That wasn’t the reaction Dylan expected. “I fucked up.”
“We all fucked up, Dylan. It’s over and done. You need to move on. And yes, if you’re looking for my blessing to go work for Trent Ramsey, you’ve got it. I want what’s best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
Dylan didn’t respond. He didn’t know what to say.
“Look,” Alex said, breathing deep, then exhaling slowly. “You suffered a loss that is unfathomable. No one knew it would happen. And you coped with it. Maybe not the right way, but no one blames you for that. The only thing we want is for you to be happy and healthy. That’s all that fucking matters.”
Dylan nodded.
“Please sit down,” Ashleigh whispered to her husband.
Alex lowered himself back to his chair. “I’m sorry,” he said to her.
“It’s okay. We’re all okay. That’s what’s important.”
Dylan agreed with that statement. It was what was important.
But was he really okay?
Or was he now jumping in the deep end? More importantly, was Sarah setting herself up to be his life raft?
chapter TWENTY-FOUR
Wednesday, January 25
SARAH WAS DOING HER ABSOLUTE best not to fidget, but that was harder than it appeared. She was about to officially meet Trent Ramsey.
“Relax,” Dylan whispered in her ear. “He’s just a man.”
The laugh that erupted from her chest sounded eerily like a frog. “A famous man,” she countered. “Like, one of the most famous men in the world.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Dylan told her.
“What? Why?” Sarah stared back at him.
“He doesn’t like it.”
“Really?”
“No. I don’t know.” Dylan’s smile was mischievous. “He probably does. Go fucking nuts.”
Sarah laughed and the tension in her shoulders lessened.
But no sooner had she taken a deep breath than the most gorgeous actor to bestow the big screen stepped up to their table, and she lost her train of thought.
Thankfully Dylan had everything under control. He introduced her to Trent, and when the man kissed her hand, she thought she might faint.
“She all right?” Trent asked Dylan.
Sarah shook her head in answer. No, she wasn’t all right.
Trent freaking Ramsey.
Holy balls.
“She will be. She’s a little star struck.”
“I am not,” she stated indignantly, although she was definitely lying.
Trent grinned, his trademark crooked smirk, and Sarah nearly went up in flames. Dylan’s hand on her thigh was the only thing that grounded her.
She took a few minutes to compose herself while the waiter delivered drinks and then took their order. Trent and Dylan conversed as though they were old friends, talking about a little of everything.
“So, tell me,” Trent prompted, glancing from her to Dylan, then back, “what did you think of Devil’s Playground?”
“It was … nice.” Nice? Wow.
That wasn’t at all what she’d wanted to say.
“Nice?” Trent leaned back and smirked. “I like nice.”
Sarah closed her eyes and counted to ten. She heard Dylan chuckle, which only made her face heat more. So much for being calm, cool, and collected around this celebrity. She just wasn’t cut out for this. Seeing him on the big screen was one thing, sitting at a table with him…
“So tell me more,” Trent said, his attention on Dylan.
Dylan proceeded to give Trent the lowdown on the club, going into detail about the things he liked, the things he’d do differently. He sounded professional and Sarah couldn’t help but hang on his every word.
It was safe to say she was falling for this man. Hard.
“The club in New York is similar,” Trent noted. “I happen to prefer it over Vegas. However, I’m not interested in doing the same thing. I just wanted you to have a baseline. Something to compare to Devotion.”
Sarah picked at her salad, listening to the men discuss their next steps. Meetings coming up, plans to be nailed down, contracts to be signed. Oddly enough, she wished she was part of it. She didn’t know why, but it sounded like an adventure, something she could totally see herself doing.
Not that she had management experience. Certainly not in a club of that caliber.
“What do you think, Sarah? Would you be game?”
Sarah’s head jerked up and she stared at Trent. He’d clearly been speaking to her, and she hadn’t heard a word he said.
The man chuckled, probably thinking she was a complete loser.
“I … uh…” She had no clue what to say.
“I’m not sure she’d be interested in working for you,” Dylan teased Trent.
“Me?” Her eyes widened as she cut a glance at Dylan, then back to Trent. “Work for you?”
“At the club,” Trent added.
“What would I be doing?”
“I’ve got an idea,” Trent continued. “Why don’t the two of you come to Devotion tomorrow night. I’ll give you the full tour, show you the things I’m interested in incorporating into my club.”
Dylan’s eyes were on her face and Sarah found herself nodding her head. “We could … uh … do that.”
“Good.”
She turned her attention back to Trent. “What’s the name of your club, anyway?”
Trent shrugged, as though it didn’t matter that he hadn’t come up with a name at this point. “I’m still working on that. Why? You have some ideas?”
Sarah shook her head. “Not yet. But I’m sure I could come up with something.”
Damn. The longer she sat here, the worse she was making this on herself.
Trent seemed to consider that for a moment, his big hand wrapped around his iced tea glass. “Great. Tomorrow night, you can tell me what you’ve come up with.”
Oh, jeez.
“Now, what do you say we talk about something other than work for a bit?” Trent grinned. “There’ll be plenty of time to hash it all out in the very near future.”
