Chapter Seventeen
After the server had cleared their dishes, Dom reached across the table. The feel of Sadie’s small, cool hand in his made him smile. He felt as though he’d spent the whole evening smiling – smiling or laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed himself this much.
Sadie raised her eyebrows. “Are you okay?”
“I’m so much better than okay. You?”
“Yeah. So, so much better.” She looked serious as she continued, “I asked because I was thinking that I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed dinner with a man this much before. I hadn’t dated much before I met Dale, and even in the early days of our marriage, he preferred to go out with his friends to watch a game than to dinner with me. It occurred to me that you must have lots of wonderful memories with Polly.”
He nodded slowly. “I do. We had a good marriage; she was a wonderful woman.” He inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly before he continued. “But she’s been gone a long time. I think you know that I’ve clung to her memory, and it’s not that I want to let her go. It’s just…” He paused, searching for the right words. “I felt guilty at first – guilty for the way I feel about you. But I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about it. I’ve made my peace with it. As I told you, I’m not the same person I was when she was here. And the thing is, she isn’t here anymore. I haven’t been clinging on to her – she’s gone. I was clinging to a memory. I consider myself lucky to have lots of wonderful memories with her. But now…” He squeezed her hand, hoping that he wasn’t putting her off by talking about his dead wife so much. “Now, I’m hoping that I’ll get the chance to make lots of wonderful new memories with you.”
She searched his face, and he nodded.
“There was a time when I thought that I only had room in my heart for her. It was true. It was absolutely true when she was alive; and for years after she died, it was true that I only had room for her memory. Now, her memory is something that’s just part of me, and my heart is hoping that…”
He stopped. He knew what he was hoping for – but he didn’t know if it would be too soon to share that with her.
She nodded. “I’m hoping, too.”
He smiled, relieved that he hadn’t had to put it into words, and even more relieved that she understood and felt the same way.
When he called the server over to bring the check, he was a little irritated when she told him that there would be no check. Taryn had insisted. He glanced over at the bar. There was no sign of Taryn, but Dalton was sitting in his usual spot and gave him a chin lift.
“Maybe we can take her and her husband out to dinner sometime,” said Sadie, who seemed to have read his mind. “I was concerned about the two of us squabbling over the bill. It hadn’t occurred to me that Taryn would pick up the tab.”
“There wasn’t going to be any squabbling.”
She chuckled. “Is that you not being bossy again?”
He laughed. “That’s exactly what it is. And that’s one area where I’m prepared to speak my mind, even if you might not like it. I want to be able to pay for dinner, to pay for things that we do together. That might be old school of me, and if it is, I apologize. But even from a practical angle, you’ve admitted that you aren’t in a great situation at the moment. And…” He might as well just come out and say it. “And I am.”
“You are? You are … what?”
“I am in a great situation financially.”
She laughed. “Okay. I don’t know what to say… I’m happy for you?”
He laughed with her. “Thank you. I know that sounded strange, there’s a story behind it and…”
Following his gaze, she turned to look over her shoulder and waved back when she spotted Taryn waving at them. “I think she wants us to go over. Maybe she’ll at least let us buy them a drink.”
“Maybe.” He realized that his opportunity to tell her about the money – about the inheritance that he and Damon had received – had slipped away for now. “Are you ready? Shall we go and join them?”
Walking across the restaurant with his hand on the small of her back, he loved the way that she stuck so close to his side. He used to think of Polly as a butterfly – she flitted around everywhere, only coming back to him to check in every now and then. He’d loved that she was such a free spirit. With Sadie, he found himself loving her for completely different reasons. She was more stable, more responsible, less sure of herself. He enjoyed knowing that he made her feel safe, and he was looking forward to discovering all the ways he could do that for her.
Just before they reached the bar, his heart thudded to a stop. He found himself loving her for different reasons than he’d loved Polly? Loving her ? His throat went dry. He didn’t know her well enough. He didn’t… He couldn’t… The tension that he used to carry in his chest seemed to dissolve in the face of the undeniable truth. It might be too soon, but he was definitely falling in love with her – if he hadn’t already fallen all the way.
Dalton gave him a puzzled look when they reached him. Taryn grinned at them. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to hold you up, I just didn’t want you to forget about Harvey’s dessert.”
Sadie laughed. “I think you might be his new favorite person. I’m going to have to figure out a way to bring him in here so that the two of you can meet. You’re like his new toffee dealer.”
Dom laughed. “It’s true. Although, Jake might be giving you a run for your money. He brought a bag of English toffee when he came to hang out with him tonight.”
“Jake’s with Harvey?” Taryn asked.
“He is. I told you that I didn’t like to come out in the evenings and leave Dad home alone until he’s back on his feet. When we talked about coming out tonight, Jake suggested that he could hang out with him.”
“And of course, there’s the not so minor benefit for him that he’ll still be there when Savannah gets home from work,” added Dom.
Taryn grinned. “So, I’m sending two toffee desserts home with you.”
“There’s no need to do that,” said Dom. “Especially since you already paid for our dinner.”
Taryn shrugged. “Please don’t be mad at me, I wanted to do it.”
