“Dylan, we were too young, the first time. You were right about that. But I’m not letting this happen this time.”
Dylan, whose eyes had dropped as he gave his speech, looked up again, an expression of hope mingled with fear on his face. “Lexi, do you mean it?”
“Maybe it will be hard, maybe it will all be okay. I don’t care, one way or another. I want you. If you want me, then we have to fight for it.” Alex was shaking, holding back tears. Would he reject her?
Dylan slowly shook his head. Oh, God! He was going to reject her. Her skin flushed and she dropped her gaze. But then his arms were around her, even the injured one. He pulled her closer and whispered, “I do want you. I just don’t want to hurt you again.”
Alex tucked her face into the hollow between his shoulder and his neck and murmured, “I’m a big girl now, Dylan. I can’t promise we can work out our differences, but we’ll never know if we don’t try. I want to try.”
“Then so do I. Baby, we need to get out of town. People are watching us wherever we go. Come to Tucson with me tonight.” Tonight? Was this going to be the first problem?
“Dylan, I can’t…I’ve got school tomorrow, and I should be at work in the morning. I didn’t go in today.”
“It’s not like your dad’s going to fire you. I have work in the morning, too, but I’ll call in. We have to talk, and it needs to be in private. We can’t get privacy anywhere in Dodge. You know we can’t.”
She knew he was right. Giddiness came over her as she realized she was going to do it—she was going to do something impulsive and totally out of character. “Okay, but I need to get some stuff…wait, Dylan, we’ll have to take separate cars!”
“So we’ll take separate cars. What else do you need?” Dylan followed Alex into her bedroom as she began listing what she should gather to take.
“My school stuff, my tablet, a change of clothes, some makeup…”
He interrupted the litany. “OK, hurry. Your dad…”
“What the hell is going on here?” said a familiar voice. Dad. At least he didn’t have a gun this time.
Dylan froze. Alex looked from his wide eyes to her dad’s. Well, she had to make the break sometime. Dad knew she was an adult, and he knew she had her own plans. This hadn’t ever been part of them, but if she was ever going to make a stand, now was the time.
“I’m going to Tucson with Dylan, Dad. I won’t be home until after school tomorrow night.” With a show of calm, she picked up her bag, took Dylan’s hand and led him out of the room. Neither he nor her dad had spoken a word yet. As she passed him, she gave her dad a peck on the cheek, gently lifted his hanging jaw to close his mouth and patted his cheek.
“See you tomorrow.”
~~~
Three hours later, Alex and Dylan were in a restaurant, both fidgeting as they waited for the check. Alex had driven the conversation every time it threatened to stop. Dylan seemed distracted, and she’d brought him back to the present each time his gaze wandered away by asking about his brothers. How had he decided to adopt them? What was holding up the process? Where were they going to live?
He’d shared his hopes and dreams for them, that he could give them more opportunities than he’d had. And his misgivings about knowing how to raise them. That was something to think about, too, if their relationship progressed. She didn’t say anything about it, though. It was too soon.
Neither of them had raised the subject that was most on Alex’s mind. What would happen later tonight? They’d stopped at a hotel to get accommodations and leave Alex’s car before going to eat. Dylan had asked her if she wanted separate rooms.
“If we’re going to talk, shouldn’t we be in the same room?” she’d answered. Was it too bold? Did he think she was angling for them to get intimate this soon? He’d come back with two keys to the same room. A double queen, he’d said. There’d be two beds, if…well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it. For now it was enough to raise her easy blush just remembering they’d be in the same room.
Something else made her blush again. She wasn’t on birth control—there’d been no need. She would have to tell him he’d need to get a condom if…but how could she say that? She’d made all the moves so far.
~~~
Dylan noticed Alex blushing again. She’d been doing it all through dinner, regardless of the topic of conversation. What was wrong with her? It was distracting. Each time it happened, he’d look away to allow her to regain control, and then she’d ask him another question. He was beginning to wonder if he’d misread her intentions. He still didn’t know if she was a virgin. It would be unusual at her age, but she was sheltered, and it was a small town. Better safe than sorry. Fortunately, he had condoms with him if it came to that. But, how the hell was he going to approach it?
