Swallowing His Pride (7 page)

Lynn squinted her eyes, obviously having difficulty focusing. “You really like this guy, huh? Maybe, you should ask him where in Texas he’s from when you guys see each other tomorrow.” She shrugged as she staggered past Sam to the bed. “You never know. He could be close enough for you guys to give it a go.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Did she really want to know if he was that close? Would he even want to see her after this vacation? Surely, he’d be tied up with the whole hotel thing and wouldn’t necessarily have time for a relationship.

And maybe she was making up excuses because she was scared. There was only one question left as far as she was concerned. Did she take the leap or crawl away from the ledge when things got scary?

Chapter Three

Dylan couldn’t have asked for a better night. Samantha was a beautiful girl, no doubt about it, but once he’d spent more time with her, he’d discovered there was so much more. She’d clearly been mistreated by her ex-husband, that much was obvious by the difficulty she had in accepting compliments, by her shy responses to any mild attempts at flirtation and the way she’d frozen up on the dance floor as soon as that man had put his hands on her.

Just the thought of her being abused in any way had his lion snarling inside his head. He had the pleasure of seeing her again this morning, even if they’d only gone to the gym. With luck on his side, she’d accepted his invitation to dinner tonight, and now, they could spend the evening getting to know each other even more.

God knew Dylan’s inner beast was ready and eager to get to know her in a much more intimate manner. The urge to rub against her and purr had struck him a few times the night before, and he was thankful that the music had been loud enough in the club to drown out the sound. Another fascinating effect she seemed to have was the ability to calm both sides of him with just a touch. He’d never experienced anything like it. Combining that with the fact that she carried the scent of every cat’s favorite treat had his mind scrambling to figure out what it meant.

Of course, Liam was still avoiding him, but Dylan would get the information out of him one way or another. Tonight, though, Liam and Lynn were going to see some magic show on the strip, while he and Samantha enjoyed a nice dinner at the hotel.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t in Vegas just for a good time. No, before he could indulge in his date, Dylan had to meet with Alexander, the leader of the Cougar Clan, who had territory just outside of the city. While the plans for the hotel were forming, he wanted some input from others of his kind. After all, there was no point in building a resort if interest was too low to recoup the money spent.

In his black slacks and crisp blue dress shirt, Dylan examined himself in the mirror once more before leaving his room to head to his meeting. He’d made sure to wear something that would be appropriate for his date as well, just in case he ran short on time.

However, he had a feeling time would move entirely too slow for his liking. With any luck he wouldn’t insult the clan leader with his inattention, but his thoughts were forever trailing off to images of Samantha, the sound of her voice, the sparkle in her bright blue eyes—

Hell, he was doing it again!

Yeah, this was, without a doubt, going to be the longest meeting ever.

* * * *

Samantha checked her dress in the mirror for the fourth time, wondering if it was the right thing to wear for her dinner date with Dylan, especially since she had no idea where he was taking her. He’d only asked for her to wear something nice and meet him by the elevators in the lobby at six.

She hadn’t been out with a man since her husband, and even then, any dating had occurred at the very beginning of their relationship. That was the reason for the many outfits that were strewn across both hers and Lynn’s beds.

Having finished her hair and makeup, Lynn popped out of the bathroom and froze, her eyes traveling up and down Samantha, taking in her latest ensemble. “That’s the one,” she exclaimed. “You look so damn hot!”

“Do you think it’s too much?” Sam asked nervously as she tugged down the hem of the gold slip dress she’d pilfered from Lynn’s suitcase. “I kind of feel a little exposed. Maybe, if I added some tights underneath—”

“Absolutely not! Girl, you have some killer legs, and if you won’t show them off at home, you had better do it here.” Lynn snatched the tights from Sam’s hand and tossed them on the bed. “Listen to me. You don’t know anyone here, so who cares if you have a little more skin exposed than you usually do? There also aren’t any men like Dylan back home either. At least, none that I’ve seen.”

