Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 68177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“What she said earlier?” I attempt to play stupid, and he glares at me.
“About her and dad being worried, Dakota.”
“Oh that,” I say as I start repacking my bag. “They have a reason to be worried, and there are no hard feelings on my part.” I frown as he takes the things out of my purse, but I otherwise don’t react. I just put them back in without looking at him while saying, “After thinking about it, I know me being here might put you in danger, and I don’t want that, so I’m going to go home with Jamie after dinner.”
“So you’re going to go stay with Jamie and put him in danger?” He picks up my purse and tosses it toward the headboard.
I look up at him as my nose scrunches in annoyance, because I didn’t think about that. “I’m going to stay in a hotel.”
“You’re going to stay in a hotel.”
“That’s what I just said.”
“So you’re going to tell Jamie and my parents, who are all worried about your safety, that you’re going to get a hotel, alone.”
“Your parents will be happy you’re not in danger, and Jamie will be okay once I explain to him why I’m going to stay in a hotel.”
“My parents will be happy when they know I’m not in danger?”
Even though his tone and the look he gives me are filled with warning, I still say, “Yeah.”
He eyes me for a moment then shakes his head. “I don’t have time to deal with this right now. We have a reservation to get to.”
“What?” I stand up and follow him through the bathroom and into the closet. When he doesn’t respond, I ask, “What does that mean?”
He turns to face me as he slips on a suit jacket that matches his slacks. “It means I’m not going to waste my breath arguing with you, since one way or another, you will be coming home with me tonight.”
“So you don’t care that your parents are worried about you?” I cross my arms over my chest and block the doorway when he takes a step toward me.
“They aren’t worried about me. They’re worried about you.”
My brows drag together. “They don’t know me enough to care about what happens to me.”
“They know I’m falling in love with you, Dakota. They know that if something happens to you, it would kill me. So yes, they’re worried about me, but it’s because they are worried about something happening to you,” he growls, and then he stomps to me, grabbing my hand and glaring down at me. “Now we need to get to dinner.”
I stumble, the words “I’m falling in love with you” dancing through my head and making me dizzy as he practically drags me from the room.
“Is everything okay?” his mom asks, standing from the couch and glancing worriedly between us when we reach the living room.
I don’t know about the man still holding my hand, but I’m so not okay right now. I feel lightheaded, nauseous, and if I don’t take a breath soon, I might pass out from lack of oxygen.
“We’re fine,” Braxton states, and I catch his parents’ look at each other before he pulls me with him to the elevator. Once we are all inside and the doors are closed, the silence becomes uncomfortable, and I shift in my heels then look up at Braxton, watching the muscles in his jaw twitch.
“You look nice, Dakota,” Alisha says, breaking into the silence, and I pull my attention off her son’s ticking jaw to look at her, noticing she changed into a simple cream dress with a colorful shawl around her shoulders. Bret is now wearing a dress shirt and slacks. The two of them look like the proud parents of a well-established businessman.
“Thanks, you both look nice too.” I force a smile, and Braxton squeezes my fingers still laced between his.
When we reach the parking garage, we all go to his Benz and Braxton opens my door for me to get in. I hesitate and look up at him. There are hundreds of things I want to tell him, but when he drops his eyes to me, everything gets stuck on the tip of my tongue. With a quiet sigh, I climb into my seat and he slams my door closed.
I watch him walk around the hood, then a moment later, he slides in behind the wheel, giving me a look that has me quickly putting on my seat belt. He starts the engine, and I reach over the console between us to rest my hand on his thigh, and when he covers my hand with his, I let out the breath I’ve been holding, wishing I was brave enough to tell him that I love him too.
Chapter 15
Dakota
WITH BRAXTON AND his parents distracted, I look under the edge of the table and tap Braxton’s watch to see the time then shake my head. Jamie is now almost an hour late.