It was the last thing she wanted to wear tonight on this date with Dane.
But beggars couldn’t be choosers, and if it was the only thing that didn’t make her look like she’d grabbed her wardrobe from her younger sister’s hamper then that’s what she’d wear. Funny how three years and a baby could change a person’s taste in clothes. Most of the stuff she’d worn back then she wouldn’t be caught dead in now whether it fit or not.
She slipped the dress over her head and smoothed it down her hips. Twisting right and then left in front of the mirror, she decided it was presentable enough. She dragged a pair of matching red sandals out from the depths of her closet and blew the dust off of the surface before donning them.
It had been a long time in between dates.
Lily had come to some peace about her decision to go out with Dane. She liked him. He was funny, intelligent, handsome, and he was sweet to Nicky. He also smelled good. Something woodsy and clean. Very masculine but distinct. She could pick him out of a crowded room with her eyes closed.
He was also miles away from the kind of man she’d dated before. She’d been partial to good-looking, flashy men with a smooth way of talking. But then at twenty-two she couldn’t have been the only woman who had dated men with no substance. She simply hadn’t known any better. Three years later she had a different ideal male.
Honest, dependable, loving. A good partner and someone who would love Nicky like his own.
With a shaking hand, she quickly added a thin gold bracelet her parents had given her for high school graduation and then finally some lip gloss. She’d kept her make-up on the light side tonight with tinted moisturizer, mascara, and blush. This would also be the first time Dane had seen her hair loose. One last look in the mirror and she was ready to go. If he didn’t like the way she looked there was nothing to be done about it now. She took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart and tumbling stomach.
The peal of the doorbell told her she’d finished dressing just in time. Dane was here and there was no going back. Tonight she was going out on her first date since before Nicky was born. She hoped she still remembered what to do and how to act. She was already anticipating the good night kiss at the end of the evening.
Opening the door, she had to remind herself to breathe as he stood there, flowers in hand, wearing gray pinstriped pants and a startlingly white button-down shirt. His normally windblown hair had been trimmed and tamed and yes, he smelled amazing.
“Come on in,” she said, her voice sounding huskier than she’d planned. “I just need to get my purse.”
“You look beautiful tonight.” He held out the mixed floral bouquet and smiled. “These are for you.”
“Thank you.” It was hard to speak when he was looking at her…like that. She had to fight a sudden urge to pull him into her bedroom and start working on those buttons.
It had been way too long since she’d had sex. Not that it had ever been all that great, but she had a strong feeling it would be pretty terrific with Dane.
She took the flowers from his hand, their fingers brushing and sending tingles straight to her toes. Walking into the kitchen, she realized she didn’t have anything to put them in. Her parents would have had a vase, but here she had nothing.
“Is something wrong?” he asked, joining her in the kitchen.
“I don’t have a vase,” she confessed, heat suffusing her cheeks. The women he normally dated probably were used to men bringing them flowers. “And I don’t want them to die.”
Dane’s brows pulled together and he tapped his chin, looking around the kitchen. “I have an idea. Do you use the blender very often?”
Lily shook her head. “I used it to make baby food but not anymore. Why?”
Dane smiled and lifted the blender pitcher off of the base and placed it under the faucet. Turning on the water, he filled the pitcher and set it on the counter.
“One vase. Perfect size for flowers.”
Embarrassed beyond belief, she avoided his gaze as she carefully unwrapped the stems and arranged them in the water. Leaning forward, she breathed in their heady fragrance and tried to relax. Again. At this rate she was going to stroke out before dinner.
She slung her tiny dress purse over her shoulder and let him lead her to his car. He kept his hand on her lower back to guide her and his palm seemed to burn through the thin fabric straight to her skin. By the time she was seated in his luxurious sedan – how had she never noticed he drove a BMW – she was a mess of nerves. Damp under her arms, she tried to breathe normally as he reversed out of her driveway.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I need to stop at a friend’s cocktail party before we head to dinner. I promise we’ll only have to stay about half an hour. Forty-five minutes, tops. It’s an obligation thing and I couldn’t get out of it. Is that okay?”
Dane quickly glanced over but she nodded, thinking it might ease her into the evening if they had people around instead of sitting across from him at a dinner table trying to make small talk.
“It’s fine,” she assured him. “It will be fun.”
She’d never been to a cocktail party but it sounded sophisticated, like what other grown-up people did on the weekends.
“I doubt it,” Dane groaned. “My friend Chris and his girlfriend Susie are throwing this party kind of at the last minute. No occasion, just for fun. I can’t not go, although I’m not really a party person. I’d much rather have a quiet evening. But I appreciate you being willing to stop by.”
At one time in her life Lily had loved parties. The music, the dancing. Now she danced to kiddie tunes in the living room with Nicky. She wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Dane’s friend lived on Belleair Beach, a decidedly upscale neighborhood. The driveway and street were crammed with gleaming automobiles that were a far cry from her twelve year old economy hatchback. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable as they approached the front door and Dane must have felt her hesitation as he reached for the doorbell.
“Are you okay?”
