Distraction (Club Destiny Book 8)

by Nicole Edwards

  Dylan glanced around. “Is this your idea of a getaway?”

  Confused, Sarah looked out into the hotel, watching the few people milling about.

  “Not really, no. But neither is a sex club,” she admitted with a grin.

  “If you could go anywhere, where would you go?”

  “The Caribbean,” she blurted, then shook her head. “I don’t know why, but I’ve always wanted to go where the water is clear and the sand is white.”

  “Let’s go,” he said, his eyes locked on her face.

  “I’m thinking now probably isn’t the time for us to run away. How about we start slow?” She offered him a smile, but there were warning bells clanging loudly in her head. “Maybe breakfast.”

  “Breakfast is good,” he told her, a shy smirk tilting his lips as he sipped his coffee.

  Sarah wanted him to smile all the time. It transformed the harsh angles of his face and made him ridiculously attractive.

  “What about Vegas?” he asked.

  “What about it?” She was clearly lost.

  “Have you ever been?”

  “No.”

  “Is it somewhere you’d want to go?”

  Still confused, she studied his face. “One day, sure.”

  “How about Colorado?”

  His questions were definitely keeping her off her game, but she chuckled. It was more small talk. “I could handle Colorado.”

  “New York?” he asked.

  “I’ve always wanted to go,” she admitted. “Rockefeller Center, Times Square.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Are you looking to travel, Dylan?”

  He shrugged. “Sometimes I want to get away, leave all this shit behind, yeah. But I never do. I’m not big on vacationing alone.”

  “It’s not as lonely as it sounds,” she admitted. “I’ve traveled by myself. Had a good time, in fact.”

  “What places have you visited?”

  Sarah wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. “I went to Hershey, Pennsylvania. Last year, I went to Washington, DC. I’ve been to Florida and California because, you know, Disney.” Most of the places she’d gone, Sarah had gone by herself. Safe places. Family friendly. Nothing too adventurous like Vegas or even New York.

  “One of these days, we’re going to head out somewhere.”

  Sarah felt her heart leap. She liked the idea of a vacation with Dylan. Some time alone, just the two of them.

  She knew she needed to keep the conversation going, so she asked, “What about work?”

  Dylan glanced down at his hands. “CISS is in the final stages of the merger with Sniper 1 Security.”

  “Oh. I didn’t realize it was a done deal. I figured it would take awhile.”

  “It’s been in the works for a long time. It’s almost over. As I said, I’ve agreed to stay on to help Alex for as long as he needs me. There’s nothing for me to do though. I think he’s afraid to let me go, not wanting to send me spiraling. Truth is, I’m ready.”

  “But you don’t have another job lined up?” She knew she sounded incredulous, but she couldn’t help herself.

  Dylan’s lips curved up. “I’ve got plenty of money, Sarah. And I’m looking into other opportunities.”

  “The thing with Trent Ramsey. I remember.” Sarah shook her head, then held up a hand. “And before you get defensive, you have to forgive me. I’m in no position to ask questions like that. I quit my teaching job almost three years ago and I’ve been temping ever since. I make decent money and the jobs pay the bills. I’ve got my savings, too. When you spend so much time at home alone, there isn’t much to spend money on.” She smiled. “But I don’t know what I want to do yet, so I haven’t committed to anything. I know where you’re coming from.”

  When Sarah met his eyes again, she noticed his smile was wicked.

  “Let’s go somewhere, Sarah. A few days. Let’s get away from everyone and everything.”

  Was this his way of escaping reality for a while? Was that what she was? An escape?

  Darn it. She did not want to think like that. It didn’t matter. They were having fun.

  “Tell me you don’t think about it from time to time,” he urged.

  “I do, sure,” she admitted.

  Could she really do this? Other than her cats, she didn’t have anything pressing to take care of. She knew she could take Smokey and Blue to her mother’s house and Jillian would take care of them while she was out of town. She always had Jake to help out, but she didn’t like the idea of burdening him. He was young, needed to live his life to the fullest and not worry about taking care of her.

