Distraction (Club Destiny Book 8)

by Nicole Edwards

  Especially tonight. From the instant he saw her, Dylan’s mind had wandered to places it had no business being. However, the mere thought of Sarah and this guy together… Yep, it had the green-eyed monster rearing its ugly head. Whether he had the right or not, Dylan felt something darkly possessive in his soul. He wanted to insert himself between the two of them and insist that Sarah stop smiling at the asshole.

  “Excuse me,” he muttered to those at his table, though no one seemed to be paying any attention to him.

  Without stopping to chat with anyone else, Dylan wound his way through the tables and toward the narrow hall that led to the restrooms. He caught a glimpse of cream as Sarah disappeared inside the ladies’ room. Rather than go in after her—though rather tempting—he leaned against the wall a few feet from the door and waited for her.

  Several minutes later, after two other women slipped by him, Sarah emerged. She was smiling … right up until her gaze met his.

  “Dating car salesmen?” he said by way of greeting, unable to hold back the bite of jealousy that had ripped through him the instant he’d seen Sarah with another man. He knew it wasn’t fair to her that he’d been disappointed to see that she had a boyfriend, but he couldn’t help but speak his mind.

  Her blond eyebrows darted downward. “Do you know him?”

  Well, hell. It had been a joke. “No.” Dylan pushed up from the wall. “Is he really a car salesman?”

  Sarah watched him warily, nodding. She circled him, as though trying to keep from getting cornered. Dylan pretended not to notice.

  “You been dating him long?”

  “We’re not really dating,” she blurted, but her lips slammed closed as though she hadn’t meant to say that. The words that tumbled out next confirmed it. “Actually, yes. Yes, I have. We’re dating. Officially. For a few months. Many dates.”

  When she glanced toward the ceiling, he wondered if she worried that lightning was going to strike her where she stood because that had been one whopper of a lie if he’d ever heard one.

  Dylan stared at her for several seconds, their eyes locked. Memories of that night so long ago flashed through his mind. So many emotions he’d suppressed since then flooded back, stirring things up inside him. A mixture of anger and jealousy, longing and desire settled deep in his gut.

  He had known this woman for what felt like forever, and at one point they’d even been friends. Of course, he’d gone and ruined that by introducing sex into the mix. That night, so long ago yet still fresh in his memories, was probably his biggest mistake. Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it, because he had. Immensely. However, it had drawn more emotion from him in the few short minutes he’d been with her than he’d expressed in years before that. Quite frankly, his reaction to Sarah had scared the shit out of him. Not since his wife had Dylan ever felt something like this. Hell, not since Meghan had Dylan felt much of anything at all.

  Until Sarah.

  And here she was again, a beautiful temptation that he couldn’t seem to resist.

  There was some sort of magnetic force that drew Dylan closer to the sensual being still eyeing him cautiously, causing him to close the distance as he backed her up against the wall. To his surprise, she was watching him the same way she’d watched him the night he’d come over to her house and…

  He smiled at the memory of how her body had clasped his so perfectly. Damn, what he wouldn’t give to bury himself in her heat once more. Right here. Right now. To feel that bone-jarring intensity one more fucking time.

  If the woman only knew all the devious thoughts he’d had where she was concerned.

  Sarah Davis had an innocence about her that she would never be able to shake. No amount of tattoos would be able to dim that naïve glow that lit her pretty eyes. From her heart-shaped face to her plump, cupid’s-bow lips and the look of wide-eyed wonder in her dark blue eyes, the woman was purity reincarnate. Red lipstick, smoky eyes, and jet-black eyeliner did nothing to disguise that. He could still remember all the things he’d wanted to do to her, all the ways he’d hoped to have her. It had been about sex at the time. Pure, untainted lust.

  And he knew his lust ran deep and hot. If he was alone with this woman for any amount of time, he’d strip her of her innocence and ruin her for eternity.

  She deserved so much better than him. Both then and now.

