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The only problem with spending more time in Dallas’s presence was that it made me want to spend more time in his presence.
But not just professionally speaking.
Horizontally speaking was definitely at the top of the list. I’d even had plenty of fantasies where vertically would have been extremely desirable. But I also wanted to do the stuff that came before and after.
I wanted to be able to touch him whenever I wanted.
I wanted to make him smile or laugh.
And no, he didn’t actually make any sound when he laughed, but a few times I’d caught him lost in a humorous moment when he hadn’t had time to be self-conscious about how he looked when he laughed without sound. Truth was, he didn’t need to. His body did all the talking for him.
But it was just another case of Nerdy Nolan wanting something he couldn’t have.
Because Dallas had been a perfect gentleman ever since the night he’d come to my house and told me it had been a mistake to fuck me.
We were squarely parked in the friend zone and the parking brake had been set and locked.
Stop.
Do not pass go.
My nerves from the encounter with Jimmy didn’t ease until I was within a few miles of the center. The second I pulled into the driveway, Loki was there to greet me. I’d long ago lost my fear of the big animal, so as soon as I was out of the car, I dropped to my knees in the couple of inches of snow we’d gotten overnight and wrapped my arms around him. He licked my wrist and then tried to steal my glove from my pocket. Keep away was one of the few dog games that Loki liked, and it never failed to have Dallas laughing his ass off as he watched me chase the wolf hybrid around trying to get the damn thing back.
“Nope, not this time,” I said as I grabbed my glove before he could pull it from my pocket. “I’m on to you.” Dallas had definitely chosen well when it had come to naming the animal Loki – he was most certainly a trickster.
“Where’s your daddy, huh?”
On cue, Dallas stepped around the corner of the building. He gave me the okay sign and I nodded. There was no need to tell him about Jimmy. I pulled his card from my pocket and handed it to him. “They wouldn’t take it without you there so I had to pay using my money.”
Dallas frowned and immediately pulled out his wallet. I covered his hand and said, “Give it to me later. Before I leave.”
He nodded and then motioned to the trunk. We spent the next few minutes hauling the bags of dog food down to the dog enclosure and fed the excited animals. It was pitch dark by the time we finished, though it wasn’t even five o’clock yet. Dallas and I walked side by side back up to the driveway. We stopped by my car and he gave me the money for the food. His eyes held mine for a moment and I found that I couldn’t look away. I would have given anything for him to kiss me.
He pulled out his phone and typed, Stay for dinner?
It was the first time he’d asked me to stay since the night I’d started working for him.
“I can’t,” I said, disappointment seeping through me. “I promised my mother I’d be home by five-thirty. She’s got plans with her friends tonight.”
Dallas might have looked disappointed, but I couldn’t be sure.
How is your dad?
“Struggling,” I admitted. “He doesn’t make it easy.”
It was a huge understatement. My father had become combative with both his physical and speech therapists.
And me, of course.
Despite the assurances of his doctor and the therapists, he’d seemingly given up on whatever hope he might have had at making a complete recovery. He wasn’t as aggressive toward my mother, but even she was feeling the strain of caring for him. Despite my frustration with her, I couldn’t fault her for needing a break.
I thought the conversation was over, but Dallas typed me another message. Tomorrow night?
I went all giddy on the inside like a schoolgirl being asked out by the cutest boy in school. Sadly, it wasn’t far from the truth.
“I’d like that,” I said with a nod.
We said our goodbyes and I drove home. My mother was already dressed and ready to go by the time I walked in.
“He’s eaten already,” she said as I handed her the keys. I didn’t miss the pallor of her skin beneath her carefully applied makeup or the smudges under her eyes. “He had a rough day, so he should go to bed early.”
“Okay,” I said. “Have fun.”
My mother stood there stiffly for a moment, then nodded and put her hand on my arm and gave it a little pat before she left. The move was so uncharacteristic that I stood there in the kitchen for several long seconds after she left. I went to check on my father who was half-asleep in his chair.
