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Dylan didn’t listen. Did he ever? Instead, he invaded her space, wrapping his arms around her waist like he owned her and looking at her like she was the most wonderful creature on earth. She turned her face away, losing the battle with her burning tears.
“Please, Dylan,” she choked out. “Just this once,pleaselisten to me.”
“I am listening, and I’m walking you home,” he said firmly, and wiped her tears with the pad of his thumb. “Fuck, Summers.Fuck.” He ground his teeth together. “I know you’re embarrassed, but—”
“I’m notembarrassed.” It was a knee-jerk save-face reaction, but only a partial lie. “I’mpissed. Your brother saw me naked! Jackson and Cooper saw me naked! I work with them. Did you know that?”
“Yes, I fucking know that.” His voice escalated, and he paused, his grip tightening again as he visibly reined in his anger once again. “They told me earlier when I said I was seeing you. My other brother was there, too. Carson. He may or may not have gotten an eyeful, but as embarrassing as that is right this second, it’s not the fucking end of the world.”
She dropped her eyes, unable to meet his stare. He pressed a finger beneath her chin, drawing her gaze back to his, and the compassion surfacing made her knees weak.
“And as for Brett, I’ll beat him to a pulp to erase his memory if I have to, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll hire a witch doctor. But I’m okay with that.”
“Ohmygod.” She groaned. “How can you make light of this? I don’t know what I was thinking, putting myself out there like that. I clearly don’t know how to do this. Ican’tdo this. Please, Dylan, just let me go home and throw out this ridiculous jacket and stupid heels and forget this ever happened.”
The elevator stopped at her floor, and without a word he put a hand at her back and walked with her to her apartment. The interminable silence gave her far too much time to think about what she’d done, why she’d done it, and how she couldneveruse the Wild brothers’ photography service again. She had made a stupid, impulsive decision, and it had led to irreparable damages to her professional life, and, she hated to admit even to herself, to her ego. Being with Dylan made her impulsive, and she couldn’t afford to be impulsive. Especially if it affected her business.
Forcing all the courage she could muster from places she didn’t know could hold it, she looked into the eyes of the kindest, sexiest, manliest man she knew and told a boldface lie.
“I don’t think we should see each other anymore.”
Chapter Thirteen
TIFFANY SOUNDED AS heartbroken as Dylan felt as her words sliced through him. He knew it was her embarrassment overshadowing everything else, but he neededherto see that. He thought about making light of the situation, but Tiffany had a nose for bullshit, and if he really wanted to continue seeing her and build something more, which he definitely did, they needed a strong, honest foundation.
“You don’t want that, Summers. You’re embarrassed, and rightfully so, but doesn’t the fact that you put yourself out there like that forustell you something?”
Laughter bubbled out of her mouth. “Yeah, that I’ve completely lost my mind.” She shoved her hand in her pocket and pulled out her key, fumbling nervously to unlock the door.
Dylan placed his hand over hers. “Let me.”
He unlocked the door and held it open with his shoulder. “There’s no way in hell I’m walking away when you’re just starting to let me in. I can see how hard it is for you to open up to me, and I may not understand why, but I hope one day you’ll share that with me, too.” Her gaze softened and he stepped closer. “Everything you do makes me fall harder for you. You can stomp your feet and say you’re done, but you’re not done, Summers. The woman I met in the bar nearly a week ago would never have put herself out there like that. Youlikeme. You likeus. We’re good together. We’re hot together. We’re so fucking right, it scares the shit out of you.”
Her brows knitted, but she leaned toward him, breathing a little faster. The confusion in her eyes told him it wasn’t a conscious move. They were drawn together by a force stronger than either of them. When their lips touched, the kiss quickly became heated and desperate. He needed to pull away so they could talk and clear the air. He wanted to understand her better, but he wantedthis—her feverish, greedy kisses, the feel of her heart beating so fast her breath pulsed with it. When they finally parted, both of them breathing hard, she grabbed the front of his shirt, just above his waist, and held on tight.
“I don’t think you grasp what happened.” Her eyes were full of desire, but her tone was aghast. “Your brother saw menaked, Dylan. How can I ever get past that? Doesn’t it bother you? How canyouever get past that?”
“Because I think what you did for me was spectacular, and you’re the sexiest, most intriguing woman I’ve ever met. And yes, I hate that Brett saw you naked and that Carson might have seen you, but Brett’s brain will be filled with new images by tomorrow morning, while I’ll still only be thinking aboutyou.”
She tightened her grip on his shirt, bringing him closer, though he didn’t think that was a conscious move either. “Dylan,” she said in a rushed whisper. “You can have any woman you want. Why do you want to keep seeing me? I’malwaysbusy, and I’m not exactly easy to connect with or warm and loving.”
“But you are all of those things. It just takes a little effort, and you’re worth that effort. I knew it from the moment our eyes connected.” When doubt washed over her face, he added, “You’re also a consummate professional, and I respect that. So you went out on a limb tonight and fell off? I’m here to catch you, summer girl. Right here by your side. That’s what men and women who care about each other do. Why are you so afraid to keep letting me in?” When she tried to pull away, he slid his hand to the back of her neck, keeping her close. “Talk to me, Tiffany.”
Something dark passed through her eyes. Hurt? Disappointment? Fear? He couldn’t tell.
“You see what you want to see,” she said a little stronger, but not as angrily as she’d been only moments earlier.
“Maybe you’re right. Or maybe I see the person you’re trying to hide, perhaps even from yourself.”
Her gasp was slight, but he heard it loud and clear. This was his strong suit, helping people through difficult situations. But Tiffany wasn’t needy or broken. She was strong willed and determined and protective of her emotions in a way he knew all too well, because he’d seen it firsthand in every member of his family. It was obvious to him now that someone had hurt her very deeply, and the realization made his blood boil.
When she squared her shoulders, something he’d noticed her doing whenever she needed to gain the upper hand, the air between them settled to a simmer instead of molten lava. She gripped his shirt tighter, only he didn’t think it was because she didn’t want him to move away. He sensed it was another effort to regain control. She was finding her footing, her comfort zone.
“I’m really good at my job,” she said. “I can seal a deal with my eyes closed.”
“So I’ve heard.” He assumed this was going somewhere, so he played along, although he wasn’t sure if this was going to be a breakup lecture or something else. Whatever it was, she was doing an impressive job of ignoring the vibrating phone in her pocket, which hadn’t stopped buzzing for more than a few minutes. That alone told him that wherever she was going with this was acutely important.
“Deals are black-and-white. There’s trust involved, between me and my clients, and the GMs, and of course the sponsors. The underlying reasons for any manipulations are pretty easy to figure out. The GMs are trying to get a better deal, or to figure out what someone else is offering. The sponsors want more for less.” She paused, then looked around the hallway as if she had forgotten they were standing outside her apartment. “We don’t have to do this here. You have people waiting for you.”
