What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 7)

by Lexi Buchanan

  Her eyebrows raised. “Try me.”

  “Day trip to Paris.”

  She laughed, but it sounded more like she was choking. “Day trip? Out of the question. I’m not even sure that’s possible.”

  “One can tire of anywhere once there long enough, believe me.”

  “Is that how you feel about people, too?”

  “Dahlia, no—I’m not using you for a temporary amusement. Once I saw you, I really wanted to see how you were, and then…Look, I want to see if we can build something, truly. I’m genuinely interested in you, Dahlia. Now fly somewhere with me. We’ll bring Angelo.”

  “You know that is way too much too soon. How about dinner somewhere? In this state, I mean. This county even.”

  Alec laughed. “Deal.”

  Dahlia realized that she was smiling when the babysitter mirrored it and said, “Must have been some date!”

  Dahlia paid her and hurried her off.

  She peeked in on Angelo, expecting him to be asleep since it was two hours past his eight o’ clock bedtime.

  “How was your date?” she heard him ask in the dark of the room.

  She flipped on the light.

  Angelo sat up from his pretend-sleep position and grabbed his glasses from the nightstand. He looked at her expectantly.

  “Who said I went on a date?”

  “Why else would you get so dressed up? Plus, I heard Beth just now. Did you go with that man who hung out with me at school?”

  Dahlia smiled. Sometimes, children saw things so clearly through their simplicity.

  “Yes, it was the guy from school.”

  Angelo grinned at her. “I knew it. He likes you a lot.”

  “How do you know?”

  “He told me.”

  Dahlia chuckled and felt a warm rush. She had fully expected Angelo to come up with an analysis of the man’s body language, and a reading between the lines.

  “How come you didn’t tell me this? And what exactly did he say?”

  “Well, I tried to tell you. He said he was a friend of yours from your school days and he’s always been in love with you.”

  Dahlia’s breath caught. “Angelo, did he say those words exactly?”

  Angelo nodded, looking up at her seriously through his large, round glasses.

  “He was just exaggerating, sweetheart—I think he just said it like that for you.”

  “I don’t think so, Mommy.”

  Ah, another thing about childhood she almost missed: the simple idealism. The way you truly believed in love and dreams come true and fairy tales.

  Sometimes she forgot Angelo was just four, but at times like these, she remembered.

  Nothing was ever that simple.

  Chapter Four

  Warming Up

  Alec knew that he had to tread carefully. He wanted to start lavishing Dahlia with gifts, send her on shopping sprees, and arrange spa days, but he figured she might get offended and even more suspicious of him. Those things would have to wait until she felt like she deserved it and trusted him enough to accept it. And he had a feeling he knew when that would be.

  He smiled to himself as his limo pulled up to Dahlia’s place to pick her up for their second date.

  Once she opened herself up to him—one way or another—she would get on board with his attention. It was only a matter of time.

  She had been deeply suspicious of him, and probably still retained some wariness, but she didn’t stand a chance. She was obviously attracted to him, and no doubt, ‘out of practice.’ His private investigator uncovered no serious boyfriend in the past six months, and Alec had no doubt that her body was speaking to her.

  He figured she wasn’t the type to sleep with men on the first, second or even third dates, and that she would resist him for as long as she could, which, unfortunately for her, wouldn’t be very long with him.

  He didn’t know when last she had sex, but the way she reacted to his proximity, and the way she looked when he smiled at her—everything about her left her far too vulnerable to his seduction.

  And seduce her, he would.

  Dahlia thought The Golden Swan had been amazing, but this new restaurant was on a whole other level—a type she hadn’t dreamt existed. The decor, the manner and dress of their servers, the food selection, and even the menus almost seemed like they were from a different world.

  Alec had picked her up in a limo, but any guy could rent one like that for the night, right? But with a place like this—how well off was Alec exactly?

  Dahlia suddenly felt nervous and wondered if she was being taken for a ride. She found Alec attractive, no doubt, but she wasn’t interested in being some rich guy’s plaything.