Swallowing hard, she nodded and cast her gaze at their surroundings. “I’m nervous about meeting your friends.”
His smile widened and he put his arm around her shoulders, warm and strong. “They’ll adore you. Chris and Susie are really nice people and so are Seb and Amanda.”
“I can’t wait to meet them.” It was a tiny white lie but she couldn’t tell him that all this luxury made her nervous. She’d grown up in a simple middle class household where money was always tight. If Dane was friends with these people it meant he had money too.
And that made her very uncomfortable. In her experience rich boys expected to be catered to. Nicky’s father had assumed every girl wanted him, which in most cases was true. But still, that wasn’t the type of relationship she was looking for.
But Dane had never acted like that. Always caring about her feelings, she never would have guessed that he hung out with a wealthy crowd. He seemed so down to earth.
The door swung open and Lily took a deep breath for courage. There was no going back now.
*
Tension radiated off of Lily, her spine ramrod stiff under his hand as he guided her through the crush of bodies that spilled out onto the back patio overlooking the beach. He’d introduced her briefly to Chris and Susie but they were busy being good hosts and couldn’t stay to chat. He’d always hated this social obligation shit but it wasn’t so bad with Lily by his side. He wanted to introduce her to Seb and Amanda, talk to as few people as possible, and then get the hell out of there so he could have her to himself for the rest of the evening.
He wanted to make love to Lily. Slip those straps off her shoulders and let her dress pool at her feet while his hands explored every nook and cranny of her breathtaking body. It was only their first official date, but ironically it was the longest he’d ever waited to bed a female. All the others had been more than willing and eager to have sex with a wealthy man. A Braxton.
But first they had t
o get through this and then dinner. Dane hadn’t reached this age without learning a thing or two about women and sex. It would be all the better for the waiting.
“Seb. Amanda.” Dane waved at his best friend and his wife who were chatting with a real estate developer a few feet away. Dane leaned down to speak in Lily’s ear. “I’d like you to meet a couple of my best friends. You’ll really like them.”
Seb and Amanda excused themselves and hurried over with big smiles on their faces. Dane had never seen Seb as happy as he was now that Amanda was his wife. Something had always been missing from Seb’s life but now he had it all.
“Introduce us to this gorgeous girl, Dane.” Amanda gave him a big hug and held out her hands to Lily.
“Lily, this is Seb and Amanda Gibbs. Seb and Amanda, this is Lily Emery.”
They shook hands but Lily still seemed nervous. He wished he could reach out and stroke her hair to help her relax, whisper that she was the most beautiful woman in the room. She had an orange juice and vodka in her hand but she didn’t appear to be really drinking it, more holding it so her hands had something to do.
“So how did you two meet?” Amanda asked, one arm around Seb and the other holding a flute of champagne, her favorite drink.
A quick glance at Seb’s bland features told Dane that his friend had said nothing to his wife about Dane’s covert operation to find out about Lily.
“In the park,” Dane answered. “I was playing Frisbee with Ace.”
“You know where he got the name Ace, don’t you?” Amanda teased. “That was the name of Batman’s dog. Dane has a thing about the Dark Knight.”
He felt Lily relax slightly and she looked up at him and smiled. “Is that true? Nicky loves Batman.”
“Nicky is Lily’s son,” he explained to Amanda and Seb. “And yes, it is true. I’m not too proud to admit that I’m a Batman fanatic. He was who I wanted to be when I grew up.”
“He wanted all the cool toys,” Seb laughed. “Has he showed you his Batmobile yet, Lily?”
Twisting around so Dane’s arm dropped, Lily’s eyes went wide and her smile fell. “Is he kidding?”
He needed to remember to punch Seb right in the gut next time he saw him for bringing something like this up.
“Not really. I have one of the cars used in the Michael Keaton movies,” he admitted uncomfortably. Lily was looking at him like he had three heads. This probably wasn’t the moment to tell her about any of the other expensive Batman collectibles he’d obtained over the years. She probably thought he was a huge geek.
“Wow, you’re the first person I’ve ever known who actually owned a Batmobile.” She didn’t make it sound like a good thing.
“Boys and their toys.” Amanda smiled indulgently and leaned closer to Seb so her head was on his chest. “I’ve learned to ignore Seb’s gun collection or his fondness for fast cars and boats. Let them have their fun. So Lily, tell us about your son. How old is he?”
“He’s two and a half. Very smart. Very cute. And he knows it too.”
“They all do.” Amanda patted Seb on the arm. “What do you do for a living?”
Dane felt Lily shift uncomfortably on her feet. “I work in a day care so I can be close to Nicky. Sometimes I pick up extra shifts as a waitress at a local steakhouse.”
Amanda’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful that you can be with him like that. So smart. Do you have a picture of him?”
Lily held up her purse. “Unfortunately, no. I carry one in my big purse but not this one.” She looked around the room. “Excuse me, but can you tell me where the ladies’ room is?”
Amanda pointed to a hallway on the other side of the room. “It’s right over there.”
“Thank you. I’ll be right back. Dane, will you hold my drink?”
