It was just starting to get dark as he was walking her back to her car. “Mikayla, I have a couple of tickets to a fundraiser in a month and I was hoping you would go with me.”
“What kind of fundraiser?”
He frowned. “Marine life protection, I think.”
“I think?”
He shrugged. “I support so many of these things I can’t keep track. Normally, I don’t even bother going to these kinds of things, but—”
“Sure. I would love to.”
They walked on in silence, but Dusty was feeling like the luckiest man in the world. And although he should’ve known better, he decided to try to push his luck.
They reached her car and he turned to face her. “Actually, I don’t want to wait a month to go out with you. Can we go out to dinner sometime?”
She laughed, but it did not reach her eyes. “You don’t play around, do you?” She shrugged. “Okay, when?”
“How about tomorrow—if that’s not too soon?”
She laughed out loud. “No, no tomorrow sounds great. Should I meet you somewhere?”
“I can pick you up at your place, if you like.”
Something flashed across her face. “Why don’t we just meet somewhere this time?”
Dusty knew she was taking the necessary precautions of any single woman living alone, but he so wanted to tell her she had nothing to fear from him. “Okay, how about Delmonico’s at eight-thirty?”
She frowned. “Delmonico’s? I heard the waiting list is two months long.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry, we’ll get in. So, Delmonico’s at eight-thirty?”
Chapter 8
“A circus—really?” Mikayla twirled her pasta on her fork as she listened to Dusty describe his unconventional childhood.
“That’s where I first fell in love with animals.” She watched as his handsome face took on a sad expression. “Not all circuses treated their animals the way they should. My father was always emphatic about that. No one in our group would ever mistreat animals.”
“I know what you mean. I saw a documentary once about how some circus animals are treated.”
“Unfortunately, it’s true about some, but not all circuses mistreat their animals, and yet they all get painted with the same brush.” He cut into his steak and glanced across the table at her. “What about you?”
She shrugged. “Nothing as interesting as the circus. Just your typical childhood.” She sipped at the wine and Dusty waited for her to continue, but she didn’t.
He wondered if she’d been vague on purpose, or did she consider her childhood so insignificant?
“Does your father still own the circus?” she asked.
Dusty nodded. “Yes, and I think he always will. He loves the life.”
“And you don’t?”
“No, I do not. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad life, just wasn’t the life for me. I wanted something more stable, one place I could call home. A place I could raise a family someday.”
She laughed. “Well, you definitely have enough room to raise a family.”
Dusty was lifting a forkful of asparagus to his mouth and he paused. In the short time he’d known her he’d seen her soft smile, and the hints of laughter, but to see her face in full bloom…she was even more beautiful than he’d originally thought.
She glanced away, and he realized his staring was making her nervous. “So, what made you want to write a book?”
“The usual, I guess. I think we all experience things and believe what we learned could benefit someone else. I decided to test that theory.”
“Considering your success, I would say you were right.”
“Thank goodness.” She leaned across the table. “Not sure what I would’ve done if the book had flopped.”
There it was again, Dusty thought, cutting off another bite of his steak. Deliberate vagueness. He wasn’t sure if it were the result of it being their first date, and she was still unsure about him, or if she was simply guarded.
“Okay, I gotta ask. Where did you find Angel?”
Mikayla’s expression took on a faraway look. “I didn’t. She found me.” She looked at him. “At a time when I could use a friend, she just appeared out of nowhere.”
“So you just took her home?”
“Something like that.”
“What if she’d belonged to someone else?”
“It was pretty obvious she was a stray.”
“Hmm.” He cut the steak and popped another bite into his mouth. When he looked up again, she was frowning at him. “What does hmm mean?”
“What are you talking about?”
“When I said Angel was a stray, you said ‘hmm.’”
“I don’t think so.” He shook his head.
“Um, yeah, you did.”
He shrugged. “If I did, I apologize. I meant nothing by it.”
That seemed to appease her and she returned her attention to her meal. Dusty watched her eat for a few moments, growing more and more peeved he had to apologize for making a noise.
“You know, on second thought, I did mean something by it.”
She looked up at him again.
“Do I make you nervous?”
She frowned. “No. Why would you think that?”
“Well, our conversation. I’ve been talking to you for over an hour and I still don’t know anything about you.”
“Of course you do. We’ve discussed our upbringing, our—”
“Correction. I discussed my upbringing. Life as a carnie kid. You just said something about typical childhood, whatever that means. I told you specifically why I got into veterinarian science, and all you said was that you wrote for the usual reasons.”
He shrugged in confusion. “I may be wrong, but it seems to me as if you are deliberately saying little about yourself. Is it because I make you nervous?”
Her mouth twisted in obvious annoyance. “You don’t make me nervous, Dusty.”
“Then what is it?”
She glanced around the restaurant at the people dining around them. Each table seemed deep in their own discussion, and Dusty was almost certain she was stalling.
