Page 5 of Fae-King It (Mystical Matchmakers #5)

CHAPTER FOUR

Her focus was shot all day the next day. Dominique couldn’t stop thinking about Ronan. Or that kiss in her kitchen.

Her entire body felt as though it had gone up in flames at the touch of his lips. Her mind had gone blank. She was in deep shit because she had never, ever reacted to a man like that before.

What made it even more difficult was that Ronan was merely pretending he didn’t hate her. All those sensations would mean nothing to him. The one male she’d wanted in the last decade, and he was faking his feelings for her. Meanwhile, she was in danger of melting beneath his kisses.

Dominique finally gave up pretending to care about all the things she needed to do at home around noon. She walked to a nearby deli and realized she’d come exactly at the wrong time. The restaurant was crowded, almost every table was filled. As luck would have it, after Dominique ordered at the counter, a table opened up near the front window. She made a beeline for it, carrying her glass of iced tea. As soon as she sat down, a woman came to a stop beside the table.

“I’m sorry to bother you, dear, but there don’t seem to be any tables open. Would you mind terribly sharing yours with me?”

“Of course not,” Dominique said. “Please have a seat.”

The woman smiled at her. Her pale skin was unlined, but her dark eyes gave Dominique the impression that she was older than she looked. Her deep auburn hair was smooth and cut into an angled bob.

She settled into the chair next to Dominique’s. “I’m Zelda. What’s your name?”

“Dominique,” she answered.

They chatted about mundane things—the weather, hobbies, and other small talk—until their food arrived.

As they dug into their sandwiches, Zelda asked, “Are you single, Dominique? Because I think you would be perfect for my nephew. He’s got a good job as a day trader. He’s been single for a while now because he works so much.”

Dominique knew her answering smile looked more like a wince and fervently wished she’d put on the engagement ring this morning, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. It was a Saturday. She wasn’t working with Veronica, so she hadn’t seen the need.

As though she conjured him up with her thoughts, her cell phone chimed, and Ronan’s name appeared on her screen with a text message. She frowned down at it. How had he gotten her number? Better yet, how had his contact information ended up in her phone?

“Excuse me, Zelda. I need to take this,” she said.

The other woman nodded and went back to her food.

Dominique picked up her phone and opened the message.

Are you wearing your ring?

Suspicious, Dominique lifted her head and looked around the restaurant. Was he watching her?

“Is everything okay?” Zelda asked.

“Yes, everything’s fine. I just think I’m being followed.”

Zelda made a small sound, bringing Dominique’s attention to her. The older woman’s eyes widened and focused on something over Dominique’s shoulder, her gaze traveling higher and higher.

Just as Dominique was about to turn around, a deep voice floated over her shoulder. “There you are.”

She looked up over her shoulder as Ronan moved around the table to sit on her opposite side. Once he settled in the chair, he reached out and tugged hers closer until their thighs touched.

Then, he focused his intense blue eyes on Zelda. “Hello. I’m Ronan, Dominique’s fiancé. Didn’t we meet yesterday?”

The older woman blinked at him. “I don’t think so.”

“I thought I saw you at Mys?—”

Dominique put her hand on his knee and interrupted him, “What are you doing here, hon? I thought you didn’t have time to meet for lunch today.”

Ronan reached down and took her hand in his. “I freed up my schedule for you, darlin’.”

Dominique fought to keep her expression calm. Zen-like. She knew she failed when he studied her face and smirked.

“I see now why you weren’t interested in meeting my nephew,” Zelda stated. “He’s a hunk.”

Only sheer force of will kept Dominique from flushing. Ronan’s smirk turned into a wide, white smile, and heat crept up her chest to her neck, but she managed not to fan herself. Barely.

She’d never seen him smile like that before—warm, charming—even his eyes twinkled.

“Thank you,” he replied. “What’s your name again?”

She held out her hand toward him. “I’m Zelda.”

“Nice to meet you, Zelda,” he replied, releasing his hold on Dominique’s hand to shake Zelda’s.

Discretely, Dominique put her hand back in her lap and tried not to fidget as the two of them chatted like old friends. Without missing a beat, Ronan reached over and took her hand in his again, bringing it back to his hard thigh. Though she wanted to jerk her fingers back, Dominique didn’t move. But she planned to let him have it with both barrels later.

