20. Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty
HATTIE
There were two little girls standing in Dylan’s living room, not so quietly commenting on my presence. One thought I might be Dylan’s girlfriend, and I didn’t correct her. After all, that was what he wanted people to think, right?
I didn’t know what to think. My head was spinning, and I was still reeling from the kiss Dylan and I had shared.
It was only a kiss, for Christ’s sake. Get it together, Hattie . So what if it was a knock-your-socks-off and soak-your-panties kind of kiss? That didn’t mean anything would come from it.
“What are your names?” I asked the two little girls.
“I’m Alice,” the one with the pink headband said.
“And I’m Nikki.” She looked over her shoulder, then zeroed in on me. “Are you Mr. Dylan’s girlfriend?”
“No.” Dylan’s typically smooth voice came out gravelly. “She’s just a friend.”
My heart twisted painfully, but I kept my expression neutral. The kiss we’d shared was anything but friendly, but I could understand if he didn’t want to get into it with a set of twins who couldn’t be much older than five or six.
“These are Logan’s daughters,” he said, resting a hand on each of their heads. “His babysitter canceled, and the chief called him in, so they’re going to hang out with us until their mom can come pick them up.”
“Sounds fun.” Thankfully, now that the storm had stopped, I could relax.
“Do you want to play go fish?” Nikki asked.
I gave her a soft smile. “Yeah, sure.”
The girls took spots on the other side of the coffee table, then, in unison, glanced over at Dylan, who was still standing at the edge of the living room.
“Are you playing too?” Alice tilted her head.
With a sigh, he looked at the cushion beside me, his face screwed up as if he were afraid the couch would swallow him whole if he sat down. Reluctantly he made his way over and dropped down next to me, although through the whole exchange, he wouldn’t look at me. Was I reading too much into it?
After a few rounds of go fish, my mood had lifted, and the anxiety that had overtaken me during the storm had disappeared.
Based on the smile Dylan wore, he was having fun too.
I loved hanging out with my nieces and nephews, and lately, I found myself preferring them over my siblings.
Maybe it was their lack of expectations or their ability to find the good in almost everything. Although settling down and having a few of my own was what I wanted, I was starting to wonder if it was in the cards for me.
If it wasn’t, then I’d learn to be okay with being cool Aunt Hattie, I guessed.
“Do you girls like popcorn?” I held out the bowl Dylan and I had been munching from.
“Of course.” They chirped at the same time, each sticking a hand into the bowl.
As I pulled it back, my arm brushed against Dylan’s hand, and I could have sworn he flinched.
Seriously?
I stole a glance at him. Sure enough, as I watched him in my periphery, he scooted away subtly. He refused to meet my gaze, and now I was sure I wasn’t reading too much into it. Since we’d kissed, he’d been acting strange.
I sighed. Of course the first guy in forever that I felt a connection with wasn’t interested. That had happened to me more than a couple of times over the years, so I should be used to it.
Even so, it stung.
I could take a little solace, though, knowing that Dylan’s strong moral code likely kept him from feeling as though he could be involved with one of his friend’s sisters. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t blame him for that.
We played another round of go fish before the girls pulled out coloring books and crayons. I lay on the floor next to Nikki and helped her color a picture of Ariel. We were almost finished when the doorbell rang and the girls’ mom came in.
“Why does Logan have to be so difficult about hiring a sitter who doesn’t have one foot in the grave?” The woman huffed, frowning at Dylan. “I mean, I know why, but he’s not his father. Just wish he would understand that.”
Dylan shrugged. “I don’t get it either, but you two know I’m happy to do it anytime you need.”
As I stood, she caught sight of me and smiled.
“Hi, I’m Maggie.” She stepped forward and stuck her hand out.
I shook it, studying her, knowing I recognized her. It only took a moment for my brain to catch up. “You’re the pediatric surgeon at the hospital.”
She nodded.
“My friend Cece talks about you all the time.”
“Aw,” she cooed. “Cece is such a sweetheart. I love her. I tried to poach her from the ER, but she wasn’t having it. She loves it down there.”
After chatting about Cece and how I’d gotten to know her over the last year, Maggie smiled and turned to Dylan.
“I like this one. She gets my approval.”
His brows pulled together slightly. “What?”
“You two.” She pointed between us. “You’re dating, aren’t you…?” A blush rose on her cheeks. “Sorry, I should know better than to listen to the gossip train.”
Apprehension swirled in my belly. Why was the town even gossiping about me? I was never the talk of the town, and I preferred it that way. “I don’t understand why they even care who I’m dating.”
She smirked. “Oh honey, it’s not you they care about. It’s Half Moon Lake’s most eligible bachelor.” She nodded to Dylan.
Groaning, he narrowed his eyes on Maggie.
She held her hands up. “Sorry, don’t shoot the messenger.” With a chuckle, she surveyed the girls, who were still lying on the floor with their coloring books. “Time to go, girls.”
Once she’d coaxed them out of here, I took the popcorn bowl and my empty soda bottle to the kitchen. After discarding the bottle and washing the bowl, I turned to find Dylan standing in the archway. He padded into the room, then, with a sigh, he leaned against the counter, crossing one ankle over the other.
My heart thumped in my ears the whole time, and the air was heavy with awkwardness.
Determined not to let discomfort settle between us, I dried my hands on the dishtowel and hung it up. Then I cleared my throat. “Can we talk about what happened earlier?”
Obviously, we had chemistry, but if what he felt for me wasn’t strong enough to break bro-code or whatever, then I needed him to tell me that. It wasn’t like I’d thrown myself at him, and from what I could tell, he was just as into it as I was. But at this point, I needed to know where we stood.