  “Relax, Dahlia,” he said seriously and gently from across the table.

  He had such a way of saying her name—like it gave him pleasure to roll it off of his tongue to reach her ears in such dear tones.

  She tried to smile and show him she was okay.

  “I know it probably seems like a bit much,” he said, “but don’t feel guilty or obligated or anything. It is truly my pleasure to bring you here and spend more time with you. You are doing me a favor, trust me.”

  She tried to smile brightly again, but she couldn’t shake the heavy feeling that had descended upon her.

  “I guess I should tell you a bit more about me,” Alec said, smiling that delicious half-smile of his, while his eyes took her in fully.

  How could any woman resist a guy like him? He was so devilishly cute and overwhelmingly engaging, he shouldn’t be unleashed on the general population like this.

  “After junior high, I went to prep school, and then ended up going to Harvard. Don’t give me that look, Dahlia.”

  She giggled, knowing her thoughts had been clear. Of course the Ivy League had been his path.

  “I ended up dropping out,” he continued, “due to my indomitable entrepreneurial spirit. I ended up making millions by the age of twenty-two. Definitely expected a roll of the eyes on that one—although I’m not exactly bragging. Anyway, my brothers ended up following similar paths. Luckily, they succeeded in their own joint project, and my mother is the proud parent of three highly successful sons. Okay, your turn. Why, for example, are you so uncomfortable with me, still?”

  Dahlia let out a small breath, and then flashed him a quick grin. “To be honest, I haven’t had a real date in a while.” She looked off to the side and knew that telltale signs of her discomfort were all over her, screaming from her body language, but she was powerless to stop them. Alec made her feel incredibly unsettled, and talking about her pathetic dating life didn’t help.

  “How’s your sister?” he asked suddenly, surprising her. “I think I remember you having one.”

  So he had a stellar memory, too? “Oh! She’s doing great; she’s always been the lucky one. Actually, I guess that’s not totally fair—she’s pretty successful herself, and certainly not because of dumb luck—she has always been an overachiever. Driven. Ambitious. She deserves everything she’s got. She’s a lawyer now, and having a tough time narrowing down her suitors so she can get on with another part of her life. She’s careful not to jump in too quickly, though—she’s super career-oriented and focused on goals related to that, so she’ll probably drag out the romantic partner vetting process.” She paused, flashing him another grin while she worked on looking more comfortable. “I’m not surprised, though—she had my father as an example. See, our parents split when we were in junior high. Dad’s an attorney, too, and he left mom for some paralegal. Anyway, my sister not only finished college and law school before embarking on a professional career, she sure as heck didn’t get pregnant like her irresponsible older sister. Thank goodness she didn’t use me as an example.”

  “Dahlia Bridges, why are you being so hard on yourself? Who’s looking down on you? You’re certainly not the first or last girl in her early twenties to have a kid. Come on, now. Speaking of your kid, where’s his father?”

  Dahlia
looked down. “His father disappeared quite a while ago—before Angelo was born.” She let out a heavy sigh. “You know that saying: ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me?’ I guess I haven’t quite recovered from being doubly duped. This guy—we were serious, as serious as college kids could be. This is probably TMI, but you asked for it.” She flashed him another grin. Better to let him know what he was getting into, she figured. “Anyway, I should’ve been on the pill then, but I wasn’t. Sort of new to the game, and he took care of our…protection. Of course, since then, I’m perpetually on the pill; I’m taking no chances—even though I haven’t ‘dated’ in like, six months. Anyway, we had an accident, but he assured me that the problem happened after; that we were safe. I was pretty embarrassed at the thought of going to a drug store for plan B, so I was glad to take him at his word. Then later, I started getting symptoms: nausea, sensitivity to smells etc., and I had read up on pregnancy before—I knew those were associated with it. I got over my embarrassment to get one of those drug store tests, and it came out positive. I had no intention of having my plans disrupted like that, so I immediately thought about visiting a certain organization, but I couldn’t go by myself. When I told Darren what the deal was, he insisted that I not go through with it, and that it was something obviously fated to happen, and we should accept responsibility and be adults about it, together. Again and again he assured me that we’d be a team, but what a lie that turned out to be. I felt so stupid. I let him manipulate me, and I’ve got my beautiful, wonderful boy out of it, but this whole thing hasn’t disrupted Darren’s life one bit. The burden is always on us women, isn’t it? Darren was able to finish school, and then leave me for someone else, while having succeeded in leaving his seed behind. So yeah, I didn’t get to finish college, either; I always meant to, but I didn’t realize how demanding being a single mom would end up being—at least for me.”

