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Miriam felt small and inconsequential standing in the lobby of Dominic Kane's building. Her nerve failed her and she quickly turned on her toes to head back outside.
"Nope, not today," she thought out loud. She couldn't just walk into a high-profile building, ask to see some guy who worked there and then confront him on why she had been dreaming about him. And how would she explain that she actually did have what he was looking for but lied about it back at the store?
Yeah, that would go over well.
She trudged to the corner of the sidewalk and plopped herself down. The hot sun hung low in the sky, signaling the end of the day. He had probably already gone home for the night, she thought. She figured she might as well do the same, so she stood and began to make her way back to the bus stop.
As she walked by the back exit of the building, she noticed a black car parked by a door. She didn't pay much attention to it until the moment the door opened and a familiar figure stepped out.
Miriam sensed him instantly. Likewise, the dark figure sensed her, too.
She lifted her eyes and their gazes locked from across the lot. Her breath hitched in her throat.
She felt herself move towards him, her feet quickening their pace before her mind had time to register the action.
"Hey you!" she called out as she moved closer. She was both surprised and exhilarated by her sudden boldness. She stopped right before his car; she could sense that he was dangerous and her intuition urged her to keep some distance between them.
"Good afternoon," he said coolly. His voice was seductive and his eyes gleamed with recognition.
Miriam knew she had to speak before she lost her nerve. "Hey, look," she began, not sure exactly what to say now that she had his attention. "This may seem strange, but I somehow knew you before you came into the shop."
The seductive gleam slipped, the man before gave her a scrutinizing look. Miriam felt as if he could see right through her soul.
"How about we speak in a more private setting," he said, motioning towards the car with dark tinted windows.
"Oh, um," Miriam hesitated. It was one thing to confront this stranger in public; it was another to get into a car with him. Her common sense screamed to hightail it out of there while she still had the chance. But another part of her—a more primitive, almost ancient part—wanted her to get into the car despite the danger.
She knew it would be a mistake to accept his offer, but it was the only way to get the answers she was looking for.
She nodded her acceptance. The driver of the car instantly got out and came around to open the passenger door for her.
"Why do I have the sudden feeling that I'm making a terrible mistake?" she asked Dominic.
Dominic chuckled, low and deep. "I have that effect on people."
The car was spacious, comfortable, and the divider between the front and back seat afforded plenty of privacy.
As Dominic settled into the seat next to her, she felt like his presence consumed the back compartment despite the substantial space between them.
The car started to move and Miriam had the feeling, once again, that she was making a mistake. She chose to ignore that feeling for the time being and turned towards her enigmatic companion.
"I had asked for you to contact me if you found anything resembling the medallion I’ve been looking for. You must have something to tell me if you’re here."
"I–" she began before cutting herself off. She wasn't ready to give that information quite yet. "Why would you think that I might potentially know something?" she evaded.
"By that gleam in your eye," he teased.
It caught Miriam off guard. Despite his intensity, he had this gentle side about him that seemed so uncharacteristic. She raised her eyebrow as her curiosity grew. She attempted to beat him at his own game by throwing him a mystery.
"I dreamt about you last night," she confessed. As she spoke, she searched his face for clues.
His brow furrowed as he concentrated. "And what did you see?" he asked her with complete detachment.
"I, um," she tried to start a few times, but the whole surrealism of the moment kept throwing her off. "I saw you in another time," she explained. "I saw you talking to Queen Elizabeth. It felt so real, as if it hadn’t been a dream at all; I felt like I was actually there."
"I see," he mused. "And what makes you think that it wasn't just your imagination?"
"Because of this." She pulled the medallion from her pocket and held it up to him, waving the piece in the air. "Because I'd never seen you before this showed up on our doorstep yesterday evening."
"May I see it?" he asked, holding out his large palm.
Miriam placed it in his hand, but the moment that the medallion touched his skin, a burst of hot energy shot through her.
She saw Dominic with a feral look: lips curled, nostrils flaring, eyes blazing red. She knew that he couldn't be human. Yet, despite this revelation, she didn't fear him.
"Are you ok?" He broke her out of the trance that had suddenly come over her.
"I—" she stuttered. "Yes, I'm fine." Miriam eyed him with new understanding and growing curiosity, feeling herself drawn to him in ways that she couldn't explain. She knew, now, that he wasn't telling her the whole truth. She also knew that he was, in fact, the man from her dream.
"I think you may have a gift, Ms–" he caught himself. "I believe we have never been formally introduced. Dominic Kane." He spoke without extending his hand to touch hers; he knew something had happened the first time their hands touched and didn't wish for it to be repeated.
"Miriam," she breathed.
"Miriam," he echoed. The way he spoke her name sent shivers down her spine and caused something sensual within her to stir.
"Yes?" she whispered, suddenly very aware of the close proximity of their bodies.
"I believe you possess the ability to see the previous lives of objects," he explained. "This particular object," he suddenly held up the medallion and twirled it around his fingers, "has belonged to my family for several generations." Just as quickly, he put it away in a blur of motion that Miriam was barely able to detect. "You saw my ancestor in a moment when he was carrying it with him."
Miriam knew he was lying. She saw him, not his great-great grandfather. Why would he attempt to conceal that fact?
"Oh, really?" She acted as if this was news to her. She already knew that she had a rare, uncanny ability for sensing the history of objects. No special "gifts" are needed in order to have a bullshit radar, though.
"I wonder… Can you see who had the object right before it came to you?" As he spoke, he closed the distance between them.
Miriam could feel her heart racing with the awareness of their bodies and a strange energy crackled between them
Just then, the car came to a stop. "Would you like to come up?" he asked in that sensual voice again. His gaze was level with hers, intense and heated.
Miriam knew that her luck was running out. She had already made two mistakes—showing up at his office and then getting into his car—and she wasn't sure if she had enough lives to survive a third.
She shot him a heated look of her own from under her thick lashes. "I think I can be persuaded," she answered teasingly.
His sensual lips rose at the edges and curved into a subtle smile. "I take that as a challenge."
Miriam leaned forward, aching to close the distance between them. Not only did she want to touch him in order to reveal more of his secrets, but she also wanted to see what would happen if they let the energy between them loose.
"I would like to see your efforts," she spoke as her own lips revealed a teasing smile.
"Good then." He abruptly pulled back and reached for the handle of his door, the spell of the moment broken by his sudden movement.
Miriam was taken aback by the intensity of her own response. She had never been bold like this—especially not with a man as intense and dangerous as the one before her. Yes, she’d had flings with a few boys in college, but those were boys.
Dominic was most certainly a grown man, and this, whatever it was, was certainly not a fling.
She felt desire pool deep within her belly, but tried to ignore how wildly attractive she found him. It was more than just his handsome looks; something about his dark energy pulled her in and made him absolutely irresistible.
She knew that if she chose to follow him, she would be going down a dangerous road.
She chose to go anyway.