Chapter 19
“I’m not thanking my brothers because they accidentally helped.” ~ Rhett
Rhett
I stroll into the offices of the distillery and grin at Dakota sitting behind her desk. “Good morning, Havoc.”
She glances at the clock before lifting her eyebrows at me. I chuckle.
“I had a meeting with our accountant this morning,” I explain as I set a coffee and muffin down on her desk. “Parker claims double espresso is your drink of choice. I figured you’d want one of those girly drinks with more syrup than coffee.”
“Syrup doesn’t have caffeine in it,” she mutters before sipping on her coffee.
She moans and my cock twitches. It remembers every moan and sigh and gasp she made the night we were together. I’ve played them over and over in my mind. Usually while in the shower with my cock in my hand.
I inhale a deep breath and tell my cock to calm the hell down before I drag Dakota into my office and have my wicked way with her. But I can’t. She’s still hesitant to date me. I need to wear her down. And I will.
“The muffin is baked peaches and cream whiskey. Parker uses our whiskey in the batter.”
“You had me at muffin,” she says before stuffing the baked goodie into her mouth.
She licks her bottom lip and I groan. “Stop teasing me, Havoc.”
She blinks up at me. “Teasing you? I’m merely sitting at my desk at work, enjoying a muffin. How am I teasing you?”
I narrow my eyes on her. “Act innocent all you want. I know the truth.”
She bats her eyelashes. “I have no idea what you mean.”
I fist my hands before I haul her out of her chair and show her exactly what I mean.
“And you wonder why I nicknamed you Havoc.”
She giggles. The sound is warm and carefree. I’ll put up with a lot of blue balls to hear it. Dakota carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. I could help, but the stubborn woman refuses to allow me to. The same way, she refuses to acknowledge there’s something special between us.
I will change her mind, but I need to be patient. A trait I’m not exactly known for.
“I want to know why you call her Havoc,” Zane says as he saunters into the reception area.
Miles raises his hand as he joins us. “Me too.”
“None of your business. Get back to work.”
Zane looks at Miles. “Isn’t he cute? Thinking he can order us around.”
Miles shakes his head. “I prefer the word delusional.”
Dakota laughs. “Delusional fits.”
I wag my finger at her. “Don’t encourage these yahoos.”
“Why not?” Zane asks.
“Yea.” Miles nods. “Why not?”
“Seriously. Do you want me to tell her about the time I caught the two of you throwing stink bombs into the teachers’ lounge in high school?”
“It was a misunderstanding,” Miles says. “I never should have been given detention.”
I raise an eyebrow. “No? Mouthing off to a teacher isn’t cause for detention anymore?”
His nose wrinkles. “Define mouthing off.”
“Telling the teacher she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.”
A muscle twitches in his jaw. “She was the guidance counselor and told me I’d never be a professional surfer.”
Damn. Miles’s past as a surfer is a sore subject. He tore his rotator cuff at a competition in Hawaii and hasn’t been the same since. All the physical therapy in the world wasn’t enough to give him the range of motion he needs to surf professionally.
Zane throws an arm over Miles’s shoulders. “She definitely didn’t know what she was talking about.”
Miles shrugs Zane off. He doesn’t want pity. Too bad he doesn’t understand there’s a difference between pity and compassion.
“I’ve never surfed before,” Dakota says, and I could kiss her for cutting the tension in the room.
Miles gasps. “You’ve never surfed before?”
She shrugs. “I’ve never even swam in the ocean.”
Miles leans against her desk in front of her. “You’ve never swam in the ocean?” She shakes her head. “But you can swim, can’t you?”
Her nose wrinkles. “I know how to doggy paddle.”
He grasps her hand. “I’ll teach you how to swim.”
I wrench him away from Dakota. “Don’t touch her.”
“Uh oh. Mr. Overprotector has arrived at the party.” Miles barks out a laugh at his own joke. He’s not funny.