“You don’t suppose Dylan will think I’m trying too hard, do you?” Samantha was worried about that. She didn’t want him to see her as desperate by any means, but she
did
want him to see her as an attractive woman—a desirable woman.

She’d passed the last couple hours confiding in Lynn her growing feelings for Dylan, and in return, her friend had boldly told Sam to “just go for it.” The only problem was, Sam needed to know that he was genuinely interested in her for
her
, and not just as a piece of ass he’d scored while on vacation in Vegas. He didn’t seem the type to use a woman in that way, but Sam had already been fooled by a man once. She wasn’t in any hurry to repeat that mistake.

Sam had already decided to speak to him over dinner, try to get to know more about him and his life, since she wasn’t really sure what else she should do on a first date. At least then she could console herself with the fact she hadn’t gone to bed with a stranger on her trip. Perhaps, she could find out if he lived near her, but she wouldn’t be
that
girl. If he lived close, she’d leave the ball in his court as to whether or not they went any further than their time here.

Lynn came over and grabbed her arm, dragging her into the bathroom, and Samantha had a sinking feeling she knew what was coming next.

“Let me fix your hair. Oh and your makeup, too,” Lynn added as she ushered Sam in and plunked her down on the toilet. “You just sit still and let me work my magic.”

“Magic? Um, you do remember that lovely perm incident, right?” Yeah, the one where Samantha had ended up looking like Hazel the witch when her hair had been fried by the chemicals. Lynn had good intentions, but they didn’t always pan out the way she’d planned.

“Oh, hush. I’m not using any chemicals in your hair other than a little mousse and maybe some hairspray. Tonight, I think you need your hair down, maybe with some bouncy curls.” She clapped her hands and dove for the little bag under the sink. “I’ll use my wand! Ugh, this thing is amazing, you’re going to love it.”

While Samantha trusted Lynn with almost everything—perms no longer included—she was at a loss for words when her friend came up with something that resembled an odd looking vibrator with a power cord.

“A wand? Is that what they’re calling them now? And what the hell happened to the battery operated version?” Samantha awaited her answer while Lynn simply stared at her with a frown. Gesturing to the instrument in her hand, Sam continued, “I don’t need a sex toy, Lynn.”

“A what? Oh good grief! It’s a styling tool, you
tool
,” she laughed. “You curl your hair with it. I don’t know why, but this little booger works so much better than a curling iron and the curl stays in your hair for a long time too.”

“If you say so, but it looks like a dildo that plugs into the wall.”

Lynn grabbed the mousse and added a dollop to her hand before moving behind Sam to work it through her hair. “God, I wish my hair had some curl. Hell, I’d even take a wave, anything to give it a little body. You are so lucky.”

“Save it, girl. You’ve seen this mess when the humidity is bad. I poof! It’s like my hair bloats to take on the moisture in the air. All I can say is thank goodness for ponytails.”

The girls chatted and made plans for the next day as Lynn finished up. Once she had Samantha’s makeup done, she boldly declared, “Vegas showgirls, eat your heart out!” and turned Sam to the mirror. “Honey, Dylan is going to gobble you up tonight.”

* * * *

Dylan waited by the elevators for Samantha to arrive, wishing he’d had the forethought to get her phone number. If he’d had it, he could have called her when his meeting with Alexander had been cut short by a clan problem that had been called for Alexander’s attention. With his thoughts distracted from the conversation anyway, Dylan had urged the other male to see to his Clan and promised to meet him in the morning to resume their discussion.

From what little he’d managed to absorb, it appeared the resort would be a promising venture for his Pride. Now, he just had to get the plans drawn up and begin the build. It would no doubt put a strain on the Pride for a while, since there would be so many humans on their land, but the end result would be worth it. They would simply have to tend to their need to be in animal form at night.

With a little time left on his hands before he and Samantha were due to meet, Dylan called up his architect and had him begin drawing up some plans for them to go over once Dylan was back in town.

The little ding of the elevator brought his attention to the sliding doors just as another group of tourists stepped off. Dylan was about to turn away, when he caught sight of Samantha.

