Page 24 of Dark Shadow of Guilt

Damn. There it was again. The unexplainable smoldering heat of jealousy.

Maddy’s gaze scanned the bathroom. Body lotion? None on the counter. Opening the cabinets, she rearranged a few items that weren’t in order but found no moisturizer.

Then, because she was a neat freak, she folded her torn, filthy clothes and set them on a stool.

With the towel tucked above her breasts, she tiptoed to the door. Peeking out, she sprinted to the bed, which was large, fit for an orgy with Ms. Dangerous Curves and Friends. Dom had left a black t-shirt on the coverlet. No bra. She slipped the snug tee over her head, glancing down at her jiggling boobs. Next. No panties. She stepped into matching sweatpants. Since she refused to re-don dirty underwear, she’d have to endure the bounce. No shoes.

Madeline padded through the door toward the central room of Dom’s home, hoping she wouldn’t interrupt him entertaining his guest. She prepared to retreat if necessary.

Nope. Empty.

While she waited for Dom, she strolled to the far side of the house beyond the fireplace and onto the rear deck. No rails. Leaning forward, she peeked over a steep, craggy cliff that dropped to the water below. It was a long fall, but winged beings probably didn’t mind. Double moons still lit the sky until a thick mist crept in, obscuring the view.

Madeline pivoted. Dom, his bulky thighs encased in leather pants and his chest bulging in a tight black tee, stood frozen with two glasses of what looked like wine in his clutches. He cleared his throat, staring at her. His steps stuttered as he moved forward.

She tugged on the hem of her shirt. “Bigger would be better. And a bra.”

Setting the drinks on a low table, he snapped his fingers. Her shirt was a size larger. Fingering the neckline, she peeked down. A bra. “How did you do that?”

She lost any train of thought when a grin lit his face. “Practice.”

Nothing about this gorgeous man said he was safe. If she saw him skulking down a sidewalk in St. Louis, she’d cross to the other side. So why this heart-pounding reaction to a beefed-up thug?

She reminded herself that Mora had been comfortable dropping into his home. But the fanged woman had vanished. Unless he had her cuffed to a bedpost elsewhere. Perhaps Madeline had been too quick to judge. She could have been here to talk about an upcoming church social.

Yeah. No.

Dom was a category five hurricane in her otherwise orderly life, the poster boy for a dark fantasy, a hot Greek hero with strokable midnight hair and olive skin. A marble statue, tall with chiseled granite muscles. The total package screamed he could kiss or kill with no thought of consequences.

So why wasn’t she scared out of her mind? He had saved her, but for what? Would he return her to Earth? Or would she end up worshipping at his feet in her own fishnets and bustiers?Get a grip, girl.She finally asked, “Your visitor?”

He motioned Maddy to one of the pillows beside the table with the glasses. “Gone.”

“That was fast.”

“I’m quick.”

When Madeline laughed, he growled, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“Hmm,” Madeline mumbled while she strolled around the room. Instead of settling on a pillow, she fingered a few sculptures and rearranged what looked like priceless items when their placement didn’t suit her.

“I didn’t ... entertain ... her.” Dom’s gruff voice faltered.

His gaze tracked her borderline rude behavior. Rather than react to her re-decorating, he snapped his fingers, causing flames in the fireplace to come alive, crackling and flickering. In an instant, she warmed.

Still not hurrying to sit, Madeline touched a smooth, white marble statue of a warrior holding a sword. Where would she shelve Dom if he were a book? In the 800s? Homer’sIliad. The superhero Achilles, who had a flawed heel. What was Dom’s flaw?

Madeline paused her rearranging efforts to shake her head.Nope. Seeing him as a mythic hero was dangerous because Dom was bottled raw power, ready to explode. She could see that in his tense muscles. He was a train under full steam coming down a mountain. And given her unpredictable reaction to him, she was the damsel tied to the track.

But she’d learned she was an excellent judge of character. If you grew up around an alcoholic with vicious mood swings and unpredictable male drinking buddies, you learned to assess others with unerring accuracy. Dom may be dangerous, but not to her.

On Maddy’s trip to the pillows, the fireplace mantel distracted her.Disarray. Unable to stop, she re-grouped the vase, book, and candleholder on the right.

When she turned around, Dom arched a brow. “Better?”

Madeline stared at his luscious, full lips. His voice was deep but soothing, flowing across her skin like a breeze. She shook her head, unsure whether to clear it or answer the question.

Despite her odd desire for order or the many stereotypes about librarians, she wasn’t shy or quiet. In fact, her sisters often accused her of needing a plug for her mouth. “No, but I’m too tired for more. Nice artwork.”

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