Not that it mattered.
Either he’d forgotten what he’d said, been too drunk to remember, or he simply hadn’t cared, because when Dylan had shown up on her doorstep that dreary November night, it’d been evident what he wanted from her.
And she’d given it to him. Willingly.
Still, she didn’t have any regrets, and she decided long ago to put that incident in the past, where it belonged. But that didn’t mean she had stopped thinking about him. Not by choice, though. Actually, she’d spent more than her fair share of time trying to forget about Dylan. Only her lonely, twisted mind couldn’t completely expel him from her memories, and she’d spent the past three years thinking about him, about that night, about how she wished she’d had more time with him.
However, she knew he was broken. An empty shell of a man who spent his time drowning himself in sadness and alcohol as a way to forget that he’d lost the love of his life. As much as she’d wanted to help Dylan with his problems, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to do it. Not personally anyhow. Fixing herself had become her highest priority. It had required a tremendous amount of effort, but Sarah was happy with who she’d become.
Nothing had changed. She still didn’t want the responsibility of fixing anyone else.
Realizing she was still sitting there, in the middle of a sex club with the man who’d haunted her dreams for years, Sarah turned and glanced around. She had no idea how this night was going to go from here, but she couldn’t say she was disappointed in the turnout. No, she wasn’t thrilled with the way in which it had come about, but here she was, and she knew she needed to make the most of it.
Although, there was a tiny part of her that felt bad for Bill. It wasn’t that she liked him, but her compassionate side didn’t allow her to be mean to others. Even though, after bringing her here tonight and all but showing her what he really expected, Bill probably deserved it.
That reminded her … Bill was still there. Ew. The thought of doing any of the things these people were doing and having Bill watch made her skin crawl.
“Somethin’ wrong?” Dylan asked, pulling her attention back to him.
“Yeah,” she said, resigning herself to giving up before she got in over her head more than she already was. “I think I need to go.”
For a brief moment, what looked like disappointment flashed across his ruggedly handsome features, but then Dylan masked his emotions, likely shoving them down deep as he always had before.
“I think I’ll catch a cab.”
“I’ve got my truck,” he said quickly.
“You don’t have to do that, Dylan.” Sarah knew he’d come here with something in mind. She didn’t want him to leave because of her.
“If you leave, I’m leaving anyway.”
“I’m staying at a hotel tonight,” she told him.
“Is that an invitation?” he asked, heat glimmering in his eyes, his lips quirking up into a sexy smirk.
Sarah swallowed hard. A burn ignited in her belly, and she desperately wanted to find a way to quell the ache.
“It won’t be a threesome,” she blurted.
His eyebrow quirked. “I don’t require it,” he stated, his tone soft, reassuring. “But I enjoy it. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to have you all to myself.”
Oh, God. There was no way she could resist this man.
“Is it an offer?” he repeated.
Sarah considered that for a moment. She swallowed hard and said, “Maybe.”
God, what was she doing?
“Good.” His eyes leveled on her face. “Then let’s go back there. Worst case, I’ll get my own room.”
Sarah knew she should simply call it a night, not entertain the notion of being with Dylan again, but the thought of walking away from him didn’t sit well with her.
“Okay,” she finally told him, getting to her feet.
“Did you bring a coat?” he asked when they stepped into the reception area.
“No.” She hadn’t had one that would’ve looked right with the dress, so she’d gone without.
“Jesus Christ,” Dylan muttered. “You’re gonna freeze to death.”
Dylan signaled the attendant, and when they handed over what appeared to be his coat, he wrapped the leather jacket around her. It smelled like him, sexy, musky.
When he put his arm around her waist, Sarah sucked in a breath. His touch still did the same crazy things to her, but she knew tonight couldn’t happen. Not like this.
But as they walked out into the chilly night air, she wondered whether or not she was strong enough to resist it.
WHEN THE VALET BROUGHT HIS truck around, Dylan smiled down at Sarah. She was eyeing the ’65 Chevy the same way he’d seen her do before. In fact, his truck had been what had drawn them together back in high school.
One day after school, he’d been talking to Chris, explaining how he’d been working on the exhaust, when Sarah wandered over. He remembered the look of awe on her face, the way she had admired the truck. He’d never met a girl who was so impressed by it until her.
“You drive,” he told her now.
“Me?” Her head turned as she took in the truck. “Really?”
He nodded, then led her around to the driver’s side. He tipped the valet, then held the door for Sarah. “I wanna see how hot you look behind the wheel.”
The smile she gifted him with made his dick jump. He fought the urge to crush her between the door and his big body; instead, he helped her up into the seat, doing his best to keep from touching the smooth skin of her trim thighs.
He watched as she reached down and pulled off her shoes, setting them on the seat beside her. When she looked back at him, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes wide.
Holy. Fucking. Hell.
“Just like I thought,” he whispered loudly enough for her to hear. “So fucking hot.”
Closing the door, he made his way around the truck. Dylan felt weird climbing into the passenger seat, but he had to admit, Sarah looked damn fine behind the wheel. In that gold dress, the hem resting high on her creamy thighs, his jacket dwarfing her… His dick was definitely taking notice.
