Dare to Touch (8 page)

The players nodded.

Dylan gestured for her to walk ahead of him. She couldn’t help but take in his outfit, the black slacks and cream shirt that gave him a sophisticated, sexy air. Her awareness of him shot up several more notches, making her desire to keep their relationship a secret even more difficult.

No sooner had she started walking down the wide hall than he slid an arm around her waist and pulled her into an empty gate area, not stopping until they reached a corner hidden from view.

“What are you doing?” she asked, breathless.

“Getting you alone so I can have my morning kiss.” He braced one hand over her head and leaned in, pressing his lips against hers.

“Mmm,” she practically purred, not denying how much she wanted the same thing.

He swept his tongue into her mouth, and her entire body came alive, the lingering hint of mint and Dylan packing a powerful punch. She slid her tongue against his, and the needy feelings she’d been suppressing all weekend burst forth, making her feel awake and alive. One big hand gripped her waist, the other tugged on her long braid, sending pulsing sensations directly to her sex as his mouth devoured hers.

“Now
that’s
a good morning,” he said as he broke the kiss.

“Yeah. It is.” She slid her tongue over her lips, and his heated gaze followed the motion.

“Tease.”

She grinned.

“Before I’m tempted to start something I can’t finish here and now, how about that coffee?” he asked.

She nodded. “Sounds good.” She could use a spike of caffeine before getting on the plane for the long trip.

He walked with his hand against the small of her back, a possessive gesture she found she liked. A lot. They got in a short line at Starbucks, and when it came time to order, he asked for a grande dark coffee for himself before turning her way. “Soy latte?” he asked.

She blinked in surprise.

“You worked with me long enough,” he reminded her. “And when it comes to you, I pay attention.”

She was ridiculously flattered by that one comment. The man knew all the right things to do and say. Could he really be as genuine as he looked? Was any man?

Drinks in hand, they headed back for their gate and resettled into their seats. An announcement reminded them they’d be boarding as soon as the plane had been cleaned from the previous flight, and she was eager to get under way.

She pulled out her phone and texted her sister, telling her she’d talk to her from Arizona, sent another text to Ian because he liked to worry, and one to her mom.

“Check in with everyone?” Dylan asked, an amused smile on his handsome face.

“Some of them.”

He leaned close on one arm. “What’s it like? Growing up in such a large family?”

She thought about it before answering. “Well, the good thing is, you’re never alone. The bad thing? You’re never alone,” she said, laughing.

“Must be cool though.”

“It had its moments.”

“And your mom was great, right?”

She nodded. “She’s a strong lady.”

“Lucky,” he said, his tone darkening. He was obviously thinking about his own mother and her shortcomings.

What did she say to a man who’d never really had either parent? At least Olivia and her siblings had had their mother, Emma.

“You had your sister,” she said, searching for something positive to say.

He inclined his head. “And she’s great. But the holidays were small. And hard without a lot of money to buy her gifts.”

She sighed. The grass was never really greener. Nobody had everything, which was something she’d come to understand.

“On the other hand, we got everything money could buy. And that was the problem. My father was trying to buy us. I think he believed if we weren’t lacking in material things, we wouldn’t care as much that he wasn’t around.”

“And did you? Care?”

“A lot,” she whispered, her voice catching. “I mean, do you know how many Christmas mornings we had present openings with Mom because we thought Dad was working, only to find out later he was with his mistress and her family?” She blinked back tears she didn’t often let fall. She’d accepted the situation a long time ago. “Did you happen to notice who was missing from my party?”

Dylan frowned. “Did he say why?”

“Sent a message with Alex. Called afterwards. But it’s always the same story.”

“And yet you don’t resent Alex or the rest of your half siblings?”

She swallowed hard. “It’s hard to explain why I don’t. Ian more than resented our father for a long time. He probably still does. But Avery and I… We were presented with the situation when our half sister Sienna was seriously ill. She would have died without bone marrow. I couldn’t help but feel for sorry for all the kids. And when Avery tested positive, I refused to leave her side at the hospital. I got to know them too. So the resentment got pushed back in favor of the reality of new siblings and a really sick girl.” She shrugged, having explained her crazy past as best she could.

Had it scarred her? Without a doubt, but he didn’t need to know just how much her father’s betrayal had wrecked her ability to trust men. Even she hadn’t realized it until Jeff’s unfaithfulness at the worst possible time had driven the point home.

She glanced down, startled to realize Dylan had begun to stroke the top of her hand with his calloused fingers, offering comfort and understanding.

He cleared his throat. “Parents can do a real number on their kids.” He shook his head, obviously referring to both of their parents. “I’m going to throw out my cup. Can I take yours?”

“Thanks.” She handed him her empty cup, grateful he’d decided to let the subject drop. It had been an unexpectedly heavy conversation, revealing parts of her psyche that were still wounded. Even if
he
wasn’t aware of the fact, she’d reminded herself, and she hated that those old feelings were intruding on what should be a fun time with Dylan.

She stood, ready to stretch her legs, shake off the past, and take advantage of the coming week of sun, fun, work, and yes, one extremely sexy man who seemed intent on showering her with attention. That was something she intended to enjoy.

“Flight 882 Miami to Phoenix is ready for boarding. We will begin with our first-class passengers,” the disjointed voice said over the sound system just as Dylan rejoined her.

“Ready?”

“Can’t wait.” Her anticipation and excitement returned.

He bent and picked up the handle of his carry-on just as his cell phone rang.

“I’ll grab this as we head over to the gate.”

She shrugged and started to walk beside him as he put the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Meg. Just getting ready to board. Anything important?”

