She needed to experience things. To date. And as much as it killed him to admit it, she needed to be with other people.
“Right, honey?” His mom patted his arm.
He looked around the table hoping to pick up some clue about what they had been talking about or what the question was that was posed to him. When that failed he asked, “What?”
“See!” His sister pointed across the table at him as both she and his mom broke into hysterical laughter. Even Ginny was chuckling, although it looked like she was trying not to.
When Heather composed herself, she wiped the moisture that had gathered under eyes and said, “We were just telling Ginny that you never listen. And you weren’t listening.”
Her explanation caused another outburst of laughter from the peanut gallery AKA his mom and sister.
“Do you see what I have to deal with?” he lamented to Ginny.
She smiled even bigger and his heart broke and swelled with love at the same time. How could he love someone that wasn’t his to love? If he knew the answer to that he’d probably be a millionaire since he did not think he was the first person to suffer from that particular affliction.
“But before that…” His mom patted his arm again. “I was telling Ginny about you. About you being the quarterback and captain of the football team and the starting pitcher on the baseball team and being all-state your junior and senior year. I was telling her about how you did all that and worked two jobs to help with bills when things were tough.” His mom began tearing up.
After they lost his dad, his pension had helped but his mom had to work. When he was a junior in high school she’d injured herself on the job and had to be put on disability. It wasn’t enough to keep up with the bills and his sister’s college tuition. So he jumped in and helped. It hadn’t been that big of a deal, but his mom always cried when she talked about it.
She sniffed before continuing, “And you still managed to graduate with honors. Then you went into the Marines and were singled out and selected for the accelerated Special Forces training program. You served your country for eight years and since you’ve been home you started a successful real estate business, you got your contractor’s license so you could work on the houses you buy yourself and you’ve opened two restaurants.”
Dax’s tone was flat as he looked across the table at Ginny. “See, you’re not the only one with a PR person.”
His mom swatted his arm in frustration. “I love you and I’m proud of you, that’s all.”
“I know, Mom. I love you, too.” He wrapped his arm around her and kissed her on the top of her head.
Heather turned to Ginny who was seated to her right. “Do you see what I have to deal with?”
Ginny laughed and put her arm around Heather and hugged her just like he’d hugged his mom. It was such a small gesture but once again he was struck with the urge to shout out, “I love you.”
Thankfully, he was spared from humiliating himself when Riley approached their table. His mom and sister had met Seth before and they knew that Riley was his brother. They were excited to meet him and commented on how he looked nothing like his sibling. They asked how many other brothers he had and if they looked like him or Seth. Riley was a sport. He told them he had four brothers and he was the second oldest. He explained that the only brother that took after Seth both physically and in personality was their youngest brother Bobby. The two of them were referred to as the brooding bookends. Then there was him, who had earned the title of the bad boy of the Sloan men thanks to his wild teenage years and was the only one that took after their late mom with the blond hair.
All three of the women were captivated by him and peppered him with follow-up questions.
After a few minutes of small talk, Riley placed his hand on his shoulder. “I don’t want to interrupt, but would it be possible to steal you for a few minutes. There’s a few things I need to go over with you and I’d love to do it while I’ve got you here.”
Dax had been feeling bad that he’d ignored the business so much, but he didn’t want to leave Ginny. They were seated at a secluded table, but this was a public place and he was concerned she’d get accosted.
Ginny must have read his mind, because she encouraged, “Go. I’ll be fine.”
Heather backed her up. “That’s right. We’ve got her back, bro. Go take care of business.”
He really didn’t want to, but this was real life and most of the time the right thing to do was the one thing that a person didn’t want to. Just like the situation with him and Ginny. The right thing to do was to let her go when she went back home, but it sure as hell wasn’t what he wanted to do.
* * *
Ginny watched Dax’s back retreat as he walked away with Riley. She’d known from the first time she met him that he was different than any other man she’d met. And she’d felt like she’d obtained a good sense of him during the first night they spent talking. She’d had a sense that he was hard working, honorable, talented, and trustworthy. She’d had the sense that everything he did he excelled at.
Hearing everything his mom had just said not only backed up what she’d already known, it took it one step further. Now she truly believed that there was nothing Dax couldn’t do.
“Okay, he’s gone.” Heather whispered conspiratorially as soon as her brother disappeared down the back hall. Patty and Heather shared an expectant look before she continued, “Time for some girl talk!”
Ginny hoped the smile that was on her face didn’t reveal the panic that she was feeling beneath it. She’d never had close friends that she gossiped with or had sleepovers. To her “girl talk” might as well be a foreign language she didn’t speak.
Patty scooted closer to her. “So, you and my son seem to get along well.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s great.” Ginny’s smile was still firmly in place.
“He is great and I think he thinks you’re pretty great.” Patty lifted her brows as she dipped her chin.
“How is Derek? Are you guys still…?” Heather paused and Ginny waited to see what she was going to say.
When she didn’t continue, Ginny prompted, “Are we still what?”
