Page 51 of Silver-Tongued Devil
Evan walked into the living room, and Dakota was already up. Her hasty attempts to put herself to rights hadn’t worked too well, though, because she still looked decidedly rumpled. Lips swollen, hair tousled, feet bare, and with the silk of the robe clinging to her. She looked like what she was—a woman who’d just been getting kissed hard and loved up good.
Blake was a fan. He didn’t think Evan would be.
He was right. Evan looked her over and asked, “Just what are you doing?”
She crossed her arms. “Just what do you think? And why is it your business?”
“I came,” Evan said, “because Russell was worried. You said Orbison would be gone tonight, and you were going to finish up here and would be home for dinner by seven. When you weren’t home by seven-thirty, Russ called you, and it went straight to voicemail. Then he kept calling, and same thing. That’s when he called me.”
“Oh.” She looked discomfited, pulling on the sash of the robe as if that would make her more dressed. “I sort of wrecked my phone. I didn’t think to use Blake’s to call.”
“Obviously.” Evan was getting worked up, which was another way to say that he was finally registering an expression other than “frozen.” “You keep saying that you’re an adult. How are we supposed to treat you that way when you’re acting this dumb? Russell thought the truck had gone into the lake or something. He kept saying, ‘It’s not like Dakota. She’d know I’d be worried. She’d call.’ And instead, you lie about being with him”—he jerked his head at Blake—“and get Russ that worked up? Just because you don’t have the guts to tell him the truth?”
“I wasn’tlying,”she said. “Blake wasn’t supposed to be home. I finished up, and he… surprised me.”
“Uh-huh.” Evan’s voice was flat as he looked at the wine on the coffee table. “Surprised the clothes right off you, too. Haven’t you learned one single thing in all this time? Riley told you. Russell told you. I told you. You think we were kidding? Messing with you? How many times has somebody asked you to marry him? How long does it take before you stop putting yourself out there like this? Letting some guy laugh at you, laughaboutyou? How many damn times do you have to get hurt?”
The baby had started to fuss, and Evan put her onto his shoulder and started to pat her back and sway back and forth. It was so incongruous with the tension he was showing, it was almost ridiculous. Except it wasn’t.
“Hang on,” Blake started to say just as Dakota said, “You don’t know anything. You sure don’t know Blake.”
“I don’t know him, huh?” Evan said over his daughter’s whimpers. “Tell me this. How many times has he taken you out? Sure, he’s happy to screw you on his couch. Let me tell you something, since you don’t seem to get it. That doesn’t take a whole lot of effort. You asked me if you repulsed guys. You don’t repulse anybody. You go lie down half-dressed on any guy’s couch in this town, and he’ll take that invitation. It doesn’t mean he likes you. Is Orbison picking you up at the house and taking you to dinner, though? Talking to Russ? You can bet he’s taking out other women. You saw him do it. But you? He doesn’t even have to make an effort. All he has to do is tell you to, and you’re taking off your clothes for him. That’s not the way any guy who cares about a woman does it. Wise up, Dakota.”
Dakota’s chin was up, her eyes sparking. “Why don’t you ask him?” she said. “He’s right here. Go on and ask him.”
“I’m not asking him,” Evan said. “I’m not looking at him. I’m trying not to hit him.”
“Quit holding back,” Blake said, goaded past anything his temper could bear. “Go ahead and try it.”
“If I wasn’t holding my baby,” Evan said, “you bet I would. Dakota’s worth more than that, and you’re a piece of—” He broke off and breathed a couple times. The baby was really starting to fuss now, and he spoke over her cries. “Tell me this. When was the last time you took a woman out?”
Blake hesitated, then looked at Dakota. She stared right back at him. Challenging him to tell the truth, and he wasn’t a liar anyway. He finally said, “Last night.”
He left it there. Anything else would sound like the excuse it was.
Dakota closed her eyes and swallowed, and Evan told her, “Get your stuff. Let’s go.”
“Now hang on,” Blake said. “You don’t need to leave, Dakota. Stay here and talk about this. Or better yet, go to dinner with me and talk about it. He says I haven’t taken you out? Here I am asking you.”
“You forget.” Her lips were compressed, her dark eyes blazing. “I’m not dressed to go out. I’m dressed for the couch.”
“That’s—” He always had an answer. He was famous for it. The quick, dry quip after the game, the quote that always got printed. But he didn’t have an answer for this. He couldn’t think of anything to say.
She didn’t even get dressed. She grabbed her pile of clothes and said, “I’ll bring your robe back later. You can leave me a check for the shell, if you still want it, or let me know if you don’t. And if you want it? The price is a thousand dollars.”
“I told you I’d pay fifteen hundred,” he said. “I said it was worth it. I meant it.”
“And I know what I think that fifteen hundred was for,” she said. “I asked for a thousand. That’s the number I’ll take.” She told Evan, “The truck’s in Blake’s garage. Wait for me, will you?” As if Blake would stop her from going. As if Evan needed to protect her.
She walked straight out of his house. And Evan looked hard at him, then followed her.
Russell didn’t say much. But the way he looked when Dakota walked through the front door… it hit every single guilt receptor she had.
He struggled to his feet from where he’d been sitting on a side chair, holding his phone, and Bella didn’t move from his side. And his face…
She dropped the pile of clothes and walked straight over to him, then wrapped her arms around him and said, “Sorry, Dad. I’m so sorry.”
His arms closed around her and held her tight, and she blinked back the tears. Because she’d worried him. Because she felt like something had been ripped away from her. Because everything.
