Chapter 5
5
LIV
“ H ey, beautiful. You ready to go?” Dylan’s compliment barely registers as I gawk at him from my front door.
He looks like an A-list celebrity in a charcoal cashmere sweater, dark jeans, and black boots. Meanwhile, I’m feeling somewhat underdressed in my favorite navy wool cable knit that I paired with a chocolate-brown corduroy skirt and thick tights. I’ve never been one of those stylish girls who manages to look cute no matter what they’re wearing. Dylan, on the other hand, looks great whether he’s wearing a t-shirt and jeans or a chic sweater and expensive boots. It’s so unfair.
My gaze lands on his panty-melting smile, and suddenly I realize my mouth is gaping open like a clueless fish. I immediately snap it shut and hurriedly usher him inside.
“Did you have any trouble finding the place?” I close the door behind him and scurry around my living room, picking up random items and putting them away. Even though I’ve already tidied up, I’m nervous and need something to do with my hands.
“No trouble at all. I used to have a buddy who lived not too far from here. But he’s since gotten married and moved out to the suburbs.” Dylan’s tone is nonchalant as he casually explores my cozy home.
I’m walking backward toward the hallway when I almost trip over my rug, and he stifles a laugh.
“Um… Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready to go. There’re two travel mugs of coffee on the counter in the kitchen. Help yourself!” I yell, rushing to my room to retrieve my suitcase. I take one last look around, confirming I have everything I need before rolling my luggage to the front door.
“Ready?” He’s waiting for me with a coffee in each hand.
“Just gotta put this on. Then I’m all set.” I reach for my wool top coat that’s thrown over the arm of the sofa.
“Let me help you with that.” He sets down the mugs and takes the garment from my hands. After helping me slip into it, he spins me around to face him and adjusts my lapels. He’s standing so close I almost forget to breathe. “There, that should keep you nice and warm.”
I can think of some other things that would keep me nice and warm too.
I open the door, then grab the handle of my suitcase, but Dylan places his palm over mine to stop me. “Let’s trade.” He hands me my coffee before wheeling my luggage outside.
“I can get my own bag, you know.”
“I know you can, but what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you do that?” He winks at me and I can’t help but smile back at him.
He waits for me to lock up, then escorts me to his black SUV parked at the curb. Leaving my suitcase on the sidewalk, he opens my door and helps me inside, then buckles my seat belt for me. I inhale his masculine cologne when he reaches across my body, and the urge to kiss his exposed neck is almost overwhelming.
“You do realize I’m not a child, right?” I tease while secretly enjoying being doted on.
He pauses and stares into my eyes, making my heart skip a beat. “I know you’re not, Liv. But I like taking care of you. I’ll stop if you want me to.”
The thought of being hands-off with him makes my chest ache. “No,” I blurt out. “I… it’s fine.” I shrug and tuck an imaginary strand of hair behind my ear. I’m not ready to admit how much I like his attention.
He closes my door and loads my suitcase into the trunk before climbing into the driver’s seat. “All set?”
“All set,” I confirm and quietly sip my coffee.
My mother’s house is about an hour away, but the time zips by while we talk about everything and nothing in particular. Surprisingly, it isn’t an awkward conversation, considering our previous limited interactions. And before I know it, we’re heading up the driveway and into one of the bays of the four-car garage.
“Wow, it’s a lot bigger than I remember,” Dylan comments after parking the car.
“Well, you only came by a handful of times. And it was several years ago.”
He helps me out of the vehicle, then grabs our two suitcases from the trunk.
As we’re walking into the house, I explain why I try to come home whenever I can. “I hate the thought of Mom staying in this big house all by herself. I’m sure it’s lonely here without anyone to talk to.”
“I guess I hadn’t thought about that.” Dylan rubs the back of his neck. “My place is nice, but it’s nowhere near this size. So it doesn’t bother me too much that I’m there alone most of the time.”
For some reason, thinking of him by himself makes me sad and I want to fix it. “Not a chance I could be lonely in my small apartment. The walls are so thin my neighbors might as well be roommates.” I laugh. “It’s probably one of the reasons Mom keeps herself so busy with volunteering. She loves socializing with other people.”
“Yeah, I bet you’re right,” he agrees and follows me through to the kitchen.
