One Reckless Night (17 page)

She stifled a gasp, more at the longing she heard in his voice than the words themselves. Oh

Lord, how had she gotten herself into this predicament? Still, she had to answer him honestly, no

matter what the fallout would be.

“Yes, Dane. I could,” she whispered.

He squeezed her in response. She trusted Dane not to abuse the confession. Bayleigh was

attracted to him mind and body, but the confession he just received was as far as she was willing to

go right now.

“I never expected to be here with you like this, Bayleigh.”

She gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Neither did I.”

“I guess it’s true when they say the things we want the most, show up when it is least

expected.”

“It certainly does,” she murmured.

Dane was making clear he still wanted more. Bayleigh knew from prior experience that he

intended to have it. He was the type that gave one hundred percent when he went after what he

wanted. She knew she should speak, but her heart pounded at the fear of saying something she

couldn’t take back. Why mess up a good thing right now? They had a little over five months

remaining. More than enough time for her to figure out whether she was falling in love or not. What

they had right now scared her. There was no guarantee he wouldn’t wake up one day and decide she

wasn’t the woman he wanted.

Nothing promised they would have a future together. Extraordinary sex didn’t automatically

mean the relationship outside of the bedroom would be. Not wanting to leave things the way they

were, she turned her head to look at Dane. His eyes shifted to hers and she smiled. “You are

wonderful guy, Dane.” Bayleigh punctuated the statement with a kiss.

“Am I?”

“You are. You always have been.”

Dane exhaled softly. “We need to go to sleep or we won’t be good company at dinner with

your family tomorrow.”

Bayleigh’s heart stilled for a few beats, She had forgotten about dinner with her family. How

could she let it slip her mind? Dane had been surprised by the suggestion, but quickly accepted. She

knew he saw it as one more step toward the relationship he wanted. On the other hand, she just

hoped to survive dinner. Tasha knew what to expect but she was anxious to find out how everyone

else would react.

“Goodnight, Bayleigh.”

“Goodnight.”

He squeezed her in return before pulling her closer. Smiling at how perfectly she fit against

him, she relaxed into his arms. Closing her eyes, she tried to beckon sleep. The more rested she was,

the better her attitude would be. High stress situations didn’t bring out the best in her. The sound of

his heartbeat was soothing and eventually lulled her into a blissful sleep.

“Sorry, I’m running late. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be ready,” Bayleigh told him

breathlessly, racing from the front door to the back of her apartment. Dane glanced around, noticing

she had changed a few things recently. Lately he noticed a lot of thing changing about her. Nothing

bad, she just seemed to be a little more open to different things.

He smiled when it dawned on him that she was still wearing the same clothes she had on

when she left his home this morning. She told him she had a few errands to run and for him to pick

her up at her place before dinner with her family. On the way over, he thought about how it would

be to see her after their conversation last night. Dane was still surprised to hear Bayleigh admit she

could love him if she allowed herself to. Now he had to figure out a way to get her to relax enough

to do so.

Dinner tonight would be a start. Yes he’d enjoyed dinner with the Bishop’s a few times

before, but as Bayleigh’s friend. In a way he was nervous at the response he would receive from her

family. Deep down he felt things would be okay, but he wasn’t one hundred percent sure. In the few

seconds after she opened the door, he tried to gauge her for any hint of nervousness. Unfortunately

she turned away too quickly, so he didn’t have time to, much less greet her in return.

“Make yourself at home,” she called out. “You know where the cups and fridge are if you

want anything to drink.”

The door to her bedroom opened and she stuck her head out. “Sorry, I’m running late.

Traffic was a nightmare today. I didn’t even finish my last errand but if we’re late for dinner, we

won’t hear the end of it.”

She closed the bedroom door and Dane stood there frowning. They were not off to a good

start. Bayleigh had barely acknowledged him. The last time she reacted like this was the week after

he confessed his feelings for her along with the desire for a relationship. After last night he expected

more from her. Dane made his way toward her bedroom and knocked on the door. Seconds later

Bayleigh opened it a crack.

“Yes?”

He raised a hand to push the door until it opened completely, then stepped into her

bedroom. Bayleigh stood there in her blue jean skirt and lacy bra that almost distracted him from his

purpose. Before she could speak again, he pulled her into his arms, then lowered his mouth to hers.

His hands gripped her waist, holding her to him the same way they had last night. Having her curves

against him reminded him of the feel of her, of her touch, and the effect it had on his body. Yet he

forced himself to release her. They were on a time constraint.

He just wanted to show her she could no longer ignore him. Staring down into her face, he

was satisfied that he had done so. Her eyes were still closed and a satisfied smile was on her face. A

simple kiss was all it took to send his desire for her into overdrive. Dane resisted the temptation of

walking her a few steps backwards, toward her bed, settling for another quick kiss instead. Releasing

her waist, he stepped back.

“Now that I have greeted you properly, you can finish getting dressed.”

Her eyes opened and he read the obvious shock there. He turned, then walked back toward

the door, closing it behind him. Dane chuckled when he heard her growl from the other side.

Just when he thought he experienced it all, Bayleigh was quick to remind him he hadn’t

experienced anything yet. Before he met Bayleigh, he felt like his life had been in order. He had a

decent place to live, a good job, and a family who loved him. Everything had been good. Dane

hadn’t imagined he needed anything else to make it better. Then Bayleigh had come along turning

everything inside out.

