His Reluctant Lover (15 page)

Dylan ended the call then and turned to look at Georgette, wondering what she might think about his younger brother.  “He’s not that bad,” he explained.

Georgette smiled weakly.  “I’m sure he’s a great guy.”

“You’ll like him when you meet him.”

“I’m not going to meet him,” she replied softly, but with a vehemence that was heartfelt. 

“You’re meeting him in a couple of days,” he countered. “As soon as I can trick you into getting onto my plane and coming home with me.”

She trembled at the idea, not sure what to say.  “I have a lot of work to do.”

“You’ve been working hard for the past week.”

“I’ve been in Europe.  And I’ve been slacking off with you.  Besides, there’s no reason for me to go home with you.  It’s pointless.  Why don’t you just take me home?  I’m not really hungry any longer.”

“Because I suspect you haven’t eaten in about twenty-four hours and I’m going to make sure you eat something.”  He was practically growling, his anger over her stubbornness getting the better of him. 

He pulled into one of the lovely little restaurants that New Orleans was famous for.  The food in this area was always excellent and creative, served with flair.  Unfortunately, she didn’t like him right now, felt like he was closing those walls around her and it scared her even more.  “You don’t have to do this,” she snapped at him.  “I’m a grown woman.  I’ve taken care of myself for quite some time and don’t need a keeper.”

He slammed his own door and stormed around the other side of the car, startling her.  He had her pinned to the car before she could step away.  “You might not want a keeper, but you damn well need one.  You’re trying to marry a man that you don’t love, that doesn’t even turn you on, just so you can keep yourself safe.  But that’s not going to work, Georgette.  You can delude yourself into thinking that it will work out, but you would just be bored out of your mind.”

She jerked against him, trying to break free but he wouldn’t let her.  “Aren’t you the arrogant jerk to think that I’ll be happy with you?”

“You might not be happy,” he snapped right back.  “But you’ll definitely not be bored.  And you damn well know it.”

She couldn’t argue with him.  Of all the things that she felt when she was around Dylan, boredom was not one of them.  The thought popped into her mind that she was pretty consistently bored with Charles, but she banished that thought.  She wouldn’t care when Charles left her.  She’d care a whole lot when Dylan moved on. 

Over lunch, they barely spoke to each other.  And when the waitress took their half-eaten plates away, Georgette honestly couldn’t say what she’d eaten.  The food had probably been delicious, but neither of them were in a mood to appreciate the creativity of the chef. 

When Dylan pulled up outside her house again, he turned in his seat, his eyes holding her in place.  “I won’t come inside.  I know you have to work things through in your own mind.  But look across the street.”

Georgette, turned her head, her eyes instantly spotting the toddlers that were happily running through the grass towards the playground.  There were also a couple of moms with babies in their arms, bouncing up and down while they chatted with each other.  Two dads were pushing their girls on the swing set, probably discussing sports statistics, or maybe they were talking about when their girls will be off to college.  She had no idea.  All she knew was the deep, almost painful longing that rose up in her chest every time she saw children. 

“I can tell that you want to have kids.  Am I wrong?”

Georgette’s eyes didn’t move away from the playground, watching the kids with fascination.  “You’re right,” she finally said.

“Then just think of this,” he said, his deep voice breaking through as she watched the kids.  “In order to have kids, a man has to touch you like I’ve been touching you.  You will have to be intimate with him.  You’ll have to share your life with him, just like we were doing last week.  I want you to first, picture Charles naked.”  When she shuddered, he smiled but kept going.  “And now I want you to picture him doing to you all the things I did to you last week, all the things we shared in bed.  All the intimate secrets.  Do you really want Charles to know what your perfect breasts feel like?  Do you want him to kiss your pink nipples like I did?” 

Her eyes pulled away from the kids.  She couldn’t look away from his blue gaze, unaware of her mouth falling open, her breathing increasing in pace and her mind whirling with all of the possibilities, memories of what they’d shared last week.  She was actually repulsed by the idea of Charles touching her the way Dylan had done last week and she couldn’t hide that revulsion from Dylan’s eyes. 