  “Say yes, Sarah,” Dylan whispered, leaning in close.

  She studied him for a minute. Being with him last night, here in the hotel… It felt like they were in their own little world. Was that what he was hoping for? To avoid real life for a while longer? Sure, the idea sounded intriguing, but she knew that the real world would eventually intrude once again. When they got back, would he disappear?

  “Forget I asked,” he said, leaning back and taking a sip of his coffee, the light in his eyes dimming.

  “No,” she blurted. “I’d…” Sarah sighed. “I’d like to go somewhere with you. I’m not saying no. I just think … maybe we need to take it slow.”

  Sarah watched Dylan’s throat move as he swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing slowly several times. He was obviously conjuring up something, but for the life of her, she didn’t know what.

  “I’ve missed you,” he said, almost too low for her to hear over the muted sounds from the others in the coffee shop.

  But she had heard him. And she couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Excuse me?” she asked as she leaned forward, trying to get his attention. His eyes lifted to meet hers, and she was the one who swallowed hard.

  “I wanted to tell you that before last night,” he stated softly. “Making love to you… It wasn’t as spontaneous as it might’ve seemed. I’ve thought about it for a long damn time.” He paused, staring down at his coffee, then lifting his gaze to meet hers. “I was serious when I said I wanted to start over with you, Sarah,” Dylan whispered, his eyes intent. “I’m not good at this. I’m rusty in the dating department. It’s been a long time since…” He paused, swallowed. “I want to spend time with you.”

  God, how could she say no to that? Even if she still doubted his intentions, Sarah didn’t want to say no.

  “That’s it?” she asked, wanting to lighten the mood. “Just spend time with me?” She pretended to be appalled by the idea. “Oh, please don’t tell me you’re gonna talk me to death.”

  Dylan laughed, the sound rusty—like his dating skills—as though he didn’t do much of it. “If I recall, you’re the one who suggested we talk.”

  “True.”

  The harsh lines on his face softened. “I promise to do a whole lot more than talk.”

  “Thank goodness.” Sarah laughed, the heavy weight in her chest easing somewhat. “The thought of you droning on and on and on…” Sarah held his stare, smiling. She felt lighter than she had in a long time. This man did that to her. He filled her with hope, something that had been fleeting in recent years.

  “We’ll see if you’re complaining when we get back to the room,” he said.

  Instead of answering, she nodded in agreement. Her voice seemed to disappear. She was out of sorts, completely confused about what was going on here. Out of the blue, Dylan had shown up in her life again and was offering to take her on a trip. Just the two of them. She hadn’t been lying when she said she loved to travel. It didn’t matter where. She was all for seeing the sights, learning about new things, experiencing the world outside of Dallas. And to experience that with Dylan…

  Whether it was tomorrow or next week, or even next month, she looked forward to this.

  Needless to say, Sarah knew she was in over her head this time.

  chapter FOURTEEN

  Tuesday, January 17

  “SINCE WHEN DO YOU
PLAY golf?” Dylan asked Chris as he steered the golf cart down the narrow path.

  “I don’t, but that’s my goal this year.”

  “To play golf?”

  “To be good at it,” Chris countered with a smirk.

  “From what I can tell,” Dylan joked, “you’re gonna need all damn year for that to happen.”

  Chris grinned. “Hence the reason we’re out here in January. Now get your club and come on.”

  Dylan groaned, but he climbed out and grabbed a club. He didn’t know the first fucking thing about golf, but he figured what the hell. If Chris could get out here and do this, so could he. Then again, it was hard to tell Chris no. The man didn’t take kindly to the word, and he’d been known to bug the shit out of Dylan until he got his way.

  “So, where were you last weekend?” Chris asked as he lined up his shot.

  “Out.”

  Chris’s gaze darted up to Dylan. “Do elaborate.”

