“Okay, I understand,” he said, focusing his sincere gaze on me. “How do you want to leave this between us?”
“I don’t want to leave this at all, but—”
“But Michigan’s a long way from Texas, and we’ve only known each other a few weeks, and this could be physical attraction run amuck?”
“Yeah.” He’d voiced exactly the same thoughts I’d had when I’d contemplated staying in Houston to be with him.
He reached up and caressed my face.
“I got the idea from our conversations this weekend that you haven’t dated a ton of men,” he said. “But I’ve dated a ton of women.”
“When you say it like that, I imagine the women to be really huge.”
He laughed. “What I mean is, I’m pretty sure about us…from my end anyway.”
“But I can’t—”
He pressed a finger to my lips and I shut up.
“I have an offer you can’t refuse. You go to Michigan. Start your new job, look after your mom. I’ll wait for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“For the next six months I’ll be waiting for you to figure out if your feelings for me were a product of our weird arrangement. I won’t be dating other women. I’ve dated enough.”
“But—” I tried to say through his finger. He pressed harder.
“You will live your life normally. Date men if you want to. Sleep with them if that’s what you need to do, not that I want to imagine it…” His eyes left mine and he looked like he was imagining just that.
I grasped his cheeks with my palms and focused him back on me.
He smiled. “We’ll mark our calendars for exactly six months from today. I’ll call you on that day. If you don’t feel the same way anymore, tell me and I’ll bow out. No questions asked.”
“And if I do still feel that way?” I didn’t understand how this would solve our long-distance romance problem.
“I’m not stuck here. I haven’t bought a ranch like Mason. You can’t tell by lookin’, but I’m the city slicker of the family. And there’s no reason I have to spend all my time here. I can do my job from anywhere and travel for meetings like I do now.”
“But your brother... Wouldn’t he be lonely?”
“Sometimes I think I make him worse. Maybe a little distance would be good for us. I think as long as I’m around, being the devil- may-care social butterfly, he has to take the other spot.”
“You mean Type A personality, overly responsible with imaginary OCD that seems to come and go with the situation?”
“Yeah… So what do you think of my plan?”
“You were right. It’s definitely an offer I can’t refuse. But six months seems like a really long time right now.”
He kissed me on the nose.
“It’ll go by fast for you with learning the new job and meeting all those new men. I’m the one who’ll be pining for you, sitting alone every night with my computer porn.”
I laughed with him and realized I’d never enjoyed anyone’s company so much.
“Dix, I don’t really think I’ll be able to bring myself to date anyone else.”
“Shhh…” The finger was back on my lips. “Don’t make me any promises. I want you to do whatever it takes to figure this out, although I’d rather not have the details. You know how jealous I get.”
“I’ve never had anyone pine for me before. I think I like the idea.”
“Yeah, when you see me again, I’ll be covered in cones and needles.”
“Huh?”
“Pine cones…pine needles?”
“What a stupid joke!” I cried as I threw my arms around his neck. “I know I’m not supposed to make promises now, but I think I love you Dix.”
“Yeah, we’ll see how you feel in six months.” But he squeezed me so tight I knew he didn’t want to let me go.
And I was certain that Dixon Maddox would need a warm coat come December.
*
Coming Soon: Controlling Krysta (another Hot Texas Bosses story) with more of Mason, Dix, and Tessa.
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Other Lyla Sinclair erotic romance and erotica
-His Rules Bundle (Includes BDSM stories: Taken by Surprise, Taken Wet, Taken Completely)
-Too Innocent Bundle (Includes BDSM stories: Tied for Two, Deceived and Devoured, Bought and Bound)
-Taken By the Force (Novella, erotic romantic comedy with a touch of Capture/Bondage)
-Full Frontal Fantasy (Novella, erotic romance, BDSM)
The E.J. Kumm University erotic series:
-Hard on Miss Hardin (Quickie, erotica, BDSM)
-Checking Out Audrey (Quickie, erotic romance, voyeurism)
-Instructing Emily (Novella, erotic romance, BDSM)
Historical:
-Captain’s Price (Novella, erotic romance, captive/domination)
Anthology:
-Ellora’s Cavemen Flavors of Ecstasy, vol. 3—“The Johnson Obsession” (Erotic
Romance, BDSM)
Training Tessa (Hot Texas Bosses BDSM Erotica) Page 10