"And what if you change your mind after I give you a chance, Dax? Where does that leave me? I am happy about the idea, don't get me wrong, but I'm also cautious where you're concerned."
"Angela, I can't tell you what the future holds for us. But at least give us a chance to find out. If it's meant to be, it will happen, and if not, well… we can say we gave it our best shot. I'm not going to pressure you."
When they arrived at the beach, he helped her out of the truck and handed her the basket his mother had packed for them. He carried the rest of the food and led her to a spot away from the main, busy beach area. After spreading a blanket on the sand, he took the basket from her and invited her to sit down.
She watched as he began to unpack the food. He'd thought of everything, even chocolate cake and wine.
"Dax, this is so sweet," she said as he handed her a glass of wine.
"I'm trying, beautiful baby girl," he replied with a wink.
"I can see you are," she said as she raised her face up to kiss him.
"Wow," he said after the kiss ended. "If a picnic will get me a kiss, I'll have to plan one every Saturday."
"Oh, Dax," she teased. "Starbucks and a picnic, you're just buttering me up to beat me at Euchre later."
"Dang, you guessed it," he said with a laugh. And when he leaned over again, he kissed her sweetly. "Angela… I think I'm falling in love."
"Dax, don't say that," she answered as she pulled away. Was it a ploy to get in her pants? What game was he playing? Could she trust him?
"Somehow, I always knew when it happened, it would hit me like a ton of bricks, the way it did with Dane when he met Annie."
"Dax, have you ever felt this way before?"
He shook his head emphatically. "Never, Angela. I knew something was different the night we were at the club, but I wouldn't admit it to myself. That's why I asked you out last weekend. I wanted to see if I'd get you out of my system after a date. It didn't happen. You're under my skin. You're in my heart, in my mind, and I can't get you out."
"Dax, I'd like to believe you, but I'm really scared of getting my heart broken with you. I've always wanted to go out with you; it's no secret. When I met you at the engagement party, I knew. But you drilled it into my head so many times that you weren't looking for anything permanent, so I put it out of my mind. I told myself I had to give up on you. We could only ever be friends. Now, I'm so confused."
He caressed her cheek with a gentle touch of his hand. "I know, beautiful baby girl, I know. I'll take it as slow as you need to. I said no pressure, so anytime you need me to back off, I will. It'll kill me, but I'll do it."
"You'd do that for me?" she asked as tears welled up in her eyes.
"I'd do that for you," he replied quietly.
"Thank you, Dax."
He smiled and said, "Eat your chicken. Let's just enjoy the sunshine and the food and the wine. We can relax and enjoy each other's company all afternoon."
The afternoon turned out to be perfect. They ate, took a walk along the beach and sunned themselves on the blanket. After a dip in the Atlantic, they dozed off on the blanket. Finally, he woke her and said, "Baby girl, wake up. If you want to change your clothes before the barbeque, we need to go."
Sleepily, she sat up and said, "Okay. I'm sorry I dozed off. I-I didn't sleep very well last night."
"I'm sorry, Angela. If I could have, I'd have held you all night. You might have slept safe in my arms."
"Dax," she said, smiling. "You promised not to go there."
"Can't blame a guy for trying, can you?" he teased as he picked up the picnic basket and held out his hand to help her up.
As she folded the blanket, she replied, "No, I can't blame you for trying. I feel it too, Dax. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give in to those feelings. Not yet, anyway."
"That's promising, the 'not yet' part," he said as they walked to his truck.
After he'd put everything in the truck, he leaned down again and kissed her. It was a sweet kiss but full of passion all the same. As a warm glow filled her body, Angela moaned. "Dax…"
"Yes, baby girl?" he whispered against her ear.
"I'm falling… we need to get going." She walked around the truck and climbed in.
Dax sighed and got into the truck. As he started the engine, he said, "It's okay, baby girl."
Angela looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm sorry. I just can't…"
"It's okay. Don't get all upset about it."