“And I’m so thankful for Maggie too. She comes over once a week to help take care of the house. Mom was reluctant to accept the help at first, but it didn’t take long for her to realize that keeping up a place like this was more than she could handle on her own.”
“I can relate.” Dylan chuckles, and I’m wondering how a laugh can sound so sexy. “My house may not be much, but even I have trouble keeping up with the cleaning.”
“I imagine you do, considering you grew up in a huge penthouse with an army of staff at your beck and call.” I smirk at him over my shoulder.
We head into the main living space, and after a few steps, I realize there’s silence behind me. I stop and turn on my heel to find Dylan looking around the massive living room.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, not at all. It’s just… different from what I remember.” He smiles while picking up a glass decoration that adorns a small table.
“Oh, yeah. Mom made quite a few changes after Bruce left.” It wasn’t that she was trying to get rid of the memories she created with her ex-husband, but more like trying to make the space feel inviting and not like a museum.
“It’s warm and homey. I like it.” He carefully sets the figurine down and closes the distance between us. “It’s really nice, Liv. Your mom did a great job.”
My heart breaks a little at the thought of him growing up in such a cold environment. I can now see why he acted the way he did all those years ago. I’d probably have done the same.
I want so much to hug him in this moment, but I think better of it and stay put. “C’mon. I’ll show you to your room.” We ascend the grand staircase to the second floor, and I point to the third door on the left. “This is you.” I turn the knob and lead Dylan inside.
He drags in his suitcase and begins looking around the space. “Reminds me of my bedroom at home.” He nods in approval.
“Really? Mom decorated it just for you.” I watch him stroll over to the window that overlooks the garden.
“She didn’t have to go through all that trouble. I’ll only be here for a few days.”
I give him a wistful smile when I glance at him. “She did it when we moved in and never changed it.”
His eyes widen slightly at my confession.
“She’d always hoped you’d spend more time here, but I guess that just wasn’t meant to happen.” I think we all hoped things would’ve been different five years ago.
“I’m sorry, Liv. I never meant to hurt your mom.”
I can see the remorse in his eyes from across the room.
“But I’m here now and we can make up for lost time.”
My heart wants his words to mean more than they should, but my head warns me not to be daft. I doubt he thinks of me as more than an acquaintance, no matter how much I wish he didn’t. Still, it’s hard to not want to believe otherwise when he gazes at me so intensely, as if he could undress me with his eyes alone. Before I can fantasize any more about that, his voice breaks me from my thoughts.
“Where’s your room? I’ll carry your bag.”
“Oh!” I startle back to reality with a shake of my head. “I’m just right across the hall,” I state while hiking a thumb over my shoulder.
“Hmmm,” he hums, and the deep baritone sound makes my thighs clench. “That’s certainly convenient.” His smirk is wolfish when he struts over to my room, tugging my suitcase behind him. Then he freezes as soon as he steps over the threshold. “Damn, that’s a lot of books.” His eyes are as big as saucers, and a belly-laugh bursts free from inside me.
“What? I like to read!” I slap his shoulder and roll my luggage over by the bed.
“This isn’t a bedroom. This is a library.” Dylan makes a beeline for the nearest bookcase to examine my prized collection.
“I know it’s silly, but I wanted to be Belle when I was growing up. I dreamed of having a library like hers, filled with all kinds of books.”
“Does your library come with a beast too?”
A surge of flirtiness suddenly hits me. “I don’t know. You tell me.” Something flashes in his eyes, and I’m eager to see more of it.
“Maybe I’ll read you a bedtime story later… if you’re a good girl.”
I don’t know if Dylan has any idea the effect the phrase good girl has on smutty romance readers, but my insides just quivered.
“How ‘bout I show you around and then we can get something to eat?” I propose, taking a particularly spicy book from his hands and replacing it on the shelf before he has a chance to see the not-safe-for-work art that’s inside.
“I’m always down to eat,” he says, and I pinch my lips together in a failed effort to hide my embarrassment.
I swear this man is trying to kill me.
I give him a brief tour of the house before we head back to the kitchen for a snack. Our conversation is light and easy, and we’re both enjoying our time together. I keep staring at him while he talks, remembering how desperately I wanted to get to know him back when our parents were married. But now that I think about it, I’m glad that I didn’t, because he’s not the same person he was a few years ago. Neither am I, for that matter. He doesn’t feel like a brother to me at all, probably because he never was one. And I secretly hope he sees me as more than just some kid he used to know, because I can’t deny how much I’m attracted to him.
