Page 14 of Going, Going, Gone
Chapter Nine
Dylan stared after Nessa, wondering what had really been on her mind, and wished he had the right to demand she tell him, but this was only their second date—sort of. The first she’d paid for. This one, he’d taken advantage of the situation—in other words, it hadn’t been planned. Had he backed her into a corner earlier, giving her no chance to turn him down? Especially when his mother had arrived?Shit.It just occurred to him, he never actually came out and asked if she was already dating someone. Did she have a boyfriend? She’d already admitted the only reason she’d come to the auction was to bid on him, specifically, with an ulterior motive. Was she still using him to get what she wanted?Fuck.This was why he didn’t date much, lately. One-night-stands had been great when he was younger, but now in his midthirties, the novelty had worn off. Most of his buddies were married now—some happily, some not—but Dylan had never met a woman who made him eventhinkof having a long-term relationship before. Someone he could picture himself growing old with. Was Nessa that woman? Damned if he knew. Did he want to find out?Hell yeah.
The door opened, and Nessa stepped back out, the tub of butter in her hand. Her gaze went from him to behind him and back again before she raised her eyebrows. Something clicked in Dylan’s head.Shit! The steaks!Spinning around, he was relieved to see he hadn’t been in la-la-land for too long. The meat should still be medium rare. “How do you like your steak cooked, Nessa?”
“Rare to medium rare, if that’s okay?”
“A woman after my own heart. The closer it is to mooing, the better, in my book.”
To his delight, she laughed as he placed the steaks on the plate he’d brought them out on. He added two baked potatoes that he’d partially cooked in the microwave to save time before placing them on the grill. Instead of a vegetable, he’d gone with a summer slaw he favored from the local market. He’d picked up a large container of it yesterday while food shopping and had put it in a bowl on the table already.
“Dinner’s ready.” He gestured for her to take a chair in front of one of the place settings before sitting next to her. He made quick work of arranging the steak and potatoes on the two dinner plates, then they spent a few moments in silence, doctoring the food to their liking with salt, pepper, butter, and other condiments.
“It looks and smells delicious,” Nessa said, picking up her knife and fork and cutting into her ribeye first.
“Not as good as the chateaubriand the other day, though.”
She chewed and swallowed a piece of the steak. “But damn close. Mmm, it’s really good. What seasoning did you put on it?”
“A special blend I get at the same market I got the summer slaw. It’s a little gourmet place called Cornucopia, near my office. I mostly get just my meats, fruits, veggies, and seafood from them—you know, the fresh food. They’re a little more expensive than Kroger or Piggly Wiggly, but I’ve never been disappointed with the quality.”
“I’ll have to check it out someday.” Nessa took a sip of her wine. “So ... I never asked—how did you get duped into doing the auction?”
He snorted as he loaded his fork with slaw. “How’d you know I was duped?”
“Well, first off, you didn’t look very happy about being up there. You were scowling most of the time until ...”
“Until I caught a glimpse of the beautiful woman who’d won,” he finished for her, pleased when her blush returned. Damn, he could work on seeing what made her cheeks turn pink all day long and never tire. “In addition to the library, my mother is the founding member of Wendy’s Place—a women’s shelter and resource facility.”
“Really? The college just did a clothing drive for them a few weeks ago—we filled a small U-Haul with all the women’s and kid’s clothes we collected.”
“That’s right. I completely forgot about that.” At her confused expression, he added, “I’ve been on the charity’s board for the past few years. I took my dad’s place when he passed away. Anyway, I’d met Nadine Marx last year at a function and asked her to do a human-interest piece on Wendy’s Place to get a boost in donations. Nadine’s a local newspaper reporter. When she came up with the idea for the charity auction, she apparently called in some markers that were due to her. Mine was one of them. And, yes, I was definitely not thrilled, but I pay my debts. Besides, I had this sure-fire way not to have to actually go through with the date.”
“Oh, really?” She laughed. “Well, clearly it wasn’t as sure-fire as you’d planned. What happened?”