I glare at him. “She didn’t give you permission to touch her. You don’t touch a woman without her permission. I know I taught you this.”
“Dakota doesn’t mind,” Miles claims. “We’re buds. Aren’t we?”
I stand in front of Dakota and block her from his view. “Being work colleagues doesn’t mean you’re buds, and it doesn’t give you permission to touch someone.”
He waggles his eyebrows. “She can touch me if she wants. We’ll call it even.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“Because you’re being boring,” Zane says.
I cross my arms over my chest and stare my two brothers down. “It’s boring to discuss how to treat a lady? Should I tell Mom this is how you feel?”
Zane groans. “You’re such a tattletale.”
“Here are words I never thought I’d say. Let’s go back to work.” Miles starts toward his office.
“But we never did figure out why Rhett calls Dakota Havoc,” Zane says as he follows him down the hallway.
I wait a few seconds after they disappear. It wouldn’t be the first time they faked leaving to eavesdrop on a conversation. But they don’t make a reappearance.
“I apologize for their behavior. I’ll speak to them again about touching you without your permission.”
“Thank you.” Dakota’s face goes all soft, and my hackles rise.
“Did…” I swallow the lump in my throat and force the question out of my mouth. “Was your husband ever physically violent with you?”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I thought we were in love until the day he died.”
I scowl. I don’t want her thinking about being in love with her dead husband. I want her fixated on me the way I am on her.
She scoffs. “I didn’t realize I’d fallen out of love with him long before his death.”
I frown. How do you not realize you’ve fallen out of love with someone? I nearly open my mouth to ask, when I remember we’re in the office, where my brothers could still be eavesdropping. This isn’t a conversation for now. This is a conversation for a date. Speaking of which.
“Do you want to go out on a date with me?” I babble on before she has a chance to reject me. “I had a good time at the Ghost Tide Festival. I’m good at winning, but I’m also handy for when doors come up and bite you. And I can—”
“Yes.”
“And also…” I trail off when I realize what she said. “Yes?”
She nods, but her smile is shaky and unsure. Did I push her too far?
I start to backpedal. I don’t want her to feel obligated to go out on a date with me. I want her excited to spend time with me, the way I am with her. “We don’t have to…”
Zane and Miles rush into the room singing, “Dakota and Rhett sitting in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g.”
Dakota’s cheeks darken until they’re the color of the ocean when the algae blooms. I growl. “You will not embarrass Dakota.”
They skip to a stop, and Zane rolls his eyes. “We’re only having fun.”
“You can have fun without embarrassing her. Do you hear me?”
Zane salutes. “Loud and clear.”
I stare at Miles until he sighs. “I hear you, Mr. Boring.”
“Good. Now, apologize to Dakota for embarrassing her.”
“We’re sorry, Dakota,” they say in unison.
“It’s okay,” she whispers.
Zane saunters toward her. “If you ever get tired of bossypants, I can—”
I prowl toward him. Miles shackles Zane’s wrist and hauls him away. “Come on. I think they want to be alone.”
I start after them. I taught them better than this. They should know how to behave in front of a woman.
“Thanks for proving me right,” Dakota says, and I stop.
“Proving you right?”
“To give you a chance.”
I smirk. “Get used to it, Havoc. I’m right a lot.”
She giggles and I realize I’d throw my brothers off a cliff to hear the sound of her happiness. “It’s funny you think so, Mr. High and Mighty.”
“Mr. High and Mighty? I’ll show you High and Mighty.” I wiggle my hands as I approach her.
“No tickling,” she screeches.
I drop my hands. “You’re lucky I’m a gentleman. Most of the time.” I wink and her green eyes flare with passion.
I can’t wait to have Dakota naked in my bed again, but I know better than to pressure her. Getting her to agree to a date was hard enough. I need to take it slow. Get her used to me being in her life. Get her addicted to me.
And then, I’ll show her I’m not the least bit boring.