  “What do you want, Dylan?” Sarah’s sweet, raspy voice was barely a whisper. “I really need to get back to my date.”

  Okay, so maybe she wasn’t looking at him exactly the same way as she had all those years ago.

  He lifted his hand, and before he knew what he was doing, he slid his knuckles over the smooth line of her jaw. For the past 1,156 days, Dylan had thought about this woman. Hell, even before then. Ever since that night … the night that had changed him in so many ways. The night he’d fucked her up against the wall, giving a piece of himself to her without even realizing it.

  Although she probably didn’t know, that night had been a turning point for him. He’d spent a few more days spiraling completely out of control before he hit rock bottom. But it had been what he’d done to her—the way he’d used her—that had made him wake up and realize the shit storm that had become his life.

  “Dylan … don’t.”

  Pulling back, he realized what he was doing and saw the anger etched into the soft, smooth lines of Sarah’s face. Apparently what they’d shared that night hadn’t lingered with her the way it had with him. Then again, he wouldn’t know because he had walked away and never looked back. He wanted to believe he would have, had it not been for the fact she’d said he was a distraction, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe that was just his excuse.

  Without another word, Sarah moved around him, still watching him closely before turning and disappearing from his life once again.

  “Fuck,” he muttered, leaning up against the wall, anger churning in his gut. Anger at himself mostly.

  What the hell had he expected to happen just then? Had he really thought the woman would forgive him? That she’d run right into his arms and tell him she’d be open to his deepest, darkest fantasies? He doubted his overbearing attitude would get him far, even if she had considered it.

  Sighing, he pushed off the wall and headed back out to the party.

  He knew exactly what he’d been hoping for. The same thing he’d been hoping for since the night he walked out of her house.

  A do-over.

  Fuck being a damn distraction.

  Dylan wanted to be this woman’s everything.

  SARAH WASN’T SURE WHAT HAPPENED back in that hallway, but it took a few seconds before she could get her breathing under control. Coming face-to-face with Dylan like that… It had caused the memories and emotions to rush back, leaving her feeling as psychologically wrecked as if it had been yesterday.

  Three years and two months wasn’t enough time to forget something that had altered her in ways she hadn’t expected. Made her want things she never thought she’d want again. Dylan Thomas had shattered her world more than it already had been. Worse, the man had left her feeling more alone than ever.

  Sure, Paul held the award for damaging her beyond recognition. For destroying her world, stealing her dreams, eliminating her hopes. But Dylan wasn’t too far behind. He’d put the nail in the coffin, so to speak. Just when she’d become hopeful that there was life after the painful mourning of her husband, Dylan Thomas robbed her of that.

  And it was her own damn fault.

  Paul wasn’t here for her to punish for hurting her so deeply. Sometimes Sarah pretended he was, shouting into the empty house, cursing him for leaving her. She knew she had no recourse when it came to Paul. One day, if they saw each other in the afterlife, she vowed to give him a piece of her mind. Until then, she had to come to terms with it.

  But Dylan…

  He’d walked right back into her life as though that night had never happened. But the man was delusional if he thought they could pretend that he hadn’t walked away.
He’d used her that night, the same as she’d used him. Not once had she ever blamed him since; however, she damn sure wasn’t interested in going back there, reliving it. Although she didn’t hold it against him, that didn’t mean she hadn’t hoped he would show up on her doorstep again.

  Not now, though. He was three years too late.

  “Hello, lovely.”

  Sarah forced a smile as she looked up at her date.

  Bill Kasin. Car salesman of the year for two years straight.

  God, what was she thinking?

  She wished she could’ve felt something for this guy, but it just wasn’t working for her. Sure, he was nice. And she genuinely liked him. As a friend. Ever since he paid for her coffee at Starbucks all those months ago, she’d entertained the notion of dating him. However, more often than not, Sarah had turned down his advances, made up excuses as to why she couldn’t go out with him, instead staying home with her cats like a crazy old lady with absolutely no life. If it weren’t for her monthly visits to her therapist, her daily phone calls with her mother, and her once-in-a-while girls’ nights with her best friend, Jenny, Sarah would’ve long ago been institutionalized.