Her small hands caressed the steering wheel somewhat lovingly. “I’ve always loved this truck. I still remember the first time I saw it. I didn’t even know it was yours until a few days later.”
“I thought you used the truck as an excuse to talk to me,” he said.
Sarah chuckled. “Actually, I used you as a way to get to see the truck.”
He laughed. Of course she had.
“Where’re you stayin’?” he asked when she pulled out of the parking lot of Devotion.
Her eyes slid over to him briefly before returning to the road. When she mumbled the name of the resort hotel, Dylan couldn’t help but laugh.
“What?”
“That guy’s a douche.”
“Thanks,” she muttered. “As if I don’t feel bad enough already.”
“Why’d you decide to go out with him anyway?”
“I don’t know.” Her tone told him that she was serious.
“Were y’all dating? Be honest with me this time.”
“Sort of. We went to dinner a few times. Nothing more than that.” She sighed. “No, we weren’t really dating. I was … using him.”
A small growl rumbled in his chest and he couldn’t hold it back.
“Not like that,” she said, shooting him a sideways glance. “I didn’t sleep with him. I couldn’t. Didn’t want to. But he was nice and he really seemed to like me. Or so I thought.”
Dylan couldn’t ignore the fact that it pleased him that she hadn’t slept with Bill. Not to mention the fact that she’d ditched him tonight. It meant Dylan had another chance with her. Maybe. Still, he couldn’t believe Bill had been out with her a few times and thought Devotion, of all places, would be a place she’d want to go. Although, given the right circumstances, he could definitely see her losing her inhibitions in a place like that. But not with a man she
didn’t know.
Admittedly, when she’d said she needed to leave, Dylan had been slightly disappointed. Not that it wasn’t for the best, because spending a night in that club with Sarah… Dylan wasn’t naïve. He knew what would’ve happened. What he wanted to happen. But he knew Sarah well enough that he wouldn’t have liked the outcome tomorrow. She probably would’ve ditched him and never spoken to him again.
“And in case you’re wondering,” she said as she turned onto a side road, “I’m not put off by what you told me.” Her eyes darted over to him briefly. “About the threesome.”
His dick twitched.
“I would like to go back there sometime. I just…” She gripped the steering wheel hard. “I couldn’t see being there while Bill was. It kinda grossed me out.”
That made Dylan laugh. It was completely understandable though.
He was shocked a few minutes later when they pulled into the resort, coming to a stop near the front doors. He’d recognized the name but hadn’t seen the place before. It was impressive.
A valet immediately came out to greet them as Sarah was slipping on her shoes. She gave him a quick look before passing the keys over to the young man.
Dylan assumed that was her way of telling him that he wasn’t leaving tonight. A good thing, since he wasn’t sure he could’ve walked away from her right now if he’d had to.
Once they were inside, Dylan took her hand and started toward the check-in desk. “Just so you’re not uncomfortable,” he told her, “let me get a room.”
“Wait,” Sarah said, jerking on his hand.
Dylan stopped walking, then peered down at her. Her eyes darted from the lobby to him and back.
“What’s wrong?”
“If they see me with you…”
His forehead creased as he tried to figure out what she was inferring. Then it hit him. He laughed, he couldn’t help it. “What do you care what they think?”
Sarah studied him for a moment, then slapped his arm playfully. “I was here with another guy a couple of hours ago.”
“So?”
“Dylan.” The way she dragged out his name made him want to pull her into his arms.
He didn’t.
“So you want me to leave?” he asked.
Her wide blue eyes locked on his face, and Dylan wondered what she was thinking.
“No,” she said quietly. “I think it’d be best if you stay with me tonight.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“I have double beds,” she added quickly. “So don’t get any ideas, hot shot.”
Double beds? That was strange considering Bill had invited her.
Unable to stop himself, he smiled as he brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. Her skin was so soft, so smooth. He wanted to put his lips where his fingers touched, then he wanted to trail them over every inch of her to see if she was as soft all over.
“Come on,” Sarah said, taking his hand in hers. “Let’s get some coffee.”
Coffee? Well, okay then.
Dylan allowed her to steer him through the massive hotel to a coffee shop that appeared to be open twenty-four hours. Sarah led the way to the counter, her eyes sliding over to him every so often. If he didn’t know better, Dylan would think she was nervous. Funny, considering where they’d been a mere hour ago.
While standing in line, it was obvious she was trying to look interested in the menu on the wall, but Dylan knew better. She was simply trying not to look at him. It gave him a minute to think about where they were and what he was doing. There was a strange sensation in his gut. Was it nerves? Anxiety? Whatever it was, he didn’t like the feeling.
When it was finally their turn and the barista smiled and asked what they’d like, Sarah released his hand and stepped up to the counter. “Just a small coffee, please.”
“Two,” Dylan noted. “Two small coffees.”
“Please,” Sarah tacked on, making Dylan and the woman behind the counter smile.
She was so damn sweet.