And what a sight she was. She’d left her silky red hair unbound tonight, and the way it hung in heavy curls down her back made his hands itch to touch it. His gaze traveled over her slender form, taking in the slinky gold dress that hugged every one of her curves to perfection before flaring a bit around her thighs. When he got to the bare expanse of her long, lean legs, his inner lion purred. He followed them down to her dainty feet and her red-tipped toes that peeked from the end of her heels.

A vision of those shapely legs wrapped around his waist, those sexy pumps still in place, made his cock twitch and had his lion pressing against his skin to get closer. Damn, he would really have to work on tightening the leash on his cat or else he’d scare her away.

As he watched her, Sam’s gaze darted around, no doubt searching for him. Dylan snapped to attention and moved toward her. When she finally saw him, her eyes lit up and the effect was electric. She was happy to see him, almost seeming relieved.

“You look beautiful, Samantha,” Dylan said, taking her hand and pressing a soft kiss to her knuckles.

“Thank you,” she replied with a blush. “You look very nice, as well.”

Dylan smiled. “Why thank you. Are you ready for dinner?”

“Sounds great. Where are we going? I forgot to ask you earlier, so I hope what I’m wearing is okay.”

She was nervous, that much was obvious, but Dylan was picking up something else, too.
Excitement
. Now, there was a feeling he could get on board with. “You’re perfect. I thought maybe we could check out the steakhouse they have here at the hotel. It’s called Prime, I believe, and I was told that it’s very good. Does that sound all right?”

She nodded, accepted his arm when he offered and they made their way to the restaurant.

Dylan watched as the eyes of every male they passed seemed to gravitate to the petite woman at his side. Pride swelled his chest because she was with him, but an overwhelming sense of possessiveness saw his inner cat snarling and hissing inside his head. As far as the feline was concerned, Sam was his. This little discovery distracted Dylan from his surroundings long enough for him to bump into a couple walking past them.

He quickly apologized before resuming his stride.

“Are you okay?” Samantha asked as she looked up at him.

“I’m fine. I just got caught up in a thought for a moment.” Great, now she probably thought he was going to be thinking about other things during their date when nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, if his thoughts continued on their current track, it would become harder and harder for him to hide them from her. “I’m trying my damnedest not to glare at every guy in here, actually,” he confessed.

“Why? Did your meeting go badly? We don’t have to go to dinner if there’s something you need to take care of.”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Dylan rushed to assure her. “Samantha, you’re stunning, and every guy in here keeps giving you the eye.” Dylan shrugged. “I guess I just want to make sure they know that you’re with
me
.”

He watched as she took in the people around her, her eyes growing round as she saw all those peering her way. She quickly ducked her head and gripped his arm a little tighter. Was she frightened? The thought had him swallowing a growl. He breathed deep, but from what he could discern through the myriad smells around them, she appeared to be embarrassed.

“I’m so sorry. I never should have let Lynn talk me into wearing this dress. It’s too short. Geez, I must look like a total tramp.”

Coming to a complete stop in the middle of all the other foot traffic, Dylan turned Sam to face him. She glanced up at him, her cheeks pink and her eyes shining with moisture. Dear God, were those tears? As far as he was concerned, she should never have a reason to cry unless it was from happiness. “Listen to me, sweetheart. You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, and I don’t give a damn what other people think because
you
are with
me
,” he pointed out. “Tonight, you are
my
date, you are
my
lady and I think you look amazing.”

Samantha’s lips trembled a bit as she gifted him with a smile, and Dylan was unable to help himself. He brought his hands up to cup her sweet face before bringing his lips down to hers in a gentle, teasing kiss. Taking a moment to enjoy the feel of her petal-soft mouth, he decided he could quickly become drunk on her unique taste.

Her small hands settled on his chest as she pressed closer to him. Dylan reluctantly pulled his head back. Seeing her eyes still closed had his lips quirking up in a little lopsided smile. He was glad he wasn’t the only one affected, but when she opened them and he saw the heat simmering in their blue depths he realized that this night would likely get much hotter.