Their history was seriously in the way. If it hadn’t been for that night four years ago, he’d just do what came naturally. But the memory of the night and what had happened stopped him cold every time he thought of touching her. Was she having the same problem? Was that what all the blushes were about? He’d have to take the lead. Sure, she was older now, but he’d bet his last nickel she still wasn’t as experienced as he was, even though that wasn’t anything to brag about. Why the hell couldn’t he keep his mind off it and just talk to her?
Dylan opened the door for Alex to exit the restaurant, still thinking so hard he could barely hold up his end of the conversation. Lucky Alex was a little chatterbox. He opened the car door for her. Surprising even himself, he leaned in and kissed her. When he backed out, her eyes were closed, but she was smiling.
“Buckle up.” Alex’s eyes flew open. The sparkling blue gaze almost pulled him right back in. Dylan felt his mouth curving up in a smile for her and the look on her face made him grab for the car door, to keep from floating away. Now he knew how a helium balloon felt. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so awkward after all. He was still smiling as he got behind the wheel and drove toward their hotel.
He’d sprung for a suite, but the room when they saw it didn’t fit his expectations of a suite. There wasn’t a separate sitting room, just a table with two padded chairs tucked into one corner of a room dominated by two large beds. Alex’s face flamed again as she walked into the space. Dylan looked away, when he really wanted to take in everything about her, from her shining auburn hair to the sandaled feet at the end of the long, long legs. How could such a petite girl have such long legs?
“Dylan.”
“Hmmm?”
“You’re staring.”
He snapped his eyes away from her legs. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. Listen, I think we should catch up. We really can’t know what’s in store for us in the future, so let’s talk about what happened to each other while we were apart.”
“Um, I went to school, got my law enforcement certificate. For the next couple of years I drifted from seasonal job to seasonal job, trying to get on as a permanent employee. It’s not easy to do, in the Park Service. Finally, I did. Then I heard from her doctor that Mom needed me at home, I took about three months to get the transfer to ORPI, and here I am. Your turn.”
Alex giggled, a four-note rising melody that entranced Dylan. He wanted to make her do it again. “Okay, smarty. What have you been up to that’s so interesting?”
“Me? No, I’m not interesting. I mean, you know three of those four years were me finishing high school. Then I enrolled in college in Casa Grande. I attend classes two days a week, and the rest is distance learning. I’m half-way through my sophomore year.” For some reason Dylan couldn’t fathom, she blushed again. But, she’d left him an opening.
“Who’d you date after I left?”
The blush deepened and she dropped her eyes. “Oh, just a few guys, no one special.”
“And there’s no one special now?”
“No. You kind of ruined me for special,” she said, defying her own self-consciousness to stare him in the eyes. It was so sexy he hardened instantly. Sh
e was looking at his eyes, but they must have given him away, because hers widened.
“Is that so?” Dylan had been standing at the foot of the bed, but now took three steps toward her. She didn’t retreat. He took another and was standing close to her, looking down at her tilted face. He touched her cheek, then bent and brushed a tentative kiss across her lips. Her mouth parted and then he gathered her in with his arms, barely noticing the minor pain in his injured one.
The kiss could have lasted an hour or only a moment. Time stopped until she swayed against him, molding her body to his. She gasped into his open mouth when she felt the evidence of his desire against her lower belly. The small sound made him flare again, and he tightened his hold on her. She allowed it for a moment, and then pulled away a little.
“Dylan, I…we need to talk.”
With difficulty, Dylan slowly released her. “Okay. I’m sorry.”
“No, I mean, don’t be sorry,” she said. She still stood close to him, and she brushed the back of her hand against the erection straining in his jeans. “This…I want this, but, oh God, how embarrassing. Dylan, I’m not on birth control. You, uh, you have to go out and…”
Relief flooded him. He hadn’t misinterpreted. “I have some condoms, Lexi, if that’s what you’re worried about. But, we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready, or not comfortable with it. I’m sorry I got carried away.”