As their friendship grew he started to realize he was missing the companionship of a good

woman. The urge he’d felt to settle down increased. It took him three years to admit to himself that

he was only going to find it with her. Now he wanted more from every minute of the day. To simply

exist wasn’t enough anymore. What he craved could only be found when he had Bayleigh in his

arms.

His dilemma seemed to be breaking through to her. The more time he spent with Bayleigh,

the more she opened up to him, yet she was still holding back, keeping her emotions hidden. As

much as she trusted him it wasn’t complete. That was a barrier he hadn’t been able to penetrate. It

was as though she expected him to screw her around like some of the men in her past had. Dane

knew he had to remain patient, give her a little more time, but it was difficult. The last two years

with Bayleigh had given him all the time he needed to figure out what he wanted with her.

He made his way back to her living room, taking in the new additions to her apartment. It

didn’t take him long to wonder over to her picture shelf. There were the typical family photos,

pictures of her over the years. His favorite of her was the high school picture of her with braces and

glasses. She was so beautiful. Dane guessed no one had noticed. Otherwise some other lucky bastard

might have snatched her up. Setting the picture back down, he looked at the other photos, several of

them with Bayleigh and her girlfriends on vacation and various outings. When he came upon the last

handful of pictures, he paused. They were of him and Bayleigh. He picked up the photo of them at

the
Dallas Cowboys
game. She wasn’t a fan of football, but she went with him anyway when Isaac

hadn’t been able to go.

He’d had fun trying to explain the game to her and she picked it up quickly. Now she would

come over during football season and watch a game or two. Just one more of the many good

memories he had with Bayleigh throughout their friendship. Memories he hoped to add to. The

sound of her bedroom door opening made him put the photo down.

“Are you ready to have dinner with my wild family?” Bayleigh asked as she neared him.

Dane turned to face her. His reply stuck in his throat. She looked exquisite, dressed in a yellow dress

that hugged her every curve. The scoop neckline revealed just enough to remain tasteful but

tempting. His gaze slid lower to find the skirt of the dress showed off her beautiful legs. He stepped

closer to her. “Right now I’m ready to take you in your room and have my way with you.”

Bayleigh did a side step to avoid his arms. “Later. Right now we have to go or we’ll be late.

And I will be sure to place the blame squarely on you.”

Dane sighed dejectedly. “If we must.”

Grabbing her purse off the counter, she laughed. “Yes we must. Whatever you do, don’t

mention baseball,” she said as she walked toward the door. “From what Tasha says it has been a

disappointing season and daddy isn’t happy about it. Also don’t mention the new statue mom

purchased. It could lead to a discussion about fertility that you just don’t want to hear.” She paused

for a quick breath. “Don’t let Lynden bait you into—”

“Bayleigh.”

“—a pickup game of basketball in the back—”

“Bayleigh.”

She turned to look at him. “Yes?”

“Everything will be fine. I have met your family before. I have also eaten dinner with them.

I’ll be okay.”

“I didn’t say—”

Dane put a finger to her lips. “I know.”

She sighed, her shoulders drooping slightly. “Sorry, I’m just nervous. This dinner is different

since you’ll be coming as my…”

He pulled her into his arms as her sentence trailed off. “As your what Bayleigh? Your date?

Boyfriend? Lover?”

Bayleigh blinked slowly before a small smile spread across her mouth. “Well…yes.”

Dane grinned. “Good because I am all three and more.”

Before she could speak, he placed a kiss on her temple, then pulled back. “Now let’s get

going. I don’t want Tasha screaming at us for being late.”

* * * *

Bayleigh looked over at Dane. His focus was on the road. Even though Dane had met her

family numerous times, she was still nervous. The last man she brought home was Erwin. It had

almost been a disaster. Afterwards she never took Erwin to another dinner. That should have been

the first clue things wouldn’t work out. The second was that Erwin didn’t mind.

This time everything was different. Dane had a history with her family. If this didn’t go well,

nothing would be the same. Nothing was going to be the same as it was now. With Tasha’s recent

marriage, her parents her turned their sights on her. They made it know they were ready for her to

walk down the aisle next. Her parents wanted to see her married and working on grandkids. After

tonight, her mother might start planning the wedding. Her relationship with

Dane was new and even though her romantic feelings for him were starting to get stronger,

it didn’t mean marriage was next. They were a long way away from that discussion. Last night’s

conversation about love had her jittery enough.

What seemed like an eternity later, he pulled into the driveway of her parents’ home. He

turned off the ignition smiling when he looked over at her.

“We’re here.”

She released a nervous breath. “Now the fun begins.”

“Don’t worry. If anything goes wrong we’ll make a quick break for the door.”

Dane climbed out of the car, before walking about to her side. Bayleigh was starting to regret

inviting him. This would be another step in forcing her to face her feelings. She wasn’t ready to do

that yet. The subject of her anxiety opened the door, and she stepped out with his assistance. He

held her as they walked up to the house. When they reached the porch she looked up at him.

“Are you sure your eye is okay?”

The shiner didn’t look as bad as she thought it would. There was some discoloration but the

swelling had gone down. Unfortunately, he would be wearing his badge of honor for a little while.

Dane nodded raising his hand to ring the doorbell.

“It’s fine. Doesn’t even hurt anymore.”

Bayleigh wanted to tell him she didn’t believe him. He winked at her with his good eye,

squeezing her hand.

“Take a deep breath. It’s show time.”

Surprisingly some of the tension actually left her when she did as he suggested. The door

swung open and her mother stood there smiling.

“Bayleigh!”

Her mother gathered her into her embrace, forcing Dane to let her hand go. “Right on time.