Page 42 of Love Among the Ruins
“Are you drunk?” He moved towards her, and this close to her she couldn’t help but breathe in his strong scent. The noise in the background sunk further away, and all she could sense, feel, hear, was his tone. Deep, sexy, intimate, his words reverberated in a place deep inside her chest. She still couldn’t believe it. Dominic, here. She sniffed, closing her eyes as the world threatened to spin again.
“I’m happy,” she giggled.
“But under the influence.”
She smiled at him. This man was divine.Sodivine.Sodelicious. Why hadn’t she noticed him before? “Sit down,” she motioned at a spot beside her, shifting up to make room for him on the bench.
“I’ll stand.” He shoved his hands deeper into his trousers. His all-in-black stealth mode clothing unleashed a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her belly.
“You don’t want to sit down?” If she focused on him, only on him, maybe she could forget about the width of his shoulders, and the definition of his muscles, even through his shirt.
“I saw you dancing, up in the air.”
She squealed uncontrollably, slapping the table with her hand. “You did? It was so much fun. So much fun. You should try it.” Her eyes widened. “Do you want to?” She got up and tottered a step towards him, this new idea lighting up all the synapses in her brain. Neural pathways buzzing with joy.
“I think you’ve had too much to drink.”
She followed his gaze and found that the clingy fabric of her dress had ridden way up her thighs. She hastily pulled it down, before asking, “Do you like it?” Her hand touched her bare shoulder. “Angeliki said I should wear this because I might get lucky.”
His lips pursed together. Then, “Are you here alone?”
“With friends. They’re here, somewhere.” She prodded him playfully in the chest, only to find it hard-as-steel. The plane of his muscle had no give. “Dom, you are so hard.”
He picked her hand and lifted it away. “Do not call meDom.”
She inched nearer, tottering on her heels. “You smell sogood.”
“You’ve had too much to drink.” He nudged her back down onto the bench gently.
She stared up at him, her head still light, the moment turning surreal. “You look so sexy in black. You should wear black all the time.” She pointed a finger at him, gesturing it up and down. “Nowthat, would give Miranda something to blush about.”
He looked around. “I can’t leave you here like this.”
The same big, menacing looking guy she’d seen a few times before with Dominic now stood behind him again. “Who is that?” Then it dawned on her. “Are you ... is he … are you withhim?” Clasping her hands together, she was filled with hope for Stefanos. “Because my friend, the one from the taverna, thinks you’re superhot. So does Miranda, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
Dominic’s gaze settled over her again, assessing her as if he didn’t know what to make of her. “Eleni.”
“It’s true.”
He looked over his shoulder again. “Can you call your friends?”
“Why? They’re having fun.I’mhaving fun. I’m celebrating my birthday, Dom. Let’s dance.” She tried to stand up again, but the sudden motion made her feel giddy and she promptly fell back onto the bench.
“You’re in no state to be dancing.”
She didn’t miss the muscle flexing along his jawline. And what a beautiful jawline it was too.
“Don’t you want to dance with me?” she asked, pouting. “It’s been a long time since I danced with someone.”
“Dominic. There you are. I was waiting by the waterfall.” A glamorous woman, with the style and glamor of a movie star, sidled up to him.
Eleni couldn’t take her eyes off the woman’s glittering chandelier earrings, or her fitted, cream dress. Eleni felt underdressed. Her gaze bounced between the woman’s beautifully sculpted face, and Dominic’s.
“Oh.” Eleni gasped. The cogs of her brain whirred furiously fast, the neurons firing and making connections. He was with someone. What was she? His girlfriend? His wife? A date? She couldn’t help herself, again. “And you are?”
“Helen.” Dominic’s one word answer might as well have been ‘Quiet,’ for all the effect it had on her. She’d heard him on the phone to Helen once.
It now made sense. Dinner on a Saturday night. At this chic new hotspot. With his significant other.
