The Knight of Her Dreams (Dragons and Dreamphasers) (6 page)

“You most certainly are not that,” he insisted,
holding her shoulders firmly for a moment before releasing her.  “But I can see
that something must have triggered this sudden unhappiness, so tell me not
otherwise.”  She nodded absently, trying unsuccessfully to stifle her tears. 
“Come with me,” he said gently, taking her hand in his and leading her down the
nearby garden steps.

She barely noticed any of this, as he led her to
a vacant bench and she sat down beside him.  Reaching forward to clasp her hand
tightly in his, he turned compassionate eyes upon her.  She was staring at the
ground, the tears still apparent on her face. 
What in the universe has made
you so unhappy?
he wondered. 
Or more accurately,
who
is the
culprit?

Obviously a fool
.

While Julianna
was
being unusually
quiet for a change—which nearly made him smile—he took the time to appraise his
silent companion, not having had much chance to do so openly while amidst the
crowd.

She was beautiful.

Even with her warm brown eyes sorely reddened by
tears, she was still breathtaking.  Her auburn hair was long and curly, despite
the more popular trend of short hair that many other women here sported. 
Privately, he decided this style suited her better anyway.

While Dominick was fairly tall, Julianna was only
about five-foot-five, giving him the impression she was like a sprite,
especially when they were standing face-to-face.  Even her large animated eyes
contributed to this sprite-like appearance.  But then, he reflected, he’d never
had anything against pretty sprites!

She was reasonably slim, but not emaciated like
some women he’d seen who weren’t to his taste at all.  Julianna had a healthier
quality about her, and the gown she wore certainly complimented her rather
pleasant curves. When her eyes lit up with amusement and her face glowed, as
he’d seen earlier, she was even more beautiful.

How he wished he could kiss away the crystal
tears in those eyes now, so that she was once again smiling and happy as she’d
been before.

Dominick resisted the urge
though, forcing himself to remember that he was still a relative stranger to
her, and the last thing he wanted to do was to anger or frighten her.  However,
finding out the cause of her unhappiness was something he intended to do right
now.

“Tell me all,” he said softly.

He could sense it wasn’t easy for Julianna, but
slowly the words came.  At first, she started with only the briefest account of
the betrayal she’d felt by Roger.  But whenever he caught her pausing, Dominick
would gently ask her more questions, thereby helping her to relay what had
happened.  He didn’t force anything from her, and soon she appeared to be
warming to him, allowing him to put his arm about her comfortingly during the
conversation.

At some point during her story, she leaned her
head upon his shoulder, relaxing completely against him while she spoke, her
trust warming his heart as he listened.  Likely, some of what she was telling
him, she’d been keeping to herself until now.

She went on to tell him that thanks to Roger, and
several other mishaps with men beforehand, it left her feeling resigned to
either marry the wrong type or remain alone forever.

After hearing this, Dominick hugged her closer,
whispering against the top of her head that surely neither would happen.  It
was only after she began crying again that he realized the true reason for her
unhappiness.

Julianna was lonely.  She clearly couldn’t bring
herself to believe that all men weren’t like the wrong ones she’d known,
especially after what had happened with Roger, whom she’d trusted since she was
very young.

For all her twenty-five years, she’d never known
anyone different.

She was little more than an innocent.

Julianna knew nothing of this line his thoughts
had taken towards her.  She only knew that for a few moments, she felt safe and
cared for, and it was a feeling she was reluctant to let go of.  Since she’d
been staring blankly ahead most of the time during her explanation, she
completely missed seeing the changing expressions that flashed across her
attentive companion’s face.

Especially his dark looks at any mention of
Roger.

Although having never met the man, Dominick felt
a surge of anger and dislike towards this Roger Collins.  He’d preyed on her
trust to get what he wanted, and when that hadn’t worked, he immediately turned
to another.  And then when his latest amour hadn’t worked out, he saw nothing
wrong with pursuing Julianna again, even though he wasn’t fully detached from
the other woman.

If only he had the opportunity to do something
about the ungrateful bastard.  Thankfully, Roger hadn’t called her after his
betrayal earlier this day, which could only have caused her more grief.  If he
were to show up again for whatever reason now, Dominick would certainly like to
grab the insensitive blackguard by his collar, and…

Sighing once, he refocused on Julianna.

“I know I was a fool to believe him,” she
murmured, “but he always sounded so enthusiastic with his promises that I kept
giving him more chances.  And to think, for years I kept hoping he’d come back,
like some lovesick child.  I was a fool even then.”

She gave a short strained laugh, oblivious to the
way Dominick’s jaw tightened at her words, and her tone changed to sharper
bitterness.  “I guess there’s no mistaking his insensitivity now.  In one
breath he said he wanted to meet with me again, but the whole time he was still
with Marilyn.  Seems like I never learn not to trust him.”

Dominick suddenly turned her to face him, resting
his hands gently against her cheeks.

“Listen to me,” he replied, gazing into her
eyes.  “Stop tearing yourself down.  This man was nothing but a user, and you
certainly weren’t in any way responsible for his callous behavior.  If anyone’s
a fool around here, it’s not you, but him.  You’re a beautiful, intelligent
woman with a good heart and a soul that shines.  And when the right man comes
along, if he has any brains, he’ll realize how fortunate he is to have such a
loyal, loving treasure for a companion.  Don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise,
Julianna, because if they do, they’re not worthy of your favor.”

She found herself speechless, and all too
conscious of his eyes upon her and the gentle touch of his hands upon her
face. 
Was he serious about there being cool air out here?
she wondered
absently, feeling as if it was warm and summery instead.

