She barks out a laugh. “He’s being typical Dillon. I wondered how long he could keep the nice guy routine up.”
“Hey, he’s still one of the good guys,” I blurt, instantly feeling the need to defend him, even if I’m still seething at his interference.
Her grin expands, and I flip her the bird. “I know he’s a good guy, Viv. He has far exceeded my expectations. From what you’ve said, he’s great with Easton and pretty skilled with his tongue.”
I roll my eyes. “I should never have told you or Ash about that.”
“Aren’t you tempted to go back for round two?” She waggles her brows.
“No,” I lie. Truth is, I can’t stop thinking about it or the way it felt to have Dillon’s hands and mouth on me again. Now that he’s on a mission to piss me the hell off, he’s seriously getting under my skin and raising old memories to the surface.
“Liar.” Rey calls me out on my bullshit.
I sigh again. “I can’t stop thinking about him, but then I feel guilty. It’s only been four months since Reeve died. How can I be thinking about another man already?”
“Babe, we’ve been over this. You’ve really got to stop doing this to yourself,” she says as there’s a knock on my office door. “And it’s not like Dillon is just any other man. There is history there and a shit ton of love.”
“It’s the way I’m programmed,” I tell my bestie, getting up to answer the door.
It’s Charlotte. “Dillon is here to see you. He’s waiting in the sunroom.”
I glance at my watch, frowning. School hasn’t let out yet, so I have no idea why he is here already. “Okay. I’ll be there in a sec.” I return to my desk. “Speak of the devil. Dillon is here early. He’s probably come to torture me some more.”
“I’ve got to go anyway. Tell Dillon I said hi, and call me this weekend, yeah?”
“I will. Love you.”
“Right back at ya.”
We disconnect, and I go out to see what he wants.
“Is something wrong?” I ask the second I step foot in my sunroom.
Dillon is standing, with his back to me, looking out at the garden. You can see the memorial we built from here. “Nothing is wrong,” he says, turning around to face me.
Fuck me. How does he make a plain white T-shirt and normal jeans look so freaking hot? His hungry gaze roams the length of my body, making me feel self-conscious. I cross my arms over my chest in an instinctive protective gesture.
“Don’t do that,” he says.
“Well, don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what?” His lips curve up at the corners.
I drill him with a warning look. “You know what.” I’m not playing this game with him.
He takes a step toward me, and I fight myself not to take a step back. He strides toward me like a hunter stalking his prey, and my heart slams against my rib cage in nervous anticipation. Dillon stops directly in front of me, leaving only a tiny gap between our bodies. Heat rolls off him in waves, crashing into me and almost taking my knees from under me. “Like I want to strip that pretty dress off your gorgeous body and worship every inch of your skin with my lips and my tongue?”
My cheeks sizzle as I stumble away from him. “Stop it. You can’t say that to me.”
Slowly, he drags one hand through his hair, grinning as he maintains eye contact with me. “We both know you’d love me to do it, but we can keep pretending. You know how determined I am when I want something, and I want you. I can keep this shit up for months.” He leans in close again, still grinning. “Years, if it comes down to it.”
I’m calling bullshit on that. Dillon is not known for his patience even if he has surprised me a lot these past few months. Saliva pools in my mouth as liquid lust rushes to my core.
I like sex, and I miss it.
I know I could ask Dillon to fuck me, and he’d happily do it, but I just can’t do that to Reeve. Which I know is ridiculous, because Reeve is gone and I’m going to have sex with someone else at some time, but I just can’t go there yet.
“Why are you here, or did you just make a house call to annoy the shit out of me?”
He chuckles, rubbing a piece of my hair between his fingers. “I came to tell you I’m taking East for ice cream after school.”
“Like hell you are,” I hiss, swatting his hand away.
He narrows his eyes at me. “We talked about this, Vivien Grace. I’ve been telling you for two weeks, and I’m not listening to any more of your bullshit excuses.” He lowers his face to mine. “Just so I’m clear, I’m not asking permission. I called here as a courtesy because I know you will freak the fuck out. I am taking our son out for ice cream. I will bring Leon with me. I will message you when we get to the ice cream parlor and message you when we are on the way home.”
Acid crawls up my throat, and bile swims in my stomach.
“Or you could come too?” he asks, a hopeful tone to his voice.
I immediately shake my head. Being seen out with Dillon in public is a recipe for disaster.
“I thought as much,” he says as he walks toward the corner of the room, bending down to retrieve a bag I hadn’t noticed before. “You are not going to sit around this house, pacing and panicking while East and I do something perfectly fucking normal.” Walking back over, he hands the bag to me. “I want you to work your magic. Create something amazing. Make a new dress so you have something to wear when I finally convince you to come out to dinner with me.”
I open the bag, gasping at the pretty silk material. It’s a gorgeous rich blue with purple and white floral prints all over it. “Where did you get this?”
“In a sewing shop,” he deadpans. “Where else do you think I got it? I hardly magicked it out of my arse.”
“There is no need to be rude or crude.”
He smirks, opening his mouth to say something dirty, no doubt, but I clamp a hand over his lips to silence him. “Do not say whatever it is you’re about to say. Thank you for the material, but Easton isn’t going.”
He nips at the skin on my palm, and I yank my hand back. Before I know what’s happening, he’s backing me up against the wall. “Sweetheart, I already told you this isn’t a negotiation.”
“But—”
Now it’s his turn to silence me with his hand. I glare at him, and he chuckles. “Be grateful it’s not my mouth.” He winks, and I squeeze my thighs together. “Listen up, Hollywood. I love Easton. He’s my son, and I know he’s the most precious thing in the world to you because he’s all that for me too. I will guard him with my life. Nothing is going to happen to him. I promise.” He removes his hand, darting in to press a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Trust me. Please.”
I stare into his stunning blue eyes and nod. “Bring my baby home to me safely.”
“Always.” Without warning, he bundles me into his arms. “I know you’re scared, but it’s going to be fine. This needs to happen. You know it.”
After Dillon leaves, I head into my sewing room for the first time since Reeve and Lainey passed.
I try.