to Indio. The thought depressed her.
A light tap at her door interrupted her deliberations, and she turned and looked at the clock. It was 8:30 p.m. Surely Max wasn’t in bed now, was he?
She got up and opened the door to see Dylan leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed at his chest. The white T-shirt popped against his brown skin, and he wore his half-grin that made her want to say yes to anything he asked.
“Hey,” he said in a low voice.
“Hi.”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me.”
A walk? What happened to finishing what they started? God, her head was such a jumbled mess. She had just been thinking about leaving, and now she was disappointed that he didn’t want to take her right then and there. Maybe some fresh air would do her good. “Sure. Just let me slip on my sneakers.”
They walked out the front door and down the driveway to the sidewalk. The neighborhood was quiet, the soft glow of the street lamps and porch lights illuminating their way.
Dylan walked with his hands stuffed in the front of his jeans, and she crossed her arms over her chest wishing she had brought a sweatshirt. Spring in Phoenix was a beautiful time of year, with the highs in the eighties during the day, and a little chill settling in the air after the sun went down.
“I was just messing around at dinner,” Dylan said, glancing over at her with a grin.
“I know.”
They walked in silence for a bit, and Dylan stopped when they reached the neighborhood park. He climbed the steps to the play structure, and she followed. Once they had reached the top that resembled the tower of a castle, he sat down against one wall, and she squeezed in, settling against the opposite wall.
It was a cocoon-like feeling, being in such a small space with such a big man. Light from the upstairs window of a house filtered through the slats in the tower, casting shadows on Dylan’s face. She felt like they were the only two in the world, and it felt right.
“Is Max asleep already?”
Dylan nodded, and took her hand in his.
They sat in silence for a moment as he rubbed his thumb over her pulse.
“Dylan—”
“Max told me to leave you alone,” Dylan said quietly as he stared at their hands. “When you first agreed to do this, to come work with us, he told me not to touch you. I believe the words he used were ‘no funny business.’“
Regan didn’t know where this conversation was headed, so she remained quiet.
“And I tried, Regan. I tried hard, but Max’s threats aren’t enough to keep me away from you.”
He slowly brought his gaze to hers. “I want you, Regan. I want us to go back to the way things were before I fucked it all up.”
Tears stung in Regan’s eyes and her breath caught in her throat. She realized that she wanted that too, but there was the huge trust issue hanging between them, and she didn’t think she could ever put her heart in his hands again.
“I don’t think I can do that, Dylan,” she said quietly.
Dylan cringed and then nodded. “Is it because of the guy you were at the fights with?”
Regan smiled, but felt sadness well up. “No. Brett was my friend. It’s because of what happened between us, Dylan, because of what you did.”
He nodded, and looked back down at their intertwined hands. “Regan, when we were together before, I was a young, dumb, cocky, arrogant asshole on the verge of becoming something big. I only thought of myself, what my next move was going to be. I didn’t think of other’s feelings, and when I slept with the first girl—”
“The first being the one I walked in on you?”
“Yes.”
“See, I don’t even know if I believe that,” Regan said. Her heart twisted saying the words, but it seemed as though it was time to dump the truth on the feelings that they both had.
He met her gaze, his dark eyes glinting in the light. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave that it’s the truth, Regan. I swear.”
Words. Just words.
“I
A light tap at her door interrupted her deliberations, and she turned and looked at the clock. It was 8:30 p.m. Surely Max wasn’t in bed now, was he?
She got up and opened the door to see Dylan leaning against the doorjamb, his arms crossed at his chest. The white T-shirt popped against his brown skin, and he wore his half-grin that made her want to say yes to anything he asked.
“Hey,” he said in a low voice.
“Hi.”
“I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me.”
A walk? What happened to finishing what they started? God, her head was such a jumbled mess. She had just been thinking about leaving, and now she was disappointed that he didn’t want to take her right then and there. Maybe some fresh air would do her good. “Sure. Just let me slip on my sneakers.”
They walked out the front door and down the driveway to the sidewalk. The neighborhood was quiet, the soft glow of the street lamps and porch lights illuminating their way.
Dylan walked with his hands stuffed in the front of his jeans, and she crossed her arms over her chest wishing she had brought a sweatshirt. Spring in Phoenix was a beautiful time of year, with the highs in the eighties during the day, and a little chill settling in the air after the sun went down.
“I was just messing around at dinner,” Dylan said, glancing over at her with a grin.
“I know.”
They walked in silence for a bit, and Dylan stopped when they reached the neighborhood park. He climbed the steps to the play structure, and she followed. Once they had reached the top that resembled the tower of a castle, he sat down against one wall, and she squeezed in, settling against the opposite wall.
It was a cocoon-like feeling, being in such a small space with such a big man. Light from the upstairs window of a house filtered through the slats in the tower, casting shadows on Dylan’s face. She felt like they were the only two in the world, and it felt right.
“Is Max asleep already?”
Dylan nodded, and took her hand in his.
They sat in silence for a moment as he rubbed his thumb over her pulse.
“Dylan—”
“Max told me to leave you alone,” Dylan said quietly as he stared at their hands. “When you first agreed to do this, to come work with us, he told me not to touch you. I believe the words he used were ‘no funny business.’“
Regan didn’t know where this conversation was headed, so she remained quiet.
“And I tried, Regan. I tried hard, but Max’s threats aren’t enough to keep me away from you.”
He slowly brought his gaze to hers. “I want you, Regan. I want us to go back to the way things were before I fucked it all up.”
Tears stung in Regan’s eyes and her breath caught in her throat. She realized that she wanted that too, but there was the huge trust issue hanging between them, and she didn’t think she could ever put her heart in his hands again.
“I don’t think I can do that, Dylan,” she said quietly.
Dylan cringed and then nodded. “Is it because of the guy you were at the fights with?”
Regan smiled, but felt sadness well up. “No. Brett was my friend. It’s because of what happened between us, Dylan, because of what you did.”
He nodded, and looked back down at their intertwined hands. “Regan, when we were together before, I was a young, dumb, cocky, arrogant asshole on the verge of becoming something big. I only thought of myself, what my next move was going to be. I didn’t think of other’s feelings, and when I slept with the first girl—”
“The first being the one I walked in on you?”
“Yes.”
“See, I don’t even know if I believe that,” Regan said. Her heart twisted saying the words, but it seemed as though it was time to dump the truth on the feelings that they both had.
He met her gaze, his dark eyes glinting in the light. “I swear to you on my mother’s grave that it’s the truth, Regan. I swear.”
Words. Just words.
“I
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