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“Oh my God.” She stiffened abruptly before raising her head to glance around. There were several people in the water around them, but luckily no one appeared to be paying them any attention. “I can’t believe we did that out here in front of everyone. Do you think any of them knew what we were up to?”
Appearing thoughtful, he said, “I don’t know, babe. You were really loud. Especially when you were yelling, ‘Harder, harder!’ I thought I noticed a few people looking in our direction then, but I can’t be sure.”
“Shit!” she hissed. “I’m like one of your bimbos now. What’s next, us fornicating in the lobby of the Oceanix while my mother is walking by? Maybe having a foursome with Dana and Paul while he says, ‘S’up.’” She pinched his arm when she felt his big body shaking in laughter against her. “It’s not funny. I’ve never been a slut before. But now I’m the one that people will call the ‘tidal tramp’ or something catchy like that.”
“I was only joking,” Dylan managed to get out between fits of laughter. “To my knowledge, no one is any the wiser that I had my hand in your pants. We were kissing most of the time so I pretty much swallowed the majority of those sexy little moans you were making. And if anyone did hear, then they’re not talking trash about you. They’re jealous because they either weren’t the one with you in their arms or they weren’t the one getting finger-fucked so good that the rest of the world ceased to exist.”
“I hate you.” She pouted, then squealed as his arm suddenly left her bottom and she tumbled into the ocean. She was only under for a second before he was pulling her back out again. “You ass!” she sputtered as she wiped the water from her face.
“Now, now,” he teased, “that mouth was what got you dunked in the first place. If you’re not a good girl, it’s going to happen again.”
Doing her best to look contrite, she said, “I’m sorry. You know I didn’t mean it.” And of course, as she’d expected, he fell for it hook, line, and sinker. So the last thing he was expecting was for her to stick her leg between his and wrap her foot around his calf before pulling with all her strength. He went backward with impressive speed, hitting the surface with a huge splash. Instead of helping him up, though, she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for him with a huge grin on her face.
They played for at least an hour, each trying to best the other before fatigue finally drove them back to the shore. Zoe couldn’t help laughing as they approached the buffet tables for another plate and she saw Carey and Kristen snuggled up to Josh. She wasn’t surprised at all that they were very much the “love the one you’re with” type of girls. Josh had the good grace to give her a sheepish grin before pushing his fist out to bump Dylan’s. It appeared that the earlier discord between the two friends had disappeared for the moment. Zoe was also glad that he no longer appeared to be trying to see through her clothes. While it had been flattering at first, it had quickly just turned uncomfortable. The only man she wanted admiring her assets was the one with his arm curled around her waist while they consumed hot dogs and beer. When they were finished, Dylan said a round of good-byes to his friends and led her toward the driveway. “I’ll leave my car here tonight and drive us home in yours. It’s late and I don’t want you traveling alone. Plus, you’ve had alcohol and you know that goes straight to your head.”
“You had a beer too,” she pointed out.
“Honey, I’m a two-hundred-pound man. That’s the equivalent of pouring a cup of water over my head. I’d need to have a helluva lot more than that. And trust me, if I was impaired in any way, I’d never get behind the wheel of a car with you.”
Awww. Zoe felt her heart melt a little at his words and the fact that he dropped a kiss onto the top of her hand at the end of it. For a man who’d banged his way through the state of Florida, he could be surprisingly sweet at times. As they walked down the street to where she’d parked, she fought the urge to pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. They were really doing this. Well . . . they weren’t actually calling it a relationship, but they were pursuing more, which was better than she’d hoped for at this early stage. Naturally, in her fantasies he’d spend a few weeks feeling miserable until he realized that he needed her as more than a friend. She couldn’t believe he’d actually brought up the subject tonight, just twenty-four hours after they’d slept together. Dana was absolutely going to be blown away; she certainly was. The fact that he was still concerned for their friendship was also a relief because that was her one fear about becoming involved with him. He’d been a part of her life for so long that she couldn’t fathom a future without him in it in some form. She knew they were taking an awfully big risk by changing the dynamics of their relationship, but if she was right about him being the one man for her, wasn’t it worth the gamble? As long as they both were committed to not letting anything come between them, then surely they would be okay either way—they had to be. Because she’d come too far to back away now. She was betting everything that they could be friends, lovers, and partners for life. God, please don’t let me be wrong about this, Zoe silently prayed as she followed Dylan down the dark road, having faith that they would get to where they were going in more ways than one.
Ten
Dylan was cranky as hell when he got to the office on Monday morning. He hadn’t seen Zoe since he dropped her at home after the party on Saturday and took a cab to his place. He’d wanted to spend the night, but he’d had an early meeting on Sunday morning that he needed to prepare for. They had a few brief phone conversations and some texts, but that was it. He’d arrived at work a few minutes early this morning to see her before his first conference call, but apparently Dana had opened today and Zoe wouldn’t be in until later on. Wasn’t that something he should know as her . . . whatever the hell he was?
