DirtyBeautiful (15 page)

Erica didn’t want to rush in, even though her heart had
already taken flight. She knew men could lie quite convincingly and she didn’t
want to be duped again. “What could I possibly do to you to warrant you
avoiding me?”

His eyes softened as he scanned her face. “Being you.”

He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her toward him.
Their mouths meshed together in a ravenous kiss. A kiss filled with pent-up
passion. Erica’s heart faltered, her thoughts jumbled in confusion. She didn’t
want to be easily swayed, but every stroke of his tongue threatened to steal
her thoughts. Ripping from him, she stumbled back, satisfied by the desire that
glazed his eyes. His lips were moist from their kiss, his chest heaving, no
doubt as much as hers. “You can’t kiss me and expect me to forgive you.”

Lashes fanned his cheeks. “I don’t want your forgiveness, I
want everything you can give me. I wake up thinking of you, I cut a piece of
timber and I think of you. I think of you before bed and damn it, you’re there
in my dreams.”

He stepped closer, his hand sliding along her nape and
setting nerves alight. “Do you know how much that scares me?”

Her breath caught at the desperation and lust vibrating off
his frame. He slammed his mouth over hers in a voracious kiss. He swept inside
and explored her mouth in ways that sent sensual warmth sluicing through her.
She wound her arms around his neck, opening under his hungry exploration.

Dylan grabbed her butt and squeezed and his appreciative
mumble made her sigh. A leg wrapped around his thigh to bring him closer. The
evidence of his desire pressed against her stomach. Want coursed through her
with fiery fingers, licking at her body. Her heart raced in her ears, her
breathing short and fast. Everything was on high alert. Her body felt like
jelly. Dylan shifted and grasped both her legs to wrap them around his waist.
Instinctually, she hooked her ankles behind his back and her mons rubbed
against the hardened edge of his cock. A whimper burst from her. Pleasure
seared her flesh as she writhed in a timeless rhythm.

Dylan fisted her hair, upsetting the loose bun. He broke off
the kiss and when she tried to capture his delicious mouth, his hand tightened
in her hair, holding her at bay. Lust-filled eyes sent liquid mercury through
her veins.

“Damn you,” he rasped. “No one has affected me the way you
do. You have me tied up in knots.”

Erica barely heard him, her attention fixated on his mouth.
She flicked out a tongue to rasp it along his upper lip. Dylan covered her
mouth with his. He tasted fresh, like rain and all man. Their tongues clashed
and reveled in the desire that pulsed between them.

They shifted and Erica sensed they were moving, but not
toward the house. Her brief confusion was smothered by each step that jostled
her against his erection. Fresh spirals of pleasure condensed in her womb.
Steps. Then the flat face of smooth wood pressed against her back. Erica
frowned and broke off the kiss. She stared at a half-finished gazebo. Smooth
hexagon decking with a basic roofless frame. When her attention shifted to
Dylan she found him studying her intently.

“What is this?”

He ran an errant circle below her ear. “I couldn’t get what
you said the other day out of my head. So I’ve been building this.”

Butterflies filled her chest. “Is this what you’ve been
doing for the last four days?”

“Yeah.” He looked around at his handiwork. “It still has a
bit to go, but I’ve got almost all of the frame up.”

Joy took flight in her chest, filling her with light. “That
is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.”

He peered down at her, the heat reentering his gaze. His
fingers tightened around her legs, the swipe of his hands making her nerves
sing.

“I think the frame can handle a bit of weight, what do you
think?”

Her pussy tingled in answer and warmth suffused her cheeks.
“We’re in public.”

He leaned down, his breath skittered by her cheek before his
tongue flicked at her earlobe. “No one is watching.”

Before she could voice a protest, he slid his hand down to
touch her through her panties. Pleasure thrummed along her sensitized flesh and
she gasped. Dylan’s husky chuckle raced over her skin in a hot graze.
Wordlessly he shifted aside the flimsy fabric and inserted his fingers. He
thrust hard once, enough for her to recognize the power he had over her body.
He plied the ball of nerves deep within her and sent sparks of delicious fire
through her.

“Oh God,” she murmured, her head tipped back onto the smooth
wood.