He’s rinsing our plates while I load the dishwasher when a thought occurs to him. “Carol’s volunteering at the hospital today, right?”
“Yep. She’s a baby cuddler in the NICU. She was planning to be here when we arrived, but she picked up an extra shift. She’ll never turn down an opportunity to hold babies.”
He shuts off the water and dries his hands with a pensive expression on his face. “I still can’t figure out how my philandering father managed to marry a sweet woman like your mom.”
“We had a pretty quiet life before she met Bruce. We didn’t have much, but we didn’t need much either,” I admit. “She met him at a party for her boss and he swept her right off her feet. She had no idea about his past and she dismissed whatever rumors she heard as gossip.”
“Maybe she should’ve listened to them.” Dylan scowls when he thinks about his dad.
“Maybe,” I agree while starting the washer. “But my mom is always willing to give people a chance. And Bruce offered her what seemed like a fairy tale. I was skeptical of him and he proved me right. But I do believe he tried to be a better man for her. He just couldn’t stay that way for long.” I frown, remembering how heartbroken my mom was when the marriage ended. She felt so foolish, even though she had no reason to feel that way.
“I hate that he hurt her. And I’m sorry you got hurt too.”
“It’s alright. Water under the bridge now.”
Dylan clasps his hand around mine and gently rubs his thumb across my skin. Goose bumps rise to the surface of my arms and I’m glad I’m wearing a sweater to hide the effect he has on me. “I was thinking perhaps we should make dinner, so Carol has a hot meal waiting for her when she gets home.”
“You know how to cook?” I raise an eyebrow at him, as most bachelors I know could burn water.
“I’ve learned how to make a few dishes over the years.” He laughs. “Once Mike realized I ate out most of the time, he started teaching me some things around the kitchen.”
“You have more money than you know what to do with. Why didn’t you just hire a chef?” It’s odd to me that a man so wealthy chooses to live like he isn’t.
“I could have, but I’m tired of that life. I’ve always had someone waiting on me hand and foot, and I thought it was important for me to learn how to take care of myself.” That’s shocking to hear, coming from someone with a bank account the size of his. “Besides, I like this new life. It’s filled with people who genuinely care about me, instead of the type who only hang around for my money.”
“Fair enough.” I nod. “Let’s get started on dinner.” After rummaging through the fridge, I pull out a few ingredients and lay them on the marble-top island. “Looks like we have everything we need for spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread. Sound good?”
Dylan pushes up his sleeves and rubs his palms together. “Now that’s something I can cook.”
I show him where the pots and pans are located, and he moves around the kitchen as if he’s done it a million times. He’s comfortable here, and I like seeing him relaxed. But his muscular body is so big that we keep running into each other.
“I’m sorry,” he apologizes with a chuckle when he bumps me with his hip.
I crane my neck so I can look up at him. “You’re fine. You can’t help that you’re a giant.”
“Not my fault you’re a tiny mouse.” He smirks, then reaches out and dabs at my cheek. “You’ve got a little bit of tomato sauce right here.” He wipes it away before licking the sauce from the pad of his thumb. My gaze follows the movement, and my pussy flutters. “Mmm, tastes pretty good.”
My lips part as a shallow breath is forced from my lungs.
The pull I feel toward him is strong, but I’m afraid he doesn’t feel the same way. I’ve fantasized about this man for years, and I’m sure it’s just remnants of the high school crush I had on him. Perhaps it’s because I knew nothing could ever happen between us, despite how badly I wanted it to. But there’s nothing keeping us apart now, not really. So maybe I should quit being such a chicken shit, and for once in my life, go for what I want.
A wave of courage sweeps over me, and I lean into him, slightly rising on the balls of my feet. Dylan stares at me for a long moment before lowering his head and darting his tongue out to wet his lips. My heart races and my pulse beats wildly at the base of my neck. Then he reaches for my waist and slowly tugs me closer. My eyelids begin to lower when the door to the garage bursts open.
“Hey, guys! I’m home!”
As if we’d been struck with a current of electricity, we immediately separate and take a step back from each other. My cheeks are flaming hot while Dylan fights off a wicked grin.
My mother couldn’t possibly have worse timing.