He shrugged—confession time. “My cousin, Emma, was supposed to bid on me—I told her I’d pay whatever the winning bid ended up being—but her son broke his arm. She ran out of there to meet her husband at the hospital about three minutes before I took the stage. She sent me a text on her way, which is probably why I was scowling, as you said.”
“Oh no!” Her eyes rounded. “Oh, my gosh! I think your cousin was sitting next to me. She got a phone call, and it sounded like an emergency. I really didn’t pay attention since she left in a hurry and then you were introduced. Is her son okay?”
“Yeah, but he’s stuck in a cast for the next few weeks.” Dylan picked up his wine and took a drink. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and his brow furrowed. He set the glass back down and leaned forward. “By the way ... how did you know I was going to be in the auction and which date I was? Our identities were kept under wraps until after the bidding was over. Nadine wanted to make sure everyone was bidding on the dates and not someone they wanted to stalk.”
Nessa’s lips rolled inward as her gaze dropped to her plate. “Um ... it was a fluke, sort of, I guess. I was at your office, trying to get in to see you, but Attila the Hun, a.k.a. your secretary, wouldn’t let me pass. The reporter—Nadine, was it?” When she looked back up at Dylan, and he nodded, she continued. “She came in to drop off some paperwork that had to be filled out about the date. I caught enough of their conversation to realize if I couldn’t get an appointment with you that I could try to get a date with you.” Her shoulders sagged as remorse filled her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Confusion flushed through him. “Sorry? Why? For being passionate about something that matters a great deal to you and being smart enough to know an opportunity when you see it? Don’t be sorry, Nessa. Yes, I was a little annoyed when I first figured out why you bid on me, but the way I look at it now, I’m the one who lucked out.”
It was her turn to look perplexed. “I don’t understand.”
They’d both finished their meal in between the conversation and had put down their utensils. Reaching over, Dylan took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. “Because the woman who won me has me completely fascinated. I’ve never met a woman like you, Nessa, and I’d like to get to know you better. Much, much better.”
When her jaw dropped, Dylan stood and tugged on her hand until she was standing in front of him. Leaning down, he brushed his lips across hers. He felt her freeze, so he took it slow, placing soft kisses against her mouth, until her body gradually relaxed. Her arms went around his neck. Thanking his lucky stars, and with one hand at her lower back, he pressed her against him, as his other hand went into her hair. Making a fist, he used his grip on the silky strands to move her head to the angle he wanted, so he could take deeper possession of her mouth. Her lips parted, granting him entry, and he swept his tongue between them without hesitation. He could taste their dinner and wine, but he was also savoring Nessa’s own unique flavor. He couldn’t describe it if he had to, but he definitely wanted more of it.
A moan emanated from Nessa’s throat, and it made Dylan’s cock grow harder than it already was. After kissing his way along her jawline, he lightly nipped her earlobe. “You have no idea how much I want to pick you up, carry you to my bed, and not let you go until we’re both thoroughly sated.” Even before she stiffened again, his next words were already flowing from his mouth. “But you’re not ready for that.We’renot ready for that.”
He lifted his head, placed a peck on her nose then relaxed his grip on her, thrilled to see her breathing and pulse at her neck were working double time. “You’ve grown on me, Nessa, faster than any woman I’ve ever known. I don’t want to rush this between us—my libido can’t believe I just said that—because this—you and I—feels different from anything I’ve felt before. I don’t want to screw it up before we have a chance to explore it.” Grasping her upper arms, he gently pushed her back, creating a respectable space between them. “So, here’s my plan, and I hope you’ll agree to it. We’ll sit here, enjoy the sunset, the wine, and each other’s company. Then I’ll escort you to your car and kiss you goodnight. You’ll call me when you get home, so I know you arrived safely. Then we’ll plan our next date and see where this thing between us goes. Sound good to you?”
Desire swam in her eyes, along with gratitude, and he knew he’d made the right decision to take things slower than his usual pace. The corners of her mouth ticked upward. “That sounds very good to me.”