Dylan licked and sucked at her neck, his breath warm against
her skin. She rocked into his hand, his thumb circling over her clitoris sent
her over the edge far too soon. The climax crashed over her and exploded behind
closed eyelids in a flash of reds and blues, like the Fourth of July. Panting,
she felt something bigger probe her and welcomed him into her body.

They slipped and slid against each other as desire rose like
quicksilver, making her cry out. Nails dug into the back of his neck and she
undulated into him. He was embedded in her so deep she swore the tip of his
dick kissed her womb. Exquisite need vibrated in her being. Her breasts felt
heavy with desire and she wanted his mouth on them. Dylan’s lips curled back in
a silent snarl as he pounded into her. The wet sounds of sex filled the air,
the tang of desire and sweat wrapped around them. Her breath left her in little
whimpers and groans as she climbed higher toward another release.

“Yes, peaches, yes,” Dylan muttered, his head bowed forward.

Heat coiled inside and hummed with the oncoming climax. She
writhed, wanting to hold it back. A hand abandoned her ass and his deft fingers
found her swollen, aching nub. He strummed it with expert precision and Erica
tensed as sweet ecstasy exploded around her. Mini pulses of pleasure tripped
over her body as she came down. Dylan thrust hard, his breath uneven. His eyes
squeezed shut and he gasped, then suddenly pulled out of her. Wet heat touched
the top part of her inner thigh.

She looked down at the semen on her and cold dread rose up
to choke off her happiness. “Dylan!”

He opened his eyes at her rebuke, the guilt written in the
way his lips downturned. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

Erica made a sound of disgust and pushed him away from her.
She found her feet, albeit unsteadily, but at least she wasn’t relying on him.
Dylan moved to stabilize her, but she knocked his hands away. He dropped his
hand then set himself to rights while Erica wiped the evidence of his desire
with the edge of her dress.

“You won’t get pregnant.”

She glared at him. “You can’t guarantee that.”

He glanced away sheepishly. “Well, if anything does happen,
we’ll deal with it together.”

Erica sucked in a hard breath. “It’s not about that, Dylan.
You had sex with me without protection. I don’t even know your sexual history
to warrant that.”

A spasm of misery passed over his face and he raked a hand
over his hair. “I’ve been tested. I’m clean.”

All Erica could hear was Greg’s excuses and accusations. She
didn’t want to risk it again. “Like I haven’t heard that before.”

Somewhere in the back of her head she knew Greg didn’t
represent all men, but she couldn’t hold back the vitriolic emotions. She
couldn’t stand here, otherwise she worried she’d say something she’d regret
later. As she moved past him, he snatched at her arm.

“You know I would never do anything to hurt you, Erica.”

That’s what Greg said.
“I do. I just need to process
what happened, Dylan. All right?”

A muscle leapt in his jaw and he dropped his arm. Erica
hurried from the yard and moments later heard a loud clatter of wood as Dylan
unleashed his fury.

* * * * *

Reclined on the lounge, enjoying the last few pages of her
romance, Erica looked up when someone knocked on the door. She glanced at her
watch. Five o’clock. She wiped at the brownie crumbs on her shirt then walked
to the door and opened it. Dylan stood on the porch, a mismatched bunch of
flowers in his grasp. The flowers had wilted, which made her question how long
he’d had the bouquet.

She slid her hand up the door. “What are you doing here?”

The stiff smile on his lips disappeared and a flicker of
pain flashed in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I fucked up.”

Erica sucked in a slow breath, her heart turning in her
chest. She accepted the flowers and waved him in. “It’s okay, Dylan. We both
were at fault. We got lost in the moment and I shouldn’t have let old
insecurities dictate to me.”

Dylan stepped inside, hands thrust in his pockets.

“I’ll just put these in water.”

Erica moved into the kitchen and placed the bouquet in the
very vase she’d taken out earlier in the day. Fingering the petal of a sad
gerbera, she looked at Dylan. Propped up against the wall, he appeared casual,
but she sensed an underlying intensity that warranted attention.

“Are you all right?”

He pushed upright. “No. After you left I thought I’d messed
up for good. I’ve been standing in your front lawn for about an hour, thinking
about what I could do to make this up to you.”

