Page 24 of Daring to Love You
If anyone would’ve told Dorian that she’d be spending part of the day with Lynix Mathews, she wouldn’t have believed them. Never had she done anything as brazen as walk up to a man and kiss him as if she had every right to do so. Thankfully, Lynix had played along despite being caught off guard. Had he not, that little stunt could’ve turned out to be one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.
For a person who claimed she wanted nothing to do with him, she had to admit she enjoyed every moment of pretending to be his woman.
The only snag in her charades was the hurt and anger she felt when she came face-to-face with Rodney and Shauna. Painful memories of how they’d treated her before she’d left the agency were forever sketched in her mind.
Seeing them again shook her more than she thought it would, but having Lynix by her side gave her the courage and confidence she’d needed. A calm she had never felt when it came to those two people. For that, she would be forever grateful.
When Cree had instructed her on what to do, Dorian had thought her crazy. She thought there was no way she couldbe that scandalous and bold. Yet, Dorian had been up for the challenge, determined to follow her sister’s instructions exactly.
In hindsight, it might’ve been childish trying to show Rodney and Shauna that not only had she moved on, but she had hooked up with a man who respected her. A man who was a part of a wealthy family and had the authority to say yay or nay to a potentially huge contract that they wanted and probably needed. Seeing the looks on their faces, particularly when Lynix had been ready to leave before hearing them out, had been priceless.
“We’ll get this up to the Harmony Suite shortly, Mr. Mathews, and just let me know if anything else is needed?”
Dorian’s ears perked up. After leaving her sisters’ table, Lynix had mentioned needing to speak to the manager of the restaurant. She had stepped back to give him a little space and had temporarily gotten lost in her thoughts.
Had she heard him correctly? The Harmony Suite? She assumed they’d be having lunch in private but not in a hotel suite.
“Thanks, Bob,” Lynix said, and reached for her hand. He led her out of the restaurant and toward a bank of elevators.
“Harmony Suite?” she whispered when they were out of earshot of the manager. “Lynix, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She had to take two or three steps to his single one to keep up with his long strides. When he realized she was practically running beside him, he slowed and grinned down at her.
“Why isn’t that a good idea? Are you afraid you can’t control yourself around me?”
She swatted his arm with her free hand. “Be serious.”
She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held on. “I’m dead serious. After that smoking hot kiss, I’m not sure what to think. You might have more plans for me, and there’s no way in hell I want to miss out if you do.”
“Would you be serious?” She should’ve known that kiss would come back to bite her… even if she did enjoy it.
Lynix chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Okay, but seriously, the Harmony Suite is for my family to use whenever needed. Since it’s empty and has incredible views, I thought it would be a good place for us to talk in private and get to know each other better while we eat.”
Okay, that made sense, but she wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be with him in a room with a huge bed in it.
“My intentions are honorable, sweetheart, but I won’t stop you if you want to ravish my mouth again. I have to say, you caught me off guard with that little show earlier, but I have no complaints. I enjoyed every moment, and I’m here for it if you want to do it again.”
Her face grew hot at his words. She had hoped he wouldn’t give her a hard time about that stunt, but it looked as if he planned to. At least he wasn’t mad. No, it seemed he was more amused than anything.
They approached the elevators where several people were waiting, and she moved closer to him. She didn’t know why her nerves were getting the best of her. Lynix wasn’t the type of man to force himself on anyone. So she had nothing to worry about.
Releasing her hand, he pulled her against his body. Her heart skipped a beat, and unable to help it, she inhaled his masculine scent. It had a hint of spice and citrus, and she almost moaned. It was similar to something he’d worn in the past, but a little more pronounced today.
With a hand on her hip, she shivered against his touch as he leaned close to her ear and said, “It’s just lunch and conversation. You can trust me.”
Ha! He wasn’t the one she was worried about. She wasn’t sure she could trust herself alone with him.
Dorian had never been the type to pursue a man or make the first move. It just wasn’t in her, but with Lynix she was tempted to step out of her shell. She finally understood why women gravitated to him. The man was irresistible and made her body sizzle by just being in his presence. She could feel herself weakening to the unfamiliar need he stirred within her.
She looked up at him and his gaze met hers, and she didn’t miss the seriousness in his smoky-brown eyes. Too often he clowned around with her, either making her laugh or making her want to punch him, but this wasn’t one of those times.
“I do trust you,” she said just above a whisper.
When the elevator dinged, she and Lynix were the only ones to enter when the doors swooshed open. It made sense that most of the people waiting would be going down since the restaurant was on one of the top floors.
Holding her hand again, Lynix dug out a key card from his pants pocket and held it against the scanner below the numbers. Then pressed the button for the top floor. He explained the hotel had a presidential suite on that floor, but it was on the other side of the building away from the other six suites, one being the Harmony Suite. If the suites were anything like the rest of what she’d seen of the hotel, they were lavishly decorated.
The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped into the quietest hotel hallway Dorian had ever been in. The lush carpet was like cotton under her feet as they silently made their way down the long hallway. The room doors were generously spaced apart, giving her an idea of the size of the suites.
