Was she wary about going down that road with anyone again? Yes, and she’d be crazy not to be. But she had to start to live again at some point, didn’t she? And having a full life didn’t only mean stolen kisses and crazy hot orgasms.
“Yes,” she said, smiling up at the man who had been waiting none too patiently for her answer. “I’d love to go on a date with you tomorrow night.”
Dylan sealed her affirmative reply with a kiss that was hot enough to melt what was left of their ice cream. At least until Mason climbed between them, planting wet, sticky kisses on both of their cheeks.
* * *
Grace was still smiling ten minutes later as she headed for their apartment with Mason falling asleep in his stroller. Before they’d parted, Dylan had quickly pulled out his cell phone and checked in with his mother about babysitting both tomorrow night and then again during their sail when Dylan returned from Australia in a couple of weeks. If Grace’d had any doubt that Claudia would be excited to see Mason again, his mother’s happy exclamations—loud enough for Grace to hear from the other side of the bench—put them to rest.
After Dylan had left to meet with a potential new client, she’d been walking around with a silly smile on her face. At least until she realized that she had absolutely
nothing
to wear!
Grace had a few nice dresses from before she’d gotten pregnant, but even on the off chance that they still fit her new post-baby curves, all of them had been dresses she’d worn for Richard. Deciding to box them up to give away when she got back to their apartment, she accepted that she was going to have to make a dent in her savings with a new outfit. She’d put every spare penny into her just-in-case legal defense fund for the past year and a half. With the money coming in from the cover story, she could let herself spend a teeny bit on this special night with Dylan, couldn’t she?
Fashion was yet another thing she hadn’t given much thought to since having Mason. Grace looked down at her jeans and striped blue and white top and knew that she managed to look pretty or professional when she needed to. But she hadn’t gone for
sexy
in a very long time.
Making a slight detour from her apartment building toward the nearby shopping street, she reminded herself that while sexy would certainly be exciting, she really shouldn’t break the bank, because simple and pretty would be good enough, right? Of course, that was right when she caught sight of a beautifully dressed boutique window, one that had the most incredible dress on display. The color was what struck her first—not red, not pink, but the best of both hues. The straps were braided lace and silk, a delicate pattern that continued through the bodice. A slim, shiny belt the same color as the fabric wound around the waist, further emphasizing the floaty skirt of the dress, which ended just below the knee.
It probably cost a fortune, but in spite of that, she still couldn’t stop herself from pushing Mason’s stroller inside the store.
“Welcome to Indulgence.”
It was, Grace thought, the perfect name for a store in which every single item on display made her yearn.
The woman’s face lit up as she looked down at Mason strapped into his stroller, clutching his stuffed giraffe in his sticky little fist. His head was turned to the side in sleep, his eyes closed so that his lashes looked a mile long.
“Your son is absolutely gorgeous,” the woman whispered, clearly in an effort not to wake him up. “If you’re thinking about trying on the dress in the window, I already know you’re going to look
amazing
in it. And I swear I’m not just saying that because this is my store.”
Grace knew what looked good on her. This dress would make Dylan’s eyes pop out of his head. That alone would be worth the dent it made in her savings.
The store owner, who introduced herself as Colbie, correctly guessed Grace’s size, and a very short while later was oohing and ahhing over how great she looked in the dress. “One more thing,” Colbie said, leaving the dressing room for a few moments and returning with what had to be the greatest pair of shoes ever made. The leather on the high-heeled sandals was a super-soft gold and braided in a pattern very similar to the bodice and straps of the dress. “You’re a size eight shoe, aren’t you?”
Grace was already reaching for the sexy sandals as she nodded. She felt like a princess straight out of a fairy tale in this dress, these shoes. She’d just close her eyes when she signed the credit card slip and wouldn’t let herself think about the bill until it came at the end of the month. She’d make it up by working doubly hard on the story about Dylan, doing such a great job with it that, hopefully, she’d turn this cover story into the first of many.
“I’ll take them both.”