“Of course.” He took the glass but her gaze didn’t meet his as she made her way across the room. Something was very wrong and he had no idea what had happened or what to do. A few minutes ago she’d been fine and now she wouldn’t even look at him.
What had he done? And how could he fix it?
*
Lily’s fingers gripped the edge of the sink as she took several deep breaths. She was acting like a child, but seeing that Dane and his friends were obviously more than comfortable financially had thrown her for a loop. She’d assumed that he made a decent living as an attorney but this was something different altogether.
The man owned a Batmobile. That had to cost a truckload of cash. The last person she’d dated that had that kind of money? Brandon, Nicky’s father. And she’d sworn never to get involved with someone like that again.
The rich were different and she’d learned that fact the hard way.
She should have known by the neighborhood and the cars or at the very least the way the guests were decked out. It was obvious to Lily that her dress and simple gold bracelet were miles away from what these women were wearing. The rock on Amanda’s ring finger alone would have paid her bills for a couple of years at least.
Lily had felt as if she had a neon sign above her head that screamed, “Out of her league” and everyone could see it.
But Dane wasn’t Brandon. If anything he was the anti-Brandon, always caring about her happiness and that of Nicky’s. Brandon hadn’t even had a job and Dane worked hard. She needed to pull herself together and get back out there before Dane thought she’d lost her mind. He was a good man and she’d go a long time before meeting anyone as wonderful.
Lily repaired her lipstick and exited the bathroom, running directly into the hard wall of Dane’s chest. She pressed her palms to the warmth of his body and tried to slow her suddenly racing heart.
“Are you okay? You looked a little pale.”
Then and there Lily made a decision. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “Can we go? Would it be rude?”
“Not at all,” Dane shook his head, his moss green eyes soft. “I’m hungry and I’m sure you are as well. I made reservations at a great seafood place on the beach.”
She didn’t want to go to another restaurant where she felt out of place. She wanted to be somewhere she felt comfortable so she could tell him why she’d acted so strangely. She wanted to tell him about Brandon so he would understand.
“This might sound crazy, but would you think I’d lost it if I said let’s pick up a pizza and head back to my place? There’s something I want to tell you.”
Dane’s brow was furrowed, but with confusion, not anger or frustration. “Actually, that sounds great and not crazy at all. Just let me call and cancel our reservation and we’ll be out of here.”
It was time she extended a little bit of trust. It was time he learned about her past, Brandon, and Nicky.
Chapter Eight
‡
Three slices of pizza and a glass of wine later, Lily was feeling more relaxed despite the fact she had yet to tell Dane about Brandon. Dane didn’t seem like the type to judge but anything could happen. She hadn’t had the best of luck with men in general but she hoped he truly was different than the others.
“More wine?” Dane lifted the bottle but she shook her head. She didn’t drink much these days, although she hadn’t objected when he’d purchased the bottle at the liquor store near the pizza place. She knew little about wine but the merlot he’d selected was rich and fruity on her tongue.
“One glass is my limit. There’s pizza left if you’re still hungry.” She pushed the cardboard box toward him. “I’m stuffed.”
“I think I’m done too. But it was good. I don’t let myself eat pizza very often, but damn I love it.” Dane groaned and laughed. “I try to be healthy but I don’t always succeed.”
Lily plucked at the skirt of her dress. “You seem like someone who would be good at anything you tried.”
Dane shrugged and folded up the pizza box. “I’m good at some things and terrible at others, just like most people. For example, I find it very easy to be organized but difficult to remember names. Luckily Chris and Seb are good at t
hat. In return I keep Seb from drowning under piles of paperwork.” Dane leaned forward and reached for her hand, squeezing her nerveless fingers with his. “I don’t think this is really what you want to talk about, is it?”
“No.” Lily shook her head and gathered her courage. “I want to tell you about Nicky’s father.”
Something crossed Dane’s features but it was gone so quickly she thought she might have imagined it.
“There are things I want you to know too, Lily.”
She needed him to let her speak or she wasn’t going to be able to do this. Digging up the past wasn’t something she enjoyed.
“Wait, let me say what I need to say. If you interrupt me I might lose my nerve.” Her nerves too jangled to stay still, she hopped up from the couch and walked over to Nicky’s toy box that overflowed onto the floor. She sat down on the rug and picked up a stuffed lion and hugged it close.
“I met Brandon when I was twenty-two. I was on summer break from school and waiting tables for money. I was living here until my parents found a renter. Anyway, a bunch of us went to a nightclub in Tampa and that’s when I met him. He seemed older and more sophisticated. He kind of swept me off my feet, I guess you could say.”
“The full-court press?” Dane asked, his gaze intent but not judgmental.
“Yes.” Lily nodded, remembering at how overwhelming his attentions had been to that naive girl. “He sent flowers and called me all the time. He took me places and introduced me to all his friends. He said he was showing me off. I didn’t realize at the time but he did that to every girl and those people were only his friends when he was picking up the tab.”
Dane’s lips twisted. “A hazard of having money. You never know if someone is with you for yourself or what you can buy them.”
Caviar and Covert Ops: Book 3 (Military Moguls) Page 5