“Exactly.  I have to go out of town, but I’m coming back Wednesday.  I’m going to pick you up at eight o’clock in the morning.  Be ready, Georgette.  Because you’re coming with me.  I don’t care if you’re packed or naked, I’m picking you up.”  He watched her eyes carefully.  “Don’t you dare try to hide either.  I’ll find you.  I’ll find you and take you to a place you need to be.  A place that will show you how silly your fears are.”

She opened her mouth to argue with him but he kissed her, smothering whatever argument she might make.  He didn’t want to hear it.  What he’d said about another man touching her made his gut ache and he needed to prove to her that she wasn’t going to be with another man.  Ever!  She was his woman. 

When he pulled away, she was already grabbing for the door handle but he stopped her with a touch to her arm.  “One more thing,” he said softly.  “I don’t want another woman touching me the way you touched me last week.  The idea of another woman touching me makes my skin crawl.  So we’re both in the same boat, Georgette.”

A few days later, Georgette glared at him across the expanse of his private plane.  “Where are we going?” she asked, sitting stiffly in the deep, leather chair.

He closed his computer, focusing all of his attention on Georgette who was truly not amused by their excursion.  “Nervous?” he suggested.

Georgette crossed her arms over her chest, her foot twitching up and down.  “When you’re around?  Absolutely.”

He chuckled and moved into the seat closest to her.  “You should be.  You know that I’m going to convince you to marry me.”

She snorted, but her panic increased even more.  “Don’t count on it,” she snapped. 

“Oh, I’m counting on it very much.”

She rolled her eyes, trying to pretend as if she weren’t overwhelmed by his confidence. “You’re not to change my mind, Dylan.”

“Not only am I going to change your mind, but you are going to apologize to me for making me wait so long.”

Dylan was just about to say something when his cell phone went off. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at the number, smiling when he realized who was trying to contact him. He motioned that he would be back in just a moment, and answered the call. “Hey there, brat. Are you there already?”

Whoever he was talking to had to be very special. Georgette couldn’t remember ever seeing that soft look in his eyes before. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, wishing she knew more about the person on the other end of the phone. But she also didn’t want Dylan to know that she was interested. Interest indicated that she cared. And she had worked hard over the past three days to pretend like she didn’t care. This was now an issue of survival. Hers.

Dylan laughed and nodded his head. “Okay. We should be there in about an hour and a half. Make sure that the others are gone. They won’t make my case very well.” There is a moment of silence, and then he said, “Love you too.”

“Who was that? And who do you want to be gone?” She asked warily.

Dylan raised a black eyebrow in her direction. “That was my sister, Adriana, the only girl in our family besides my mom. She is going to meet us along with her husband and their two children, Ella and Zane. The people I don’t want to be there are my three younger brothers, Davis, Marcus and Antonio.”

Georgette was curious despite her reservations. “Why would they damage your case?”

“Because the three of them are a pain in my ass.”

That comment was so unexpected that she couldn’t help her burst of laughter. “So the great and indomitable Dylan has sibling problems just like the rest of the world.”

“Like you would know, being an only child.  You were probably spoiled rotten.”

Georgette shrugged a shoulder delicately, “An only grandchild as well. So yes I was pretty badly spoiled.”

“And unapologetic about it as well, eh?”

She laughed despite her nervousness over wherever they might be heading. “I can’t very effectively deny the truth.”

“You’ve been denying what’s been between us ever since the moment I met you.” He tossed out that challenge and leaned closer slightly. “But now I understand why and I’m going to change your mind.”

Georgette didn’t have any response to that declaration. So instead of confronting him again, she simply looked back down at the magazine she’d been reading before their conversation started.

“So now you’re going to try and ignore me? Remember how you challenged me when we first met?”

Georgette couldn’t forget that night after the black and white ball. She hadn’t meant to toss challenges at him, but he was ever so quick to pick them up. Instead of responding, she tossed the magazine onto the seat in front of her and stood up. She was about to move into another chair, one farther away from Dylan, but he wasn’t going to allow her to ignore him.

So instead of walking away from him in a snit, his strong hands reached up, grabbing one of her hands he spun her around. Somehow, instead of sitting primly by herself, she was on his lap and his hands were holding her in place. “Let me go, you big brute!” she growled at him.