  While Chris took his shot, Dylan considered how much he wanted to tell his friend. Christian Biggs had been Dylan’s best friend since high school. Through the years they’d been through every damn thing together. Chris was the one person who’d been by Dylan’s side when Meghan died, helping him with Stacey and Nate as they tried to steer through the first dark, dreary months without her. The man was like a brother to Dylan.

  “So, who’d you go out with?” Chris prompted.

  “Sarah.”

  Chris frowned, as though racking his brain to put a face with the name.

  “Sarah Davis,” Dylan clarified.

  Chris stopped and turned toward him. “Yeah?”

  Dylan nodded, then dropped his golf ball and took a swing. He wasn’t sure what he was aiming for and didn’t really care, either.

  “So, she’s talking to you after…”

  Chris was the only person who knew about what happened between Dylan and Sarah. Since Chris knew Sarah from high school, Dylan had been reluctant to talk about her, but he’d needed someone. As much as he wanted to share the details with Ashleigh, he knew that wasn’t possible. His sister would judge him, even if she didn’t want to. She couldn’t help herself and it was obvious she only wanted what was best for Dylan.

  “And … how’d the weekend go?”

  “Better than expected.”

  They headed back to the golf cart; this time Chris got behind the wheel.

  “Where’d y’all go?”

  “Devotion.” Dylan watched Chris’s face as he processed that information.

  “Seriously?”

  Dylan chuckled. “It wasn’t like that. It was a fluke that we ended up there at the same time. I only went because Alex suggested it. She had a date. The douche thought surprising her with a trip to a sex club would get him lucky.”

  Chris choked. “He surprised her? What the fuck?”

  “It didn’t turn out well for him if that’s any consolation.”

  “So, you were her knight in shining armor?”

  “I only stepped in when I saw the prick manhandling her.” That was mostly the truth. Dylan had intended to interfere no matter what, but he didn’t mention that part.

  “So … y’all were at a sex club. Did you get busy?”

  “No.”

  “She’s not into that shit, huh?” Chris stopped the cart near the ninth hole. His ball had made it to the green. Dylan had no fucking clue where his own had gone.

  “She said she’d be interested in going back.”

  Chris’s gaze slammed into Dylan’s face. He knew what his friend was thinking. Since Dylan was thinking it, too, he didn’t have to say anything.

  “Well.” Chris sighed, reaching for his club. “This is an interesting turn of events. But I can’t say that I’m not happy for you.”

  Dylan glanced down at the ground. He wasn’t getting his hopes up where Sarah was concerned. He wanted to spend more time with her, but he wasn’t sure where this thing with them was headed.

  “One day at a time,” Chris stated, his tone low.

  “That’s how I’m taking it.”

  “Good. Now go find your damn ball and let’s get this show on the road.”

  That’s exactly why Dylan liked Chris. The man didn’t harp on the emotional bullshit, but he made it clear that he was there for Dylan if he needed him.

  Funny thing … if things went well, Dylan knew he’d be needing him in the near future.

  “YOU LOOK BETTER THAN THE last time I saw you,” Elaine said as Sarah took a seat on the couch after they’d shared the normal pleasantries.

  Sarah smiled. “I feel better, too.”

  “Did something happen?” Elaine picked up her notebook and set it on her lap.

  The instant Sarah got back from her weekend with Dylan, she had called Elaine and left a message, asking if she could get in to talk to her. She had specifically told her it wasn’t an emergency, so Elaine had penciled her in for today. Of course, that had left Sarah with plenty of time to go over the events of the past weekend and all that had happened.

  “I guess you could say that,” Sarah informed her, leaning back and getting comfortable.

  Elaine smiled. “Do tell.”

  Sarah went on to tell her therapist about Bill and their awkward date. She told her how it started at a hotel and ended up at a fetish club.

  “A fetish club?” Elaine asked, clearly wanting to make sure she heard right.

  “Yes. You know, sex club.”

  Elaine’s expression didn’t change.

