Page 96 of One Night Only
He went off with Logan. I was waiting for him. He looked at me like he’d be right back. But he was gone for so long. And then I see him, in the only darkened corner in this place, hidden by the wall of lush plants, with a goddamn supermodel all over him.
I turn, resting my hands on the counter, and as I look at myself in the mirror, I’m forced to take a few deep breaths because I can feel myself spiraling as Luke’s familiar voice taunts me from deep down in the murky depths of the tainted part of soul.You’re covered in scars. You’re disgusting. You’re better off dead.
Tears prick my eyes, and my hands tremble as I tuck my hair behind my ears.
I’m thirty-five years old. What am I even doing, thinkingsome hot shot twenty-six-year-old professional athlete would want me? If anything, I’m probably just some fetish. A conquest he’ll tire of sooner rather than later. Dallas is young, attractive, and successful; he should be with women likeher. What the hell is he doing with me? Surely, it’s a joke. It might even be a bet. I’m probably something for him and his hockey buddies to laugh about in the locker room. God, I’m a fucking idiot.
The bathroom door opens, and I turn away from the entrance because I really don’t want to bethatgirl, crying in the bathroom of a bar, especially not at thirty-fucking-five. Sniffling, I wipe the tears that have fallen and wash my hands quickly, squaring my shoulders and turning to walk out. But I’m stopped in my tracks at the sight of Dallas standing there, arms folded across his chest, his hulking frame blocking the exit as he leans against the wall.
“Why are you crying?” he asks, his voice low and almost threatening.
I shake my head, dismissing his question.
“No, you tell me right fucking now—” he says through gritted teeth. “Why are you crying?”
The tears make a reappearance and my bottom lip trembles, and I hate myself for it because the last thing I want is for him to see me crying right now. Could I be any more pathetic? I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hand, stifling a sob, and Dallas stalks toward me, closing the distance between us with three easy strides.
“Look at me,” he demands, grabbing my arms and ducking low so I’m forced to see him. “Yes, I slept with her. Yes, she just tried to get me to go home with her again. No, I didn’t even hesitate when I told her I have a girlfriend and I’m in love, and that I am not fucking interested in her or anyone else, nor will I ever be.”
I sniffle, staring into his eyes, finding nothing but honesty in his blazing green gaze.
“I meant what I said, Goldie,” he whispers, crouching even lower, his hands cupping my face as he looks so deep into myeyes. “You’re it for me. There’s no one else. There’s never going to be anyone else. I love you. I’m so fucking in love with you. And whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me, baby.”
“She was so pretty…” I say so quietly, I’m not even sure he hears me.
“Yeah,” he says, surprising me. “She was pretty. In fact, if I’m being completely honest with you, which I only ever want to be, they all were. Every single woman I’ve ever been with has beenpretty.”
My brows knit together as my eyes bounce between his, confused where he’s going with this.
He flashes me the hint of a knowing smile. “Pretty. That’s all it ever was for me. Surface-level. But then I met you. And for the first time in my life, I saw what true beauty really is, insideandout.”
Dallas presses his forehead against mine, his voice a hushed whisper as he says, “Please tell me you believe me, Goldie. I don’t need much in this life, but fuck I need you to believe me.”
I close my eyes, nodding once.
“Talk to me, baby.” He strokes my cheeks with the pad of his thumbs, collecting the tears that have fallen.
“I got into my head,” I admit defeatedly. “I started to convince myself that I was a joke, or a bet… that you were just with me to laugh about it with the guys in the locker room.” I open my eyes in time to see Dallas’s throat bob with a thick swallow, his jaw ticking. “And then I heard Luke’s voice, reminding me that I’m disgusting, and that I’m better off de?—”
“Don’t!” Dallas interjects, eyes closed tight, tone steely. He inhales deeply, and I hear the breath rack through him. And then, when he opens his eyes again, I see nothing but determination in his gaze as he stands back to his full height.
“Turn around.”
Confused, I hesitate a moment before doing as he says, turning to face the mirror.
Dallas presses up against me from behind, his eyes staringinto mine in the reflection. One hand grips my hip, and the other snakes around to my front, slowly releasing one button on my shirt and then another.
I suck in a gasp. “Dallas!”
“Shhh.” He leans down, lips skating over my neck as he whispers, “I locked the door.”
I swallow the apprehension that balls in the back of my throat, unable to ignore the heat that pools between my legs.
“Look at yourself, Goldie,” he murmurs, kissing my neck, his eyes still fixed on mine in the mirror as he continues releasing every button on my shirt until it’s hanging open, revealing almost all of me. “Look at how fucking perfect you are.”
My skin erupts in goosebumps as Dallas gently tugs the shirt off my shoulders, the air cool as it grazes my skin, contradicting the warmth pressed up against me from behind.
Big hands wrap around my waist, skating up over my ribs, cupping my breasts, gentle yet firm. And as he lays his tongue flat, licking the sensitive spot at the base of my neck where it meets my shoulder, I release a shuddering breath, clamping my bottom lip between my teeth to stifle my sounds.
