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Always there.
“Oh, Dash?” Fallon calls in a sing-song voice from the other room.
“Are you making yourself all handsome?” Sailor asks mischievously.
Gritting my teeth, I swipe a hand through my thick, black hair and pull in a deep, steadying breath.
“Are you decent?” Fallon pops her head around the door’s frame and Sailor peers over her shoulder.
“Would it have stopped you if I said no?” I ask in a dry voice.
“No,” she admits breezily. “Don’t forget, I’ve seen you practically naked, anyway.”
“Yeah,” I respond. “That was a long time ago. And the key word there is ‘practically.’ You’ve never seen me without boxers on and I’d like to keep it that way, if you don’t mind.”
I was Fallon Pierce’s commander in Delta Force. Nicknamed “Dangerous,” she is a badass through and through. Just as tough as any man I’ve ever worked with, and I trusted her with my life when we were out on a mission. I still do. That’s why the moment I started Slater Security, she was the first person I hired.
“Is there something we don’t know?” Sailor asks teasingly and raises a brow. She’s sucking on a lollipop like usual and I can smell the sweet watermelon scent. Both her and Fallon’s gazes dip to my crotch.
“Jesus,” I exclaim and sidle past. “You two are worse than a couple of old men.”
They chuckle as I unroll my sleeves and button them at the cuff.
“And you’ll never know,” I tell them.
“Trust me, I have all I can handle with Kane,” Sailor responds with a wicked grin.
“Can we discuss something else?” I ask and reach for my navy suit jacket. The last thing I want to know is anything too personal about Kane Maddox, the former Navy SEAL who also works here and is now dating Sailor Shaw, aka “Deadly.” She might be small in stature, but the vivacious blonde is a tiny tornado with the power to tear up everything in her path.
“Yes, let’s discuss this woman you’re meeting,” Fallon says coyly. “Over 200 women messaged you and you chose Cameron Sullivan. Why?”
That’s a good question.When Fallon, Eden and Sailor put my picture and bio up on a dating site without my knowledge, I never expected the insane response that happened. Of course, when they told me, I wanted to kill them.
But a part of me was damn curious. A helluva lot of women wanted to meet me and I know there are a lot of desperate people out there, but what if…just maybe…I might connect with one of them. I’m a realist and don’t believe in love at first sight, but it occurred to me that it might be nice to have someone waiting for me back at my cold, dark, lonely apartment.
I figured why the fuck not. At least it would get the girls off my back. So I started scrolling through all the women who wrote to me and it was completely overwhelming. Blondes, brunettes, brown eyes, blue eyes, tall, short. It was basically a smorgasbord of females and I got to choose whoever looked appetizing.
But if I truly wanted a companion, I knew I had to base it off more than mere looks. Always pragmatic, I had rules. My first culling was based on a non-negotiable—the women had to have a career and be independent. I work constantly and I need someone who understands that and preferably does the same. I figure we can spend a few hours together on the weekend, go to a movie and dinner, something lowkey.
I don’t do clingy or needy. I also refuse to date anyone younger than 30. I need someone who is stable and mature, not some bubbly or ditzy ray of sunshine.Serious and independent,I tell myself. Those are the most important qualities.
Once I eliminated the women who didn’t meet my initial criteria, I poured over the ones left. Two hundred potential candidates were whittled down to 50, and then I wasn’t sure what to do. I needed help so Maddox, Colt and Ryan volunteered their services. Over beer and pizza, they studied the remaining women and hit me with rapid-fire questions based on what the women had written in their profiles.
After way too much joking around and copious amounts of alcohol, we came up with ten solid choices. I messaged the women the next day and then it was just about deciding who I was attracted to and who could carry on a decent conversation with me through several messages.
I’m not looking to fall in love. Just a companion when the need arises, but that’s it.
“She checked all the boxes,” I say simply as I adjust my tie.
“Boxes?” Fallon asks dubiously. “Dash, finding your perfect person shouldn’t have anything to do with checking boxes. It should be a feeling. Right here.” She slaps a hand over my heart.
I look down with a frown then brush her hand away. “I’m not a romantic, Pierce.”
“She’s right,” Sailor adds. “It’s that feeling—all the butterflies and sparkles—that make you get a little crazy.”
“Sparkles?” I echo and make a scoffing sound. “If you two think anything is going to happen beyond a casual dinner tonight, you’re the crazy ones. I chose Cameron because it was the most practical decision. She has a business of her own and we seemed somewhat compatible.”
Fallon and Sailor exchange a look.
