Dorran smiled at Bobby’s way of wording things. Everything was the best or awesome or great. It was so positive. He flipped through the book and saw that the boy was right. There were colorful illustrations among the printed words on almost every page.
“You seem like a Slytherin to me,” Bobby said thoughtfully, and it was clear that he was giving the matter serious consideration. “Some people think they’re the bad guys, but that’s not really true. Snape was a Slytherin, and he’s my favorite. I even named my cat after him.”
“Wow. I guess that makes you a superfan.”
“Not only that, but I know every single character’s name,” Bobby said proudly, his small chest puffed out with pride. “Even the small characters.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Did you hear that they have a new Harry Potter ride? I want to go so bad.”
The happy look on Bobby’s face faltered for just a second. Dorran wondered if he’d ever get the chance to experience that ride, and an uncomfortable heaviness settled in the center of his chest. He needed to change the subject. Casting his gaze around the immediate area, he spotted some building blocks.
“You want to build with those?” He asked, pointing. He was smart. How hard could it be for him to build a tall tower?
“Sure,” Bobby agreed. As he began building, he watched Bobby meticulously put the blocks together. Dorran was so distracted that he was just stacking blocks randomly and soon had a teetering tower that was clearly unstable. Bobby laughed.
“I’m thinking I have a building code violation here,” he said, and Bobby giggled. “Should’ve consulted an architect.”
Bobby’s light laughter made a grin cover Dorran’s face again even as his precarious stack of blocks went tumbling to the ground. Meanwhile, Bobby’s creation looked like some kind of castle. “Wow, dude! That looks like Hogwarts.”
Kerry watched Dorran interact with Bobby as they started a competition to build tower after tower, one taller than the one before, as they were trying to outdo one another. Most of Dorran’s fell, but she had the feeling he was doing that on purpose. He seemed to have completely forgotten she was there, but she didn’t mind one bit. In fact, she couldn’t stop smiling. This was a side of Dorran she’d never seen.
This was the side of Dorran she wanted to see. Maybe it was all starting to work. For a moment, she was hopeful that he was going to become the man she needed him to be.
As Dorran continued playing with Bobby, more and more kids began shuffling in. The sound of laughter flooded the room. Nurses started to crowd the door as well, smiling widely as they watched their patients playing and giggling with one of the richest guys in Silicon Valley. It wasn’t something you saw every day.
As more children joined, and Bobby introduced his new friend to the others, Dorran forfeited his blocks so that the other kids could play with them. It was easy to tell that they didn’t often use the room. It was a small space that was rather rundown. It could use some renovations and new toys. Even though it wasn’t the newest or the best, the kids still loved it. He couldn’t help feeling inspired by the spirit these children.
“Mr. Dorran, Mr. Dorran.” Bobby’s excited voice rang out across the noisy room. “Do you know any tricks or jokes?”
Dorran thought he was funny, but most of his humor was way too dark for young children. Maybe he could fake his way through it, though. The room got quiet, and all the kids looked at him as he walked to the front.
“Do I know any jokes? My middle name is jokes. Dorran Jokes Knight. That’s me.”
Truthfully, Dorran was his middle name, but he’d always gone by it. His first name, Robert, just didn’t fit him.
“What’s brown and sticky?” All the children busted out laughing before he could even tell the punch line. Having a kid’s sensibility, Dorran knew they were already thinking poop joke. He pulled an over-the-top disgusted face.
“Don’t be gross. It’s a stick.” The laughter got even louder, although he wasn’t sure the kids were laughing for the right reasons. Still, the sound of it was uplifting.
Dorran could have gone on for hours with his cheesy jokes. In fact, he did. He had barely checked his watch once when the nurses began to round up the kids to take them to their rooms.
“All right guys. As fun as Mr. Dorran is, it’s time for medicine and then dinner.” The kids groaned and whined as the nurses corralled them out of the playroom. All the children left the room except for Bobby, who lingered behind. He had a huge grin spread across his face.
Although a little wobbly, Bobby walked up to Dorran and handed over his watch, which had been hanging loosely on the boy’s wrist all afternoon. Dorran took it, knowing without a doubt that he’d never look at the thing again without thinking of the strong young boy.
“You’re so funny. Thanks for coming, Mr. Dorran.” He wrapped his arms around his legs, hugging the older man tightly. “Come see me again, please.”
Dorran was left speechless, which was something that didn’t happen often. All he could do was smile and wave as the little boy trotted off. He stood there for a moment, trying to take in the past few hours. It was almost surreal, as it wasn’t his usual idea of a good time. But he’d really enjoyed himself.
“Dorran, are you okay?” He turned and saw Kerry, looking at him with warmth in her eyes.
He nodded. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”
“I heard the nurses talking. It’s cancer. Stage three.”
“You know, sometimes life sucks. It isn’t fair.”
Kerry grabbed his hand and tugged him along. Although she knew she would see a different side of him, she never really thought she’d see this side of him. She didn’t know this Dorran, but she wanted to. There was a vulnerability to him that awakened her protective instincts.
