“There’s nothing between us. I’m sorry to say the cab dropped me off first. I have no idea where he went afterward.”
“Damn. Well, here’s where my next favor comes in. You know Lily and I don’t always get along, so I thought it might go over better if you called her and had her ask Ryan for his number. Would you be a doll and do that for me?”
Sarafina was too shocked to form any words. She knew Lora wanted her to call Lily right this second while she was on her honeymoon. That’s how selfish she was.
“Gosh, Lora, she’d loved to do that for you when Lily gets back from her honeymoon. Wouldn’t you, Sara?” Dominic piped in before Sarafina could figure a way out of this predicament.
Knowing how it looked, Lora placed a hand over her chest with feigned innocence. “Of course, after her honeymoon. I wouldn’t want to ruin her vacation like that. So, you don’t mind asking her when she gets back?”
“I don’t mind. But if your father didn’t want you to pursue him, how are you going to explain to him when he finds out?”
“Daddy doesn’t know half of what I do. I won’t let him find out. It’s not like I’m looking for a relationship.” She stood up, adjusting her tight clothes that left little imagination of what was underneath. “You’re a sweetheart. I’ll let you two get back to your meal.”
Sarafina said goodbye, watching as her hips swayed down the sidewalk with lush exaggeration.
“I can’t stand that woman. I have to say that I prefer Travis over her. And give me a break. Her father knows everything. Is she that delusional?” Dominic said, breaking her out of her trance of watching Lora walk away.
She turned back toward him, taking a drink of her lemonade to get her bearings in order. “I think she truly believes Mr. C is clueless. But I agree with you, he knows everything. She won’t be able to hide that sort of thing from him regardless of what she thinks.”
“What are you going to do?” He reached for her hand, knowing how difficult that had been for her.
Without telling Dominic the entire truth about Dax, she gave him the best answer she could. “I’ll ask Lily to appease Lora and let Dax handle his own problems. He was only being nice to her that night. He has no problem staying away from me, I’m sure he won’t have a problem staying away from her.”
“He’s an idiot for staying away from you. And that tells me you deserve better.”
Shaking her head liked she agreed with him, she knew nothing would ever be better. Dax had set the standards high, making it impossible for another man to take his place. He wasn’t an idiot. He was her hero, protecting her from any possible harm. How could she hate him for that?
Simple. She didn’t.
Except, she did miss him.
10
A knock on her front door at ten o’clock that night sent a million B-rated scenarios through her mind. Who could be at her door this late?
Sarafina stood frozen on the stairs. Normally, a simple knock on her door at any time of the day wouldn’t have her in such a quandary. With all the crazy havoc going on in her life, it made her rethink who could be standing on the other side.
Another knock sounded. Quiet. Non-threatening. Perhaps she was creating a situation. It had to be a friend stopping by, or a neighbor in need of assistance for something mundane. People knocked on her door all the time for help with little things. She never minded. It didn’t bother her if someone needed her help.
Yeah, right. Her luck sucked recently. Why would it get any better? She descended the stairs with quiet footsteps. Small creaks echoed in her wake. She walked to the front door and glanced through the peephole. All the horrible scenarios vanished and were instantly replaced by confusion.
Swinging the door open, she put on the bravest, stoic smile she could manage. “What are you doing here, Dax?”
Making a show of glancing around, he said, “Can I come in?”
She stepped back, shutting the door quickly behind her. He had searched the area as if he was afraid someone would see him. Mr. C wouldn’t have men around watching her, but she didn’t want to take the chance. Dax may have broken her heart, but she didn’t want anything bad to happen to him.
“Now, do you care to explain what you’re doing here?”
Withering in her spot from his heated glance, she was afraid he was going to answer her question by pouncing on her, claiming her body in one smooth move. She could only hope.
No! Hands off. It’ll be much better for your heart.
“I’m sorry if I woke you. Did I wake you up?”
Propping a hand on her hip like she was annoyed as he continued to ignore her questions—which she was—she tried to erase the image of him tucking her properly into bed.
“What do you want?”
Two could play this game. She could answer with a question just like him.
A slow smile crept onto his lips as his eyes dipped in delicious increments, taking in her entire body. “Would I get a slap in the face and a shove out the door if I said I wanted you?”
Her breath hitched as she absorbed his words. “Depends. How long do you want me?”
Sick of keeping his distance, or maybe he was choosing to make his move, Dax closed the space between them and pulled her into his arms.
“Sarafina, I wish I could keep you forever. It was a dumb impulse to come, but I couldn’t stop myself. I shouldn’t be here. You should kick me out.”
“Okay. Get out,” she mumbled as her body soaked up his delicate touch, imprinting it to her memory.
“That didn’t sound very convincing.” Stoking the fire already igniting inside, his lips met hers. Taking his time, he slipped his tongue in, kissing her like he was exploring an uninhabited island for the first time.
Breaking away, pressing his forehead to hers, he whispered, “You should either kick me out or I’m taking you upstairs.”
“You’re asking for one more night, aren’t you?”
“I need one more night to survive a lifetime without you. I thought I could come here and say—” He sighed, squeezing her tighter. “It’s asking a lot, I know, but please, give me one more night.”
“Until the morning?” she asked, dying to know what he couldn’t seem to say. Maybe after they found a little release, he would share his thoughts.
“I’ll lose every ounce of strength I have if I stay until morning.”
“You’re just going to slip out in the middle of the night again? I didn’t like it the first time, Dax.”
“If I kiss you goodbye, would that make it better?”
Her rational mind told her this was utterly ridiculous. Tearing her heart into more pieces would not begin the healing process. She should kick him out and preserve what was left inside.
“Hardly, but I’ll take it. If you walk out of this house without saying the words goodbye, I will hate you forever.”
“We can’t have that.” He brushed his fingers over her cheeks and through her hair, squinting his eyes. “You cut your hair. Why?”
“You don’t like it?”
“You’re beautiful. You will always be beautiful no matter what you do. I like it. I’m just curious why you did it.”