Besides, even though being able to put money away for Mason was hugely important, wasn’t feeling like a sexy woman again—and proving to herself that her ex hadn’t stolen that from her—also something she should have prioritized long before now?
Which was why, when a luxurious lingerie set also caught her eye on her way to the register, she added it to her pile of goodies. Because really, what good were the gorgeous dress and perfect shoes if what Dylan found when he stripped her out of them at the end of their date wasn’t just as pretty?
Her entire body flamed at the thought, already revving with anticipation of her date with Dylan. A date that suddenly felt as though it couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Dylan’s mind had been blown by Grace from the start, but when she opened the door for him the following night, he swore his remaining brain cells actually melted inside his skull. If he could have thought clearly, he might have been able to stop his hands from grabbing, his mouth from devouring. But he didn’t have a prayer of doing anything but kissing her until he’d managed to have at least a tiny part of his fill.
“I’m torn, Grace. So damned torn between staying right here to strip that beautiful dress off you and taking you out to show you off.”
The way she smiled up at him only made it harder to think straight. “You look really good in your suit, too.”
Mason crawled over then, grabbing fistfuls of Dylan’s dark slacks to pull himself up. “I didn’t forget about you, buddy,” Dylan said as he lifted Mason into his arms. “I’m just having a hard time dealing with how stunning your mommy is.” When Mason babbled something unintelligible, Dylan nodded. “You’re right, I don’t stand a chance of ever getting used to how beautiful she is, so I should stop trying.” He kissed Mason on the forehead. “And since my mom will never forgive me if we don’t bring you over, especially since she bought out the entire toy store downtown to spoil you rotten tonight, I guess that means we should head out.”
He grabbed Mason’s baby bag in his free hand and worked to get a grip on himself while Grace picked up her small gold purse from the entry table. She was halfway to the Jeep when she looked over her shoulder and said, “You should know that I was just as torn when I saw you standing on my front step.”
Just like that, any control he’d managed to regain shattered.
* * *
Adam’s date for the evening—a brunette that Dylan hadn’t seen before tonight—looked anything but pleased by the way his brother’s jaw dropped when the two of them walked in. Grace’s beauty was only more stunning because she didn’t seem to be aware that she turned heads everywhere she went. No wonder that prick who’d gotten her pregnant had wanted her. Rage wasn’t something that came easily to Dylan, but ever since she’d told him what her ex and his family had done, fury kept rising up in him again and again.
Grace turned to look at him with concern on her beautiful face. “Is everything okay?”
“Not just okay,” he told her as he cupped the nape of her neck and drew her mouth to his. “Perfect.”
Kissing her here, with everyone’s eyes on them, was a blatant signal to all the other men in the room.
She’s mine,
was what he was telling them all.
All mine.
He loved that one kiss was all it took for her eyes to go hazy with desire. So much desire that she whispered, “How long do we have to stay?”
He brought her mouth to his again before saying, “Thirty minutes. Forty-five tops. We’ll do the rounds, make Adam’s restoration pitch, and then we’ll—”
His brother and his date interrupted them just then. After Adam made the introductions, he told Grace, “I hope you’re planning to stick around, because I’m not sure I’ll be able to scrape my brother off the floor if you don’t.” He didn’t give Grace time to adjust to the weight of his comment, just asked her what he could get her to drink from the bar.
“A glass of white wine would be lovely.”
“Your dress is gorgeous.” Adam’s date hadn’t been able to take her eyes off Grace, either. “So are your shoes. I’ve got to know, where did you pick them up?”
Grace smiled at the woman. Dylan didn’t get the sense that she noticed the other woman’s envy at all—probably because she didn’t see herself as someone of whom another woman would be jealous.
“A fabulous
store downtown called Indulgence.”
The name pricked through Dylan’s brain. “Mia’s best friend owns that store. Colbie Michaels. Actually, Colbie Bryant now that she’s married our friend Noah.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Grace said, smiling even wider now. “She was so nice. And I could have easily bankrupted myself in her store.”
“Mia said her stock was great, and I can see she wasn’t kidding.” He’d also heard from both Mia and his brother Rafe that Indulgence sold some seriously sexy stuff beyond dresses and shoes. Had Grace bought anything else?