“Come on, Mr. Dorran. Let’s go.”
They were mostly silent as they waited on the elevator. After everything they had experienced, it wasn’t exactly the time for small talk or witty banter. Kerry didn’t have it in her to make any remarks or tease him. There was something so different about this version of Dorran Knight. Kerry almost didn’t want it to end. What if they ended here and he just returned to the same self-centered ass he was before? As they left the hospital, she felt like she had more questions than answers. Where was this going to go from here?
“Well, I guess I’ll see you later, Ms. Donovan.”
Kerry felt her heart racing. She knew she wouldn’t be able to hold onto this moment, and these feelings, forever. She had barely realized that her fingers were intertwined with his until he began to pull away. Her grasp clenched tighter, causing Dorran to raise an eyebrow.
In one fluid motion, Kerry pulled him closer to her. Suddenly, she was thankful for her high heels. They brought her closer to his height. Reaching up, her lips crashed into his. He felt tense for a moment from the surprise of her kiss, although that didn’t last long. She snaked her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer as she felt him relax. Slowly, she felt his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her body even closer to his until their pelvises met.
Although Kerry had had her fair share of kisses, none of them had ever quite felt like this. The butterflies in the pit of her stomach were going crazy. If she was waiting for fireworks, she had surely gotten her sign.
Just as soon as the kiss began, it felt like it ended. Kerry pulled away gently, her eyes fluttering open to look into his. Her heart was racing as she let go of him. This is it. That’s all she could think. This was meant to be.
“This was amazing, Kerry.” She just nodded and watched as he got in his car.
Yeah, sometimes life sucks, she thought to herself, and sometimes life is amazing.
Chapter Six
“Really? You want to have a date here again?” Dorran looked around the office with a slight frown.
“The last time wasn’t a date, it was more of a . . . testing of the waters,” Kerry replied, from her seat behind her desk. She
was tidying the desk up a bit as they talked, as she hated a disorganized work pace. “This will be more fun.”
“I don’t know . . .”
“It’s my turn to plan our date,” she reminded him.
They had been going on regular dates for the last week, since their visit to the hospital, and had decided to take turns planning the outings. That had been Kerry’s idea, an attempt to get to know him better, figure out what made him tick, while still working to break his bad habits with her date choices. She was trying to expand his horizons a bit. Their last date had been three days ago, and Dorran had taken her to lunch . . . on Long Island. His explanation for this was that he wanted crab cakes and the place he took her had the best ones. What was supposed to be lunch date, turned into an all-day adventure.
She had lightly protested but couldn’t deny that the trip was amazing. The food was delicious, and the private jet was over-the-top. But then again, so was Dorran, so how could she expect anything else?
“Besides,” she continued, “I have a lot of work to catch up on this evening. My next book isn’t going to write itself, you know.”
This was something of a test for Dorran. She needed to know if he could respect the importance that her career had in her life. Sometimes it would have to come first. If he was going to be her man, he’d have to accept that.
Dorran grumbled under his breath but took a seat on the chaise lounge. Smirking to herself, Kerry reached under her desk and pulled out a large Thirty-One insulated tote bag that she had stashed under there this morning. She brought it over to the coffee table in front of the couch, perching herself on the edge of her own seat across from him.
“What’s that?”
“I thought we should have some food, since this is an official date and all.”
Kerry opened the basket and pulled out containers of food, kept cold by the ice packs she’d added to the bag. Lining the Tupperware up on the table in front of Dorran, she added napkins and plastic silverware as well.
“So…this is like a picnic?”
She looked up into Dorran’s face and saw amusement there.
She raised an eyebrow. “You better not be making fun of me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, accepting a paper plate from her even as the corners of his mouth twitched. “It’s just that you don’t seem like the type to prepare all this food.”
His eyes scanned the table, taking in the fruit salad, antipasto skewers, chicken salad sandwiches, and coleslaw.
“Okay, you might have a point there,” she said. “I might have bought the sandwiches and slaw already prepared from the store. And my friend Roxanne made the skewers. But I did make the fruit salad.”
“Sounds like you’re a whiz in the kitchen.”
His teasing smile made Kerry roll her eyes.
Focus, Kerry. Don’t let his charisma distract you.
Right. The plan.
Once they each had plates of food in front of them, it was time to spring her plan into action.“We’re going to play a game while we eat,” she said.
“Great. Strip poker?”
She shot him an unamused look. “Does that seem likely to you?”
“Hey, a guy can dream.”
The look he shot Kerry was heated, and she had to resist the urge to squirm under his gaze. Her body responded to him, coming alive as if he was physically touching her. But her mind was in control here, and she had a purpose to fulfill.
“We’ll be playing a word association game.”
“Like, you say a word, and I say the first thing that comes to my mind?”
“Exactly.”
“Not much of a game,” he complained as he popped a grape into his mouth.
“My date, my rules.”
“Okay, fine.” He leaned back on the chaise lounge with his plate on his lap. She couldn’t help noticing how much easier it was to get him to agree this time. Just a few short weeks ago, he’d been much more reluctant to “have his head shrunk.” She took this as a sign that her plan was working. He’d be her Mr. Right in no time.
