Men of Power. Кэрол Мортимер

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