Chapter 34
“I am not letting Dakota slip away from me. She wants to run away. I’m chasing her.” ~ Rhett
Rhett
E xcitement vibrates through my body as I pull into the Mermaid Motel parking lot. Dakota hasn’t forgiven me yet, but she will. I won’t settle for anything less. Because Dakota is mine. She’s the woman I love. The woman I plan to spend the rest of my days with.
I stop in front of her suite and her door opens. I jump out of my vehicle.
“You were supposed to wait for me to knock.”
She rolls her eyes. “Mr. High and Mighty has arrived at the party.”
I start to tell her I’m not high or mighty but my words get caught in my throat when I notice what she’s wearing. The black dress hugs all her curves. My mouth waters. I want my hands on those curves again while she’s writhing beneath me in passion. My cock twitches. It’s on board.
“What’s wrong?” she asks and I realize I’m standing still in the parking lot staring at her. I hope I’m not drooling.
I clear my throat. “I want to throw you over my shoulder and drag you into the hotel room and do dirty, dirty things to you.”
Her cheeks warm and the flush travels down her neck to her chest. I groan at the peek of her breasts.
“Sorry,” she breathes out. “No bedroom shenanigans.”
I’ll change her mind. I’ll confess why I was a complete dumbass and get her to forgive me. I won’t – can’t – accept any other alternative.
I open the door to my SUV and help her inside. I can’t resist trailing my fingers over her hips as I lift her. Her breath hitches and I duck my head to hide my smile. Dakota still wants me. She just doesn’t want to.
“How’s your blood sugar?” I ask once I’m driving toward the Hideaway Haven Resort.
She frowns at me. “I’ve been handling my diabetes by myself for a long time. I don’t need you to control me.”
“I’m not trying to control you. I’m concerned. Diabetes isn’t a joke.”
“You’re telling me,” she mumbles.
“I’m sorry you have to deal with this. It can’t be easy.”
“It’s fine.”
I may have been an idiot before but I can recognize when a woman is done with a conversation. We fall into silence. I can feel the nervous energy emitting from her. She’s not the only one who’s nervous. Tonight’s conversation is the most important one of my life. I can’t fuck it up.
Good thing the trip to the resort isn’t long, since the tension in the vehicle grows as I drive. By the time I park, I’m biting my tongue to stop myself from blurting out how much I love her and what an idiot I am.
“Wait for me,” I insist.
“I’m waiting but not because you ordered me to.” I lift an eyebrow. She motions to her dress. “I’m afraid I’ll get arrested for indecent exposure if I try to climb out of your oversized SUV without help.”
“Don’t be silly.” I smirk. “No one gets arrested for indecent exposure on the island.”
I jump out and round the vehicle to open her door.
“They don’t?”
I have to fight to remember what we were discussing. With my hands on her body, my mind goes blank. I set her down and clear my throat.
“Ask Miles some time about how he decided to surf in the nude.”
She giggles. “Why am I not surprised?”
I offer her my arm, and to my relief, she takes it. We walk into the restaurant and she gasps.
“Holy smugglers in hell. This is fancy.”
Did I screw up? Is it too fancy? Is she intimidated? Does she not like the place?
I glance down at her and her green eyes are wide with wonder. I blow out a breath. I need to stop second guessing myself. Everything is going to work out. It has to. I love her.
The host shows us to our table. It’s in an alcove with views of the ocean.
Dakota opens her menu and lifts it in front of her face. Oh no, she doesn’t. She’s not hiding from me. Not tonight. I snatch the menu from her.
“Hey!”
“I need to explain why I was an asshole when I caught you…” I wave my hand. “You know.”
“Injecting myself with insulin,” she supplies.
I nod. “Yes, injecting yourself with insulin.”
“What I don’t understand is how you jumped to the conclusion that I’m a drug addict? Wouldn’t there have been other signs I’m an addict?”
I frown. This is the perfect lead-in to explain why I reacted the way I did. I hate to admit my faults but here we are.
“I didn’t see the signs before.”
Her brow wrinkles. “You’ve dated a drug addict before?”
“No. Not a drug addict.” I inhale a deep breath and dive in. “I didn’t see the signs before when someone lied to me and misled me.” She gasps but I keep going. “I’ve had a hard time trusting anyone since then.”
