Chapter fifteen Dallas #2
And this is what I’ve arrived at: she may own the house that I’ve always dreamed of owning myself, but the pull I feel toward her is stronger than that old desire.
There will be other houses.
But there’s only one Willow.
And if she’s here temporarily, then I owe it to myself to explore this connection that we have.
My gut tells me she belongs here, like something brought her here that is bigger than us both, and rarely in life do you get a feeling like that, so why not listen to it?
This could monumentally blow up in my face.
But after last night, I realize that I don’t fucking care.
I’ve made choices and sacrifices throughout my life that have paid off, and some that still haunt my dreams.
But not going after Willow?
I’m fairly certain that regret could turn into a nightmare I’d have to face for the rest of my life.
“So what happens now?” Penn asks, pulling me back to our conversation.
“Now I show her exactly what Carrington Cove and I can offer her.”
“And the house?”
I shrug. “What will be, will be.”
“Then I hope it’s worth it.”
Something tells me that she is.
***
“That thing has seat belts, right?” Willow stares at my Mustang as I guide her with my hand on her lower back, down the gravel alongside her house toward my car.
I drove over to her house to pick her up for our date, and when she opened the door, my jaw nearly hit the floor.
She had on a light blue sundress with white polka dots, thin straps draped over her shoulders exposing her creamy skin, and a hem that hit just above her knees. It was the most casual thing I’ve seen her wear yet, but that wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks.
Her hair was down on purpose.
All. Of. It.
Silk waves of gold hung around her face, her blonde hair glistening in the sunlight, and her lips were painted the same red she wore the first night she stepped foot in my restaurant.
I felt like a fucking sap trying to form words in my head for how strongly she took my breath away.
The only word I could come up with was…wow.
And now that I have her next to me and the whole evening ahead of us, I can’t wait to bury my hands in her hair later while I bury my tongue in her mouth.
“Yes, there are seat belts.”
“I know it sounds like a stupid question, but I’ve never been in an old car like this before.”
I reach for the handle on her door, opening it so she can slide inside. But I stop her with my free hand before she does. “The term you’re looking for is classic, Willow. She’s a classic.”
Her brows rise. “She?”
“Yes, Goose. She is my pride and joy, so all I ask is that you show some respect.”
Her eyes narrow as she says, “Then stop calling me Goose. Otherwise, your car is just plain old, Dallas.”
I smack her ass gently right before she sits down. “Watch it, babe.”
Her jaw hangs open as I shut her door and round the front of the car. Once I situate myself inside, she turns to me and says, “Did you just smack my ass?”
“Yeah, I did. And there’s more where that came from. I have a feeling that sass of yours has never been challenged, but that’s about to change tonight.”
“And what if I’m not on board with that?”
I twist in my seat, resting my forearm over the back of her headrest, leaning forward slightly so there’s very little space between us.
“Let me ask you something.” She purses her lips but waits for me to continue.
“When I slapped your ass did your body warm up? Did heat flash under your skin and travel down between your legs?” She swallows but doesn’t answer.
So I lean in closer and whisper, “If I slipped my hand under your dress right now, would your panties be wet?”
“Dallas…”
“I think you and I both know the answer to that question, don’t we, Willow?”
She lets out a growl that makes my lips curl up, pleased that I’ve read her correctly, and so fucking excited to show her just how fun giving up control can be.
Hell, she’s already let her hair down for the evening—time to let it fly in the wind.
Before she can tell me off, I lean over all the way, gently place my lips on hers, and remind her of our connection. And when I break the kiss too soon, she groans in frustration.
Now you might understand how frustrated you’ve made me since the moment we met, Willow.
“So, are you ready for me to show you a night out in Carrington Cove?”
Huffing out her defeat, she tilts her head at me and says, “Fine.”
Laughing, I check over my shoulder to back out onto the road. “You sound so excited about it.”
“Honestly, I’m nervous, Dallas.” She huffs and then slaps her palm to her forehead. “Jesus, I can’t believe I just admitted that.”
I cast a glance at her before focusing back on the road, heading up the coast to a spot I want to show her. “How come?”
She fiddles with her fingers in her lap. “I, uh…haven’t been on a date in a long time.”
“How long?”
She winces and then turns to me and says, “Since college.”