Something cinched in her chest at his words. She waved a
dismissive hand. “It’s forgotten.”

“Let me take you out on a date, I want to show you that what
we have is more than just sex.”

“It’s not necessary. Really, Dylan.”

Dylan stepped forward and dropped his hands on her waist.
“Come on, I booked us in a nice restaurant.”

Erica giggled. “All right. But give me a few minutes to get
ready.”

“Okay.”

She slipped by him and returned to her bedroom. There she
pulled on a maxi-dress, pretty sandals and dabbed on some lipstick. Keeping it
simple worked when he waited for her. She snatched up a purse and walked down
the stairs. Dylan stood at the base, his appreciative gaze swept over her body.

“You look beautiful.”

Erica grinned. “Thank you.”

She accepted his hand and they both went to his car. Once
she sat in the passenger side, he went around to the driver’s seat. The truck
started up with a rumble and he pulled out into the street. As they headed out
of town, she wondered what restaurant he’d booked them for. Sometime during the
ride, Dylan clasped her hand and brought it to his lips before letting her go.
Her heart raced at the gesture and she settled back into a happy rhythm. After
a while, his hand settled on her upper thigh, his thumb stroked her leg through
the fabric. She dropped her hand over his and they continued along the highway
toward their destination.

Finally he pulled off the highway into Macon. He pulled into
a parking lot and threw her a smile. “We’re here.”

She stepped out of the vehicle as he did, and Dylan hustled
around to press a gentle hand on her back and lead her to the Italian
restaurant. Inside, she was hit by the smell of napoli sauce and garlic bread
filling her senses. Tables were set up in intimate booths and a waiter came up
to them. “Reservations?”

“Yes. Dylan Marsden.”

The man entered the details in the computer then nodded.
“This way if you please.”

They followed him to a horseshoe booth in the middle of the
room, against the wall. Erica slid in and Dylan sat beside her, his thigh
pressed against hers. The waiter poured them water and straightened. “Are you
ready to order?”

Erica lifted the menu. “Um, yes. I would like a chicken cabonara
if I may.”

Dylan made his order of meatballs and spaghetti and the
waiter left to fill their order. “It’s not as fancy as others, but I thought
you might’ve liked something a bit low-key.”

A tea light in a bowl of water flickered on the table. The
ambience was both casual and intimate. “I like it.”

Dylan turned until his body faced hers. “I didn’t get to
take you out to a restaurant when we were in LA. I wanted to take you
somewhere, so we can get to know each other more.”

Erica propped her elbow on the table and rested her cheek on
her hand. “My life isn’t very interesting.”

“Sure it is. What made you get into teaching?”

She shrugged. “It was the only course I liked that was
offered externally.”

He seemed to process that. “You gave up going to college to
stay in Templeton.”

“My grandmother needed me. I’m sure she would’ve survived
fine without me, but I guess my heart remains in Templeton. I don’t think there
is another place where everybody knows everyone else. I don’t think I’d be
happy in a big city like Los Angeles.”

He nodded as though he understood her.

“I have to commend you on chasing after what you want. It
takes a lot to leave everything you know on a dream,” she said.

He stiffened and drew back to reach for his drink. “I wasn’t
chasing a dream. I kinda just…fell into it. I really wanted to be in
construction, but I guess life sometimes takes you places you least expect.”

“Yes.”

They drifted into general topics until their food arrived
and Erica ate heartily, enjoying the creamy texture and sipping on wine Dylan
insisted she try. Finally they settled on a dessert to share and everything
else ceased to exist. In their little booth, Erica leaned close to Dylan,
listening to him describe what he wanted to do with his house. The passion in
his voice for renovation made her insides flutter. The past issue had become
nothing but an aberration.

“Erica?”

Erica jerked her head up at the sound of an awfully familiar
voice. Greg stood at the end of their table, his brown eyes wide with shock. In
her head, she’d imagined he’d let himself go a little, but that wasn’t the
case. He looked better than he had before. Dressed in a suit that emphasized
his build, he came across as a man who cared a lot about his appearance.

“Greg? What are you doing here?”