She’d been picking at her food, and now she set it aside, picking up her notepad and a pen. She had a list of carefully chosen words along one side of the paper.
“You ready?”
“Sure, why not?” His voice was carefree, which was good. She didn’t want him to overthink this and give answers that he thought she wanted to hear. This exercise should help her understand the way he thinks.
“All right, what’s the first thing you think of when I say the word love?”
Dorran let out a low whistle and shook his head.“Wow, you’re pulling out the big guns right off the bat.”
“Just answer the question.”
He sighed.
“Fine. When I hear love, I think of my grandmother.”
Kerry hadn’t been expecting that, but that was kind of the point of the game. So, his mind went straight to familial love.
“How about money?”
“Freedom.”
She made a note on her notepad before continuing. “Satisfaction?”
“The Rolling Stones.”
Kerry paused, peering at him with narrowed eyes.
“What?” she asked. His eyes grew in wide-eyed innocence that she didn’t buy for a second. “The Rolling Stones?”
“Yeah, you know, the song Satisfaction.”
She just shook her head and clenched her teeth.
“You’ve never heard it?” His voice was incredulous.
“That’s not the point. You’re not taking this seriously.”
“I thought it was supposed to be fun.”
“It is,” she insisted. “But you have to do it right.”
“I was. The first thing that came to my mind was the band.”
Kerry pursed her lips. “Fine. Moving on…what comes to mind when you hear the word work?”
“Boring.” He didn’t miss a beat.
She made another note.
“Marriage?”
He hesitated.
“Don’t think about it. It’s not a trick, I just want to know the first word that you associate with marriage.”
“Mistake,” Dorran answered, looking slightly uncomfortable.
Well, that’s not good.
“Success?”
“Technology.”
“Woman?”
“The Rolling Stones.”
This time there was a twinkle in his eye.
Her voice sharp and cutting.“What?”
“Honky Tonk Women? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard that one, either.”
“How old are these songs?” She asked, then mentally chided herself for letting him get her off-topic. Dorran looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Probably from the sixties.”
“So, fifty years old? And you’re surprised I’m not familiar with them?”
“Some things are timeless.”
“I suppose that’s true,” she conceded. Time to get back on track. “Okay, how about the word red?”
“Uh…passion,” Dorran said, turning to look at her with a wicked grin. “Please tell me the next word on your list is black.”
“Why?” She turned suspicious as her eyes zeroed in on the word, which was indeed next on the list in her hand.
“Paint It Black,” he said, sitting up straight on the couch and setting his empty plate on the table. “Quite possibly the best Rolling Stones song out there. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your musical education is severely lacking. I’m going to have to rectify that.”
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”
“Ridiculously sexy, you mean?”
“No. Not really.” She lied, with a smirk on her face.
“So, what’s for dessert?” He peeked into the tote and the two Tupperware containers inside.
“We’re not done with our word association game yet.”
“I’m sure we can talk and eat at the same time,” he said. “Is this chocolat
e cake?”
“Yeah.”
“Tell you what, you come join me on the couch while we eat our dessert and I’ll keep playing your game. Deal?” He held both Tupperware containers in his big hands, looking completely relaxed while she considered whether or not it was wise to move closer to him.
Kerry wanted to have control here, that was the only way her plan could work. But the more time she spent with Dorran, the more out of control she felt. She wasn’t nearly done turning him into marriage material, but that didn’t mean she was immune to his charms. Plus, the man was unbelievably sexy.
Standing, she walked around the table between them and took a seat beside Dorran. The couch wasn’t meant for more than one person, so they had to sit close to one another, so close that their thighs were pressed together. She could feel his body heat radiating out and had to suppress a shiver.
“Did you make this?” He asked, looking down at the layered cake.
“I wish. Although it’s probably a good thing I can’t. I’d weigh three hundred pounds,” she said. “It came from a little bakery down the street.”
Kerry picked up her cake, then realized that she’d left her plastic fork on the other side of the table, where she’d been sitting before. She started to lean across the table to grab it, but Dorran lifted his own fork to her mouth.
“Here,” he said, holding a piece of cake to her lips. Their eyes clashed, blue on brown, and the air between them seemed charged with electricity. She leaned forward, and Dorran’s eyes were on her lips as she closed them around the fork. The moment was sensual, and a tingle ran up her spine.
After she’d taken the bite, Dorran turned his attention back to his slice, shifting slightly in a way that made her think he might have an erection. The thought flooded her with lust. She managed to let out an unsteady breath while she tried to get her bearings.
“So, you have any more words for me on that list of yours?” He took a big bite of the sweet dessert.
Oh. Right. The word association game. Shit. Focus, Kerry. Focus. It was funny how her objective here fled her mind when she got too close to Dorran. Picking up her notepad, Kerry bit her lip as she realized she had saved the most provocative word for last. She briefly considered ending the game now, but that felt like chickening out, and Kerry Donovan was no chicken.
Making Out with the Billionaire Page 6