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“A cab to go home, please.”
His eyebrows shot up before he laughed. “So polite even when you’re angry.” He strode toward me, a confident swagger in each step, and swept his gaze over me.
My skin was on fire everywhere his gaze fell. Which was literally my entire body. “So annoying even when you’re trying to be charming. What happened to following through with our deal? Why am I here?”
“I agreed to stop harassing you.” The distance between us closed rapidly. “You never said not to take you on a date.”
Was he being obtuse on purpose? “That’s semantics.”
As he drew near, the warm scent of a campfire drifted closer, of mouthwatering cedar embers and spiced hot cocoa. I could just drown in that scent.
My heart hammered in my chest. My instincts demanded I step back, away from the dangerous dragon, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing how he affected me.
Or maybe I just wanted him that close.
“Got better plans for the evening?” He tilted his head to the side. “A new book perhaps?”
I blushed. Frankie and her big fae mouth. “A man who doesn’t read isn’t a man worth knowing.”
He grinned. “I believe you’ll find my library and fondness for reading to be an attractive quality.”
I perked up at the idea of a library, but I still had questions that needed answers. “What I don’t find attractive is you avoiding my questions. Why am I here, Dominic?”
A warm breeze ruffled my dress and teased the strands of my hair into a dance. My pulse sped up as his gaze tracked the movements like a predator does with his prey. I knew that if I tried to run, he would chase me and enjoy it.
Maybe I would, too.
“You’re here because I would like to get to know you better, Gabrielle.”
“It’s just Bree. What if I don’t want to get to know you?” I shot back.
“Something tells me you want to be here as much as I want you here, Just Bree.” Finally taking a few steps backward, he stopped beside the only set table and pulled a chair out. “Let’s find out while we eat. You must be starving.”
As if on cue, my stomach growled. I clutched my handbag tighter beneath my arm as if it would curb my hunger. “Does this whole kidnapping thing usually work for you?”
“To be honest, I’ve never had to resort to such tactics.” Smiling in a seductive way that unsettled as much as excited me, he moved another few steps back until he stood by the other chair. As if giving me distance would make me feel safe enough to sit. “One evening, that’s all I ask of you, Bree. Indulge me. Please?”
Ugh. He just had to go and say “please” like that, all sweet and innocent, and my traitorous body just had to melt as a result. But if anyone asked, I’d blame it on the opportunity for a delicious free meal. I mean, it better be free.
I held my chin up and slid onto the chair he’d pulled out. “Fine. But you better not try to split the bill. I can’t afford a single drink at a place like this.”
He scoffed as he sat across from me. “When I invite someone to dine with me, it’s always my treat.”
“Speaking of which, how often do you treat kidnapped women to spa days before dinner?” I asked.
He gave me a funny look. “Another first.”
“The kidnapping or the spa?”
“Both.”
I rolled my eyes. “Sure it was. Samson and Amy were on a first-name basis.”
His grin made my stomach flip-flop. “I may not treat women to the spa, but I certainly treat myself regularly. I’ve been a valued member at La Belle Vie for the past five years, and Samson has always accompanied me.”
Well, that made sense. Any remaining anger I held onto fizzled out. “Oh.”
“Massages are a necessity when training and fighting.”
