Page 34 of Dark Truth

“It is so, my dear. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Men make us do strange things,” Jessi butted in, and I nodded.

“You’re right, sister.” I raised my fist in solidarity with her, and we all laughed again.

It had been a pleasant lunch, and I was sad to see it end, but Jessi had to get back to let the babysitter go home, and Roxie had to get ready for work.

I stopped Roxie as she started to leave.

“I’m glad to see you happy, honey. I really am.”

“I know. It’s taken a long time, but I think he might be the one for me.” She put her bag down on the table and sat. “I can’t wait for you to meet him.”

“Oh, I get to meet him?”

“You have to. Until he gets your seal of approval, he’s on shaky ground.” She kissed my cheek and got up to leave. “I value your opinion, even if you aren’t as experienced as me.”

She flounced off with another wink then, and I couldn’t help but laugh. How had these women worked so much magic on me in such a little time? Maybe it was the sea air, but I had a feeling it was them.

I went back in to work and managed to get some work done. Dylan came in to check on me, his gait a little slower than it had been, but otherwise, you wouldn’t know he’d been unable to walk at all a couple of weeks ago.

“How are you darling? I know you aren’t feeling well.” He pulled me into his arms and had a look at me. “You look better than you did this morning, though.”

“I think lunch did me good.” I deflected and kissed him to distract him.

There was one thing that hadn’t changed since Dylan had become ill. Our passion hadn’t dimmed at all. Even with my morning sickness and the exhaustion I felt, I still craved his body and mind. His attention.

“You distract me so easily, woman. I came in to ask if you wanted to have dinner with Laura and Mason. He called me, but I think I’ll answer him later.”

I was a bit surprised my brother had called him, but Dylan distracted me as soon as he closed the door to my office and backed me up against it. I could be surprised later, I decided, and wrapped my arms around his neck.

Dylan

I went through a pile of work orders, invoices, and wished, for just a minute, that I’d given up on the idea of opening a new resort. I was tired, and all I wanted to do was soak in the hot tub with Emily. My back was sore, and my eyes were on fire.

It wasn’t my illness, it was just exhaustion. We were about to open, only a couple of more days to go, and the rooms had all been booked already. The problem was, little things kept being brought to my attention. I wanted everything to be perfect.

I knew it wouldn’t be, I wasn’t naïve, but I wanted it to be as near to perfect as it could be. I had invested my own money, and my name, into this venture. My adoptive father’s name too, so there was a lot of weight on my shoulders. Luckily, Emily was there for me.

She made sure I took my medicines on time, that I ate, that I stopped to exercise, and to rest. She’d be in shortly, if I knew her. It was like she had a schedule written up somewhere, or maybe it was a sixth sense. I didn’t know, I just knew she’d made all of this a lot more bearable.

She’d been quiet lately, and her stomach had given her a lot of problems too. I knew she was stressed, and it was my job to take care of her. I put the stack of papers down and called my PA.

“Have a car brought around for me. Make reservations for Emily and I at that new French place.” The PA agreed happily, and I went up to get Emily.

It was after five, so I knew she’d be up in the kitchen of our penthouse. I wasn’t surprised to find her there. “How about you change, and we go out for dinner? Let’s blow this joint for a little while.”

“Sounds like heaven. I’ll be five minutes.” She disappeared and true to her word, five minutes later she was back in the kitchen.

She had on a loose black silk dress that danced around her knees and a pair of flat black sandals. She looked romantic, sweet, and always sexy. “Beautiful as always, my sweet.”

“Thank you.” She pecked my lips, and we left the building. Dinner was a calm affair, but I was surprised at how much Ranch salad dressing she asked for. She gave me this guilty but totally unrepentant look, and I laughed.

“As long as you’re happy, darling.”

“I love this stuff. Can’t help it.” She poured the bowl into her salad, and the poor lettuce began to float. That didn’t look healthy at all, but she seemed to savor each bite.

When we got home, Emily took a shower, brushed her teeth, and put on a silky sheer nightgown. I found her in the bed ready for me when I came out of the shower myself. “Mm, that looks like dessert is being served.”