"You're going to get tired of this and walk away from me, aren't you?"
Dax looked out the window of the truck as he drove. "Angela, no, I won't. You just have to believe me. I don't know what else I can say to convince you."
He dropped her off at home and told her he'd be back after he'd rinsed the sand off and changed his own clothes.
"I'll be waiting, Dax." She trudged into the apartment, her heart heavy with worry. She worried that if she dallied too long, he would surely walk away, no matter how many times he told her he wouldn't.
By the time he returned, she'd managed to put a smile back on her face. She was determined to push her insecurities to the back of her mind and enjoy the evening. She kissed him at the door to prove it.
"Miss me that much?" he teased.
"Maybe," she replied with a grin.
On the way to his parents' house, he asked, "Are you nervous about spending the evening with my family?"
"A little, I guess. I met them all at the wedding, but that's different than spending an entire evening with them… as your date."
"They don't bite, you know. They love Annie, and they're going to love you," he said reassuringly.
"I'll bet they were upset about Dane and Annie splitting up, weren't they?"
"Yes, they were. They love Annie like a daughter. Mom was so overjoyed when they worked things out, she cried."
"I'm not Annie, Dax. You keep comparing us, and even though we're best friends, we're different in a lot of ways."
"I know you are, baby. I don't compare you to her, not anymore. I love you for the person you are, just like Dane loves her for the person she is. I've learned a lot these past few weeks."
"Really, because I know you've said you wanted a woman just like Annie. If you think that's me, it's not."
"I know I said that. Another stupid thing I said before I realized what I really wanted. It's you, Angela. It's been you for a while now. I just wouldn't let myself believe it."
Smiling, she reached over and took his hand. "Dax, thank you."
"For what?" he asked.
"For understanding my reluctance to take things further at this point," she replied.
"I can't say I don't have visions of carrying you off to bed; I'm not that good of a guy, but I understand."
She giggled, remembering her dreams of the night before. "Carrying me off to bed, huh?"
"In a heartbeat, you say the word, and it's a done deal," he teased as he squeezed her hand.
"Oh, look, here we are. And Annie and Dane are already here."
"Way to end the moment, Angela," he said with a chuckle.
She grinned. "Calm down, hot shot. We're at your parents' house. Best behavior for the rest of the night."
"There's always later, when I take you home," he shot back with a wink. Before getting out of the truck, he leaned over and kissed her again. "Come on, beautiful baby girl, it's not a firing squad. It's just the family. I'll protect you, always."
"Somehow, I believe you will," she replied as she let him help her out of the truck.
Chapter 9
Mrs. Daring greeted Angela warmly the minute she walked in the door. "Hi, Angela, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Welcome."
"Thank you, Mrs. Daring," Angela replied with a smile.
"Brenna, please. Mrs. Daring is my mother-in-law," the attractive, dark-haired woman said with a laugh.
"Okay, thank you, Brenna."
"Annie's in the kitchen. Dax, Dane and your dad are out o
n the patio, fiddling with the grill, if you want to join them."
Dax looked at Angela. "Are you okay if I go out with them?"
"Go on; I'll be fine with your mom and Annie."
As they walked to the kitchen, Brenna said, "I don't know what you've done to my youngest son, but I like it. I've never heard him ask a girl if it's okay for him to join the men. Come to think of it, there haven't been very many girls he's even brought home. Not since college, I don't think."
"I think he knew I was nervous about coming here tonight."
"Nervous? About spending the evening with us? Oh, Angela, we're just common folks; there's no need for you to be nervous here. Isn't that right, Annie?"
Annie looked up from the salad she was preparing. "That's right, Angela. Everything will be good until the card game starts. After that, look out. Dad and Uncle Tom, well, you'll see."
"Oh, Annie, don't scare the poor girl. Speaking of Tom, he and Jo should be here soon. I wonder what's keeping them."
"She's already witnessed Dane and Dax playing Euchre. She knows. And I wouldn't worry about those two. You know they like to make a grand entrance." Annie laughed.