He’d felt so good about where things were between them a few days ago, but now he wondered how he’d ever see her with the hectic lifestyle they both lived. Zoe had been right about one thing—they spent a lot of time at their respective jobs. Zoe was the owner of a growing business and she was very hands-on, which was crucial in those first years. Dylan completely understood and supported that. And his family was very much the same. Not a one of them was a goof-off playboy. They all worked their ass off handling their properties. He tried to make time to blow off steam whenever possible, but some of his weeks were just downright hellish and this was shaping up to be one of them. His brief spell of playing Angry Birds while he tried to figure out what Zoe was doing last week had landed him behind on some presentations. So in between numerous meetings with what seemed like everyone in Florida, and a constant load of telephone and video conferences, it promised to be even more hectic than usual.
When he reached his office, he took a moment to pull his cell phone out and shoot Zoe a quick text. Missed you at the shop. Dinner meeting tonight. I’ll try to come down at some point to see that beautiful face. It hardly conveyed what he was feeling, but it was the best he had right now. They were on uncharted ground and each move was a learning experience. He wasn’t comfortable with coming on too strong, too soon. So he thought a balance between their usual relationship with a bit more thrown in was a good place to start.
Hell, he shocked the shit out of himself Saturday night when he’d told her some of how he was feeling. He was still terrified that he was making a mistake, but there was no way he could stand around while the Joshes of the world took the woman who he’d become so possessive of out on dates and God only knew what else. And sadly, Josh was bad, but then he’d had an even scarier thought. She was bound to eventually meet a nice guy. One who had thoughts of her, a white picket fence, a minivan, and a couple of kids on his mind. Even he knew that she fit in that picture perfectly. Maybe that made him a selfish bastard because he had no clue if that was something he could ever offer her. Hell, he’d never even seriously entertained the thought of getting married, much less having kids. But dammit, he couldn’t let her go without knowing w
here things could go between them if they gave it a shot.
One thing the other evening had taught him was that he needed to clean up his backyard pronto. He couldn’t have a repeat of the Carey/Kristen episode. It wasn’t as if he had women throwing themselves at him all the time. But he’d been known to kick back by having sex with some of the women who ran in his crowd. Not all were as outspoken as Carey and Kristen, but there were enough of them to give him a case of anxiety. He hated to say it, but possibly he needed to cultivate some new friends. He’d gone to college with most of the ones he hung out with now and some had never left the frat brother stage. The more settled ones tended to meet them for a beer once a month, but skipped the parties for obvious reasons.
He was still mulling it over when Lisa knocked on his door and stepped inside a few moments later. “Good morning, boss,” she grumbled as she came forward and took a seat in front of him. He grinned as he almost always did at her snarky mood. He’d learned early on that Lisa wasn’t a morning person, which suited him perfectly. She came in every morning for a brief hello and to see if he had anything urgent for her to take care of. They tended to leave each other alone after that until after lunch, when they’d run through the schedule for tomorrow and any other matters that needed to be addressed before the next day.
“Morning, sunshine.” He smirked, thinking he must be insane to enjoy this so much. “How’s my favorite assistant on this early Monday morning?”
“Peachy.” She grimaced before taking a big drink from her coffee cup. He saw Zoe’s logo on the side of it and grinned like the sap he was becoming. “So I guess we’re actually working this week, huh? I kind of enjoyed your slacking for those few days. Plus, I noticed you got a high score on Angry Birds. I’ll load Candy Crush for you today if you want to try something new.”
He laughed, shaking his head at her. “I’d love to, but I had to work half the night to make up for that so I guess it’s business as usual for both of us.”
“Well, that sucks,” she sighed. “You might as well give me the list of what you want taken care of first and I’ll attempt it after I’ve woken up.” He handed her some notes for another presentation she was helping him with and she got to her feet. She was almost at the door before she turned, giving him such a smug grin that alarm bells were going off inside him. “So . . . you and Zoe, huh? I’d like to say it’s a surprise, but not so much.”
Staring at her in surprise, Dylan asked, “How did you know?” He wasn’t sure why he was shocked. For such a big place, the employees of the Oceanix seemed to stay well informed on all the latest gossip. Hell, Lisa usually caught him up on anything he’d missed in that area at least a few times a week. He hadn’t known that she was friends with Zoe, though. Dana. It had to have come from Zoe’s friend and employee. That made perfect sense.
Shrugging, Lisa said, “Oh, you know, I just heard someone mention it. Anyway, that’s not important. I think it’s awesome. You two are perfect for each other.” Wagging her finger, she added, “Try not to screw it up. She’s not one of your . . . usual types, so it’ll require a little more from you than dinner at McDonald’s and thirty minutes at your place.”
“Thirty minutes?” he choked out. “I think you’ve got me confused with someone else. I’m thirty-four, not seventy.”
She giggled, knowing she’d hit her mark in questioning his stamina. What man didn’t get defensive about that? “No judgment,” she called out as she left. He could still hear her laughter from the outer office. Maybe it was worth the insult if it put her in a good mood this early in the day. Then a thought occurred to him and he picked up his phone and buzzed her desk. “What? I just left.”
“Calm down, this won’t require anything major on your part. Could you please make sure that I leave around twelve for lunch?”
