Billionaires' Secrets: Volatile Chemistry

Volatile Chemistry Part 17

Dominic frowned. He couldn't figure out Samantha's angle. The press mocked her as a gold digger for marrying an older man with a terminal illness. But from what he'd heard, she was behind the whole push to find Tarrant's lost children, who would then presumably be rivals for the gold she was digging.

She might look like a pampered society princess, but he'd already seen she was fierce as a tiger when it came to protecting her sick husband. Did she suspect him of toying with his father's affections?

Samantha couldn't be too happy to see him fooling around with Bella, since she'd been at the breakfast when Tarrant had demanded that Bella be fired, and Dominic had insisted that she stay.

"Dominic." She started toward him, high white heels silent on the carpet. She managed a tight smile at Bella. "They're setting out the buffet. Do come down and eat. Your sister, Fiona, chose all the entrees and she'd love to know what you think about them. It's new for us having a food expert in the family."

In the family. Her words echoed in his lust-addled brain.

His familiar self-defensive recoil mingled with a rush of new emotion. This small and complicated group of people was starting to feel like his family, despite all the strings and baggage attached.

He turned to Bella. "Shall we go down?"

Alarm filled her eyes and she tugged at the waist of her dress, which was slightly askew. "You go. I'll just freshen up first."

"Great idea." Samantha's eyes brightened. "I'll come with you."

Bella blinked. Samantha smiled.

Dominic's muscles tightened as he wondered what the heck Samantha was up to.

In the ladies' room, Samantha disappeared into a stall. Bella splashed cold water on her cheeks and patted them with a towel. Which didn't do a thing to cool her overheated skin. Her heart raced and her stomach kept turning backflips. What was Dominic playing at?

She'd come to the party intending to be cool, polite and professional. But around Dominic her circuits overloaded, and she couldn't do anything but melt in his arms. You'd think that with her scientific background she'd be able to figure out what was going on at the cellular level and put a stop to it. Or at least come up with a hypothesis to test.

Preferably under controlled, laboratory conditions.

She blew out a breath and tossed a strand of hair off her forehead. Tried not to picture all those nanoparticles jumping between them, penetrating tissue and causing subtle molecular changes that threatened to alter the underlying structures.

Turning her into putty in his broad, confident hands.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh, sure." Bella swallowed hard when she saw Samantha in the mirror behind her. "Just a little hot from dancing."

Samantha moved in closer. "I love that new powder you created. It goes on so smoothly."

"Are you wearing it too?" The scientist in Bella couldn't help turning to peer at Samantha's flawless skin.

"Yes. Tarrant wanted me to try it. He likes to think of me as his canvas for new ideas." She smiled, as if that was quite okay with her.

Bella blinked and turned back to the mirror. Her own bare skin still bore an undignified flush. She wouldn't do too well as anyone's canvas. "Your skin looks great, but I doubt you need it."

"Don't be so sure." Sam caught her eye in the mirror as she washed her hands. "When someone you love is sick, it takes a big toll on you."

Bella's gut tightened. "I know."