Page 9 of After Midnight

His look of amusement at my obvious teasing convinced me to push my luck a bit further. “Besides, it’s not like the coast is clear. You’ve still got to pass the Olivia and Alli challenge. Oh, and Miss Rita, she’ll have a lot of questions for you.” I chuckled, knowing the poor guy didn’t stand a chance against the three females in my life.

Since my ancient Nissan needed maintenance, I’d taken the bus to work. I figured Dillon wouldn’t be very happy following the bus, so I followed him to his car instead. “You get to drive me home,” I announced with more confidence than I usually felt, and we climbed inside. I’d never been so forward with a man in my life, but then, I’d never felt an instant connection with anyone like I did with this guy. Hopefully I wasn’t making a mistake bringing a stranger home.

I was relieved to see Margarette’s car missing from the driveway. She usually didn’t return home from fancy social functions like the one she’d gone to this evening until the wee hours of morning. With any luck, tonight would be the same.

When we entered the house, Miss Rita was standing there with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. Oh, this didn’t look good.

“If it isn’t the great Dillon Pearson, all grown up,” she said, and the man stopped dead in his tracks, a look of shocked horror crossing his face.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, turning a shade of red I’d only ever seen on a tomato.

“You know you won’t get special treatment in this house just because you’re a Pearson, right?”

How he could blush even deeper was a mystery of the human body. I had to admit, seeing him completely flustered made him even cuter. I had no idea who Dillon Pearson was, but Miss Rita obviously did.Interesting.

“Well, I have a date, so I can’t stay and keep an eye on you, much as I’d like to. I trust my Dominic will keep you in line but I won’t hesitate to call your fathers if anything untoward should happen, do you hear me?”

I looked at Miss Rita with my mouth open. I’d never seen her in full-on protective mode like this before. Was Dillon actually a serial killer? A sick feeling began churning in my stomach.

“Miss Rita, is everything okay?” I asked after pulling her aside, out of earshot.

She looked at me warily. “You just need to keep an eye on this one. He’s trouble,” she said as she slung her purse over her shoulder. She gave one last disapproving look at Dillon, then walked out.

“What was that about?” I asked, turning to face him. “How do you know Miss Rita?”

Dillon’s deep blush was fading, but not his look of embarrassment mixed with concern. “We have a history, of sorts. Once upon a time, she was my nanny.”

I let out a relieved laugh. Not a serial killer then. “Judging by what I just witnessed, I’m guessing your association didn’t end well?”

He blushed again. “You are correct. I didn’t make her job easy by any stretch. I was sort of a difficult kid.”

“I see, and now? Are you still difficult?” I really wanted to know how this man who blushed so easily could ever be considered difficult. If first impressions counted for anything, he seemed like a sweet guy.

“So I’ve been told,” he said, biting his lip and looking at me with those deep blue eyes. Was he teasing me or being sincere? Either way, God, it was hot.

“That’s good to know. Just so you’re aware, Miss Rita is one hundred percent in charge of this house, so if you ever want to be invited back, you’ll need to square up with her.”

Dillon nodded, but the look of concern never left his face.I totally need to get to the bottom of this, I thought, my curiosity running rampant through my mind. But now wasn’t the time. We had a movie to watch.

I ushered Dillon into the kitchen, where I nuked a giant bag of popcorn—an absolute must on movie nights—and dumped it into a bowl that he took to the living room. Then I hollered upstairs to the girls that if they wanted to seeThe Princess Brideagain, they had ten minutes until showtime.

Within seconds, the two came rushing down the stairs and straight into my arms for hugs. I nearly lost my balance as they collided with me like a freight train. Alli was still small, but their combined weight hit me hard.

“You two are trying to break my back! Has gymnastics turned you into muscle machines or what?” I laughed as they squealed with delight. Their excitement was infectious.

“For real, we can watchThe Princess Bridewith you, and you won’t complain?” Olivia asked, already pulling me toward the living room.

“I willabsolutelycomplain the entire time, but I’ve brought a friend with me, and he hasn’t seen it. So, no promises, but I’ll try to rein in the sarcastic comments this once.”

Both girls looked at Dillon just as he emerged from the living room. Their expressions were wary, not unlike the look Miss Rita had given him earlier. Dillon wasn’t the first guy I’d ever brought home, but he was the first to intrude on movie night with the girls. I hadn’t given any thought about whether they’d like him or not, but now the first flutter of concern ran through my stomach.

Olivia was the first to approach, her eleven years giving her the boldness only a middle schooler seemed to possess. I held my breath, unsure how this would play out.

“So, you are Dominic’s friend, huh?” she asked, sizing Dillon up as she walked closer to him.

He simply nodded rather than risk the potential minefield of using actual words. Smart man.

“What do you do for a living?” she asked.

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