“Yeah. I’m sorry for walking away. I just needed a minute to gather my thoughts. I should have told you that.”
That made sense. Frankly, the kiss had sent me spinning too, but why was he acting so weird now? I nodded. “Right. So?—”
My words were cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. “Sorry,” he said, digging it out of his pocket. “It’s Aiden. Need to take this real quick.” With that, he turned and strode to the sunroom. He answered as he stepped down into the room, and as he spoke to Aiden, he paced, using his free hand to gesture emphatically.
A yawn caught me by surprise as I strained to catch his mumbled words without any luck. I had to be up for work early tomorrow since I needed to submit payroll. We could talk tomorrow morning on our drive in. I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and shot Dylan a text to let him know I was headed to bed.
Once I lay down, though, I couldn’t get comfortable. I tossed and turned, unable to shut off my brain. The kiss Dylan and I shared played over and over in my mind, and each time, I scolded myself for thinking about it. I’d spent the last two years, maybe longer, looking for a man I not only enjoyed spending time with but who ignited that blazing passion that Ashley and my friends had found. With just one kiss, Dylan had made me feel that.
If I were home, I would pull out my favorite toy and get myself off, then roll over and go to sleep. Here, I didn’t have access to said toy. Plus, it was Dylan’s lips on me, his fingers exploring, his cock deep inside me, that I really wanted.
I groaned in frustration, and then, with my bottom lip pulled between my teeth, I slid my hand under the blankets. Maybe I couldn’t have exactly what I wanted, but that didn’t have to stop me from taking advantage of being aroused for the first time in months.
Eyes closed, I imagined Dylan shirtless that night in my apartment. I slipped my fingers under the waistband of my panties, my core throbbing, and applied pressure to my clit, moving back and forth. I pictured Dylan storming into the room and slapping my hand away, then replacing it with his mouth.
My back arched off the bed, and I pulled my knees up, letting them fall open.
An image of him slipping a finger inside me as he continued to use his tongue floated through my mind. Moaning, I moved my hand faster, pumping two fingers in and out and rubbing my thumb in circles around my clit.
I trailed my other hand up under my shirt and pinched one nipple.
As I continued to pleasure myself, I pictured him crawling up my body, his cock long and thick as it entered me. When spasms overtook me, I turned my face into my pillow to muffle my moans.
It was all too much, but also not enough as I succumbed to the orgasm that enveloped me.
DYLAN
What the hell was wrong with me? I couldn’t really blame her for heading to bed and avoiding the guaranteed-to-be-awkward conversation we needed to have.
Huffing out a breath, I strode down the hall. As I passed her room, a noise, almost like a whimper, came from the other side, stopping me in my tracks. Shit. Maybe she was having another nightmare. I took a step back and inched over to her door to listen. The bed creaked and a faint moan hit my ears. It didn’t sound like a distressed moan, but rather one filled with pleasure.
A zap of electricity shot straight down my spine. Was she touching herself?
Jesus Christ. I groaned as I braced against the doorframe and lowered my head. I was an asshole of epic proportions because a big part of me wanted to push through the door and demand she let me pleasure her.
I stepped back on the hardwood floor, ready to turn and get the hell out of here. But as I did, the boards creaked loudly under me.
Flinching at the sound, I held my breath. Awesome. I turned and started toward my bedroom before I did something insanely stupid. But when her door swung open, I froze again.
“Were you just standing outside my door?” she asked, barely more than a silhouette in the dark doorway. “Is everything okay?”
Swallowing thickly, I spun back toward her. The moment I did, though, I wished I hadn’t. Her nipples poked through her thin tank top, and she was wearing nothing but panties with it. Now I regretted ever complaining about her sleep shorts. Because damn, my brain was currently short-circuiting.
She cleared her throat, garnering my attention. Blinking, I forced my head up and met her gaze.
“Um, yeah.” What the hell did she want me to say? I was listening to you getting yourself off, and it made me want to break the fucking door down ? No fucking way. I shifted my weight and glanced away. “You know…thought I heard something.”
Her eyes widened, and a small gasp escaped her. Arms wrapped around her torso, she frowned. “And what did you think you heard?”
I arched a brow. Did she want me to spell it out? Confirm what she thought I heard. Hell no. I didn’t need to replay the images that had run through my brain. Not until I was alone, at least.
“It doesn’t matter.” I kept my gaze on her face, determined not to let myself look anywhere else. But I lost that fight five seconds later and stole a quick glance down. Were her panties still damp from her arousal?
I adjusted myself and looked away.
Jesus, why was this so hard?
“I’m a bit confused.”
My chest tightened, and I forced my attention back to her face. “Confused?”
“Yeah. You kissed me, then spent the rest of the evening acting weird. Now you look like you want to throw me onto the bed and have your way with me.” She sighed. “If we both want the same thing, why are we fighting it?”
Shit, I really was an asshole. However, it didn’t change things.
“It doesn’t matter what I want when I can’t have it.” I folded my arms across my chest.
Her brows pulled together. “Why can’t you have it?”
I bit back a groan. Did she really not understand? “Because you’re Rhett’s sister, not to mention I’m supposed to be protecting you.”
“Right.” With a sharp nod, she looked away.
“There are rules when it comes to these things.”
“I get it.” She sighed, her body deflating. “Rules shouldn’t be broken unless it’s important.”
Frustration coursed through me, and I locked my jaw to keep from saying bullshit . Yeah, maybe she understood, but she also thought she wasn’t important enough. And worse, she thought I felt the same way. But it was more complicated than that. If I screwed up, I’d not only put my friendship with Rhett and my job on the line, but her life as well. And that was the one thing I wouldn’t gamble with.
“Good night Dylan.” She turned, and then she was gone.
Fuck me.