Chapter 5
Chapter Five
brOOKLYN
I lick my lips as he brings another bite of creme br?lée to my mouth. For the first time in my life I hate the dessert because it takes away the taste of him. The kiss was over too fast but I’ll never forget his flavor.
“I think we’re supposed to eat dessert last.” I open my mouth for him to give me another bite.
“We can do whatever we want.” This time he steals a bite for himself.
That seems pretty apparent after being inside of a closed zoo. They’re treating Dash like he’s the owner.
This cannot be the same man my friends all went on dates with. There is no way. He’s charming in the most aggressive way, which I didn't know was a thing until now. Clearly I’m into it, because here I am with a missing phone and letting the thief spoon-feed me dessert.
“Isn't that how they do it in France?” He gives me the last bite.
“I don’t know, but I’ve always wanted to go there.” Charlotte went after graduation, but I'm pretty sure the only reason she got her degree was because Dad gave the school a giant check.
“Quite a few countries do. It’s common in Europe.” He pulls out more food from the basket and opens the containers.
“I should visit them all and see if this is true. You can’t trust everything you read online.”
“So on our next date then.”
I laugh, because he has to be joking. “If you get a next date,” I tease as I take a bite of my steak and it melts in my mouth.
“There will be a next date.”
I wish I could be as confident as him. “Okay. We’ll have a next date,” I agree.
“As long as you’ll come with me to my family reunion,” I add in quickly.
Hey, if he can throw things out there with such certainty, then I can too.
His fork pauses in front of his mouth. “I mean, you will go with me to my family reunion.” There, that’s more his style.
“If you want me to.” He takes a bite of his food and shrugs. Damn, that was easy.
“You’re going to make my stepsister Charlotte so jealous,” I blurt out, but I might as well get it all out there.
“Did she do something to you? You don’t seem like the vengeful type.
” I look down at my food, chagrined. I’d gone out on this date with revenge in mind, but that hasn't played out. But I’m totally sure this Dash is the same Dash my friends went out with.
It has to be because it was the same restaurant and the same first and last name.
Crazier things have happened before, although I can’t think of any off the top of my head.
“I guess it’s a little more like sass. I’m going to take a date so they’ll stop teasing me about my love life.”
“They?” I peek back up at him, feeling guilty. When he calls it revenge it makes it sound so bad. This is not what I’d tell one of my students to do.
“My stepmom too.” I let out a long sigh. “Never mind.” I shake my head. “I should go alone and face them. It’s petty of me to only bring a date to shut them up.”
Dash’s nose flares for a second before he lowers his fork. “I’ll go with you.”
“No, it’s fine.” I shift, feeling uncomfortable. I can’t read his mood now and he’s gone from teasing to something else. I look down at my food again, willing myself not to fidget, which is a habit of mine when I’m unsure of myself. One my family brings out in me.
“It’s not fine.” My head jerks back up to look at him. Now he really sounds angry. “Not only does your stepsister fuck with you, but the mom does too?”
“They’re jerks, but I should be used to it. Or at least be over it.” I’m moving on with my life, but somehow they can always get to me.
“I think we can do better than me going with you to the reunion.” His face softens and the anger in his voice fades.
“What do you have in mind?” I joke as I take another bite.
“We’ll get married.” I almost choke on my steak as I cough, and he hands me some water, patting my back. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I laugh, trying to catch my breath. I wanted to ruin this date when I got to the restaurant, and now that I’m enjoying myself I can’t seem to stop. He reaches up and tucks my hair behind my ear. I’ve noticed he seeks out small ways to touch me and I can’t say I hate it.
“I wasn't joking.” His face is serious, but I know he has to be joking.
“So we go and pretend to be married?” When I stop and think about it, it’s not really a bad idea. They’d probably fall over in shock. Not only does Dash clearly have money, but he’s handsome too. “That would really bug them. I bet my stepsister would hit on you.”
“You’ll need a ring,” he says, as if talking to himself.
“Maybe a fake pregnancy test too,” I suggest and then snort a laugh. “No, then they’d think you're only marrying me because I got knocked up.” I laugh again and shake my head.
“This sounds crazy. You know that, right?” he says.
“It’s okay, I’m going to let it go and be the bigger person. I’ll show up and see my dad and then leave.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m going with you to the reunion. I just meant that it’s crazy that anyone would think you couldn’t get any man you wanted.”
“That’s really sweet of you to say.”
“I’m not your friend trying to make you feel better, Brooklyn. It’s the fucking truth.”
My chest warms at his conviction, but even from what little I know about Dash, he isn't the type of man to feed people lies. Although Cherry would probably say he’s trying to get in my pants.
“Well, I didn't always look this fabulous.” I bat my eyelashes as I try to hide that I’m suddenly feeling shy. “After all, these are my fancy yoga pants. Look, not one hole.”
“And adorable.” He leans over and brushes his lips against mine. “Too bad for anyone else who missed their chance. You’re mine now.” There he goes again, wrapping me up in his sweet words.
“You’re not too bad yourself. Why are you on a dating app?”
He’s been so charming. If this was the same man who went out with my friends, I think they would have fallen all over him. Not Blair though; she wound have junk-punched him when he tried to boss her around and stole her phone. She never would have found it swoony like I did.
“Why is anyone on a dating app?” he asks.
“Some people do it to hook up, but I’m sure some do it to find love.”
“And where do you fall in that, Brooklyn?”
“Love,” I admit. “I haven't had the best of luck on any dating site and I was about to give up.” I notice he didn't answer the question.
“Why didn't you give up?”
“If you want something you can’t give up.
If I’ve learned any lesson from my stepmom and Charlotte, it’s that if I kept working towards a goal I’d get there.
” I wanted out of the house and to put myself through college.
I did that and now I want to find love. I want to be with the man I will spend the rest of my life with.
I want a family of my own that’s nothing like the one I grew up in.
“You’re right about that. You never stop until you get what you want.”
This time when he pulls me close he deepens the kiss.
I part my lips and his tongue sweeps across my bottom lip.
His fingers tangle in my hair, and although he starts out slow, his possession is clear.
I can feel a power in his hands and chest that he’s holding back.
My core tightens and my body shudders at what could happen if he unleashes it.
“Brooklyn.” He pulls his mouth away and rests his forehead against mine.
“What?” I start to kiss him again and he shakes his head.
“We’re in public.” And it’s then I look down and see that I’ve climbed in his lap. I don’t remember moving, but I do remember craving more.
“Wow.” I smile, and my lips feel sweetly sore. “That was—”
“Unforgettable,” he finishes for me with the perfect word.
“You’re nothing like I thought you’d be,” I admit.
“I can say the same about you.”
“Too bad you told my friends you’d have me back by midnight.” I bite my lip to try and stop the laugh.
“We’ll have a lot more nights together.”
I really like the sound of that.
“I think you’ve earned a second date, although I have no idea how you’re going to beat this one.” It started off terrible but he changed it in a second. I think Dash is the type of man to go after what he wants too. Another thing I like about him.
“I’ll figure it out.” He gives me another kiss before I move off his lap and to the blanket beside him.
I’m sure he will and I’m going to have to figure out how to tell my friends about this.
I might be sneaking out.