Her smile was like the sun coming out after a rainstorm. Dylan lost himself in it for a moment. “I’m ready. Or at least, I think I’m ready. I have to tell you one more thing. I’ve never done this before. Just almost.” Her eyes twinkled as she spoke about their near-miss.
“Your dad’s not outside the door with his shotgun, is he?” Dylan joked. Then he stepped closer to her again and took her in his arms. “I’ll make it special for you, Lexi.”
Dylan took control then, entangling his fingers in her hair to pull her head back so he could nuzzle her neck, then returning to her lips for deeper kisses. As he kissed her, he moved closer to her until she had to step back. This steered her gently toward the nearest bed until her legs were against it, and then he lowered her to it and followed her down. He’d never been with a virgin before, but neither had he ever cared as much for the one he was with as he did for Lexi. His touches were feather-light as he removed her clothing, bit by bit.
~~~
Alex wanted to pinch herself, to make sure she wasn’t dreaming again. Dylan’s sweet and slow seduction sent contradictory sensations to every nerve ending she had. Tingles that felt like the air during a close thunderstorm set her skin buzzing, while at the same time, something deep inside her body was melting in the heat of his passion. When his lips and tongue touched her nipple for the first time, a gasp of pleasure escaped her, and he growled in response. After that, she lost herself in wave after wave of rising pleasure, until he gently parted her legs and eased into her. A bit of discomfort brought her back to the here and now, but it didn’t last long.
When he was spent, he rolled off her and pulled her into his arms, cradling and rocking her until her tears dried. “Lexi, are you okay? Did I hurt you?” He was so sweet, stroking her like a cat until she almost purred like one.
“No, it didn’t hurt.” Well, it had, a little, but she didn’t want to worry him, because then he might not do it again. Somehow she knew it would be even better next time. And all the rest—wow. He could do all of it again right now. His body fascinated her, with its planes and ridges. Shyly, she touched the part of him that made them different, and giggled when it jumped in response.
“Don’t do that, unless you want to start all over again,” Dylan said.
“Maybe I do.”
Afterward, as they lay entwined, Alex reflected it was probably lucky her dad had stopped them the first time. Otherwise, she’d have followed Dylan when he left, dropped out of school, run away from home. Because she never wanted to be without this feeling again. And she suspected it would require renewing sometimes. Often, if life were fair, despite her Nana saying life wasn’t fair. She drifted to sleep, already hating she’d have to leave him for a whole day, come morning. Maybe she’d wake him early, and they could make love again. Now she’d had a taste, she wanted all she could get.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tuesday July 22
Dylan stopped at home after work to check on his mom and found Ange watching reruns on TV while Mom slept in her easy chair. “How’s it going?” he asked Ange.
“She’s been quiet all day. Hasn’t had much pain. You?”
“I’ve got some stuff to run down. Do you mind if I go out again? Or did you have plans?” Dylan knew Lexi wouldn’t be home from Casa Grande until later, so this would be a good time to nose around for some idea of what Rufio had been doing before his death.
“I don’t mind. I had a date, but he canceled. Something about being short-handed and he had to cover for one of the other deputies,” she said, never looking up from the TV where some sarcastic woman judge was meting out justice and lectures in equal measure.
“Deputy? I didn’t know you were dating a deputy. Who is it?” Dylan assumed it was Joe and thinking he really got around. The rest were all married.
“Bill Hicks,” she said, still intent on the TV.
“What? You’re dating a married man?” That didn’t fit with the Ange he knew.
“No, you jerk. You know I wouldn’t date a married man. Bill’s wife left him three months ago. He signed the divorce papers last week.” Three months ago was before Dylan got back to town, and he wasn’t plugged into the grapevine. Still, he was surprised. Bill was easily fifteen years older than Ange.
“Isn’t he kind of old for you?” Dylan finally got Ange’s full attention by following his thought with a rude question.