“No way, my pretty lady. I told you that I would take up any challenge you threw out at me. And so here you are.” While he held her hands manacled by her side, he leaned down and nibbled against her neck.

Georgette tried very hard to ignore the sensations that were rippling through her body with his touch, but it had been several days since he’d held her in his arms, and this just felt incredibly wonderful. So instead of telling him to get off of her, she heard her voice moaning, her chin lifting to give him more space along her neck.

“Tell me that you missed me,” he commanded, releasing one of her hands so that his could slide under her silk blouse.

“I didn’t miss you for a single moment,” she came right back. But she couldn’t stop her hand from reaching up and curling around his head, her fingers tangling in his short, black hair. Nor could she stop herself from arching into his hand, especially when she felt his thumb flick against her already hard nipple.

“You’re a pretty little liar,” he said as his teeth nibble along the shell of her ear. “And you do it in that sweet, soft, sexy southern drawl that never ceases to set my blood on fire.”

“You have to stop this,” she begged.

He chuckled as his fingers adeptly opened the front closure of her bra. “And you have to stop telling me things that your body doesn’t really want.” He lifted his head slightly, watching as his fingers slowly unbuttoned her blouse.

Georgette grabbed his wrist, but her strength wasn’t there in her grip. “Please Dylan,” she gasped.

“I’ll do anything you ask of me, as long as it is an honest request.”

Georgette opened her mouth to tell him to stop, but he covered her mouth with his and kissed her, silencing her in the best way he knew how. In the end, he couldn’t hold back the passion that had fired up between them and he lifted her in his arms, carrying her through a door in the back of the plane. Laying her down on the mattress, he made love to her until she was screaming out his name. And even after both of them had found fulfillment again, he continued to hold her and kiss her, reassuring her that everything would be okay.  She fell asleep listening to his heart beating rhythmically under her ear. 

A couple hours later, Dylan bent down and kissed Georgette behind her ear, gently waking her up. “We’re almost there,” he said softly.

Georgette rolled over, pulling the sheet higher over her nakedness. “You cheated,” she said accusingly.

“Of course I did,” he replied back to her. “I will do anything it takes to get you to marry me.”

Georgette sat up, looking around and trying to push her hair out of her eyes. “Where are we?”

Dylan handed her a robe and opened one of the doors, showing her where the bathroom is.  “You can shower, but be quick about it because were just about to land.”

Georgette grabbed the robe and slipped her arms into it tying the belt at her waist quickly, embarrassed that she was completely naked while he was fully dressed. “You still haven’t told me where were going, and I’ve had enough of this plan until you tell me what’s going on.”

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her close. “Ah, there’s another one of those challenges. You know how much I love them.” But he pulled back, smacking her lightly on her bottom. “Take a quick shower and get dressed. We land in 20 minutes.”

With that he walked out of the small bedroom, leaving her to fume alone. “Dratted man!” But she hurried into the bathroom and took a quick shower. When she was fully dressed, she stood in the small bedroom, wondering what she was going to do and how she was going to react to wherever they might be landing.

A knock at the door startled her. “Georgette, are you ready?”

She looked down at herself, smoothing her slacks even as she slipped her feet into her shoes. “I guess I’m as ready as I’m going to be.” She opened the door and walked out, refusing to look at Dylan.

As the plane taxied to a stop, Dylan was looking out the window. “Oh no,” he said. He pulled his eyes away from the window and looked at Georgette, both amusement and an apology in his eyes. “I told them that I would meet them at the house, but they never were never very good at following my orders.” Even as he spoke, stairs were being rolled close to the door.

Georgette looked out the windows, but she didn’t see anything that would give her a clue as to where they had landed.

“Let’s go face the music,” he said. Dylan took her hand securely in his and led her down the stairway.

As soon as they started to exit the plane, a shriek was heard in the distance. Georgette looked to the left where several cars were parked. Out of the first one, a little girl with blonde hair and a huge grin was running in their direction, screaming “Uncle Dylan, Uncle Dylan!” Behind the little girl was a smaller boy with black hair and the same excited grin. Georgette would have seen the rest of the clan but her eyes were focused on these two small children, enchanted with their excitement. Especially when the girl threw herself into Dylan’s arms. Dylan had obviously been anticipating this occurrence, because he was already low enough to catch the little girl, and a moment later the boy. Carrying both of them in his arms, he turned around and introduced them to Georgette.