"What can I do to help?" Angela asked, feeling like she should be doing something.
"Well, you can make some iced tea, if you'd like, dear," Brenna said as she got the tea bags out of the cupboard and pointed Angela in the direction of the tea maker.
They were soon joined by Aunt Jo, who breezed into the kitchen carrying two pies. "This must be Dax's girl. Hi, I'm Aunt Jo."
"I'm Angela."
"Weren't you Annie's maid of honor?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I was. I'm surprised you remember that," Angela replied.
"Brenna told me Dax was dating a friend of Annie's. As soon as I saw you, I knew which friend. Welcome to a crazy Daring family barbeque and Euchre tournament. It's an experience you won't soon forget."
"That's for sure," Annie said with a giggle.
"Annie knows; she learned early on what the men in this family are like."
"Jo, between you and Annie, you're going to have this girl heading for the hills. Don't scare her off. I have the feeling she's a good influence on our wandering Dax." Brenna smiled warmly at Angela.
"Well, any girl who can get that handsome young man to settle down is okay in my book," Jo said with a smile.
"Do you have kids, Jo?" Angela asked.
"We do. We have a married daughter, Melissa, in Georgia, and a son, Michael, in college."
"Melissa's coming home for a visit soon, isn't she?" Annie asked as she set the salad in the refrigerator.
"Yes, they'll be here for a week next month. You'll like her, Angela."
Everyone just assumed she'd still be around then, Angela thought to herself.
Dax came into the kitchen and stood by Angela. He gave her a reassuring hug and said, "Dad says to bring the rest of the food out. The steaks are almost ready. Uncle Tom is hungry."
"He's always hungry," Aunt Jo said as the rest of them laughed.
The women began carrying food out to the patio after that. Dax helped them, and soon everything was ready. As they sat down, Dax's dad said Grace and they all began to eat and talk.
"Angela, welcome. I'm sorry I was busy cooking and didn't get a chance to say hello when you first got here," Dax's dad said as he passed the rolls to her.
"That's quite all right. It was worth the wait. This steak is delicious."
Before long, they were all talking at once. Dax's dad, Ted, asked Angela about her job. "What type of work do you do, Angela?"
"I'm a paralegal. I work in a law office downtown," she replied.
"So, now we have an accountant and a paralegal. I'd say the family is well taken care of," Ted said with a grin. He had the same grin as Dax. In fact, anyone could see where Dane and Dax got their good looks. They both looked a lot like their dad, but with their mom's dark hair. Ted's was a lighter brown.
"Have you two girls been friends a long time?" Uncle Tom asked. Tom was Ted's younger brother.
Annie and Angela both laughed. "We met in high school and actually hated each other at first. We were very competitive. We both ran for class president our freshman year," Annie said.
"Who won?" Dax asked.
"Neither of us won. A nerdy guy beat both of us, and after that we ended up becoming best friends," Angela replied with a giggle.
"You're kidding. Two popular girls beat by a nerdy guy," Dane said. "You never told me that story before."
"Who said we were popular?" Annie asked.
"I can't imagine that you weren't," Dax said.
"You're just biased, because you like us both so much," Annie teased.
"Angela, what do you say about all this?" Dax asked with a smile.
"We weren't the most popular girls in the class; that's for sure, but we had a lot of good friends through the years."
"Well, you're the two most popular girls in the eyes of the Daring boys. I can see that," Ted added.
Dax leaned over and whispered, "He's right, you know. You're pretty popular with me." He squeezed her hand.
"Never thought I'd see the day my little brother would be so attentive to a chick. Angela, I have to hand it to you. Whatever you did to him, it's looking good on him."
Angela blushed. "Dane, I haven't done anything."
"I beg to differ, Angela, but you guys need to leave her alone. You're embarrassing her," Brenna said.
Annie laughed. "Angela is embarrassed? That's a new one. I've never seen this girl blush before tonight. Dax, who is this girl, and what have you done with my best friend?"