Dylan couldn’t wait to find out, after he finally had a chance to strip her out of her pretty new dress.
By then, Adam’s date had pulled out her phone and looked up the store’s website. “Oh my God, Indulgence is having an evening sidewalk sale. Tonight only!”
Dylan could barely hold back his grin as his brother returned with their drinks, a glass of wine for Grace and beers for each of them. He’d been thinking a little karmic payback was in order for the way his brother had been so pleased to walk in on them in the boathouse a couple of days ago.
Adam turned to his date with his most charming smile to hand her a glass of champagne, but she was already saying, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay.”
He frowned, still holding out the glass of champagne for her. “Why not?”
She looked a little guilty for a moment before she shrugged. “You’re a great guy, but I think we can both already tell that we just don’t have the kind of spark that would last beyond a night or two. Not like Dylan and Grace,” she said with a nod toward the two of them. “Anyone can see that they’re the real deal. You and me, we’d just be a fling. I’m sure you’d be a great one-night stand, but I’m thinking it’s time to start holding out for Mr. Right instead. I’ll see myself out.”
She was gone so fast she nearly gave his brother whiplash. “What the hell happened while I was getting everyone drinks?” Adam asked them.
Dylan finally lost the battle with his laughter. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. It will only make you feel like less of a man than you already do. So, who do you need Grace and me to talk to?”
He had to admire the way his brother pulled it together so fast. Adam had always been good at compartmentalizing. Work rarely bubbled over into the rest of his life. And emotions never tangled with sex. Although, Dylan figured it was a big part of the reason why his brother’s date had decided a dress sale would be a better way to spend the night.
Making the rounds ended up taking more than forty-five minutes, but Dylan greatly enjoyed listening to Grace talk about the history of the Maritime Museum and the important part the building had played in shaping the Seattle waterfront. He could see light bulbs going on over the heads of the board members as she spoke so eloquently about the history all around them. No one had ever made Adam’s job of pitching for an historic renovation so easy.
“You’re amazing,” Adam said as he led them over to a gray-haired couple standing by the corner window.
“Once Dylan told me what you were trying to do, I have to admit I studied up a little.”
“A little?” His brother was full of admiration. “You could write a book on the place.”
Dylan thought he saw a light bulb go on over
her
head then. “You’re right—there are so many interesting stories about this building and the men and women who have come through here over the years. Romantic ones, too, like Mr. and Mrs. Callam meeting and falling in love here.”
“When I get the project,” Adam said, “I’m going to push for you to do a companion book.”
“That sounds amazing,” she said, but he could see that the lingering connection with his brother worried her, too. Because for all that she might want to believe in honesty, in romance and lasting love, her brush with the Bentley family had taught her just the opposite.
It was up to Dylan and his family to give her back her faith in truth and love again. Fortunately, if anyone could do it, the Sullivans could.
Dylan’s cell phone rang with Rafe’s ring tone, a call he’d been waiting for.
“Is it your mother?” Grace immediately asked.
Knowing what a big deal it was for her to leave Mason with anyone, he gently stroked her cheek. “It’s Rafe. And even though I’m sure Mason’s doing great with my mom, why don’t you give them a call while I talk to my brother?”
“And here I didn’t think I was being nearly that obvious.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to know your kid is safe. My mom used to check in on us a half-dozen times when they’d go out. Granted,” he said with a grin, “that might have been because we had a history of doing things like jumping off the roof and starting huge bonfires in the backyard.”
Her easy laughter warmed him as they both drew out their cell phones and headed to the deck that faced the water. While she called his mother to check in, he dialed Rafe. Unfortunately, everything his brother told him over the next several minutes made the fury that he’d barely shoved down earlier rise up again. Hotter than ever.
Grace’s smile was a mile wide when she turned to him after they’d both hung up just seconds apart. “Look at the cute picture your mom took of Mason playing the piano. Doesn’t he look like such a big boy? And so proud of himself for making music all by himself.”