He nodded slowly, and Dalton laughed. “You know how rarely she uses the word please. Do me a favor and just accept it gracefully?”
Dom met Taryn’s gaze and held it as he said, “Okay, thank you.”
“Yes, thank you,” added Sadie. “And would you…?”
From the way she broke off so abruptly, Dom guessed that she’d been about to invite them out for a drink but hadn’t wanted to overstep with him.
He slung his arm around her shoulders. “I think that what my lady wants to ask is if the two of you will come out for a drink with us at some point soon.”
When Dalton grinned at him, Taryn nodded enthusiastically, and Sadie leaned a little closer to him, he knew that he’d guessed right, and that he’d done the right thing in finishing her question for her.
~ ~ ~
When they got back to Dom’s SUV, he walked her to the passenger door. Instead of opening it, she grasped the front of his jacket and rolled up onto her tiptoes so that she could kiss him.
She’d only meant to peck his lips, but when his arm curled around her waist, and she found herself pressed up against his chest, she wrapped her arms around his neck and took it deeper.
She loved the way he kissed her. It was demanding, and yet gentle – which was kind of fitting, considering that’s how she would describe him. When he sank his fingers into her hair, a shudder wracked her whole body, and she pressed closer.
She felt like a teenager, making out in the parking lot. The thrill ran through her veins – his kisses were toe-curling, and she wanted so much more. Sex hadn’t been much of a factor in her life for years; she’d thought that her body had shut down. Now, with her breasts crushed against Dom’s hard chest, and with heat pooling between her legs, her body was letting her know in no uncertain terms that it had awakened from its slumber.
By the time Dom lifted his head, they were both breathing hard. The intensity in his gaze as he looked down into her eyes made her shiver.
“Are you okay?”
She gripped the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down into another shorter, but no less passionate, kiss. “No,” she said breathlessly when their lips finally parted.
He frowned. “No?”
She chuckled. “No, because you’re making promises that you can’t keep.”
His frown deepened. “I don’t understand.”
She closed her eyes as his fingers caressed the nape of her neck. “You’re going to need to stop doing that if you want me to explain. I can’t focus.”
He chuckled. “What if I don’t want to stop?”
“Exactly. That’s what I’m saying. It’s not that I’m not okay – it’s just that you’re making me want…” She pressed her lips together. Was she really about to come out and tell him? Yes. She was. “You’re making me want more than kisses.”
“And that’s not okay?”
“It would be, except that there’s not a damn thing we can do about it.”
His shoulders sagged when he clicked what she meant. “Shit! You’re right. I can’t take you home because Jake will be back. You can’t invite me back with you – well, you can, and I’ll go. But I can hardly say goodnight to your dad and Savannah and take you upstairs, can I?”
Her heart was pounding at the thought of him taking her upstairs. She shook her head sadly. “No. I knew that I should have done something about renting a house before now.”
He chuckled. “Me too. I’ve been dragging my feet about buying a place, but I’ll be at the realtor’s office first thing on Monday morning.”
He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers. “It’s probably better that we take our time.”
Her heart sank. “Do you really think so?”
He laughed. “Hell no! But since there’s nothing that I can do about it right now, I’m trying to console myself that it makes sense.” He glanced up at the lodge, making her smile.
“Are you thinking what I think you’re thinking?” she asked.
“I am. But not yet – not tonight. We don’t need to rush into anything, and that wouldn’t seem right.”
“It wouldn’t tonight, but I like that we have the option.”
She stood back in surprise when he reached past her and pulled open the door of his SUV. She climbed in and gave him a puzzled look when he came around and got behind the steering wheel. He started the engine without a word and set off up the eastern shore of the lake.
“Did I say something wrong?” she asked when she couldn’t take the silence any longer.
“Fuck! I’m sorry. I should’ve explained myself. I came within an inch of taking your hand and marching you back into the lodge to get a room for the night. I had to get us out of there before I did something stupid.”
“Oh, okay.”
“Are you mad at me?”
She laughed. “For not marching me back in there? Maybe a little.”
He glanced over at her. “I mean for deciding for you and not even explaining myself.”
“No. I’m not mad. You just did what you knew was best.”
“I…” He stopped when the sound of Sadie’s phone ringing interrupted him.
“I need to take this, it’s Savannah.”
“Hey, sweetie. Is everything all right?”
“Everything’s fine. I’m just a bit bummed that I was stuck at the diner until now. Are you guys back already?”
“No. Not yet. Are you not home?”
“I’m just leaving the diner.”
“Aww, so you haven’t even seen Jake yet?”
“No. It sounds like he and Harvey have had a great time. Harvey stayed up to hang out with him, but he went to bed a little while ago. None of us thought that I’d be this late.”
“Well, don’t worry. We’ll be back soon.”
“Or we can take our time,” Dom suggested.
She gave him a puzzled look.
He smiled. “I could take you home via the scenic route. That way, Savannah will get to hang out with Jake for a while before we get there.”
“Did you hear that?” she asked Savannah.
“I did, but I couldn’t ask you guys to do that.”
“We wouldn’t mind – we wouldn’t mind in the least,” Sadie reassured her.