She had no idea if Dax had told his mom and sister about her relationship with Derek. That was the worst part about lying, it was the not knowing who knew what. When you stuck with the truth it didn’t matter who knew it because it was the truth.
“Are you still together?” Patty finished her daughter’s question.
“Oh, no.” Ginny shook her head.
“I knew it!” Patty clapped her hands together. “What did I tell you, Heather? I told you that Virginia Valentine wouldn’t put up with his wandering eye. She deserves better than that cheater Derek St. Vincent.”
Ginny lowered her voice and scooted forward, both Patty and Heather moved closer to her. “Actually, Derek is a really great guy. Our relationship wasn’t what it seemed. We have always been good friends and still are.”
“Now don’t you do that,” Patty wagged her finger at Ginny. “Don’t you let him off the hook and make excuses. Even if you were…what do you kids call it? Benefits with friends.”
“Friends with benefits, Mom,” Heather corrected.
Patty tsked dismissively. “Even if you were friends with benefits, he shouldn’t get away with that.”
Ginny shook her head. “No we were only ever just friends. There was never any benefits. Our relationship was more of a media thing.”
“No, that can’t be.” Patty looked almost devastated. “I saw pictures of you guys smooching at his premier. You looked so happy. So in love. He surprised you at your concert in Toronto, I saw it on YouTube, he came out with flowers and planted a big one on you. And you were dancing at your mom’s wedding not even a month ago. I saw the pictures, you looked like the perfect couple.”
This conversation was really the first time Ginny felt like she’d actually done something wrong by going along with the fake romance. She’d willingly deceived people a
nd for what? She’d been so detached from the entire thing that she’d just thought of it as a Virginia Valentine thing, not a Ginny thing. But her fans didn’t know that there was a difference. They trusted her. For better or worse, there were good, hard-working people that were invested in her private life…and she’d lied to them.
Not to mention, as much as Derek loved his bad boy image, and he did a lot to earn it and live up to it, he actually hadn’t done anything wrong in this case. He didn’t deserve to have people thinking he was a cheater.
She’d already determined that she was done lying, done having fake relationships, but this conversation just cemented her convictions even further.
“I know you saw that,” Ginny explained gently. “But that was just for the cameras.”
Patty sighed in resignation. “You know Dax did tell me not to believe everything I saw in the papers.”
“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea, Mom.” Heather chimed in just as their server arrived with their food.
Ginny hadn’t even taken a bite of her first fry before Patty asked, “So you don’t have a boyfriend then?”
“Um, no.” After answering she stuffed not one, not two, but a handful of fries in her mouth. She was sometimes a nervous eater and Dax’s mom’s tone had started the strobe light in the butterfly disco in her stomach.
“So, is there anything going on with you and my son?”
Thankfully her mouth was full and she was chewing so she had a moment to consider her response. She was used to reporters asking personal questions and she’d become a master at deflecting them. But this wasn’t an interview. She’d never been in this position before.
She liked Patty and Heather and didn’t want to lie to them, but she wasn’t about to kiss and tell. She’d just decided that she was done lying, though so she was still trying to come up with an answer when a young girl that didn’t look older than seven or eight approached the table.
“Excuse me,” she said nervously, “Are you Virginia Valentine?”
Ginny had never, never been happier to have her dinner interrupted by a fan. “Yes, I am. What’s your name pretty girl?”
“Oh my gosh!” The girl’s hand slapped over her mouth and her eyes grew round as tears began pooling in them.
That was actually a much more common reaction than someone might think. And she got it. She’d almost started crying when she’d met Karina today.
Thankfully she’d been in this exact scenario enough to have a few tricks up her sleeve. One quick scan of the girl and she locked in on something she hoped would distract her from being overwhelmed. “I love your braid. It’s fishtail, right?”
The girl nodded mutely.
Ginny continued. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to fishtail braid. My mom only knew how to do a French braid, so she couldn’t teach me. Do you ever wear French braids?”
“Yeah, my mom taught me.” The girl’s voice was quiet, like she was still in shock.
“Hannah, I told you not to bother her.” A woman walked up behind the girl. “I’m sorry, I went to use the restroom for a minute and my son,” the woman motioned to a preteen looking boy playing on his phone at a table across the restaurant, “was supposed to watch her. She spotted you when we came in.”
“It’s okay.” Hannah’s mom had no idea how okay it was. She assured her, “She wasn’t bothering me.”
“Thank you, I’m Shari.” She introduced herself and then patted her daughter’s head. “And this little one is your biggest fan.”
“Hi Shari, it’s so nice to meet you. I’m Ginny and this is Patty and Heather.”
All the women exchanged hellos and Shari smiled sheepishly. “I know you’re in the middle of eating but would you mind taking a picture with Hannah?”
“Of course!” Ginny enthused. She took a few pictures with Hannah and she talked to the girl about what grade she was in, what her favorite subject in school was and Hannah told her that she had a pet turtle named Zippy.