“Sure,” she agreed. He heard her fingers clicking on her keyboard before she said, “I don’t show anything scheduled, though. Who is the meeting with and I’ll go ahead and key in it?”
“I—er . . . it’s personal,” he stumbled, feeling strangely embarrassed. Some men might have their secretaries send flowers and gifts to the woman in their life, but that had never been an issue for him.
There was dead silence for a few seconds before he heard the humor return to her voice. “Ohhh, I see. I’ll just put Zoe’s name in. And don’t worry, you’ll make it if I have to drag you out by your tie.”
Dylan shook his head ruefully as he pulled up his e-mail and got started with his day. Apparently, having a significant other was something everyone in his life would have to adjust to. He had a feeling that his well-ordered existence was about to be turned up on its ear and he’d never been happier at that prospect.
• • •
“Lover boy was here looking for you this morning.” Dana smirked before making a kissy face. “He was so disappointed when I told him you wouldn’t be in till later. He said he’d try to come back during lunch.”
Feeling her mood lighten considerably, Zoe said, “Really? Did he say anything else?” God, I sound like a teenager.
“Nope, that was pretty much it.” Dana smiled knowingly. “I will say that he was looking flipping fine in that suit. That man certainly knows how to pull off the GQ look. I mean, don’t get me wrong, he’s no Paul, but then again, who is?”
Zoe smiled as she wiped the counter down before refilling the blueberry muffins that had flown off the shelf that morning. “I take it things are still going well between you two?”
Wiggling her brows, Dana said, “They’re amazing. We’re getting along far better this time. I think we really needed some time apart to appreciate what we had together. He’s really making an effort to spend more time with me. Last night we went out to dinner with Mike and had a great time.”
“Wait.” Zoe gaped at her friend. “You spent the evening with the man that you left Paul for, but then left to go back to Paul? And you had a great time?” When Dana nodded as if not understanding the big deal, Zoe rubbed her forehead in amazement. “You guys are really nuts, or you’re the most understanding people I’ve ever met. I don’t think I could do that. Heck, I basically had some kind of jealous tantrum when we had to sit with two of Dylan’s ex-bimbos at the party Saturday night. I sure wouldn’t want to go have a drink with them.”
“What?” Dana screeched out, and then lowered her voice when Zoe shushed her. “You didn’t mention that. I thought things were all lovey-dovey. It sounds as if you left out the best part.”
Zoe motioned her to the corner so that they wouldn’t be overheard before saying, “We were eating and these two Barbie dolls sat down at our table. They were hanging all over Dylan and asking to go back to his place for a repeat performance. They let it be known that they didn’t mind doing him at the same time.”
“Okay.” Dana shrugged. “Don’t let stuff like that bother you, honey. You know Dylan’s given a ride or two. But he’s never been in a relationship before, so you rank far above them. I hate it when women lower themselves to act like that, but unless he was encouraging them, you have to let it go. Just because you were a virgin the first time doesn’t mean that he should be penalized for not being one.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Zoe admitted. “And he was very uncomfortable with what they were doing. He kept trying to talk to me and ignore them. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and I left. But he followed me quickly, so he couldn’t have said much to them. It might not have bothered me as much had I known at that point where things stood between us. But we didn’t have that talk until later. So I was depressed that he might meet up with them later after having slept with me the night before.”
“I can understand that completely.” Dana patted her shoulder sympathetically. “That’s always the hardest part of being with someone new. You have to deal with the uncertainty of whether they like you as much as you do them. And with men it’s even worse because most are
so paranoid about commitment that you have to watch what you say or you’ll scare them off. Unless there’s some amazing sex involved to take your mind off the other stuff, it can just plain suck. Mmm, speaking of that, lookie what’s coming your way, girl.”
Zoe’s head flew up and her eyes connected with Dylan’s. Oh God, he looks good. I want him to take me upstairs and do dirty things to me right now. She grinned at him as he drew closer, then wondered, Do we hug? Kiss? High-five? Thankfully, Dylan saved her from further obsessing by walking right up and dropping a gentle kiss onto her surprised mouth. “Good-bye, Dana,” he called out, then waved without looking away from Zoe. She heard her friend huff in mock annoyance before walking back to the counter. “Can you have lunch with me, beautiful?” he asked as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.
Even though she’d been at the shop for barely an hour, she agreed without thought. “I’d love to, handsome. Want me to fix us some sandwiches and we can eat in my office?”
“That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.” He smiled. “I’ll get the drinks. Lemonade?” He knew she had a weakness for the tart drink so he was already shooing Dana out of the way and adding ice to two glasses. Zoe hurried into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients for gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches. She’d made them so many times that it required no more than a few minutes before she was plating them along with potato salad and a pickle spear. Dylan was waiting for her when she stepped through the double doors and led the way to her private space. She set their plates on the desk and turned to close the door behind him. Dana gave her a thumbs-up, which had Zoe biting back a smile. She was retracing her steps when Dylan reached out and pulled her into his lap. She laid her arms loosely on his shoulders as he nuzzled her neck. “Mmm, you smell good.”