She was grateful that Dom couldn’t hear the way Savannah laughed. “Okay, I get the idea. You stay out as late as you like.”
“Thanks. I’ll text you when we’re on the way home – give you some notice.”
“Thanks. I’m not sure that we’ll need any notice, but I appreciate you offering. I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, bye.”
Sadie decided that she was going to have to have a talk with Savannah, to see what the deal was between her and Jake. So far, she hadn’t wanted to seem as though she was interfering, but her curiosity was starting to get the better of her.
She looked up when Dom pulled off the side of the road. They’d already reached the top of the hill, and he drove to the very end of the scenic overlook.
Slick heat trickled through her veins when he cut the engine and turned to her with a smile. “I think this is more fitting for eighteen-year-olds than fifty-eight-year-olds, but it’s the best I can come up with for now.”
~ ~ ~
Dom’s heart was pounding. He’d thought that it would take a while before they found themselves in this situation. He’d thought that he was fine with taking things slowly – it turned out that he’d thought wrong.
The second that he’d laid eyes on Sadie when he and Jake arrived at her place this evening, his body had reacted in a way that surprised him. Of course, he was attracted to her. His physical attraction had been making itself known in no uncertain terms since he met her. Tonight though, he was filled with a need, a longing, that took his breath away.
He relaxed when she rested her elbows on the console and smiled at him. “I like it. I mean, I don’t see myself managing to fit between you and the steering wheel, if that’s what you had in mind…”
He laughed out loud. “The thought had crossed my mind, but no. I think talking is as far as we can go.”
She pouted. “And kissing?”
He cupped his hand around the back of her head and drew her closer. “And kissing,” he agreed before brushing his lips over hers.
“Have I told you that you have the most fantastic lips?”
He chuckled. “No.”
She pulled back so that she could look into his eyes. “I’m serious. There’s so full and soft and…”
He kissed her again. This time, he allowed himself to claim her mouth in the way that he’d been longing to. He’d managed to show some restraint when they were out in public, and until now, hadn’t had the opportunity to be alone with her in private.
When he finally lifted his head, her lips looked full and soft – kiss swollen. He loved knowing that he’d made them look that way.
He traced his thumb over her bottom lip and inhaled sharply when she sucked it into her mouth and circled it with her tongue.
“Sadie!” he breathed.
She looked up at him from under her lashes, and he squeezed his eyes shut. His poor, scrambled brain wasn’t able to distinguish between the feel of her tongue on his thumb and the ache in his pants. He transposed the two sensations, and the effect made him groan.
He groaned again when she pulled her head back, leaving his thumb feeling cold and wet, and him feeling a little foolish.
“You don’t like it?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Oh, I like it. I like it so much that if you’re not careful, you might find yourself naked on the back seat, with me between your legs, before either of us knows what happened.”
Her eyes grew wide, and she swallowed visibly. Shit. He probably shouldn’t have said…
She grinned. “Keep talking like that, and we might never go home.”
He let out a relieved laugh. “And there I was thinking that I shouldn’t go talking like that.”
She nodded her head emphatically. “You should definitely keep it up.” She looked around, as if suddenly remembering where they were. “Although maybe, we should save that kind of talk for when we can do something about it.”
“And you’re sure that you want to do something about it?”
She reached out and ran her fingers down his cheek. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. It might be too soon – do you think it’s too soon?”
He opened his mouth, but she continued without waiting for an answer.
“I don’t think it is. I feel safe with you, Dom. I feel like even if we wake up one day and decide that this isn’t what we want, I could never regret sleeping with you.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. He was glad that she felt that way, but he hoped that the day when she woke up and decided that he wasn’t what she wanted would never come.
He glanced over at the back seat. She followed his gaze and smiled. “Are you reconsidering?”
He chuckled. “No. I agree that I could never regret sleeping with you, but if we were to try to get it on in the back seat, I have a feeling that we might regret the method if not the act itself. I was thinking that we might be more comfortable back there – just to sit, not to…”
She laughed. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
His heart sank. He liked the idea of being able to hold her, to feel her body against his while he kissed her. “No?”
“No. If I get you back there, then one way or another, we’re not getting out until we somehow manage the act itself, as you so delicately put it.”
He laughed as he palmed her cheek. “Have you seen the size of me? How can you call anything about me delicate?”
Her hand came up to cover her mouth, and her eyes seemed huge above it as she laughed. “I was talking about the words you chose, but now you’ve got me wondering about the size of you.”
“Well, if you won’t come in the back with me, you’re just going to have to wait to find out.”
She climbed up in her seat and leaned across the console so that she could rest her hands on his shoulders as she kissed him. Dom couldn’t help it. He reached down and pressed the button to slide his seat as far back as it would go. When he had some room, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him. She laughed as she ended up sitting awkwardly on his lap, squashed in between him and the steering wheel.
He tightened his arms and smiled down at her. “I think we can call this a compromise.”
“I like it – although if anyone pulls up next us, I think it might be considered a compromising position.”
“I’m happy to take the chance if you are.”
She wriggled, making him close his eyes at the feel of her round ass against his aching cock. “I’m happy.”