  She couldn’t bear the look of sympathy on Alec’s face, so she looked everywhere but at him.

  “You never pursued this guy for child support?” he said.

  She shook her head. “I had a bit of trouble tracking him down and eventually gave up. I’m sure I could’ve had him found, but once I saw what he was about, I didn’t want anything to do with him, including his money. I kind of wish I did now, since our son has particular needs, but I’ll just keep doing the best I can.”

  “Wow. What a dumb-ass—leaving a woman like you and a kid like that behind. To say that it’s his loss is an understatement.”

  Dahlia looked up at Alec, and was amazed at how truly disgusted he looked. Then his face softened. “I’m sorry,” he said gently, enfolding her hands in his across the table. “I know it must have caused you great pain, but again I feel like fate intervened in my favor, because now I have a chance to be with you.”

  Dahlia’s heart soared and her smile came effortlessly.

  Then she removed her hands from Alec’s grasp. “This might sound silly, but I feel almost guilty for enjoying myself like this without him—my son.”

  Almost as if on cue, her phone buzzed. She looked down at the caller ID, and then back at Alec.

  “Normally, I’d consider this rude, myself, but I have to take this. It’s the babysitter.”

  “I understand,” Alec said.

  She excused herself.

  When Dahlia returned, she looked distraught.

  “I’m sorry, I have to go. Beth—the babysitter—had something come up and she has to take off early.”

  “Well, let’s get you home, then.”

  Alec left a stack of hundreds on the table, and then helped Dahlia into her coat. His limo pulled up just as they stepped outside, and Dahlia looked at him quizzically.

  “How did he know…?”

  “He never goes too far.”

  He followed Dahlia in and gave the driver instructions.

  “I’m sorry,” Dahlia began again, and he held a hand up.

  “Please stop apologizing, Dahlia—I know this is important.”

  “I’ll make it up to you,” she said.

  Yes, you will, he thought.

  When they pulled up to Dahlia’s apartment, Alec followed her out.

  “Thanks, but you don’t have to escort me up.”

  “Would you mind if I came inside? I’m not quite ready to let go of you yet.”

  Dahlia looked unsure. “I guess…”

  “Great.” Alec pulled out his cell and dialed.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him when he disconnected the call.

  He smiled at her. “I’m sure you heard. I ordered in for us that dessert we didn’t get. It should be delivered here shortly.”

  Dahlia looked at him with something that resembled amazement.

  The young babysitter opened the door with apologies, and Dahlia hugged her briefly then pressed payment into her hand before rushing inside.

  As the babysitter greeted him casually, he pressed a few bills into her hand as well, with Dahlia long out of sight.

  The teenager gave him a conspiratorial smile and headed off. It would be a long time before the girl would make that kind of money for two hours of work, if ever.

  Dahlia couldn’t believe how quickly Angelo took to Alec, and how engaged Alec seemed to be by him. She hadn’t dated anyone who had seemed genuinely interested in her little boy, entertaining and humoring him on the level Alec was, which seemed to excite Angelo more and made him more talkative than usual—even before she let him have some of their rich dessert.

  Their interaction warmed her, but simultaneously, trepidation settled in. She couldn’t let Angelo get attached too quickly—who knew how long Alec would be around, leaving her to pick up Angelo’s heartbroken pieces whenever Alec decided to leave?