“I wouldn’t worry on that count,” she said
finally.  “Even before Roger, most of the men in my life have left me strictly
alone, and those that might not have weren’t ones I’d care to associate with.”

He smiled at that.  “And what kind of man
would
interest you, Julianna?” he asked softly.  She turned away for a moment,
considering this.  His expression became knowing.  “Ah… a knight in shining
armor to sweep you off your feet.  Not a bad idea, but wouldn’t that be a bit
awkward if taken too literally?”

Julianna whipped back to stare at him with
surprise.  It was as if he’d just read her mind!  Were her thoughts that
obvious on her face?

She was about to inquire further, but as she
opened her mouth to speak, he leaned forward to capture hers with his own.  Her
surprise becoming shock, Julianna pushed both hands against his chest to force
him back, but his hold on her was stronger. 
So much for his claim of not
being a rake!

Despite her protests though, she found that
Dominick wasn’t hurting her at all.  His arms were securely around her, but he
wasn’t kissing her so as to bruise her mouth.  In fact, she was finding it
increasingly pleasant the way his lips lingered on hers with each kiss.  So
similar to the other Dominick of a few months back.  And even though this
couldn’t be the same one she’d met before, she was obviously attracted to him
all the same.

Even if this Dominick was a rake, he seemed a
gentle one of his breed.

When he sensed her calming down, his one hand
loosed its hold slightly to stroke her back, sending tingling sensations
throughout her spine.

Slowly, her hands reached up to rest on his
shoulders, this time successfully breaking the connection between them.  His
eyes stared deeply into hers, as if he could read her soul, and the look nearly
frightened her, but she willed herself not to give in to that.

“You’re trembling, my lady,” he whispered, his
mouth mere inches from her own.

“I am?”  Her heart was beating too fast for her
to realize it.

“Yes, you are.”  He smoothed back a few loose
auburn strands from her face.  She shut her eyes and smiled as his hand brushed
against her cheek, the soft touch of his fingertips causing her breath to
still... just before a gentle wind caused her eyes to snap open again.  Dominick
was standing now, one hand extended towards her.  “My lady, may I escort you
back to the affair above?”

A peculiar choice of words, Julianna mused.  Now
that her rational thoughts were returning again, she blushed, furious at
herself.  In another few minutes, there might have been an affair here all
right!  She turned away from his offered hand, wishing the ground might swallow
her up before he noticed how red her face was.

“No, thank you, my lord,” she replied softly. 
“But I would prefer it if you would leave now to rejoin the others on your
own.”

He shook his head with a smile.  “I wouldn’t
advise it, my lady.  There are always rakes aplenty at these gatherings, and I
wouldn’t want you to be subjected to them.”

Her eyes flashed angrily as she abruptly stood to
face him.  “You mock me, sir?” she demanded.  “Just who are you to warn me
against rakes, when you may well be the master of them!  I’ve dealt with your
type before, Mr. Westbrooke, and I don’t take kindly to being taken advantage
of.  False pity, combined with kisses, are not a winning combination with me.”

He was silent, his expression unreadable.

“If you will excuse me,
sir
!” she
added coldly with finality, pushing past him to walk towards the steps.

As she took a preemptory glance towards the
garden terrace, she was surprised to see it empty.  Apparently the other guests
were all inside the building now.  Despite their highbred nature, for once,
Julianna found that she couldn’t wait to join the safety of them again.

But as her foot barely touched the first step,
she found herself spun about to face Dominick again, his hands gripping her
arms.  There was hurt in his eyes, almost akin to anger, that left her
shivering in his grasp, but she was too startled to speak.

“You’re wrong on all counts, my lady,” he said
firmly.  I didn’t kiss you to take advantage of you, Julianna, and it certainly
has nothing to do with pity.  I kissed you because I find you to be a
fascinating, attractive, and desirable woman.  One who just needs the right man
to prove how true this is.”

“I don’t need anyone!” she countered, glaring at
him.  “Especially not...”

Dominick kissed her to silence, leaning her head
back against his hand as he did.

I should have known better than to trust him even
for a moment!
she thought, just
before she felt a gentle voice—
his
voice—touch her mind.

I would never do anything to hurt you, Julianna. 
You need to know that.

Confusion filled her eyes, even as his kisses
became tender, once again stirring up odd fluttery sensations within her. 
How
are you reading my thoughts?

Magic
.

When she realized that he wasn’t about to release
her, Julianna felt a renewed wave of panic.  She was trapped all alone, held
captive in the arms of a stranger who had fairly clear motives.

She felt his soft laughter in her mind. 
You
know it is possible for a man to kiss a woman merely to share that pleasure
alone.

Trying to escape his words,
Julianna knew she should yell for assistance from the guests in the building,
since surely one would hear her.  Or maybe she should kick him while he was
distracted to break free… after all, it had worked with the other Dominick.

His voice persisted undaunted. 
Do you have
any idea how wonderful it is just to kiss you?  Tempting though it is to want
more, a true man listens to his lady’s heart.

Her inner arguments faltering, she knew that she
should be freezing in this gown, so then why did she feel so warm?

What you feel is a feeling we share.  You don’t
need to run from it this time.

She trembled against him, but this time because
she realized the truth of his words.

“Dominick…” she whispered against his mouth, her
arms encircling his neck to pull him closer.  It was nearly amusing the way he
all but jumped with surprise, upon realizing she wasn’t backing away.  A
surprise that didn’t faze him for long as he lifted her off the ground.

I’m here, my sweet sprite.