For whatever reason, that didn’t settle Sarah’s nerves any.
In fact, she was even more nervous now.
“TRENT HAS TO THINK I’M crazy,” Sarah muttered as they walked up to her front door.
From the moment they left the restaurant, she’d been mumbling to herself. Dylan couldn’t help but smile at her rambling. She was so damn cute, even when she was ogling Trent Ramsey. More so when she was trying to figure out how to redo the past two hours. It wasn’t possible, but it was cute to watch.
“I doubt he thinks that,” Dylan assured her.
Although it had been evident she was nervous, he thought she’d handled things fairly well with Trent. Especially since she’d come face-to-face with the world-famous actor moments before he’d delved into a conversation about business.
“Oh, he definitely does.” She unlocked her door and stepped inside.
Dylan followed.
Unable to help himself, Dylan grabbed her and pulled her into him. “Who cares what he thinks?”
“I do,” she retorted, a frown on her pretty mouth. “I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“Well, how about I give you something else to think about?”
He kissed her, pressing his mouth to hers gently before sliding his tongue along the seam of her lips. Damn, he’d missed her.
“Mmm. You’re good at distractions, you know that?”
Sarah’s comment reminded him of how she’d once referred to their night together as a distraction. In turn, that reminded him of what Ashleigh said about how Sarah had wanted to help him. Dylan found himself pulling back, watching her closely.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“No,” he answered without thinking. He didn’t want to get into it with her now. “Are you game for going to Devotion tomorrow night?”
Sarah retreated, sliding her hand over her
hair as Dylan watched her.
“I’m good with it.” Her eyes met his. “But can you do me a favor?”
“Anything.”
“Whatever you have planned… Can you let it be spontaneous? At least for me? I’m not sure I can get inside my head and willingly walk into that club knowing that things might…”
Yeah. He understood where she was going with that. Dylan reached for her hand, lifting it to his mouth. “I can be spontaneous. But you have to do something for me.”
Her eyebrows rose in question.
“You have to make it very clear what you’re willing and not willing to do. I can’t make any assumptions. No, let me clarify that. I won’t make any assumptions. Either you’re on board or you’re not.”
“I’ll be sure to make my preferences clear.”
“Good.” Dylan pressed a kiss to the inside of her palm. “Then I’ll pick you up at eight tomorrow night.”
Her smile was sweet, albeit a little surprised. “I’ll be ready.”
As much as he wanted to stay, to spend the night with Sarah in his arms, Dylan needed some time to think. He had a few issues he needed to work out before tomorrow night. No way would he put Sarah in a precarious situation if he wasn’t willing to move this relationship forward. What he wanted from her required trust on both sides.
After kissing her quickly, Dylan left. By the time he was in his truck, he was already dialing the phone. There was only one man he trusted when it came to sharing Sarah. And since it appeared she was on the menu for tomorrow night, he needed to get things worked out.
When it came to something like this, spontaneity wasn’t always the best option.
“Yo, bro. What’s up, man?” Chris answered, his deep voice rumbling through the phone.
“Not a hell of a lot,” Dylan told him.
“I was gonna call you. See if you wanted to hang out.”
“Yeah? More golf?” Dylan hadn’t seen Chris since their last golf outing, but they talked every few days.
Having been best friends since high school, it was hard to believe their friendship had lasted this long. Then again, everyone needed the laid-back friend who didn’t pass judgment and didn’t try to interfere in every damn thing going on. Chris was that friend.
Oh, sure, they’d had a few falling outs. Chris had been at Dylan’s side when Meghan died, and for the years that followed. He had made sure Dylan knew he didn’t agree with numbing his emotional pain with alcohol, but as with everyone and everything else in his life at that point, Dylan hadn’t given a shit.
“What do you think about them Cowboys?” Chris asked, a smile in his voice.
“It’s about damn time.”
“You’re damn right about that. So, what’s up?”
“I wanted to…” Dylan took a deep breath.
“Talk to me, man,” Chris urged, his voice lower. The guy clearly caught Dylan’s hesitancy.
“I need a favor.”
“Anything. You know that.”
Another deep breath and Dylan divulged everything that had happened in the past few months. He went into detail about seeing Sarah, about what had happened between them a few years ago, about taking her to Vegas, and yes, about his desire to share her.
“You sure, man?” Chris asked. “This is a serious step. I’m not saying no, but man, I want you to be absolutely sure.”
“Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
Chris cleared his throat. “If she was just any girl, I’d be all over it.”
“What does that mean?”
“Seriously, Dylan. You haven’t figured it out yet?”
“Figured out what?”
“Bro, this isn’t the first time I’m hearin’ about this chick. She’s the only girl to have caught your attention in…”
Dylan didn’t say anything. He knew where Chris was going with it.
“Look man, I can’t see the look on your face right now, but even I know.”
“Know what?” Dylan couldn’t hide his frustration.
“That you’re in love with her.”
It was Dylan’s turn to be quiet.
What. The. Fuck?
chapter TWENTY-FIVE
SARAH SPENT THE ENTIRE NEXT day in a panic.
Well, not entirely freaked out, but mostly.