“How many single guys my age have you seen around here, Dylan Chaves? I’m not looking to be an old maid,” said the single thirty-two year old. By most definitions in these parts, she already was. He figured he’d better change the subject anyway.
“So, why are they shorthanded?”
“Joe Hendricks is on vacation for a week,” she said. That wasn’t good news. It meant he’d have to wait a week to confront Joe about his treatment of Alex.
Before going out, Dylan rummaged around in the kitchen for something to eat. There wasn’t much besides canned soup and crackers, but he did find a package of hot dogs, so he cut a couple up into a can of Mom’s chicken noodle soup, loaded the mess up with crackers, and wolfed it down fast enough not to taste it. Maybe he’d better pick up some real food, before DCS made a home visit and decided he didn’t know how to feed kids. He’d do that after an hour at the Rattler, where he hoped to hear something that would give him some direction.
Dylan left for the bar around eight o’clock. He didn’t expect to see many people there, which was fine. Easier to start up a conversation that way, talk to people who had nothing better to do than talk to him. The deserted parking lot made him wonder if he’d see anyone at all; but when he stepped inside, there sat Paul Ward, having a beer all by himself. The bartender was missing.
“Hey, Paul. What’s up? Where’s Jen?” With no witnesses, now was as good a time as any to have it out with Alex’s dad, if he was going to object to what had happened last night.
“She ran out for some hamburger patties. The food-supply truck was late. I told her I’d keep an eye on things, seeing as how it’s so busy.” He raised a quizzical eyebrow and darted a glance around the empty room. Dylan laughed. Apparently, they were going to ignore it. That was a relief.
“So, you tending bar, or what? I could use a beer.”
“Help yourself. You can settle with Jen when you get back.” It was one of the things Dylan had forgotten he liked about a small town. People trusted their neighbors here, and with good reason. Most of the crime here came from out of town. He got off the barstool and went around the bar, took a bottle of Coors Light from the cooler and went back.
“So, anything eart
hshaking coming out in tomorrow’s paper?” Probably the news of Rufio’s identification and the ongoing investigation was probably about as earthshaking as it was going to get. Paul confirmed it.
“You on your own tonight, Paul? When will Alex be home?”
“Around nine or nine-thirty,” he answered.
“So, she goes over to Casa Grande, what, Tuesdays and Thursdays?” Dylan remembered her saying she’d get home too late to see him last Thursday. It seemed like longer, so much had happened.
“Yeah,” he said. Paul wasn’t holding up his end of the conversation at all. Dylan looked away. He’d have expected more reaction, especially with their history. He couldn’t read Paul at all. Dylan thought about leaving, needed to leave, before something happened they’d both regret. But, he decided to stay long enough to wait for Jen to get back, and fell into silence.
Jen came in a couple minutes later, followed by two other men, one Latino and one white, Dylan thought, though his dreadlocked hair and tats made it hard to tell. He didn’t recognize either of them. It was true he’d been away for several years. These guys could belong in town, but they didn’t fit his image of the typical Dodge resident, and they for sure weren’t snowbirds.
He changed his mind about leaving now Jen was back, ordered another Coors Light and paid Jen for both. Now he was glad Paul wasn’t talking much, since it gave him the opportunity to listen in on the conversation at the other end of the bar. They weren’t talking loudly; he’d need to listen hard. He had the feeling it was important, though no way of understanding why he should feel that way.
“…replacement,” the dreadlock-guy said, a hint of anger in his tone. He looked up quickly and almost caught Dylan staring to see which voice belonged to which man. When he went on, Dylan figured the guy hadn’t seen him.
“[unintelligible]…stupid cop,” the other guy answered. He had a slight Latino accent.
“I know. Said he had to…don’t know…desert.” Dreadlock-guy. It was beyond frustrating that Dylan could only catch a few words here and there. Those words were very interesting, but without the rest, he could only guess at the subject matter. He pondered moving closer, decided it would be too obvious. Just then, Paul found his sociability and asked about his mom. Paul still wasn’t challenging him for taking his daughter out of town for the night, though he must have guessed what happened. Weird.
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