Stirring Attraction(11)

“What the hell?” the man roared, whipping the pie from his face.

A year ago, Lily would have laughed at the sight of Dominic covered in dessert. She would have smiled and offered to help clean him up. She would have been happy he’d returned home. And she would have set aside all of the lingering heartache from their last and supposedly final breakup.

But too much time had slipped past. Too much had changed. And for him to show up now? In the middle of the night when her fear rose to fever pitch? For him to waltz in here without even knocking?

She felt Caroline’s hand close around her arm and pull as if trying to drag her away. Lily grabbed her wine glass and hurled it at the door. She missed and the glass fell to the ground three feet in front of her and shattered.

“Turn around and leave, Dominic,” she snapped as she allowed Caroline to pull her behind the bar, into relative safety. Only she’d never be safe from the man she’d loved for so long, because he didn’t aim for her face or her arms.

He went for the heart.

“You had your chance to come back,” she added as Caroline released her.

“Lily, please calm down,” Dominic called.

From their position behind the bar, she heard the door close. Caroline glanced at her. “You know him.”

She nodded. Caroline pushed off the ground without a word. And Lily followed her, turning to face the former love of her life, who had stepped just inside the door.

“Ryan dragged me back,” he said. “At Noah and Josie’s request. How do you think I got the key? Or does your friend here throw food at everyone who walks into the bar?”

“It was the only thing I had,” Caroline said simply. “Noah locked up my gun.”

“Remind me to thank Noah in the morning,” Dominic said dryly.

His hands dropped to his side, abandoning the attempts to wipe away the pie that had hit its target with near-­perfect aim. Lily glanced at Caroline. She wasn’t sure she wanted to see the dishwasher with a firearm.

Then she glanced back at Dominic. Marionberries clung to his beard. He’d always been clean-­shaven. But now, his dark hair was long and it looked like he’d lost his razor around the same time he’d kissed the rangers goodbye. She’d loved the hard lines of his jaw and the feel of his skin against her when they kissed. But this look . . .

She ached to touch and explore. He looked wild and unrestrained, as if he didn’t give a damn, as if he didn’t hold anything back. Her gaze headed south to the muscles she’d wanted to memorize before he left. He appeared bigger, more powerful.

Impossible.

He’d always been strong, able to lift her up and press her against the wall. He’d held her with ease while she fell apart . . .

And with that memory, her fury and her fear opened the door to another entirely unwelcome emotion—­desire. It was as if they were forming a club determined to barricade her heart, mind, and soul against the feelings that might help her return to her calm, steady life. But no, her unruly emotions took one look at the bearded, buff man in the bar and thought: touch him!

Her feelings needed to shut the hell up, she thought as she stared at him. “Dominic, why are you here?” Lily asked. “Why did they make you come back?”

“To keep you safe.”

“You refused to come home after you were discharged, after you couldn’t serve. But now you show up because Josie and Noah claim I need a bodyguard?”

He raised his right hand to his beard as if to remove the berries and then thought better of it. “Lily—­”

“Did they tell you that the police, including your father, think I was in the wrong place at the wrong time?” she demanded. “Did Ryan explain how everyone else believes he was just some crazy person who wanted to slash my face to leave scars . . .”

Her voice broke as his familiar green eyes shone with pity at her words.

“Yes,” he said simply. “Ryan told me.”

“So you came back to protect me from what exactly?” she said, hating that he looked at her as if she’d given in to fear. “My own shadow? The man out to get me that no one believes exists?”

He nodded.

No, no, no! I refuse to let him back into my life now.

“Well, if everyone is so damn concerned about me, if everyone thinks I need a bodyguard—­”

“It’s not like that,” he said firmly. “They’re worried and they want you to feel safe. It doesn’t matter if someone is out there or not. If you don’t feel safe, if you need someone to stand guard outside your house and watch the doors, make sure no one is climbing in the windows . . . I can do that.”