Chapter 15
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Dylan
I came to Veil East tonight with the hope that by some off chance, Eden would be here.
I found her wearing a red dress with her hair cascading down her back in waves. The same fiery color stained her lips. I wanted to kiss it off.
Yearned to kiss it off.
I watched from the shadows as she danced her way through two songs before I took a seat at the bar.
I was about to join her when a guy in a black suit approached her.
I studied every move between them. I saw her tug on the silver hoop in her right ear. I stared as he raked her from head-to-toe, his gaze stumbling on the fullness of her breasts under the fabric of her dress.
I swear to fuck he was as mesmerized with her as I was when I first saw her the other night. The truth is, I was captivated when I was seventeen and she asked me to dance when I went to pick her up for one of our tutoring sessions.
I’ll never forget that night.
I fell in love with her as she looked up into my face with her big, blue eyes. I held her petite body in my arms and wished that I could take her in my car and drive her to a place where no one would ever find us.
“Are you thinking about how I’m going to wipe the floor with you in court?” Eden elbows me as we stand on the sidewalk outside the club.
People are milling about. Some went into the venue. Others escaped the crowded dance floor just as we did.
It was Eden’s idea to take a breather outside.
I haven’t broached the idea of going back to my place again. I’ll let her set the pace tonight.
I shake my head. “No shop talk tonight.”
“What do you want to talk about, Dylan?” She smiles.
Christ, she’s so goddamn beautiful.
Her hair is wild. A light sheen of sweat dots her forehead and that red lipstick disappeared onto the rim of the glass of scotch I ordered after we danced.
I took the first sip. The rest slid between her lips when she tugged the glass from my hand.
She’s already feeling the impact of that.
Her cheeks have flushed pink. Her breathing has slowed.
“Let’s talk about high school.”
I have no idea if this is the right time for us to stroll down memory lane, but there’s only one way to find out.
“High school?” She spins in a circle. “I know that you couldn’t let go of Barrett. No surprise there, but who else do you still see?”
“No surprise there?” I reach forward to brush a strand of her hair away from the side of her face. “What the fuck does that mean?”
She laughs aloud, the sound clear and pure.
“You two were always like this.” She crosses her middle finger over her index finger. “You’re like peanut butter and jelly, or soup and sandwiches.”
“You’re hungry,” I say with confidence, taking some pride in the fact that I still remember things about her that should have been easily forgotten. “You used to talk about food whenever you were hungry.”
“Only for fries.” She glances over her shoulder at a car stopping next to the curb. “I haven’t had fries in forever and a day.”
“I’ll take you for fries, and we’ll talk about high school.”
“About Barrett?” She laughs. “He’s hot so I get the appeal.”
“He’s not hot.” Chuckling, I shake my head.
“Not as hot as you,” she says quietly.
I’ll gladly take the compliment. I’ll also take the beautiful soft smile that came with it.
“Show off.” She takes a bite of another fry. “Why am I not surprised that we’re eating truffle fries and drinking champagne? I would have been happy with soggy fries from the fast food place across the street and a diet soda.”
I would have been happy feeding her those soggy fries in my bed, but I’m trying to keep my aching dick out of this, for now.
Nova is co-owned and operated by a friend of mine.
Tyler Monroe is the head chef and the guy who can whip up a heaping plate of truffle fries on a moment’s notice.
I sent him a text message on our way here.
We walked over since the restaurant is only a few blocks from the club, and Eden insisted that she needed the fresh air to sober up.
The champagne won’t help with that, but I expect my explanation for why I ordered it will bring another smile to her face.
I lift my glass in the air. “Here’s to my taking your client for every penny he has. I can already taste the sweetness of victory.”
Her glass stays on the table even though the corners of her lips are tugging up into an almost grin. “I thought that you didn’t want to talk about my pending win in the Alcester case. I’ve never lost in court, Dylan.”
“How many cases have you tried? Two? Three?”
That parts her lips in a soft laugh. “Who else besides Barrett do you still see from school?”
“No one,” I answer honestly. “I broke free of Chicago right out of the gate.”
Her gaze drops. “New York City was calling your name?”
“NYU was.” I reach for a fry. “That’s not news to you.”
“I remember.” She watches as I chew. Her gaze slides to my neck when I swallow.
I like that she’s interested enough to stare.
“Have you kept in touch with anyone, Eden?”
I don’t give a shit if she still talks to Brittany, her best friend from senior year. I only want to know about Clark, the guy she was head over heels for. The fool who didn’t know what he had in her.
“Do you remember Brittany?”
For fuck’s sake.
I nod. “Sure. She was the cheese to your macaroni.”
She tosses her head back in laughter. “She’s the Barrett to my Colt.”
I thought she’d forgotten the nickname everyone called me; everyone but her.
I was Dylan to her. Plain and simple. She didn’t listen when I told her to call me Colt.
I secretly loved that she ignored my request and called me by my first name whenever she got the chance.
“Do you talk to anyone else?” I push, fishing for Clark’s name and the confirmation that he’s completely out of the picture.
“Like who?” She levels her gaze on me.
I spit it out because I want the subject swept under the rug tonight before I take her back to my bed. “Clark Dodson. What’s the story with the two of you?”
The fry she just picked up falls to the table from her trembling hand. “There’s no story to tell. Clark is part of my past.”