  Apparently, she’d gotten a burr in her butt tonight because she’d called Bill at the last minute and asked him to come with her. Truthfully, she’d thought he would be busy—she’d hoped he would be busy—and unable to attend. Instead, he had sounded far too excited to accept her offer of a dinner date. Not that she thought of this as a date, but it seemed he certainly did. The guilt she felt was overshadowed by her need to keep herself busy. With her mother always on her butt about how she needed to get out there and date, Bill had been a saving grace for a while.

  Yes, she was using him. Yes, she felt guilty about that. No, she didn’t intend to do anything about it either.

  Not yet. Not until she could get her head on straight.

  Unfortunately, coming here tonight didn’t help at all. Seeing Dylan again… Sarah wasn’t sure how long it would take to get over him this time. No one knew that she’d spent months trying to forget about him because no one knew what had happened between them. And she had no desire to tell anyone, either.

  Dylan Thomas was a ghost from her past, one that she fully intended to leave there. In the past.

  “You ready to go?” Bill asked sweetly.

  “Let me say good night to Jake.”

  Taking Bill’s proffered hand, Sarah moved around the room to where Jake was standing in the corner talking to Dylan’s son, Nate. She felt eyes on her as she walked, but she resisted the urge to see who or where they were coming from. She had a good idea.

  In a matter of a few seconds in Dylan’s presence, something intense had passed between them. The same unspoken emotions from so long ago. Lust, need, desire. Something that she didn’t want to experience again. It had taken her changing her entire life to forget the men from her past, and now that she’d accomplished that feat, she had no intention on back tracking. Ever.

  Hating to interrupt but needing to get out of there, Sarah stepped up to the two men who appeared to be in a heated conversation.

  “Hey, Aunt Sarah.” Jake’s attention flew to her as he stood up straight. He looked like a kid who had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  Cocking an eyebrow, she stared between the two men for a moment. Nate was making a point not to make eye contact and succeeding.

  Clearing her throat, Sarah smiled. “I just wanted to let you know that we’re gonna go.”

  Jake smiled, but it looked forced. He leaned down and hugged her tightly, thanking her for coming.

  “My pleasure.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow?”

  Sarah nodded. “Of course.” Glancing between the two men again, Sarah tried to figure out what was up. When it was clear she wasn’t going to be able to, she nodded. “Good night. You boys be good.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jake said with a wicked grin.

  “Nice to meet you,” Bill added. “I promise to get her home safely.”

  Sarah rolled her eyes. She was a complete idiot. The guy standing beside her was a good one. One she’d be smart to keep around for a while.

  But that didn’t explain why her gaze instantly—and against her wishes—strayed all the way across the room and landed on the one man she could never have, the one man she knew would never belong to anyone ever again because the woman who owned his heart had died holding it, eleven years ago.

  Half an hour later, Bill pulled up in front of Sarah’s house. As hard as she’d tried, keeping up a conversation with him had been futile. The man preferred to talk about cars and work, and since she had no input on either, she usually kept her mouth shut. Because they had very little in common, they never managed to get to know one another, no matter how many times they’d tried.

  When he put the car in park, Sarah had the overwhelming urge to bolt, but she knew that would be rude.

  “Sarah?”

  Turning her attention to him, she pasted another smile on her face. She was getting tired of pretending, tonight more than most nights.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded. “Fine. Just tired.”

  “Would you like me to come in? We could watch TV, have some wine?”

  God, that was the last thing she wanted. “I think I’m gonna go to bed.”

  His eyes lit up as though she’d offered him an invitation.

  “Thanks for coming with me,” she blurted, reaching for the door handle.

