Tainted Hearts

11 | Playing With Fire

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DOMINIC

Claudia's scream muffled Dominic's name, startling him. He jumped on the pier and squatted while searching the area for an enemy. Those jerks didn't blink an eye when it came to killing someone else he cared about.

He only noticed Claudia on her knees in her stupid bikini.

Whelp, everything the cold water had done for him had disappeared.

After a moment, Claudia scrambled along the pier and grasped his shoulders. Her face was pale because all the blood had left it. "Are you all right? What happened?" She released his shoulders after dragging him back, then whacked his arm. Hard. "Don't ever do that again!"

"Whoa." Dominic raised his hands. "Dia, why are you getting so worked up?"

"You were underwater for so long. I thought you drowned! How could you do that to me? Why would you scare me like that?" Claudia sprang up with a heave. "You frightened me to death!"

Holy hell. Dominic realized he had been underwater longer than he expected. He was on the swim teams in high school and college, so he was used to staying underwater for a few minutes at a time. He understood now why she was so terrified of him. His raging hard-on needed to go. But the breathy sounds that came from Claudia's mouth were enough to keep him stiff. "I didn't stay long, Dia. I was swimming."

Her hands were trembling. "No, Dom, you spent a long time down there. About five minutes! I called out! I thought you were dead!"

He got up slowly, hating himself in every way imaginable. "My lungs are strong, but not that strong. I think you got it wrong."

Claudia swallowed. "I don't think that I did."

Damn. He stepped closer to her, his eyes searching hers. "You were really worried, weren't you?"

"No shit! What part of 'I thought you drowned' don't you understand?" A tremble rocked her. "My stomach is in knots."

Dominic knew that she was really upset. He truly thought that she would go get the help she believed he needed if he drowned. In her wet bikini. Shit. Screw the bikini. "Claudia, I'm okay. I came up. I guess you didn't see me."

Claudia stepped back and shook her head. Her eyes were cold, and Dominic could sense she didn't believe him. He shouldn't worry about whether she will notice his boner. Instead, he should consider the consequences of his actions. Let it slide, Dia. Forget about it. He took a deep breath and thought that if he made her mad, she might forget all of this. A better choice than the other one. He asked, "Are you sure you counted the time?"

Her eyes quickly slid to his. "Yes."

"Really? Because we didn't bring our phones out here." Dominic took a quick look back at the water. "I think you were exaggerating."

"No, Dominic, I wasn't. I know how long you were under."

"Then I'm not sure what to say." He stepped forward, crowding her. "I'm an excellent swimmer, so I know I couldn't have been underwater that long. It was maybe no more than three minutes. Perhaps the next time we come out here, we'll bring our watches so you can check the time more easily."

When Claudia looked up at him, anger replaced the fear in her eyes. "That could work, but you are blind. You can't see a future with me. All you have to do is use my appearance to get out of a forced marriage with someone else."

Dominic growled deep in his throat. "So, that's what's making you upset? It wasn't that I wanted to swim; it was that you won't be able to come out here once the contract is up?" he asked.