I nearly run a red light, slamming on the brakes before I do. “Shit. I’m sorry.” Gripping the steering wheel, I continue, “But seriously? That long? How old are you?”
“Thirty-four, and don’t you know it’s not polite to ask a woman her age?”
Huffing out a laugh, I say, “I wasn’t trying to insinuate that you’re old. Just needed a frame of reference.”
“I’ve just been really busy.” She shrugs, looking out her window as the light turns green, avoiding my eyes now. “The last thing I was thinking about was my love life.”
“I get that.” I don’t want to give her a complex, but part of me wonders if there’s another reason she hasn’t dated.
I know I had my reasons for keeping women at arm’s length, which is why when I felt myself being pulled into her orbit, I had to fight to stop resisting it.
“My time in the service kept me from wanting to grow attached to anyone, and then when I returned home, I dove headfirst into making my business thrive.”
“Well, so did I.”
“You own your own business? I thought you were in advertising.”
Her spine straightens and then she says, “I own my own advertising firm back in D.C., Dallas. Marshall Advertising.”
“Holy shit. That’s impressive, Willow.”
Damn. I can only imagine what a ballbuster this woman is. That explains a lot more about how she carries herself and the fact that she’s always working.
“Thank you.”
“So while you’ve been down here…”
“I’ve been managing things remotely. Honestly, I was apprehensive about it since I’m very hands-on in my business, but the break has been kind of nice.” She stares out the window, sighing.
No wonder she’s so eager to get back to D.C.
Fuck. Maybe this is more complicated than I thought.
Not sure of what to say after her admission, but knowing one thing she needs is some fun in her life, I tell her, “Let’s roll the windows down.”
“What?”
“See that handle down there?” I point to the handle on her door since this car is so “old” you have to manually roll down the windows.
“Yeah?”
“Turn it toward you.” I do the same to my side as a gust of ocean breeze flows through both sides of the car.
“Oh my God!” Willow shouts over the sound of the wind, her hair blowing wildly all around her face. “You have no idea how much time I spent on my hair, Dallas!”
“Doesn’t matter to me.” I smirk over at her as her grin builds. “I like you a little messy.”
Her smile drops as she stares at me. “You have no idea how messy my life is.”
“Willow, there’s nothing you could tell me that would make me want you any less.”
“You don’t know that for sure.”
I reach over and cup her face, feeling something take shape deep in my gut. “Yeah, Goose. I do.”
***
“This spot is incredible.”
Willow and I are standing on the edge of the pier that extends into the ocean a few miles up the coast, staring off over the water. There’s a reason I brought her up here, but we have a little while to wait until I can let her in on that.
“It is.”
“This place—the scenery, the people, the way it makes you feel like you’re in your own little slice of heaven...” She sighs. “It’s beautiful.”
But my eyes never look anywhere but her as I say, “Yeah. It is.”
And then she turns to face me, realizes I was staring at her, and the space between us grows louder somehow, like we’re waiting to see who’s going to make the next move.
“I didn’t realize there was a pier up the coast from town.” She looks around us, breaking the moment. “And those crab cakes?”
“Best you’ve ever had, huh?”
“Yet another food item I’m addicted to here.”
Franny’s Crab Shack is a Carrington Cove restaurant that survives on tourism much like my own, but word of mouth keeps her business thriving when the locals can’t manage to visit.
Franny opened this place when I was in middle school, and to date, she still serves up the best seafood, and crab cakes particularly, that I’ve ever had in my life.
“I know the feeling. This place gets overlooked sometimes because you can’t see it from the highway when you’re driving down the coast, but the locals make sure to point tourists in this direction, especially because of the businesses out here.”
“It’s amazing.”
“Best date you’ve ever been on?”
She smirks over at me. “Well, with very little to compare it to, I’d say yes.”
I shrug. “Doesn’t matter how many others there were. This is the only one that matters, as far as I’m concerned.”
She turns to face me. “So cocky.”
I mimic her stance, leaning against the wooden railing. “No. Confident, Goose.”
“What was it like growing up here?” She rests her back against the railing this time, watching the people on the pier mill around us.
“Everything you would expect in a small town.”
“Well, that idea is foreign to me, so please, explain.”
Pinching her waist, she squeals and then glares at me. “Watch that sass.”
“You love it.”
Yeah, I kinda do.