  “Lemme walk you to the door.”

  “No, you don’t need to do—” That was as far as she got before Bill was out of the car and walking around to her door. She waited patiently as he helped her out.

  When he took her hand, she fought the urge to pull away from him, allowing him to lead her to the door.

  Sarah took her time searching for her keys in her purse. When she finally found them, she looked up at Bill. “Thanks again … for going with me. For walking me to my door.” She glanced at the door.

  His desire to kiss her was written on his face, and the mere thought of his lips touching hers made her stomach churn. She turned away quickly, shoving her key in the lock.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” she said and then darted inside, talking to her cats before Bill could get another word in. She managed another smile at him before closing the door in his face.

  What in the world was wrong with her? How could she possibly be so rude?

  Uggh.

  Despite the fact that she wasn’t proud of her behavior, Sarah didn’t open the door to see if Bill was still standing there.

  Sure, she was disgusted with herself, but she wasn’t crazy.

  Not entirely anyway.

  chapter THREE

  Monday morning

  DYLAN WOKE EARLY, BUT HE refused to get out of bed immediately. Rather than heading to the gym, then making his way over to the CISS office, he remained right where he was, staring at the ceiling as his thoughts overtook him. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get Sarah off his mind. Nothing he did allowed him to escape the events that had taken place three years earlier.

  Standing in Sarah’s house, Dylan realized he was about to cross a line he would never be able to uncross. He was going to do something that would forever alter the course of their friendship, yet he didn’t want to turn around and leave.

  He couldn’t seem to look away from her, couldn’t stop himself from touching her. When he’d asked to come over, Dylan hadn’t known why he needed to see her, but he had. A desperate, all-consuming need had clawed at his gut until he’d forced himself to call her.

  And here he was, touching her, the back of his finger sliding over the smooth skin of her jaw as he reached to remove the clip from her hair. He watched the silky blond ringlets bounce down around her shoulders. God, she was sweet. Too sweet. Too innocent for what he wanted from her.

  “Sa—”

  Dylan didn’t even know what he wanted to say, but she cut hi
m off before he could, her fingers brushing over his lips. He couldn’t stop looking at her, noticing the way she shook her head. Fearful that she would tell him to leave, Dylan made his next move, tilting her head back by curling his finger beneath her chin. He caught her gaze briefly, silently urging her to want him as much as he wanted her.

  When Sarah’s lips parted, Dylan tentatively met her tongue with his, the breath lodged in his lungs when she fisted his shirt in her small hands. He tried to stay calm, tried to keep his body under control.

  That lasted all of three seconds.

  Unable to stop himself, Dylan plundered her mouth, crushing his body to hers as he sought all that she could give him. The woman was fire in his arms, obliterating his mind, all his good intentions up in smoke. A growl rumbled up from his chest, her arms wreathing his neck as he gave himself over to the sensations. Sensations he hadn’t felt in years. He tugged at the sides of her shirt, sending the tiny buttons flying. He needed to get closer, needed to feel her soft skin on his. It was all he could think about. Quenching the overwhelming lust that had consumed him. He hadn’t been with a woman in years, hadn’t wanted to.

  Not until Sarah.

  “All the things I want to do to you…” He didn’t get to finish his sentence, needing her mouth on his again.

  Jesus H. Christ.

  There were so many fantasies racing through his head. He imagined Sarah straddling Chris while Dylan’s cock tunneled in and out of her mouth. It had been years since he’d thought about sharing a woman with his best friend, but now it seemed to be all he could think about.

  He could practically feel the warmth on his dick, the lust fizzing beneath his skin as his friend gave her so much damn pleasure she couldn’t stand it. He wanted to share her, to see another man pleasure her. It was something he’d longed to do again, and he needed that as much as he needed this.

  But Sarah wasn’t that woman. She didn’t strike him as the kind who would enjoy that sort of intimacy, the eroticism of having two men inside her at the same time…