Dilynne #3
Vienna steps up to me. “Look, if I didn’t think it was important to share everything, I wouldn’t have.
But…I’ve been around for a few months now, right?
And I’ve seen the way he looks at you. There is something there between the two of you.
” She covers the center of her chest with her hand. “I can feel it.”
Elodie nods. “I saw it too early on, but lately, it’s definitely been more obvious.”
My eyes find Laney, but she just shrugs. “If I would have told you this, you would have threatened me with bodily harm, but…”
“He made rules,” I blurt out. “Last week I went over to his house and he made a list of rules for us to follow in this arrangement.”
The girls’ eyes bug out. “What kind of rules?” Vienna asks.
I stare up at the ceiling, trying to remember them all while ticking them off on my fingers. “No innuendos or bra spinning.”
“Bra spinning?” Elodie interjects, but I wave her off, not having time to go into detail about that one.
“No affection unless necessary and agreed upon. No sleepovers in the same bed. Respect my time in the shop. And he has to act like he admires and respects me at Motorlux—no talking down to me, that is.”
The girls all share a look before Vienna looks back at me and says, “With the exception of the last two, those rules sound like they were made by someone who isn’t confident in their self-control.”
Is that why he insisted on his rules then?
Elodie nods in agreement. “Totally.”
“He also offered to go on the drive with me to Georgia to pick up the last couple of parts I need for the Porsche.”
Vienna snickers. “Well, the no sleeping together in the same bed rule will surely be broken on that trip.”
“Not if we get separate rooms, or a room with two beds,” I counter, not a fan of the way my nerves are humming in response to her point.
Laney steps toward me and places her hand on my shoulder.
“Look, all jokes aside, I think knowing this means that you need to really pay attention to Elliot’s actions—because if he’s feeling something for you, that means he stands to get hurt in all of this, and the last thing you want is to hurt him, right? ”
“Of course.”
“But if your reaction to this news is any indication, I’m gonna take a wild guess that maybe he’s not the only one who’s been developing feelings.”
I haven’t caught my best friend up to speed on some of Elliot’s and my interactions—like the day in his office when he called me a good girl and how it made my body heat up, or the other night in the shop when I could have sworn he was about to kiss me and built me up after I admitted how devastatingly Vinnie hurt me five years ago.
Lucky for me, I don’t get a chance to respond because the doorbell rings.
My eyes find the clock on the wall. “Shit. He’s early.”
Vienna waggles her eyebrows. “Someone’s eager.”
I shoot her a glare as I head for the door. I open it and when Elliot’s eyes land on me, the shocked expression on his face sends every insecure thought in my head into overdrive.
“Dilynne?” he asks, clearing his throat and reaching up to adjust his tie as his eyes roam over my body.
“Yes, it’s me, Elliot. Thanks for making this awkward.”
Laney shoves me from the back, narrowing her eyes at me disapprovingly. I roll my eyes and open the door wider. “Sorry. Wanna come in?”
He walks through the door and stops in the entryway of my house, but his eyes never leave me, not even to glance at the girls who are all eagerly watching our interaction.
“You look…”
“I know,” I say, cutting him off. I glance down my body and continue. “It’s too much. I can find something else to—”
But I don’t get a chance to finish because Elliot steps in closer and tips my chin up before pressing a finger to my lips, silencing me. The man is getting a little too comfortable with this move, but the look he’s giving me makes me happy to comply for some reason.
And there go those tingles low in my belly again.
“You look fucking gorgeous,” he says roughly, his intense stare pinning me in place.
The girls squeal, snapping him out of the moment. He quickly drops his hand from my face and turns to face them. “Uh, hi, ladies.”
“Elliot,” Laney says, smirking like her facial muscles have a freaking mind of their own.
“We did good, huh?” Elodie asks, beaming.
Elliot glances back over at me, his eyes landing on the hint of cleavage poking out of the neckline of the dress and then back over to her. “You sure did.”
“Yes, this was a team effort. Trust me, nothing I’m wearing is mine,” I interject, hating the way it feels to have the girls all gawking at us right now. “So, you ready to go?”
Elliot meets my eyes again. “Yes. Are you?”
“I just need to grab my purse.” I head to the kitchen counter, grab my purse, and then return to the entryway where everyone is still standing, silent. “Can y’all stop acting so weird, please?”
Vienna pats me on the shoulder. “No weirdness. It just feels like we’re proud parents sending our daughter on her first official date.”
“Trust me, this is not a date,” I mutter and head for the front door, reaching for the doorknob. Elliot’s hand comes down on mine, startling me.
“Let me.”
“I can open the door, Elliot.”
His stare meets mine. “I know you can. I know you can pretty much do anything for yourself, Dilynne, all right? But tonight, you’re my fiancée, and I’m going to open the freaking door for you. So deal with it.”
Our eyes bounce back and forth before I relent, sighing and stepping back. “Fine.”
“Thank you.” Elliot opens the door as my clit jumps for joy between my legs.
“Oh my,” Vienna whispers behind me.
“Damn,” Elodie adds.
“I heard that,” I say through clenched teeth, glaring at them as I step onto my porch, realizing I’m leaving all three of them in my house right now. “And Laney?” I call over my shoulder to my best friend.
“Yeah?”
“You know how to lock up. I’ve got my keys.”
“Yup! Have fun you two! Use protection!” she calls out as I make my way to Elliot’s truck.
“Pretty sure the only protection I’m going to need is a cup to protect my junk,” Elliot says, which only reminds me of the new details I know about his junk.
Seriously, what piercing did he get?
I’m busy debating the options when I feel Elliot’s hand coming down to rest on the small of my back.
“Uh, what are you doing?” I ask nervously, not entirely hating the way his touch feels.
Elliot pulls me to a stop just a few feet from his truck, his lips tickling the shell of my ear as he speaks.
The sun is setting in the distance, so there’s still light in the sky.
But part of me wishes it were darker because then this move would feel even more dangerous.
“If this night is going to go smoothly, Dilynne, you’ve got to let me touch you.
I figured this would be a good time to practice, all right? ”
I can feel myself leaning into him, but then quickly snap myself out of it. “Okay.”
“Now that we’ve established some affection will be necessary tonight, are you all right with me touching you like this?”
I mean, my clit needs the attention right now, but sure, I think to myself.
“Yes,” I reply a little breathlessly.
I can feel him smile against my ear. “Good.” He releases his grip on me, weaves his fingers through mine, and then leads me the rest of the way to his truck before opening the passenger door and helping me inside. “I hope you’re ready for this, Dilynne. It’s certainly going to be interesting.”
Yeah, no shit.
I have to sit through dinner and play the part of future wife while processing all this deeply distracting new information about Elliot.
It’ll be interesting, all right.