripper?’

The last time Kenzie had seen Dominick, he had actually been naked so there was no way she could meet his gaze at the moment!

‘Never.’ Her mother gave an exaggerated sigh of disappointment.

‘Mother!’ Kenzie chuckled affectionately.

Nancy shook her head ruefully as she gave a smile that encompassed Dominick as well as Kenzie. ‘That’s the trouble with you youngsters—you think you were the first to discover the attractions of the naked body!’

‘Not me,’ Dominick drawled, having discovered this morning that, in spite of his usual reticence, he actually liked this older version of Kenzie. He was finding it very hard to remain aloof from the happiness this family felt on the day of the youngest daughter’s wedding. ‘It’s obvious that you and Donald discovered it at least four times in the last thirty years!’ he teased.

Nancy gave a becoming blush. ‘I guess I deserved that one!’ She grinned. ‘Kenzie, I have to go and telephone the florist and find out why the flowers haven’t arrived yet, so I’ll leave you to get Dominick some breakfast.’ She gave her daughter an affectionate pat on the cheek as she moved to the door. ‘Don’t forget we’re leaving for the hairdresser’s in half an hour,’ she reminded her before going to make her call.

Now Dominick and Kenzie were alone in the kitchen, although it was obvious from the closing of doors overhead, and the sound of loud voices, that they were far from the only people in the house.

Dominick reached up and unfastened the bow-tie from around his neck to hold it loosely between his fingers as he looked across at Kenzie.

She looked about sixteen this morning, dressed in those jeans and a fitted green tee shirt the colour of her eyes, the silky length of her hair secured in a band.

She raised her long dark lashes and met his gaze, memories of their time together last night deep in their depths.

They were the same memories that had haunted Dominick for the rest of the night as he’d sat down here in the kitchen drinking coffee. Half of him had wanted to go back upstairs and finish what they had started, but the other half of him had known this wasn’t the time or the place. What happened between him and Kenzie in the future had to be on his terms. Anything else was unacceptable.

Kenzie had walked out on him, and he didn’t intend letting her get away from him again until he had exacted his pound of flesh in payment for that.

Literally!

In the meantime he was determined to keep strictly to his side of the bargain, giving Kenzie no way out of fulfilling her side. None at all. However unacceptable to her his terms turned out to be…

‘Your mother mentioned something about breakfast,’ he reminded her abruptly, more for something to say than any real appetite. Although he had so much coffee in his system it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to eat something.

Kenzie drew in a ragged breath. Whatever she had been expecting Dominick to say it certainly hadn’t been something as prosaic as requesting breakfast.

Although the alternative, discussing what had happened last night, wasn’t a good idea, either!

‘Of course.’ She moved to search through one of the cupboards. ‘I’m afraid we’re more geared to the wedding today than—ah, toast or cereal, or both?’

‘Cereal will be fine,’ he assured her dismissively. ‘What are you having done to your hair?’ he questioned as he got the milk from the fridge and carried it over to the table.

‘It’s going to be styled into curls with peach-coloured flowers entwined,’ she answered, her thoughts elsewhere as she carried over a couple of boxes of cereal and two bowls to the table, placing them down before sitting opposite him. ‘Dominick—’

‘I had no idea there was so much planning and organization involved in a wedding,’ he cut in determinedly, knowing by the frown on her face that he wasn’t going to like what she’d been about to say. ‘Ah,’ he murmured, looking at the two cereal boxes, ‘Flakes or flakes!’

She grimaced. ‘Everyone is a little—distracted, today.’

‘Understandable in the circumstances.’ He nodded, pouring the milk over his cereal.

They couldn’t even talk to each other any more, Kenzie realized with a pained wince as she poured herself a cup of black coffee, acutely aware that Dominick hadn’t found the same awkwardness when talking to her mother earlier, or having fun over a bow-tie.

‘You missed out on all of this, didn’t you?’ he suddenly remarked thoughtfully.

Kenzie blinked, looking up at him with a frown. ‘Living at home? But I moved to London years ago—’

‘I’m not talking about the living at home, Kenzie,’ he said impatiently, putting his spoon down in the barely touched cereal and pushing the bowl away, the darkness of his gaze easily holding her. ‘Wouldn’t you have liked your wedding to be like this? The excitement of a church wedding, with all your family around you, instead of being whisked off to LasVegas in the way that you were?’

‘Well…yes, it would have been nice,’ she acknowledged slowly. ‘But it wasn’t what you wanted—’

‘I don’t believe I was talking about what I wanted,’ Dominick stated, sitting back in his chair to look at her analytically.

Kenzie avoided meeting his piercing gaze. ‘I don’t think talking about this now serves any purpose whatsoever, Dominick,’ she told him wearily, pushing away her empty coffee-cup.

‘Why’s that?’ he challenged. ‘Has Carlton already promised you the white dress when the two of you get married?’

Kenzie drew in a sharp breath at the deliberate provocation. ‘Even if he felt that way about me—which he doesn’t!—I have no intentions of marrying Jerome Carlton. Or indeed any other man. Believe me, Dominick—’ she stood up ‘—once our divorce is final I will be a lot more cautious before I even think about getting married again!’

Dominick reached out to grasp her arm. ‘The feeling is mutual, I do assure you!’ he grated harshly.

‘We only have another twelve hours or so to get through together today, Dominick, can’t we at least try to be civilized about this?’ she reasoned, grimacing.

‘I think I’m being extremely civilized,’ he bit out evenly.

He probably was for him, she thought heavily. Dominick was a man who took what he wanted when he couldn’t get it any other way, and having her walk out on him, on their marriage—and, as far as he was concerned, into the arms of another man—must have dented that Masters pride more than a little.

More than a little? Having her walk out on him in that way had probably infuriated him!

What a fool she had been to put herself back in his power like this. Worse, she had now given Dominick the ideal opportunity he needed to exact his revenge. Not even the happiness she had seen on her father’s face last night was enough to take away the trepidation she felt about that!

She twisted her arm in an effort to release it from his grasp, but only succeeded in tightening his grip. ‘You’re hurting me, Dominick,’ she told him quietly.

His smile was humourless. ‘You don’t know the meaning of the word!’ he rasped as he released her abruptly.

‘More than you do, I’m certain!’ Kenzie replied angrily, resisting the temptation she had to rub the reddened skin of her wrist. ‘I’m sure my parents will understand if you want to make your excuses and return to London tonight instead of in the morning,’ she told him briskly. ‘I can easily get a train back tomorrow. And this way you can get back to your own life all the sooner.’

She really wanted him out of here, didn’t she? Dominick realized in frustration.

Out of her family home.

Out of her family’s life.

Out of her life.

And for the last four months he had thought that was the best thing for them too, that he should never have married Kenzie in the first place, and that her leaving him only served to confirm the cynicism he had always felt for the institution.

Nevertheless, standing impotently by as Kenzie walked out of his life had been the hardest thing he had ever done. Not that there had ever been the least possibility that he would ask her to stay, but after nine months of being married to her, suddenly finding himself once again living alone, eating alone, and sleeping alone, had been much harder than he had thought it was going to be.

For weeks he had raged about the place, critical of everything and everyone, so angry with Kenzie, with Jerome Carlton, but mainly with himself, because he’d known that in spite of everything he still wanted her.

But, he had told himself, he had lived alone before Kenzie came into his life, and he would survive on his own now that she had chosen to go.