“Thus, Mr. Controlling.”
I nod. “Exactly. If I’m in control, people won’t let me down.”
She reaches across the table to clasp my hand. “Who let you down?”
“My dad.”
Her brow furrows. “I remember you said your dad left.”
“There’s more to the story.”
She squeezes my hand. “What happened?”
“I hate discussing this.”
“Okay.”
I blow out a breath of relief. She’s letting me off the hook. But then I realize she’s standing. “Where are you going?”
“If you aren’t going to explain why you…” She clears her throat. “…you know. Then, there’s no reason for us to have dinner together.”
I growl. There’s every reason for us to have dinner together. This is the first of many dinners together. But first…
“I said I hate discussing this. I didn’t say I wouldn’t.”
She sits back down. “Please, proceed.”
“My dad left us when I was fifteen.”
“I’m sorry.”
I wave away her apology. “He’s an asshole for leaving us but my problem isn’t that he left us it’s how he left.” I pause to gather my courage. “He planned everything in advance. He had a woman waiting for him in another apartment in another city in another state, and we knew nothing. He said he loved us, kissed my mom goodbye, and left for a business meeting. He never returned. Hell, he dropped all contact with us.”
“You didn’t see the signs then and now you’re terrified you’ll miss the signs when someone is lying to you?”
I nod. “Now do you understand why I overreacted?”
“I do.” Dakota smiles, but sadness fills her eyes. “Three couples. Three times I thought I was going to be adopted. Three times the couples rejected me after they found out about my medical and health issues.”
“Fuck,” I mutter. “Assholes.”
She holds up a hand. “I don’t blame them. I understand. A child with a chronic illness is a lot to take on. But the experiences taught me to keep my health problems to myself.”
Pain slices through me. How can I blame her for keeping her diabetes a secret, considering her past? I should have been more considerate. I should have listened to her.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you. I’m sorry my abandonment issues reared their ugly head and I hurt you.” I reach across the table to grasp her hands. “Can you ever forgive me?”
“Can you forgive me for not trusting you enough to tell you about my diabetes?”
“It’s forgotten. I should have handled the woman I love with more care.”
Her mouth gapes open. “The woman you love?”
I grin. “I love you, Dakota. You came into my life and wreaked havoc. You broke down all my walls. I was determined to never fall in love. To never find a wife. Because I knew there wasn’t a woman out there I could trust. I was wrong.”
Her eyes well with tears.
“Don’t cry. Please, don’t cry. Your tears slay me.”
“It’s your fault.” Her voice wobbles as the tears break free. “You’re being sweet.”
I stand and haul her into my arms. “Get used to it, Havoc. I love you.”
She glances up at me. Her green eyes are full of wonder. “I love you, too.”
“Thank fuck,” I mutter before molding my lips to hers. I groan as her taste hits me. It’s only been a few days since I’ve touched her, but those days felt like they lasted years. Not knowing if I would ever feel her again. Wondering how I would survive without her.
“Hey!”
I startle at the shout and pull away from Dakota to glare at my brother. Unfortunately, Kai isn’t alone. All of my brothers and Dakota’s friends are here.
“What’s going on?” Dakota asks.
Blossom throws her arms in the air. “We’re here to celebrate your relationship!”
Jaxon flinches and she glares at him. “Excuse me. I’m so sorry if it’s impossible for you to pretend I don’t exist when I shout.”
“I’m not pretending you don’t exist.”
Blossom snorts. “Liar. Liar. Pants on fire.”
Jaxon lifts his glasses and pinches his nose. “I’m not a liar.”
“Seriously? You walked into a wall to avoid me.”
Paisley glances back and forth between the two. “I’m confused. I thought you two were hooking up at the distillery.”
Jaxon’s face blushes until it’s bright enough to be used as a lighthouse. “It was a mistake.”
“A mistake?” Blossom screeches. “I’m a mistake?”
She marches off and Jaxon stares after her. Miles pushes him. “Go after her.”
Jaxon frowns at Miles before following Blossom out of the restaurant.
I throw an arm around Dakota’s shoulders and draw her near. “Are you ready to join my crazy family?”
“I love your family.” I scowl and she kisses my nose. “But not as much as I love you.”
“Good. Since you are never getting rid of me.”
“Same, Mr. High and Mighty. Same.”