Thankfully, she had Smokey and Blue to keep her preoccupied. They seemed to be in rare form, wanting more attention than usual. Plus, she spent nearly two hours on the phone with her mother to pass the time and keep her mind off tonight.
“Seriously, Blue,” she told her cat. “If he asks me my thoughts about the club, what am I supposed to say?”
No answer, of course.
“It’s not like I have any great ideas. Sure, I might have a few ideas, but it’s not like I’ve given it a lot of thought.”
Meow.
“Okay, fine, I’ve given it some thought.” She had. She’d thought a lot about this new club Trent was building. She wanted to have an intelligent conversation with the man, after all.
Not to mention, it kept her mind from wandering to other things.
Like Dylan. And what they’d be doing tonight at Devotion.
“Ugghh.”
Unfortunately, those thoughts seemed to overshadow Trent’s club, which left plenty of hours for Sarah to fret about what to expect when they went to Devotion. Even thinking about it made her stomach churn with nerves. If she’d been smart, she would’ve insisted that Dylan outline in detail how he wanted tonight to go. But, no. Rather than play it safe, she’d told him to be spontaneous.
As though she hadn’t had enough surprises lately.
If she was being honest, Sarah wasn’t nervous about what might happen. Every single time she’d been with Dylan, he’d amplified the lust factor with minimal effort. She knew when they got to Devotion, it would be no different. The fact that there would be plenty of activities to watch would help as well. Not that she was a voyeur, but there was no doubt that she’d been turned on both at Devotion and at Devil’s Playground simply by observing those around her.
Of course, she’d been turned on by having people watch her as well, which was new and exciting. Maybe even a little disturbing. Sarah had always known that she was a highly sexual person. When it came to dealing with Dylan, her hormones were definitely out of whack.
The loud knock on her front door pulled a squeak from her throat, and she jumped, causing her heart to slam against her sternum.
“Relax,” she muttered to herself as she headed for the door.
Proud of herself that she didn’t fumble with the deadbolt, Sarah pulled open the door and stared at the sexy cowboy standing on her front porch.
“Hey,” he greeted, a warm, sexy smirk on his face.
How was it that every time she looked at him, her clothes wanted to jump right off her body?
“Hey.” Stepping back out of the way, Sarah allowed him to come inside.
Before she could turn to get her coat and her purse, Sarah was stumbling into Dylan’s arms.
“Damn,” he grumbled before sliding his mouth over hers.
The kiss sent molten heat simmering in her veins. And just like that … lust factor set to boil.
Dylan’s hands slid down to her thighs. The warm rasp of his fingers against her skin had Sarah sucking air into her lungs. As he lifted her dress higher, she briefly wondered if they were even going to make it out of her house tonight.
“What do you have on beneath this sexy dress?” His words were said so low she barely heard him. That or her blood was pumping so hard she couldn’t hear over the steady thrum of her heartbeat.
“Uhh … panties?”
Dylan smirked. “Take them off.”
Sarah pulled back enough to look him in the eye. One dark eyebrow lifted, as though daring her to argue with him.
“I thought we were going out.”
“We are.” He grinned. “But you won’t need them.”
A shiver raced down her spine.
“If y
ou’d like, I can help you take them off.”
God, no. If she allowed that, they might never make it out of her house.
Sarah took a step back, freeing herself completely from his embrace. Making sure to keep herself covered, she stripped her panties down her legs. Slowly.
Two could play this game.
She loved the way his eyes tracked her movements.
“Holy fuck.” His voice was raspy. “Virgin white.” Dylan’s eyes lifted to hers. “You tryin’ to kill me, woman?”
True or not, Dylan’s words made her feel sexy. A newfound confidence filled her as she tossed her panties onto the bar, then grabbed her purse. Dylan helped her with her coat, his hands sliding over every inch of her he touched. Deliberate, no doubt.
Strangely, her nerves had dissipated somewhat. All within the three minutes he’d been in her house.
“Let’s do this,” he rumbled softly. “Don’t want to keep Trent waiting.”
And just like that, her nerves were back.
Sheesh.
THE SECOND DYLAN HAD SET his eyes on Sarah, he’d been hard-pressed to rethink their plans for tonight. The dress she was wearing—a silky white number that complimented her olive skin and showed off her tattoos—made his dick come roaring to life. Even now, as they left their coats with the attendant at Devotion, Dylan couldn’t stop looking at the woman.
Taking her hand, Dylan settled it onto his arm and led her through the doors and into the club proper. It looked much the same as it had last time he was there, though he didn’t recall much about that night, either. Seemed that when he was with Sarah, she drew all his attention and held it.
“Now that you’re walking in here with your eyes wide open, what do you think?”
Sarah smiled up at him. “I know what this place is, but for whatever reason, it’s not nearly as intimidating the second time.”
Dylan chuckled. “Would you like something to drink?”
Sarah shook her head. “I’m good right now.”
“Let me introduce you to a couple of people.”
They maneuvered through the club, past the few people who were already there, most of them still clothed.
Luke McCoy turned, his eyes scanning the room, but Dylan noticed the second Luke recognized him. He headed right for them.
Distraction (Club Destiny Book 8) Page 24
