Second favorite. Between Dani’s legs was his new favorite.
“Let’s talk about the Jansen bid,” Josh said, frowning down at his phone. He ran his thumb over his brow, smoothing the line that had been there all day.
Dylan’s latest Dani thought-bubble popped. “What about it?”
“What’s the status?”
“Um. Got a meeting Wednesday, I think. I don’t have my calendar memorized, but it’s moving.”
“You need me there?”
“Not yet. Gotta hook him first.”
Josh leaned back on the headrest and closed his eyes. “Building like that’s a lead on a lot of other big-money buildings.”
They both knew Josh didn’t have to tell Dylan that. Fredrick Jansen and his wife Juliette were philanthropic developers—a rare breed. What made them different from the typical profit-mongers was that they had a sort of grandiose idea about their buildings and their place in the community. Among other things, that included using green materials to revitalize some of the eco-monstrosities downtown, and hand-picking a select team of professionals with a similar “vision” for the city. Money flowed out of these two like a river, and they were looking to part ways with their current design team.
Competition was stiff, though. The Jansens had carved out a niche of renowned socially responsible projects that every firm in town wanted their names associated with—including Josh.
Josh got off on all that preservation work, and he was the one designing the plans. Dylan didn’t care what Josh drew as long as the commission was high. This building wasn’t huge money, but the potential to be Jansen’s go-to firm for other projects meant consistent revenue and name-recognition. Josh knew as well as he did, that was the key to longevity for a small business.
“I’m gonna bag ‘em for you, bro.” Dylan popped a piece of gum in his mouth and tossed the wrapper at Josh. “Think of it as my wedding present since I didn’t get you one.”
Josh didn’t laugh. “We need to focus our attention on these long-term deals. Recurring business. It’s the only way to keep our bottom-line secure.”
Dylan rolled to yet another stop light and eyed his friend. Apparently this was more than just project chit-chat. “For a guy who just spent a week in Hawaii surfing and getting laid, you’re awfully stressed. Something I don’t know?”
“Course not. Just…” Josh tossed his phone on the dash and pushed his fingers into his hair again. “Thinking about the future is all.”
Whatever it was worrying Josh, Dylan wasn’t taking it on today. He needed to drop Josh at his Jeep and try out the new slideshow of Dani he’d made in his head while he drove to her place. He gave Josh a salute, choosing to ignore the worry lines creasing his friend’s forehead. “Count on me, man,” he said, and left it at that.
Eleven
“So how does this work?” Dylan asked.
Dani handed him a glass of wine and took the seat beside him on her couch. “If you’re asking that, maybe I picked the wrong person for this.”
“I think you know that’s not true.”
She definitely did. When he’d shown up at her door in a white dress shirt and grey trousers, his jaw covered in dark, evening stubble, she’d thought that she’d picked quite perfectly.
Tomorrow night was her first official date with match number one. Christian, a lawyer from a prestigious firm in Dupont Circle. They’d matched at ninety-two percent and had both clicked “yes” to accept each other as one of the magic eight. It felt like a huge step, but for some reason, it was this that had her stomach in knots: Dylan in her condo for the first time for pre-date number one. She found her palms were damp, and a tiny butterfly had taken up residence in her belly since she’d left the office.
Chill, Dani. You’ve done this before.
She swung her leg over Dylan’s lap, straddling him, and watched as his stomach muscles tightened under his shirt. She needed to get back a little control, remind herself what her goal was, and why Dylan was here. The way his lip curled up told her she was headed in the right direction. “Should we set some ground rules?” she asked, flattening her palm on his chest.
“You mean like safe words?”
“Um. No.” Her confidence shifted again. She wasn’t sure if he was kidding, but she let that drop. “I mean like no sleeping over.”
“Okay.”
“No cuddling afterward.”
Dylan laughed from his belly, then wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him while she squirmed. “Veto. I like cuddling.”
“Dylan,” she said, pushing off of his chest. “The point is to keep a nice clear line. We already spend a lot of time together. It could get confusing.”
“Are you worried about me or yourself? Because you’re not the only one who has a date tomorrow night.”
A flash of his hand on Mia’s ass at the restaurant a few weeks ago played in her mind leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “Oh yeah? Who’s the lucky lady?”
“Uh uh.” Dylan wagged a finger, then pressed it to her lip. “Rule number three: no jealousy.”
“Jealous?” She laughed but it came out a little too high-pitched. “That’s ridiculous. But, since we’re on the subject, no sleeping with other people while we’re doing this.”
“Woah.” Dylan released his grip on her thighs like they’d turned to molten lava. “You’re the one who’s beholden to your boot camp rules. I’m not out here looking for a soulmate.”
“Stop saying it like that.”
“That’s the name of the app.”
She groaned. He was exhausting. “Dylan, be honest, are you in the habit of getting laid at the frequency I’m proposing?”
His jaw twitched as he sucked on his tongue. “That’s an awfully personal question.”
“I’m offering you a sure thing. Consistent sex for months. You want to give that up for the work it takes to possibly sleep with someone else?”
Dylan huffed a breath and scratched at his brow. “So we do this until you find the love of your life?”
“Eight dates. A few months. Or maybe you meet someone special—”
He cut her off with a throaty laugh.
“Stranger things have happened. If you do, we call it off. But until then, this is it.”
Dylan’s lips flattened into a pensive line. She tried not to fidget while she waited for him to decide the fate of her entire plan.