"I swear. I haven't done a thing." Dax grinned sheepishly.
"He's been a perfect gentleman." Angela grinned back at him.
"Oh, now I am worried. Who is this guy, and what have you done with my brother?" Dane teased Angela mercilessly, using Annie's words.
"Okay, time to do the dishes. You guys have tormented poor Angela and Dax long enough." Brenna stood up and began to clear the table.
"Good old Mom, looking out for her baby," Dane teased.
"Dane, stop," Annie said as she leaned over to kiss her husband. She got up to help her mother-in-law.
Angela got up to help as well.
"What, I don't get a kiss like Dane did?" Dax asked, pouting.
"Oh, okay, if you insist." Angela surprised them all, most of all, Dax, by leaning down and planting a kiss on his lips.
After the dishes were done, the Euchre tournament commenced. It was a fun evening, and the four Daring men made it a hilarious one, too. Angela laughed and giggled, enjoying herself immensely. Dax leaned over a couple of times to kiss her during the evening, and that made it even more special for her. Her insecurities gone for a few hours, she smiled at him across the table and winked.
When they finally decided to call it a night, Angela promised to visit again soon, at Brenna's insistence. She and Annie made plans to meet for lunch one day soon, too.
Aunt Jo hugged her as they were leaving and said, "You'll have to come by when Melissa is home. I know she'll want to meet you."
"I will, thank you," Angela replied.
As they stepped outside, Dax took her hand. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it? They all loved you, by the way, just like I told you they would."
"Your family is wonderful, Dax."
"You're wonderful," he whispered as he helped her into the truck.
When they got to her apartment, she asked if he'd like to come in for a while.
"I will if you're sure it's okay," he replied.
"It's fine. It's early yet. We can watch a movie… or something."
He looked at her quizzically but refrained from commenting on what 'or something' might mean.
When they got inside, she threw her keys on the table by the door and turned to him. "I had a really nice day today, Dax. Thank you." Then she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. As his hot breath blew across her face, he looked into her eyes before surrendering to her
. He surrendered to her. As his lips claimed hers in a kiss so heated that Angela had to lean into him for support, he wondered what was happening to him. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her.
Her fingers found their way to his hair, and she wound them through the thick waves. He moaned and whispered, "My beautiful baby girl."
"Dax, I'm… falling in… love," she said in between breaths.
"Oh, baby girl, yes," he said as he kissed her again.
They made their way into her living room, collapsing in a heap on her couch. As he gazed into her eyes, he said in a low voice, "I love you, Angela Vaccaro. As sure as my name is Dax Daring, I love you."
They kissed again, and as he began to move his hands freely to her breasts, she moaned. He slid a hand under her shirt then under her bra. She caressed his back as he kissed her again.
"Dax, we can't," she whispered.
"Why can't we?" he asked as he kissed her earlobe.
"It's too soon. We said we'd wait."
He sat up, pulling her up with him. "Okay, if you want to stop, do it now."
"Just like that, you're not mad?" she asked.
He ran his fingers through his hair. "No, I'm not mad. Frustrated, yes; mad, no, Angela," he said as he got off the couch.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to stop either, but—"
"I know, we said we were going to take it slow, and we will," he said as he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I'd better go. If I stay, I'll start kissing you again, and I might not stop next time."
"Call me?" she asked as she watched him prepare to leave.
"You know I will, baby girl. I'm not walking out on you because you said no. I'm walking out to give us both some breathing room. I love you, Angela."
"Dax, I love you, too."
"Then we're good. I'll call you tomorrow, unless I decide I have to hear your sweet voice again before I go to sleep. If I do, I may call you tonight."
"Please do," she replied softly as she watched him go.
After he'd gone, she went upstairs and took a cool shower. As she fell into bed, she didn't wait for his call. She called him.
"Angela?"
"I miss you, baby, come back."
"Angela? Are you sure?"
"Yes, no, I don't know."
The Daring Doms Page 11
