Zoe’s mother lived in a small house on the bay side of Santa Rosa Island. This area had been largely untouched by commercial development, and he enjoyed the peaceful feel as he walked around and helped Zoe from the car. “Are you ready for this?” she joked as her mother stood in the door motioning them forward.
“Is it my imagination, or is she way too cheerful? I’ve known your mother forever and I’ve seen her smile more today than in all the other years combined. Shit, I didn’t even know she had that many teeth,” Dylan joked while watching the older woman warily. He’d wondered how she’d feel about Zoe being intimately involved with him, and so far, she appeared to be pleased. Either that or she was setting him up first, then planning to knock his balls down his throat later on.
“Yeah, I can’t remember the last time she was actually waiting for me when I arrived,” Zoe said out of the corner of her mouth. “It’s not too late to fake a work emergency or a stomach problem.”
Escape didn’t sound like a bad idea, but Vivian would call him on it in a minute. He didn’t think now was the time to look like a spineless wimp. Plus, he had visions of her insisting on coming to the bathroom with him to confirm his story, so that was definitely out. How bad could a few hours be? They’d have dinner, make a little small talk, then be on their way. As long as the night ended with Zoe in his bed, he could survive anything.
“Darlings, right on time.” Vivian pulled each of them into a hug before waving them through the door ahead of her. “Marcus is just finishing up at the grill so let’s go on through to the kitchen. Zoe, why don’t you fix us both a glass of wine while I’m setting the table.”
“Sure, Mom.” As Zoe crossed to a cabinet and stretched to get some glasses down, Dylan found his eyes glued to her ass. Shit, he could feel himself getting hard as once again he remembered how amazing it felt to be inside her today. She was so unbelievably tight and—
When he felt a hand on his shoulder, he almost jumped out of his skin. “Feeling okay, Dylan? You’re a bit flushed. Must be hotter in here than I thought.” Shit, Vivian. You are so busted.
“I . . . um . . . no. I’m fine. It’s the humidity,” he fumbled, feeling like a teenage boy caught jacking off. Vivian’s amused expression said that she knew exactly, or pretty damn close, what he’d been thinking. God, he hoped she was off at least a bit on that. He had to get it together and stop ogling her daughter while she was in the vicinity. The woman was enjoying his discomfort far too much.
Luckily, Vivian’s boyfriend, Marcus, stepped through the patio doors with their steaks and Vivian was distracted. Marcus set the plate on the counter then stepped forward with his hand extended. “Good to see you again, Dylan.” Then the other man looked over at Vivian before adding, “Feeling brave tonight, huh?” Dylan swallowed audibly, thinking maybe he had made a mistake in coming before the other man said, “Don’t let her get to you. She’s actually thrilled that things have progressed between you and her daughter. She just enjoys giving you a hard time.”
Relaxing slightly, Dylan nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up. I was considering raising the white flag, then running like hell.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Zoe grinned knowingly as she handed Dylan a glass of wine that was so full, he had a hard time raising it to his mouth without spilling some. Obviously her plan to survive was alcohol. Wine didn’t do much to take his edge off, but he thought it might look bad to ask for hard liquor when he’d be the one driving them home.
“Marcus was telling me that he hid all the knives and locked the guns away.”
Zoe giggled before shooting a glance at her mother, who was humming under her breath as she put the finishing touches on their meal. “She looks so innocent, doesn’t she? In her defense, she’s been waiting a long time to torture one of my dates, so try to go with it.”
Smiling at the woman, who above all else was still his best friend, Dylan dropped a kiss on her forehead before saying, “Anything for you, sweetheart. I’ll always have your back.” And that, he thought, was the absolute truth. There might be uncertainty in the rest of their relationship but he couldn’t imagine a day when he wouldn’t give everything he had to see that beautiful smile on her face that she seemed to reserve only for him. God, never let me lose that.
• • •
As the whole meet-the-parent things went, Zoe had to admit that it wasn’t just a horrible evening. Her mother had taken most of her best shots at the coffee shop earlier, so it was mostly a relaxed affair. Of course, the two heaping glasses of wine that she drank might have had something to do with that. Dylan and Marcus got along well and there was never a lapse in conversation. At one point Zoe had been horrified when her mother, looking deadly serious, pointed to Dylan and said, “If you knock her up, you marry her.”
Dylan had knocked his glass of water over and they’d all scurried to clean it up before it drenched the entire table. He’d also got in a couple of good zings of his own. The first was asking Marcus what his intentions were toward her mother and also recommending a seniors’ class that he’d read about that dealt with erectile dysfunction. Her mother had literally fallen on the floor laughing on that one, before assuring them that Marcus didn’t have problems in that area. Luckily, Marcus was also a good sport and had no issues with being pulled into their crude humor.
