Page 43 of Luck of the Draw

I told him about the new job, from the family-friendly work environment to the possibility for advancement.

“That’s great, Deeandra! I have some work news too. I’m going to be the tasting room manager at Buchanan.” Pride filled his eyes, but he also looked defensive. “I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it pays surprisingly well, so I won’t have to live with Tony anymore.”

“Tony?” I asked, raising my brows. Was there some roommate I hadn’t met? A resident rodent? The thought made me shudder.

He laughed. “I hope this doesn’t run you off, but I named the water stain in my bedroom. It kind of looks like a face.”

“It kind of does.”

“Anyway, with the new job…as crazy as it sounds, I feel like I can help people.”

“That doesn’t seem so crazy to me,” I said with a warm smile. “I think you’ll be amazing at it. You have a knack with people.” Then I blushed like crazy.

“I don’t make a habit of bringing them home,” he said, touching my cheek. “I only introduce Tony to people I really like.”

“I feel privileged,” I joked. Although I did. Dylan and I still didn’t know each other well, there was still so much to learn, but it felt like we fit in a strange way. I wanted to learn more about him, and I wanted to share myself with him too.

“Say,” I said, “it seems to me that you need a celebration too.” I gave him a coy smile. “What do you think about coming back to Sam’s with me? I don’t want the boys to know we’re planning to see each other…” My voice trailed off, and my face burned.

“Carnally?” he suggested and a shiver ran down my back.

I bit my bottom lip.

“If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll be tempted to sweep you away so we can do some celebrating in private at my place.”

Heat spread throughout my body.

“But as tempting as that is,” he said, scooping out another bite of pie, “you need to go back to your party. And if you want me to come as your friend, I can respect the boundaries of friendship. It will be a good way for the boys to get to know me without the pressure of me being your boyfriend.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Was this sexy, gorgeous, kind, and thoughtful man truly interested inme?

“Stop right now,” he said, quietly pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “I can see the wheels spinning in your head. Yes, I find you sexy as hell. Yes, I want to get to know you better. And yes, we’re still brand new, but I know there’s something here. So I would love to go introduce myself as your friend so Liam and Ollie can get to know me better. And I’d like to officially meet Sam. But only if you’re okay with it. We can take this in baby steps if you’d prefer.”

“How are you so perfect?” I whispered, dumbfounded.

He let out a hearty laugh. “I’m going to tell my brother and sister what you just said. They’d totally disagree. In fact, I’m pretty sure Tina would launch into dozens of stories, starting with the way I lost the babies for her Pony Surprise and replaced them with army figures. I was only six, but she has a long memory.” His smile softened. “I’m not perfect, Deeandra, but I’m willing to put in the work to see what happens. So what do you say?”

I stood and reached for his hand, pulling him to his feet. “I say let’s go have some cake.”

“I never say no to cake.”

“That’s only because you’ve never had mine,” I teased. “I’ve made more than my fair share of disasters.”

He grinned. “Duly noted. Never let you bake a cake. I’m a decent baker, so I’ll take on that task.”

“You bake?” I asked, then cocked my head. “I guess there’s a lot for us to learn about each other. I can’t wait to get started.”

He pulled me into an embrace, my body flush with his. My breath stuck in my chest. I wanted nothing more than to be in this man’s arms, possibly for the rest of my life.

His mouth hovered over mine. “I think that can be arranged,” he said in a husky tone that sent shivers through my body down to my toes. “As long as part of what you’re learning is with my clothes off.”

I laughed, loving that I’d laughed more with him than I had in years. “I think I can live with that.”

A noise that sounded like a distressed goat came from the grove of trees next to the house, quickly followed by the bleating of more goats. Then a woman who sounded like Dottie shouted, “A promise is a promise, Stella. He sat for your painting.”

“I’m not finished,” another woman pouted. “I plan to make a series of paintings, not to mention I haven’t even gotten him to take his shirt off yet. If only you’d stop interfering, I could get him to drink some of my punch. I might even get him to join my harem.”

Dylan’s eyes flew wide in panic.

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