The entire time they stood there, she never once turned her head to look at him. When she pulled out her credit card, he beat her to it, handing the woman a twenty-dollar bill and then taking his change. He dumped the change into the tip jar beside the register, then followed Sarah.
“Generous tip,” she muttered.
Dylan didn’t respond.
An ugly part of him wondered if Sarah had come to this exact same coffee shop with Bill earlier. He knew it was a stupid thing to worry about, but he couldn’t help himself. He was getting lost in his own head. It’d been more than a decade since Dylan felt any damn thing at all, much less a possessiveness that he couldn’t explain. When it came to Sarah, he was assaulted with somewhat foreign emotions. He honestly wasn’t sure he liked them all that much. The feelings, that was.
In order to keep his brain occupied, he tried to recall all the things Sarah had said about her and Bill. How they’d met, how long they’d been seeing each other. Why she’d started seeing him in the first place. His thoughts were getting away from him.
“How long have you known this Bill guy?” he found himself asking while the waitress poured their coffee.
Sarah looked up at him for the first time since they’d stepped into the coffee shop, her blue eyes checking him out, probably trying to figure out why he was so curious. Truth was, he didn’t even know.
“About five months.”
Five months was a long damn time. Hell, it was three months longer than they’d dated in high school. Then again, two months was an eternity to a hormonal teenager.
“But you haven’t slept with him?” he asked, taking both cups of coffee the woman handed over before turning toward the small counter holding the various accoutrements for customers to use to fix up their beverage of choice.
“Keep your voice down,” she warned, glancing around.
There was no one else there except for the two of them, but he smiled anyway. “I’ll try.”
“And, no,” she replied, a little too defensively. “I haven’t slept with him.”
“Why not?”
“Are you serious?” she questioned softly.
“As a heart attack.”
“I didn’t like him like that.”
“But you liked him enough to let him surprise you by taking you to a sex club?”
Her eyes narrowed on him and Dylan knew he was pushing too far. Maybe he was the nervous one.
Sarah tore open two packets of Equal, then dumped the contents into her cup. “You really want to get into this now?”
Not really, but for some damn reason, he couldn’t help himself. “Yeah. I do.”
“Why do you care, Dylan?”
Okay, so he’d definitely pushed too far. He’d gone and pissed her off.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, sipping his coffee. It was true. He had no fucking clue why he cared, but he did. He cared a hell of a lot more than he’d ever expected to.
Her hands stilled as she poured creamer into her coffee. “He was a nice guy. I thought if I got to know him things might … progress.” After picking up her coffee, she left the small coffee shop and went back out into the main part of the hotel.
Dylan followed. “But they didn’t,” he muttered. “You were just leading him on?”
“What?” Sarah turned to face him, stopping so fast he nearly stumbled into her.
“You heard me,” he said, that strangely jealous feeling gripping his insides. “Was it because of me?”
Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that, but he wanted to know. No, the truth was, he wanted her to tell him that, yes, she hadn’t been with Bill because of him. It was a completely absurd thing to want to hear, but the primal part of him needed to.
“What do you want from me, Dylan?” There was a banked fury dancing in the pretty blue eyes staring back at him. “Are you trying to piss me off?”
“Maybe.”
Damn it. Again, he hadn’t meant to say anything.
He was
so out of practice when it came to women. Leave it to him to royally fuck up a perfectly good evening.
“Why?” She sounded pissed.
“I don’t fucking know,” he huffed.
“Well, then don’t.” She stared at him for a moment. “You know what? I think this was a mistake.” Sarah stormed off, rushing to the bank of elevators that led to the hotel floors, but not before Dylan saw tears in her eyes.
Jesus Christ. What the hell was wrong with him?
Just when the elevator doors would’ve closed, leaving him behind, Dylan stuck his arm between them, keeping them from shutting all the way. He joined her inside, never taking his eyes off her. Regrettably, there were three other people on the elevator, so she wouldn’t have to talk to him and he wouldn’t get the chance to apologize for his less than stellar behavior.
Damn, he sure knew how to derail a perfectly good night.
The tension in the small space increased with every passing floor. They stopped twice, allowing two of the occupants off, and then finally they reached the twentieth floor. Her floor, he assumed.
Before the doors had even fully opened, Sarah exited, and he said a quick good night to the elderly man still on the elevator before slipping out behind her. By the time she was halfway down the long hallway, Dylan was keeping pace beside her, not saying a word.
“What do you want?” she hissed as she ran the key card through the door reader and then pushed open her door. “I don’t have anything to say to you.” Without a second glance, she stomped inside, allowing the door to close behind her as she went to the dresser and set her coffee cup down. He was clearly being dismissed.
Or he would’ve been if he hadn’t pretended to ignore her obvious attempt to brush him off. He wasn’t about to let her shut him out. Not yet anyway.
Although he’d said far more than he’d intended to tonight, he knew this conversation was a long time coming. What had happened between them three years ago… It was obvious he wasn’t the only one who remembered that night. Those emotions she evoked in him weren’t easy to push aside, even though he’d been doing so for longer than he cared to admit.
Distraction (Club Destiny Book 8) Page 13