  “Well, needless to say, I didn’t take the surprise all that well. We got into an argument and suddenly I find myself looking up at Dylan.”

  Elaine’s thin eyebrows lowered. “He was there? At the fetish club?”

  Thankfully, there was no judgment in Elaine’s tone.

  “Yes.”

  “And I assume this was a surprise to you as well?”

  “It was. Turns out, one of his friends owns the club. We ended up staying for a little while, but then he took me back to the hotel.”

  “The hotel you were staying at with Bill?”

  Sarah nodded. “I insisted on having my own room. I also paid for it myself. I felt guilty because I don’t like Bill that way. I never have.”

  “And what happened after Dylan dropped you off at the hotel?”

  Sarah felt her cheeks heat. “He didn’t drop me off. I…” Sarah forced her eyes to Elaine’s. “I asked him to stay.”

  Elaine nodded. “Did you get a chance to talk to him?”

  Taking a deep breath, Sarah launched into the story of how they’d gone to get coffee and then the awkward confrontation.

  “It sounds to me like Dylan cares for you, Sarah.”

  “Because he doesn’t want me to be with Bill?”

  Elaine set her pen down. “Because he clearly wanted to know that you were no longer in a relationship with Bill.”

  Sarah hadn’t considered that. She hadn’t really considered anything. Although their conversation had replayed in her mind a million times, she never could understand what had prompted his anger in the first place.

  “And how did you feel when you got back home?”

  This was the hard part. “Good.”

  Elaine quirked an eyebrow, clearly wanting Sarah to explain.

  “I enjoyed my time with Dylan. It seems as though he’s interested in seeing me again. He called me last night. We talked for a little while.”

  Elaine smiled. “No feelings of guilt? Or self-doubt?”

  Sarah shook her head. “No. Not yet.”

  Elaine leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. “Sarah, it’s perfectly okay for you to enjoy spending time with Dylan.”

  “I know that.”

  “So you plan to spend time with him?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  “And why did you need to talk to me about it?” Again, there was no judgment from Elaine, just genuine curiosity.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Were you seeking my perm
ission?”

  “No.”

  “Good.” Elaine sat up straight. “Because you don’t need it. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Sarah. You’re inclined to make good decisions, but sometimes you think too much. I’d like to see you take this one day at a time, but give it a chance.”

  Sarah nodded. “That’s my plan.”

  As long as she could convince her heart to do the same thing, Sarah knew she’d be fine.

  chapter FIFTEEN

  Wednesday, January 18

  THE FOLLOWING MORNING, DYLAN FOUND himself sitting in a restaurant waiting for Trent Ramsey to show up for their impromptu meeting. He’d finally forced himself to call the man back, ready to talk about opportunities for a new club. As he’d promised, Luke had already informed Trent of Dylan’s interest, so the call had been expected.

  Dylan had chatted with Trent very briefly, but he’d confirmed his desire to talk in depth about the opportunity. He had anticipated them getting together at some point, but what hadn’t been expected was how quickly Trent wanted to make this all happen. Surprisingly, the man had suggested a quick meeting to go over the details. From the impression Dylan got, this was a done deal despite the fact that Dylan was pretty much out of the loop.

  “Sorry I kept you waiting, Dylan.”

  Dylan looked up to see a man wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap shrugging out of his jacket before tossing it onto the seat. Trent was evidently in disguise. Not that Dylan was surprised by that. The man was one of the most famous people in the world. With his starring role in an extremely popular action movie series, the disguise was likely necessary, even in the small café where Trent had suggested they meet.

  “It’s been a hectic morning,” Trent went on to say as he dropped into the booth, casually reaching over the table to shake Dylan’s hand. “Did you order yet?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Haven’t been here long. Just wanted to make sure we got a seat. Didn’t know how long this would take.”

  “I say we eat while we talk. After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

  Okay then.

  Ten minutes later, after they’d ordered food and received their coffee, Trent launched right into his spiel about this new club he was envisioning.