His ex-girlfriend, calling him as he boarded a plane to leave town? Seriously? That quickly, her good mood evaporated. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe men and women could be just friends … or maybe she didn’t believe it, after all. Especially a man and a woman who’d once been in an intimate relationship. Didn’t Meg have any girlfriends she could call with her problems?

“Okay, look, you can either pack up his shit or wait till he decides to get his lazy ass home from Vegas and have him do it himself, but it’s time.”

Great, so he was encouraging her to break up with her boyfriend. Olivia hated where her thoughts were going at the moment, but she couldn’t seem to help herself.

When they reached the attendant in charge of boarding, he said, “I’ll talk to you from Phoenix.” Pause. “Yeah. Take care. Bye.”

Olivia gritted her teeth and handed the woman her boarding pass, had it scanned, and marched down the gateway.

“Liv, wait up!” Dylan called after her.

She slowed and he caught up to her. “Sorry about that. Meg’s having some problems with her boyfriend.”

She raised her eyebrows. “And she turns to you to solve them? That’s sweet.” She stepped onto the plane, hurt and annoyed for no good reason—and for every good reason. She couldn’t decide which.

So she settled herself into her seat, aware of Dylan’s worried stare as he took his seat beside her. But she had nothing to offer him, no response. Instead, she asked an attendant for a pillow, accepted a blanket, curled up, and went to sleep.

Chapter Five

D
ylan knew he’d fucked up the minute he’d said Meg’s name out loud.
He
knew his feelings for Meg were purely platonic, but he was beginning to wonder if Olivia believed what he’d told her.

He frowned. He didn’t like to think she didn’t take him at his word. Then again, if she’d gotten a phone call from an ex right before boarding, not long after he’d smelled the other man’s cologne on her shirt, he wouldn’t be a bundle of sane understanding either.

“Shit.”

They’d ascended a little while ago, and Olivia had slept through takeoff. He had a feeling she was avoiding him and any conversation about Meg.

He ran a hand through his hair and glanced over at his sleeping beauty. Olivia’s profile had softened. Her long, loose braid fell over one shoulder, and occasionally, soft little sounds escaped her throat, making him smile.

He had no doubt his feelings for her were different than any he’d ever had before. From the moment they’d been introduced and he’d shaken her hand, he’d felt as if he’d been sucker-punched. When he’d discovered she could talk football plays, he’d fallen even more under her spell. She’d been involved with someone back then, and he’d kept a respectful distance.

He was finished with distance now.

*     *     *

Olivia awoke with a stiff neck, her head tipped to one side, the pillow beneath her hard. She opened her eyes, took in the backs of the seats in front of her, and realized she was on the plane and she’d laid her head on Dylan’s shoulder in her sleep.

She wanted to jump up, but the crick in her neck prevented quick movement. “Oww,” she said as she slowly straightened her head.

“Hey,” Dylan said. “Are you okay?”

“My neck hurts. Awkward sleeping position.” She forced herself to turn and face him. “I’m sorry I ended up sleeping on you.”

“I’m not.”

She blew out a long breath. “Dylan—”

“Livvy, I’m going to tell you something, and I want you to hear me.”

Uh oh. She curled her leg beneath her.

“It’s about Meg.”

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” While pretending to sleep, before she’d actually dozed off, she’d done some thinking. She might be jealous of this ex-girlfriend, she’d be lying if she didn’t admit to that, but she and Dylan had merely slept together. They didn’t owe each other anything. This was a fun affair, and she had to treat it as such.

“It’s okay. Once again, I owe you an apology.” She hoped to stay any long descriptions of his relationship with the woman. “I don’t have any right to question your friendships.”

“You don’t?”

She shook her head. “No. I mean we’re having an affair. Sex, fun, and now some sunshine added in. It’s all good.”

He narrowed his gaze. “Oh really?”

“Yes. I’m going to have to watch that tendency of mine to forget my place.”

“Your place.” He sounded as if she’d lost her mind, so she rushed to explain.

She nodded again. “We’re not in a relationship, so it won’t happen again.” She held up her hand. “I promise.”

He shook his head. “Did you hit your head in your sleep? Is my shoulder that hard?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m thinking you must have amnesia. Because I distinctly remember telling you we’re going to see where this thing takes us. That’s more than an affair in my book.”

Panic immediately set in. She felt too much for this man in a very short time. She’d been that route before. Young, careless, and suddenly pregnant, while her boyfriend was carrying on behind her back and she ignored the signs.

Because she’d wanted to mean something to someone so badly. She’d wanted the man in her life to love her and give her the security that had been ripped away from her when her father’s other family had been revealed. She and Avery were no longer his special princesses; they shared that role with Samantha and Sienna, his other daughters. The children who didn’t get guilt-induced gifts, they got
him
, his presence at school events and holidays, not work-related excuses.

So she’d put her hopes on her first serious boyfriend, and not only had he cheated on her but when she’d told him she was pregnant, he’d reacted as if she’d managed the feat alone. An immaculate conception. He’d wanted nothing to do with her or the baby.

“Olivia, are you okay?” Dylan waved a hand in front of her face. “You’re pale and you aren’t answering me.”

She blinked and resettled herself in the present. “I’m okay. Sorry. I just…” She searched for a plausible explanation for her mental lapse and decided on the truth. “I have baggage, Dylan. It’s not obvious and not a lot of people know about it, but I think the notion of you being in contact with your ex put me back in that place.”

He nodded, his dark eyes wide and understanding. “We already established the fact that there are things I don’t know. And I wouldn’t push you. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”