“You’d do it because you’d want to. Because deep down, you know you can trust me. That I’ll take care of you, in every way you need or want.”
Once more I nodded even though this time I had no idea what he meant. Did I know I could trust him? In some ways, I did. In others, I was terrified to put my trust in any man, especially so soon after my ex had stolen so much from me. And what did he mean that he’d take care of me? Did he mean he’d make me come if I sucked him off? I had no doubt about that. So far every pleasure I’d given Dylan had been paid back twice over. But what if he meant more than that? Thinking of the clothes and the jewelry, I wondered if he was talking about something bigger than sex. I pushed the thought away. Sex with Dylan was a dream. I wasn’t fool enough to hope for more.
2
Dylan
I was in over my head with this girl. Half of the shit that came out of my mouth with her was unplanned. That wasn’t me. I thought things through. I was methodical, calculating, and I always got my way. With Leigha, I felt like I was struggling my way upstream, off balance and never getting as far as I wanted. I’d known her barely a day, and it felt like years.
She fit with me. Maybe not on the outside, but where it counted. This afternoon was a prime example. My plan had been simple. Eat, fuck some more, shower, get dressed, go to the rehearsal dinner, then bring her home and fuck her again and again.
Instead, we’d ended up sitting at the table talking about our work. My lust for her hadn’t gone away--in fact it had been steadily growing since the last time I’d had her late that morning. But I’d found myself caught up in our conversation. I’ll admit, I started out wanting to impress her when I told her what I did every day as one of the heads of Kane Enterprises.
But, she was genuinely interested in how I ran the business. Her questions were both curious and insightful, a compelling combination. Her passion for her own work was equally appealing. I never thought I’d say that hearing the details of an accountant’s nine to five would have me riveted. I should have been fighting sleep. That was Leigha, turning everything I thought I knew on its head.
Yes, she was gorgeous. That was a given. Call me shallow, but I’d never been drawn to ugly women. She was curvier than the current standard of beauty, sure, but she fit my standards to perfection. That she had a sharp brain was an unexpected bonus. I’d gone into this looking for something different than my usual, but still, no more than a weekend fuck. The way I’d had to talk her into the whole thing had been half the fun, at first. I liked that she wasn’t another easy conquest, that she wanted me but wasn’t ready to spread her legs just because I was reasonably attractive and rich. I was something special for her. It really hadn’t occurred to me that she would end up being the same for me.
The change hadn’t hit me until she’d tried to leave that morning. At the sight of her, teary eyed and edging for the door, panic had seized my chest. Fuck that. I never panicked, not over business, not over my life. Not the time Axel, Sam, and I were caught in a flash flood camping in the desert. And not ever over a woman.
Yet there I’d been, commanding her to stay while my heart pounded at the thought that she’d walk out. What the hell was wrong with me? Leigha was different; I’d figured that out. And she was a seriously hot fuck. No question, the best I’d had despite her lack of experience—or maybe because of it, but it didn’t matter. She was just a woman. There were thousands of those, beautiful and available, right outside my front door.
Why was this one so important? She thought I was a cheater? Fine, then get out. That’s what I should have said. Instead, I’d soothed her, kissed her, and taken her to breakfast. All the while refusing to give her back her purse. Keeping her purse was edging into stalker territory. She didn’t need her wallet since I was paying for everything. Ditto on her keys, since we were taking my car. They were all excuses. Stealing a woman’s purse and holding it hostage to keep her from leaving was nuts.
That brought me back to everything being upside down. Normally it was a challenge to scrape these girls off. I’d trapped Leigha so she couldn’t leave me. Because I needed time for what? To fuck her until I got her out of my system? Or to convince her to stay?
3
Leigha
I’d love to say that seeing my sisters’ jaws drop at the sight of me didn’t give me a rush. To say that I was mature and confident all on my own, without the dress and jewelry, without Dylan on my arm. That I didn’t need to feel, for just one night, like I had the upper hand after years as the butt of their jokes. But I’d be lying. I’m not Mother Theresa.