“Princess, may I have those? I need to make sure you get your car back,” I remind.
“Oh! Yes! Duh, me, yeah, of course! Here you go, Sir!”
Holding out her keys, I ease them from her hand. Placing them carefully into the pocket of my slacks, my eyes take another fill of her. It will be just a few hours before I see her again, but this is my last first look at her. I want to make sure my memory locks onto this moment.
“I’ll have my driver deliver your car and keys back to you at ten. If you get into bed right after I leave, you’ll get that important night’s rest.”
“Well, I will most certainly try to, Sir. Thank you for having him bring my car back. And thank you for taking me home. I…I had a really great night,” she says, fiddling with the worn strap of her pink purse.
“It’s my pleasure, Princess. I had an amazing night as well. Thank you very much for letting me take you out. I’ll call you in the morning and take you out again tomorrow night. How does that sound? Would that work for you?” I ask with a genuine smile, taking a half step closer to her.
Blinking her eyes, her mouth falls open as a look of shock falls over her gorgeous face. I’m not sure what she was expecting me to say, I thought I had made myself perfectly clear that Iwould be seeing her tomorrow. Now I really want to pay her ex-boyfriends a little visit.
“Yeah! Yes! YES, I would like that very much, Sir!”
Pleased by her enthusiastic response, I move in dangerously close.Damn,she is literal perfection. I hate that I must leave her.
“Alright then, my pretty little Dolly, I guess this is goodnight,” I say, dropping my voice to a near whisper.
Traveling her gaze over my face, her pink tongue darts out to lick her lips. A simmering tension builds as we drink each other in. I want nothing more than to press her against the door and taste her, to feel her womanly body mold against mine once again. I take a step forward to close the space between us, and she does something that surprises me again.
Leaning in, she places the softest kiss upon my cheek, then pulls quickly away.
A kiss.On my cheek.
Before I have a chance to bring her back to me and claim her lips properly, she opens the door of her apartment and moves out of my reach. I narrow my eyes at her, my expression full of confusion and desire. I don’t think this has ever happened to me before.No.This definitely has never happened.
“Goodnight, Sir. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Opening my mouth to respond, she does something else that blows me away. Closing the door right in my face, shedoesn’t bother to give me the decency to wish her sweet dreams. I stare at her wreath for a good thirty seconds, completely gob smacked at what has just happened.Oh,this woman has just sealed her fate.
Dolly Lauren Dixon will never be able to escape me.
CHapter six
Sutton
It’s time for me to face the music. Or something like that.
Shaking my head in utter disbelief, I turn down the volume of the country music filling my truck’s cab to clear my thoughts. With the light rumble of gravel crunching under the wheels, I drive the last mile to my family’s estate. Tonight hasn’t gone to plan and for the first time in a long time, I’m unprepared for what lay ahead. I’ve had almost an hour to think about what I’m going to say to my parents on my drive from Dallas to Celina, but I honestly have no idea. All I keep thinking about is the damn kiss on the cheek Dolly gave me. I swear her lips burned my skin. I wonder if they will leave such an indelible impression on other parts of my body.
God, I want her.
Grumbling to myself, I reach for the automatic gate keyas I turn onto the beginning of the driveway. Slowing down my truck, I wait for the hunk of electrified metal to move before pulling through. I give a quick look to the security camera, my face blank as it records me. I’m betting on my Papa being too inebriated to give any notice to the alert that will be pinging on his phone.
Driving down the moonlit driveway, I stare at my family’s palatial ranch-style home in front of me. Like most women in the late seventies, eighties, and very early nineties, my Mama was a huge fan of the tv showDallas. Especially since she believed that she had married into the real-life version of the Ewing family. Southfork Ranch was the epitome of style and class back then, a symbol of southern wealth. My Papa, in his obsession with the need to please my Mama, built this home for her as a wedding present. While very similar in style, it’s nearly three times the size of Southfork and three times as gaudy. But Lord have mercy does my Mama still love her dream home, golden swan faucets and all.
But I digress.
As soon as I left Dolly’s apartment, I sent my Mama a text letting her know we had just arrived at the hotel. She always gives me three hours after I send her that text to play. Two hours for me to have my fun, and another to let the beast have its fun.
She won’t be expecting me to contact her for another hour, so I will be catching her off guard. I’d rather have the element of surprise than have her already be pissed. Although slim, I have abetter chance of getting through to her this way. It’s going to be jarring for her to learn that my craving has all but disappeared, but an even bigger shock to her system when I tell her I’ve met her future daughter-in-law.
Pushing out a sigh, my eyes pull to the deserted pasture that now holds a row of guest houses a quarter of a mile from the main driveway. Most of our help lives on the premises, it’s just easier that way. I almost take a hard left to go to see Harold, our family’s resident chauffeur. I need to give him Dolly’s keys so he and Cary can deliver her car back in the morning. I’ll also have him make an extra set of her keys while he’s at it. Two birds, one stone. I’m a big fan of working smarter, not harder. But it is nearly one in the morning, I should probably wait until after I see my Mama.
Pulling directly up to the house, I put my truck into park and turn off its engine. Sitting quietly in the cab, my hand reaches into my pocket for my phone. My first instinct is to call my older brother Dalton for advice, but my hand hesitates as I remind myself of his current situation. Knowing he’s got much bigger fish to fry, I leave my phone be. Hopefully I’ll have good news to report to him in a few days.
Opening my driver’s side door, I quickly slip from my truck. Slamming it closed, I straighten my posture and head to the front door. My hand hovers over the ornate doorknob as I take in a cleansing breath. I count to three before letting myselfin through the unlocked door.