She looked directly at him. “Dusty, I haven’t done this in a while.”
“Done what?”
She gestured to the table. “This.” She nodded toward him. “You.”
He frowned as understanding began to sink in. “Do you mean date? You haven’t dated in a while?”
“Exactly. So, my technique may be a bit rusty. I spend most of my time with Angel, and as much as I love her, she is not the most stimulating conversationalist.”
Dusty laughed. “I see your point.” He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “But I just don’t want you thinking you have to hide things from me. I know you just met me, but believe me when I say I would never hurt you.”
“I believe you,” she whispered.
“Good. I’m glad that’s out of the way.” He turned his attention back to his steak.
For the next two hours they continued to have the one-sided conversation with Dusty sharing and Mikayla dodging questions like a spy.
But despite the awkward conversation the evening was still one of the most enjoyable he’d experienced in a long time and he did not want it to come to an end.
As he walked her to her car, Dusty took her by the elbow and stopped her. “I had a great time tonight.”
“Me, too.”
“Can I see you again?”
She seemed to hesitate, and for a moment Dusty thought she would say no, and then she nodded yes. “I would like that very much.”
He moved closer to her, so as not to frighten her. He’d been thinking about kissing her all night, and now that the time was here he was cautioning himself to take it slow. She was already as jumpy as a rabbit. One false move and she would bolt.
She let him slip his arms around her waist and pull her closer, even though she held her body stiff in his arms. He brought his face closer
to hers, giving her time to get used to the feel of his hands on her body. Giving her time to get used to him being this close.
Then when she did nothing to resist, he pressed his lips to hers and released a floodgate of passion. It was as if with just the touching of their lips, he’d awakened sleeping beauty.
Her arms slipped up and around his neck and she pulled him closer. Her mouth opened beneath his and Dusty took the invitation, plunging his tongue deep inside. Soon his hands were running over her lush hips and slender waist, touching all the wonderful curves and valleys he’d wanted to touch since the first moment he saw her running through his hospital.
“No—stop!” Dusty was so submerged in her sweet scent and taste he did not hear her, until she suddenly pushed hard against his chest and backed away. “No!” Her brown eyes were wide and frightened.
Dusty moved forward to comfort her, but stopped himself when he realized what he was doing. “What’s wrong?”
“Let’s…let’s take it slow, okay?” she said in a trembling voice.
Dusty could see the fear in her eyes rapidly dissipating, but he knew better than most how easily it could return. He nodded. “All right, whatever you want to do.”
She frowned as if wanting to say something more, but held her tongue. The pair stood staring at each other for a long time before the laughter of a group as they left the restaurant was enough to shatter the spell.
Mikayla was the first to look away. “I better get going.”
“Mikayla.” He paused, wondering if maybe she would consider this moving too fast, but decided to speak his mind anyway. “I’m serious here. I mean, I’m not looking for some fling. I really like you.”
She bit her bottom lip as if contemplating something. “I like you, too, Dusty. I do. But…this is our first date. I don’t want you to—”
“I know.” He nodded. “I just wanted you to know where I’m coming from.”
“Like I told you in the restaurant, I don’t do this all the time. So, let’s just take it slow.”
“I get it. Like I said, I just don’t want any confusion between us. Okay?”
She smiled up at him. “Okay. And take care of my baby. I miss her.”
“She’s in good hands.”
“I know.” She closed the door and, waving at him through the window, pulled out of the restaurant’s driveway.
Dusty walked over to where his car was waiting and climbed in. As he was driving back to the ranch, he wondered to himself if maybe he should not have said how he was feeling.
He decided that regardless of whatever came next, he’d done the right thing. He wasn’t sure how she felt, but he was certain he was not interested in playing games with Mikayla. It would be for real or not at all.
Every once in a while, a man met a woman he knew could change his world for better or worse. Mikayla was that kind of woman.
Chapter 9
The next few days seems like a lifetime in paradise to Mikayla. Dusty was proving to be just the man she thought he was. Patient and compassionate. Warm and wonderful, and she was finding it harder and harder to resist his charms.
More importantly, he was making her feel like herself again. For the past five years she’d been terrified at the idea of even being alone with a man for too long, but she felt nothing but safe in Dusty’s presence no matter how long they were together.
It had been so long since any man had made her feel the way Dusty did with just a touch. She knew right away this was a man who could get inside her fortress. The fortress it had taken her years to build.
Every time she told him she had not experienced something, he would take it upon himself to make sure she did. Like the Indian food he’d brought over for dinner the other night after she admitted having never tasted curry.
Or the trip they had taken that morning to Disney World after she confessed she’d never been to an amusement park before. Like two kids they spent the entire day riding every ride and playing every game.
Now, they entered her house late in the evening. “Care for something to drink?”
“Thanks,” he said, his eyes taking in her décor. “But I don’t drink alcohol. Got any soda?”
“One ginger ale coming right up.” She headed into the kitchen.