Finally, Zelda got to her feet. “It was so lovely to meet you both. I need to be going. I hope I see you both again sometime.” With that, she swanned out of the deli.

As soon as she was out of sight, Dominique jerked her hand out of Ronan’s grip. “What are you doing here?” she hissed.

He turned toward her, putting one arm along the back of her chair and resting the other on the table, effectively boxing her in. “I happened to see you when I walked by and noticed you weren’t wearing your ring. Why is that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you following me?”

“Of course not,” he replied, waving a hand. “I’m in the area to purchase a present for my sister. She loves things from the human realm, and I always try to bring her something when I visit the kingdom.”

That made sense because Dominique’s townhouse was less than a block from the shopping center where the deli was located. She loved it because she could walk less than ten minutes and pick up a few things from a grocery store, buy a new paperback, or find a new outfit.

“Back to my question,” Ronan said. “Why aren’t you wearing your ring?”

Dominique noticed a group of people eyeing their table. The rest were full, and it was clear that she and Ronan were done with their meal. Without answering, she gathered her plate and empty glass and carried both to the trash bins, discarding the garbage and placing the rest in the plastic tub designated for dirty dishes.

Ronan followed right behind her, and she could practically feel the anger rising off him. Once they were outside, he curled a hand around elbow, pulling her to a stop. Though his hold was firm, it wasn’t painful.

“Answer me, Dominique.”

She sighed. “It was my understanding that the ring was for me to wear to work so Veronica wouldn’t be shocked when I got married.”

“No, the ring is to give the appearance that we’re engaged. I doubt Zelda would have wanted to introduce you to her nephew if you’d been wearing it.” He stepped closer, encroaching on her space. “Where is it anyway?”

“It’s at my apartment. What does it matter if I’m not wearing it today? No one here knows who we are or what we’re planning and we’re not going to the fae realm until next weekend.”

He glowered at her, seeming even angrier if that was possible. “My parents have spies everywhere, watching me, and soon, they’ll be watching you, too. Wear the ring every day, no matter where you’re going or what you’re doing. If you don’t, our deal is off, and I’ll make that call to your parents.”

Rage swept through Dominique’s body, and she barely resisted the urge to scream at the top of her lungs. Or try to choke the life out of him. It had been so long since she’d been this angry that her entire body locked down, and she couldn’t move or speak.

After a few seconds, Ronan asked, “Am I understood?”

Dominique took a deep, deep breath, blowing it out slowly before she answered, “I understand.”

“Good,” he muttered. “We’ll talk again soon.”

“Fine.”

After a final glare, he turned away from her and stalked off, anger radiating off him in waves. Dominique spun in the opposite direction and stomped toward her townhouse. Her face felt hot, and her palms were sweating as she bit back all the angry words that wanted to spew out. He wasn’t even there to hear them. Her fingers itched for her phone to text him a piece of her mind, but she refrained. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to her any more than he already did.

When she reached her townhouse, she went inside and straight to her bedroom. The engagement ring was in the shallow dish she kept on her vanity. She stared down at it for a long moment, every inch of her resisting the idea of putting it on. Surely, she wouldn’t need to wear it in her own home.

Then, she remembered what he said about his parents having spies everywhere. Gods, she hoped that didn’t include her home, but still, she wasn’t going to risk it.

Discomfort filled her as she picked up the ring. It was almost painful as she slid the ring onto her left hand, settling it at the base of her finger. The stone winked at her in the low light of her bedroom. Then, she remembered what he said—that the stone was the exact color of her eyes.

She looked up and into the mirror over her vanity. He was right. Somehow, he’d managed to find a gemstone the same color as her irises.

Why did that unsettle her so much?

Before she could figure out the answer to that question, her phone chimed. She knew who it was before she even looked at it.

Sure enough, when she picked it up, the text was from Ronan.

I want proof you’re wearing it.

Narrowing her eyes at the screen, Dominique was tempted to ignore him, but she couldn’t discount his threat to contact her family. It wasn’t worth the risk of them getting involved.

She turned toward the window, letting the natural light wash over her hand and snapped a picture. With a few clicks and a whoosh, she sent it off to him.

A few seconds later, he replied.

Good girl.

Ire swelled inside her again, and she tossed her phone on the bed with an angry sigh. She hated those two words because they were condescending.

More importantly, she hated the phrase because she knew if he used it in a different context she would like it.