Dax returned just as Shari and Hannah were heading back to their table and Ginny sighed an internal sigh of relief. With Dax’s return she’d dodged the bullet of having to answer any uncomfortable questions.
“You were so good with her,” Patty remarked. “Have you ever thought about having kids?”
Okay, maybe not.
Chapter 17
Dax closed the door firmly behind him after having just watched his mom and sister drive away towards the airport. When he turned around to face Ginny, a gigantic grin spread across his face. He couldn’t help it. “I was starting to think they’d never leave.”
“They were only here a few days,” Ginny reasoned, but her smile might have been even bigger than his was.
“I was counting the seconds until they left.” He started walking towards her and she retreated with a smile on her face. “Are you telling me you weren’t?”
“No. I loved getting to meet them. I’m really going to miss them.”
“Really?” Crossing his arms, he planted his feet shoulder width apart and grinned down at her. “So, you’re telling me that I didn’t see your face light up at dinner last night when my mom said they were heading back this morning?”
“Okay, maybe.” She dipped her head coyly and then lifted her pointer finger as she added, “But, that doesn’t mean I’m not going to miss them. The two feelings are not mutually exclusive.”
“Damn, you’re cute,” he growled playfully as he wrapped his arms around her waist and spun her around, drawing a bell-like laugh from her.
He set her feet back on the ground and leaned his head close, resting his forehead against hers. “I missed you,” he rasped.
His voice was low and intense. Even he could hear the lust in it. The lust that was about to be expressed for the first time, in a way that was free and untethered. Chase was out of town performing at an event and they had the entire day stretching out in front of them, and he was definitely going to make the best of it. He was going to make slow, unhurried love to her. They had twenty-four hours until she was due back in the studio, and that was exactly how much time he planned to use.
“I missed you, too,” she breathed as she lifted up on her toes and her body rubbed against him.
Without wasting another second he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her slowly, languorously. The passion that he felt was even more intense because he wasn’t giving into his raw, visceral needs. It was like a flame that, when it burned lower, was ten times as hot compared to when it raged out of control.
He slipped his tongue into hers and explored her mouth, taking time to appreciate every nuance in a way that he hadn’t had the opportunity to up until now. She was a perfect treasure. A masterpiece. He was going to explore every curve, every niche of her perfect body and soul. Commit it to memory.
By the time he was done with her, he would know her better than he knew the back of his hand. He might only have a short time with her, but he was going to make the most of it. If she was going to go out there and meet other men, he wanted to set a bar so high none of them could come close to reaching it. Then maybe, someday, when she was ready, she would come back to him. Over the past few days of nonstop obsessing over the subject, that was the best-case scenario that he had come up with.
He moved his arms down, slid one behind her knees, and scooped her up. She laughed and her arms snaked around his neck and she squeezed him tightly. He carried her down the hall, the same way he had when she’d had too much Sangria. She’d kissed his neck during that trip as well, but this time it was so, so much better.
“You do smell good,” she said repeating what she’d told him that night as she brushed her lips against the skin below his jaw. “And I do want to taste you.” With that declaration, she licked him in an open mouth kiss.
“I want to taste you, too,” he gritted out as need raced through him.
Her only response was a giggle as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. Damn, it was so adorable to feel her small movement
s against him. He loved the way she snuggled into him, and the feeling of the tiniest brush of her fingertips against his skin. Everything she did was perfect in his eyes.
When they reached the bedroom, he set her down on her feet and pulled her to him, kissing her again with deliberate intent and passion. Even though he wanted to throw her down on the bed, rip off all her clothes and claim her—he wasn’t going to give into that. Because what he wanted more than anything was not to rush this. To savor every second they had together and in doing so, drive them both to heights of ecstasy that neither of them had experienced before. He wanted something that affected them both right down to the cellular level. And the only way to do that was to take his time and build it up.
Not to mention, he felt like he was nothing but a rank amateur when it came to the ins and outs of her perfect body. He needed to discover every wonder it had to offer, and he couldn’t do that if they were rushed.
He undressed her slowly, taking his time, going step by step. Every button. Every zipper. He marveled at every new inch of flesh that was revealed when he took each piece of clothing off of her.
She watched him in wonder. “The way you look at me makes me feel…I love it, but…I’m not sure I’ll ever really be able to live up to it,” she said with a nervous laugh. “Whenever people are on a pedestal the only place to go is down.”
He smiled and put a pin in his mission to get her naked. Straightening he cupped her face in his hands. Her crystal blue eyes stared up at him with such raw trust and vulnerability, she stole even more of his heart.
“It’s not a matter of you living up to it or falling off any pedestal,” he explained in a hoarse whisper. “You are amazing. You just are. It’s a fact. And not just your smile, your eyes, or your body. Those are just physical things. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I probably wouldn’t be looking at you like this if it wasn’t for your perfect ass and tits,” he teased.
All He Feels - Dax & Ginny (Crossroads Book 11) Page 16