  Dahlia made a show of checking the time.

  “Looks like somebody’s bedtime is here,” she said. “Say good night, Angelo.”

  Angelo’s face fell, but he obediently said good night, and then threw his arms around Alec. The look on both of their faces almost made her cry; they looked so content in the embrace.

  “Will I see you again, soon?” Angelo asked Alec, and Dahlia had to look away from the hope on his face.

  “You bet, kid,” Alec said.

  Angelo joyfully ran to his room.

  Dahlia followed him to tuck him in, and then closed his door most of the way, leaving it slightly ajar.

  Dahlia smiled at Alec as she returned.

  Alec looked solemn. “Your child is brilliant,” he said. “And I’m not just saying that. But of course, I’m sure you know that.”

  “Yes, I know he’s pretty special.”

  “No, I’m serious, Dahlia. Do everything you can to make sure he has access to all he needs to develop his brainpower. If there’s one thing my parents did right, it was moving me from Cedars to that prep school, which definitely helped me get into Harvard.”

  “Look, I’m doing what I can with what I have. What else do you want from me? Look at the school he’s in now! And when did he become your business?”

  “When you became my business, and you are, Dahlia—don’t look at me like that. Listen, I don’t mean to come off like you’re failing him in some way because I know you’re not; I can tell you’re a stellar mother. It’s just…he reminds me of myself a bit, and I want to see him reach his fullest potential.”

  “Mr. Humble, I see.”

  “Has he been tested? I’d bet his IQ is darn near genius, if not genius.”

  “You think so? I mean, I knew he was gifted really early—and not just in the way every parent pretty much thinks their kid’s the bees knees. He learned so quickly and reached milestones at lightning speed. I tried to encourage him because I knew I had an exceptional child at my hands.” She paused. “I remember reading some story about this Nigerian family of geniuses—smashing all these records in the UK. Five kids, and they were all ready for college as pre-adolescents! Anyway, I googled more articles about them and found some things the dad said prett
y encouraging, so I did what I could to nurture Angelo’s obvious talent. I checked out videos and interviews with other parents of gifted kids and followed their methods and advice. By now, though, at the ripe old age of four, I feel like I’m out of my league with him—someone else has to take over. I have every intention of putting him where he needs to be each stage of the way; I know I have to be extra vigilant with him for more reasons than one.”

  Alec just looked at her for a moment, his cobalt eyes intense. She wondered what he was thinking. Then he said, “I kind of wished my parents had gotten me in the right schools even earlier, like you’re doing with Angelo, but then I might not have met you.”

  Dahlia felt her cheeks flush. “You sure know what to say all the time, don’t you? You are one smooth operator.”

  “These aren’t just lines, Dahlia.”

  “So you say.”

  She wanted to believe him so badly. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be jumping right into his bed.

  And what’s so wrong with that? she asked herself. Then she checked him out—his handsome face, the muscular body with its broad shoulders and wide chest, and the way he made her feel like the only woman in the world when he looked at her.

  Yup, you could do a whole lot worse.

  He might not stick around, but would it be so bad getting some of that? In a case like this, wouldn’t the regret of not doing something be far worse than doing it?

  “I’m not an asshole, Dahlia—I’m not going to pick out a single mother to mess with; I’d be messing with an innocent child in the process. I really like you, and I want you to know you’re not alone now. I’m here.” He kissed her forehead. “Let me know when you’re free again. We have some unfinished business to take care of.”

  She smiled up at him. “Dinner, right?”

  His lips stretched into a wicked grin. “Yeah, dinner.”

  She hoped she had been seeing things with the suggestiveness in that smile.

  She walked him to the door.

  But before turning to leave, he brought his lips down on hers, taking her by pleasant surprise and almost knocking her off her feet. Her heartbeat quickened at the feel of his soft lips, and the firm hold he had on her with those delicious arms.