Distraction (Club Destiny #8)(46)

When the emotion got too heavy, Dylan got to his feet. He held out a hand, and when Sarah took it, he helped her up.

She was tiny. At six foot one, Dylan knew he was taller than average. However, compared to his friends, who topped out at six six, he was average. But compared to Sarah… She didn’t even come up to his armpit.

Tiny.

He liked that about her. It made him feel protective of her, as though he could easily wrap her in his arms and keep her safe. Although he doubted she’d like that one bit. The woman was fiercely independent and strong-willed, so he knew she wouldn’t want a man coddling her.

“What do you say we start over?” he questioned, tilting her chin up so she had to look at him.

The question must have taken her by surprise, because she didn’t respond right away. Dylan held her gaze, waiting as his chest expanded until he didn’t think he’d be able to breathe.

“I’d say yes,” she finally replied after licking her lips, “but I can’t forget it all, Dylan. As nice as it would be to start fresh, we’ve both… we’ve both been molded by our history. Even what happened between us … before. I can’t forget. I don’t want to. Not all of it, anyway.”

He didn’t want to, either. And he wasn’t talking about all of the things he’d experienced in his life. He was talking about that one night with Sarah. Those few stolen minutes when he’d buried himself deep inside her, getting lost in the warmth of her body. In that moment, he’d felt complete for the first time in years. But the moment it was over, his world had come crashing back down on him, ripping his heart to shreds.

“So what if we don’t forget?” he questioned, studying her face. “What if we … start again? Maybe do things differently.”

“You mean the sex?” Her eyes flashed.

His body instantly hardened.

“Like before?” she added. “A distraction?”

“No,” he answered immediately. “Not a distraction. That’s not what I want, Sarah. I never wanted that.”

“Then what do you want?”

This was the stipulation he’d been thinking about earlier. Though a one-night stand with Sarah would definitely quell the urge, it wouldn’t be enough. Not by a long shot.

Confused as to how to relay that to her, he turned away and slid his hands over what little hair he had. He paced to the window. The world beyond, though cloaked in darkness, was moving forward, one second at a time, just as it always had. And here he was, trying to find a way to tell this woman that he didn’t want her to be with anyone else, but also that he couldn’t make any commitments to her.

Sex? Yeah. It sounded like a damn good plan.

But even he knew he wanted more than that.

He could get laid in a heartbeat if he wanted to. Since Meghan, he’d resisted one-night stands, mostly because he knew he didn’t care enough to even remember their names if it came to it. He’d reaffirmed that he’d made the right decision after the night he’d been with Sarah. That shouldn’t have been a one-night stand. It should’ve continued. No other woman made him feel the way she did. They never would.

And eleven years without a woman, aside from the too-brief encounter with Sarah… Dylan was coiled tighter than a cobra.

“You know what?” Sarah called from behind him.

Dylan turned to face her.

“Why don’t we start with dinner? I know it’s late, but I’m hungry. There’s a small café downstairs. They’re open twenty-four hours. We can grab a bite, then we’ll talk about the sex.”

His eyebrows lifted. He was on board with that plan. Though he hadn’t exactly expected sweet Sarah Davis to be quite so blunt.

“Dinner,” he echoed. “Then sex.”

Sarah laughed. “I didn’t say that. I said talk about sex.”

“I didn’t know you were into that kinky stuff.” He was trying to lighten the mood, and the smile she shot him told him he’d succeeded.

“Talk, Dylan. Listen carefully. Process what I’m saying.” She smiled. “That doesn’t mean we’ll have sex.”

“Maybe not,” he agreed. “But you want to.”

Her chin jutted out slightly, as though she was thinking about it but trying to reject the idea. A full-fledged grin formed on her pretty pink mouth. “It’s not the worst idea in the world.”

Closing the distance between them once more, Dylan cupped her face and held her there, simply looking at her. “I’m game. For both. Dinner and sex. Or talking about sex. Whatever.”

A laugh escaped her as she pulled back. Dylan allowed his hands to drop to his sides.

“Good, ’cause I’m starving.” She removed his jacket and laid it on the bed. “Now, come on, let’s—”

A knock interrupted her, and Dylan peered over at the door.

Sarah hightailed it over, standing on her toes and peering through the security hole. When she turned around, her eyes were wide. She backed up against the door, palms flat against it as though she was trying to hold it closed.

“Sarah?”

Bill.

Great.

The little fucker must’ve realized she’d left the club.

The idea that Bill had brought Sarah to the club with the notion of putting her into a precarious situation pissed Dylan off. It made him want to beat the shit out of the guy. The bastard clearly didn’t know how to treat a woman.