“Georgette, this little lady is my favorite niece, Ella.” He turned to the boy who was grinning from ear to ear. “And this little man-devil is my favorite nephew, Zane.” He gave both of them a kiss on their cheeks then chuckled when they practically strangled him with their enthusiastic hugs. The little boy turned to smile at Georgette. “Are you the one?” he asked.

The blonde haired girl giggled behind her pudgy little hand. “Of course she’s the one. She’s the only one that Uncle Dylan has ever introduced us to, so she must be the one.”

“Yes, she is the one that I’m going to marry.” Dylan looked in her direction when he heard her gasp. “But we have to be really nice to her, otherwise she’ll run away.”

The little boy leaned forward and touched Georgette’s shoulder. “You don’t have to be afraid of anything. Uncle Dylan is really good at fighting the monsters. He says that all of them are too scared now to hide in my closet. And he built a trap for any that tried to sneak under my bed.”

Georgette muffled her laughter at that declaration. She noticed the blonde girl also nodding her head, as if to say that Dylan had ousted all of the monsters from her bedroom as well.

“I guess your uncle is pretty good at rousting monsters,” she said.

A lovely blonde woman was walking up behind Dylan, putting a hand on his shoulder a bit too familiarly for Georgette’s peace of mind. Dylan caught her expression and winked. “Georgette, this is my sister, Adriana, and her husband Mitch.” Dylan looked behind her and a scowl appeared on his handsome features. “What the...” He stopped what he was about to say, glancing at the two youngsters in his arms before adjusting his words, “Why are you three here?”

Marcus reached out and punched his oldest brother. “We got word that you didn’t want us here, so we showed up anyway.” He looked at the auburn haired woman and his eyes lit up. “So you’re the fair damsel that has been driving my big brother crazy for the past few weeks.” The handsome young man extended his hand for Georgette’s. “I think I’m in love with you already.”

The two small children covered their mouths to try and stifle their laughter. Dylan wasn’t quite so amused. “Don’t you have some drug company to buy up or chemistry set to explode?”

Marcus just laughed and shook his head. “Nope. I am free and clear this whole weekend to irritate my big brother and try to convince this lovely woman to stay as far away from you as possible.”

An even younger version of Dylan, this one just as big, but not nearly as handsome, at least in Georgette’s mind, stepped forward shouldering his brother out of the way. “Don’t you worry about these two goons,” he said. “I’m Antonio, the youngest, and the most handsome as well as being the smartest. Give me your hand and I’ll take you away from the old man. Dylan is probably too old for you, but I’m just right.”

The little blonde girl in Dylan’s arms laughed delightedly. “Uncle Antonio, you’re just getting yourself in more trouble.” She extended her arms, and Antonio automatically reached out to take her. “Grandma told you to behave.”

Antonio nuzzled the little girl’s neck until she giggled again. “Whose side are you on any way, my little darling?”

“Uncle Dylan’s of course.” The little girl giggled, right before giving Antonio a big sloppy kiss.

Georgette was laughing, but there was no denying that she was intimidated by all of this testosterone. “Tell me there aren’t more of them,” she said looking up into Dylan’s smiling eyes.

“Just me,” yet another enormous man said as he stepped around Dylan. “He saved the best for last. I’m Davis,” he said as he took her hand and kissed her fingers. “And there is no way I’m going to even tease you about coming away with me. My big brother is already going to trash my two younger brothers.” He tucked Georgette’s hand on his arm. “So we’ll just have to meet in secret so he doesn’t know what’s going on.”

Dylan looked down at the boy is still in his arms. “You know what to do, right?”

The extremely cute boy grinned and nodded his head. A moment later, his little fist punched his uncle Davis on the upper arm. Davis pretended to stumble backwards under the force of the little man’s punch. But he came right back and tussled the little boy’s hair. “We’ve got to work on your loyalties, my man.”