“Nice place you have here,” he called after her.
“Thanks.”
She grabbed two bottles of ginger ale and glasses and headed back into the living room. “Here you go.”
Dusty waited until she sat down beside him, before he said, “No pictures of family?”
Mikayla glanced around the room as if noticing this startling fact for the first time. “Hmm, never noticed. Guess I’ll have to fix that. You know I haven’t been in the house very long.”
“I thought you said you’d been here a year.”
She forced a laugh. “That’s what I mean by not very long.” She reached over to the table and opened his ginger ale bottle and poured some into a glass. “There you go.”
When she looked up at him again, Dusty was just watching her.
She smiled. “What?”
“You have the strongest emotions I’ve ever seen.”
“What do you mean?”
He shook his head in confusion. “I think if I tried to explain it, it wouldn’t make sense.”
Mikayla stared back with her own confusion for a moment before opening her own bottle of ginger ale and drinking it straight out of the bottle. “Thank you for today, by the way. It was wonderful.”
“My pleasure. I had a great time, as well.” He looked at her and found her soft brown eyes studying his face. “You have any idea how beautiful you are?”
Instead of the compliment bringing a bright smile to her face, it seemed to sadden her a bit.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
And Dusty added one more facet to the complex personality of Mikayla Shroeder.
She reached over and placed her hand on top of his, and Dusty realized it was the first time she’d deliberately touched him. “Coming from you that means something, so really—thank you.”
He looked down at where her hand covered his and felt he was experiencing the most intimate moment of his life. “You’re welcome.” Dusty watched in fascination as her index finger slowly began to trace over his hand. When his eyes came back up to meet hers he was stunned by what he saw there. Flagrant desire.
Slowly he leaned in to kiss her, and she pulled back briefly before leaning forward again.
Dusty leaned back and looked into her eyes. “Don’t do anything you’re not comfortable with, Mikayla.”
She looked deep into his eyes for several long seconds before she leaned forward and touched her lips to his.
Dusty wanted to reach out to her, to take her into his arms, but he was afraid it would scare her off. She had initiated this kiss, and even if it killed him, he would allow her to decide how far it would go.
Her soft lips pressed harder against his, and he released a slight groan, feeling her soft, wet tongue dart out, searching. On a heavy sigh, Dusty opened his mouth and let her take her exploration to the next level, and she did.
She scooted across the sofa until she was closer to him and put her arms around his neck. Dusty’s hands were itching to take her into his arms, but instead he balled his hands into fists to keep them off her.
Tilting her head to the side, she opened her mouth over his and the kiss deepened. Dusty felt his erection growing in his pants and wondered if she had any idea what she was doing with a simple kiss.
Just when he thought he could not take anymore, she drew back, leaving him with one final soft touch of their lips. Slowly Dusty opened his eyes and saw that she had scooted back to the other side of the sofa, but there was something different about her.
There was a sparkle in her eyes, and she was smiling at him. Dusty swallowed hard and knew that he had met his limitation for the night. He stood. “Well, it’s late, I better get going.”
Mikayla stood with hi
m, and as he moved toward the door she stepped into his path and wrapped her arms around his neck pressing her body to his. Unable to stop himself, Dusty felt his arms go around her, but the sweet embrace was over as quickly as it began as she once again stepped back.
On the drive home, Dusty kept thinking about the kiss, and wondering what it meant. He had no idea what had happened to Mikayla, but he suspected it was physical abuse at the hands of a man. Maybe an old boyfriend.
Whatever the case may be, he was almost certain he was handling it properly by allowing Mikayla to set the pace. Wherever their relationship went after tonight would be completely up to her.
It wasn’t long before Dusty began to reap the fruit of his wisdom. After that evening, Mikayla became much more expressive in her affection. She started touching him more and more. Often she would just walk up to him, wrap her arms around him and kiss him. There were times when she would simply run her hands over his chest or cup his chin in her hands and just study his face.
Although her random affection was wonderful, it was also killing him because he was never certain when—if ever—they would take it to the next level, and he was dying to make love to her.
But if there was one thing Dusty had learned about Mikayla, it was that she was a kaleidoscope of complex emotions and he wanted nothing more than all the time in the world to try to unravel them all.
Chapter 10
Dusty found himself thinking about Mikayla all the time. At home. At work. He could not get his mind off of her. He kept replaying the images over and over in his head. The way she touched him, the way she looked at him with the raw desire written right there in her eyes. Her sweet kisses were more perfect than anything he could’ve ever imagined. And yet…she was still holding back.
A soft knock on his office door brought him out of his contemplation. “Come in.”
Hannah poked her head around the door, and held up a few envelopes.
“Great, thanks, Hannah.” He motioned for her to bring him the mail. After she left, he put aside the X-rays he’d been reviewing and looked over the stack of mail.
A letter with familiar handwriting and no return address caught his attention. He knew right away who it was from, and he opened the letter from his father.
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