“I actually had a good time tonight,” Dylan admitted as they walked into his home on the top floor of the Oceanix. “I’ll go ahead and admit that I wasn’t expecting the case of condoms she handed to me on the way out the door, though. Can you believe she actually went in Costco and bought those? Hell, I don’t know how I’m going to get them out of the car with the name ‘Trojan’ written all over the box.”
“Please do it when I’m not with you.” Zoe laughed. “I was happy to see that they were the ‘ribbed for her pleasure’ variety. That was very thoughtful of her, right?”
Pulling her into his arms, Dylan palmed her ass, giving it a firm squeeze. “Doesn’t it freak you out that she has given so much thought to our sex life? I swear I wouldn’t have been shocked if she’d given me a gallon of lube to go with them.”
“Well, she did tell you not to use petroleum jelly with the latex,” Zoe pointed out. Okay, maybe the evening had been a little worse than she’d initially remembered. But by that time, everything had seemed more amusing than anything else. Especially Dylan’s nonreaction to it. You’d have thought he was discussing the weather with her mother rather than wrapping it up.
“Yeah, let’s not forget that.” Dylan shuddered. “If I can’t perform tonight, then you’ll know she got in my head.”
Feeling bold, Zoe lowered her hand to cup his already impressive bulge. “I don’t see a problem here so far.”
Dylan had his hand up her shirt, flicking her nipple through the thin material of her bra, when his phone sounded from nearby. “Fuck,” he hissed. He looked torn, but finally pulled away. “I have to check the damn thing in case it’s the hotel.” He picked up his cell phone from the coffee table and winced. “It’s just Josh. I’ll call him back later.” He was in the process of putting the phone down when it chimed with a text. He scowled when he clicked a few buttons, Zoe assumed to read it. “Dammit! Josh is at a bar drunk and needing a ride home.” Running a hand through his hair, he said, “I don’t want to go, but if I don’t and something happens—”
“Dylan, you have to go,” Zoe interrupted him. “I’ll be right here when you get back. Just take care of your friend and make sure he gets home in one piece.” He gave her a lingering kiss good-bye and promised to be back in an hour, tops. She waved him away, knowing he felt bad about leaving.
After he was gone, she kicked off her shoes and settled onto his plush leather sofa. She grinned at his collection of remote controls on the coffee table. Thankfully she’d been here enough to know which one operated the television. She flipped channels for a while before running across t
he Lifetime Network and what looked like a good suspense movie. Within moments she was engrossed, and when it ended two hours later, she looked around in surprise. Dylan still wasn’t home. She didn’t want to distract him from driving by calling or texting, but she was getting worried.
When another hour came and went, she picked up her phone and sent him a quick text asking if everything was okay. Then she waited . . . and waited, but he didn’t respond. By this time, she was pacing the floor. They’ve been in an accident. Maybe I should try the hospital. No, I should call him first. Quickly hitting the speed dial for his number, she almost dropped the phone when she heard loud noise in the background, along with laughter and then a voice that was unmistakably Dylan’s said, “Yeah?” Yeah? That’s all I rate after he disappears for three hours?
“Um . . . Dylan?” she asked, just to make sure it was indeed him, even though she was certain it was.
“You’ve got him, sweetheart.” Zoe pulled the phone away for a moment, staring at it as if it had bitten her before putting it back to her ear. It wasn’t as if she had a problem with what he’d said; it was the fact that he sounded completely wasted.
“I was getting worried. You were supposed to be back a few hours ago. I—wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”
“Sorry, babe,” he said, not sounding sincere in the least. “It’s Josh’s birthday and they’re having a party for him tonight. Must have slipped my mind earlier. But it’s all good.”
“Sounds like the ball and chain is giving my buddy hell,” she heard someone who sounded like Josh say in the background. “Why don’t you ask Mom for permission to stay out a little later, man. Get them balls back from her while you’re at it.”
Then instead of telling his friend off, Dylan laughed before making a halfhearted attempt at quieting his friend. “Go away, bro. I’ll be over there in a second. Sorry ’bout that—you know how he is.”
“Sure,” Zoe said flatly. It wasn’t that she was angry about him being out with the guys. It was the fact that he’d left her here and basically disappeared while she’d been expecting him back soon. Was it too much to ask that he let her know he’d decided to stay?
“I shouldn’t be much longer. I’m just going to hang out for a little longer then I’ll catch a cab home. Miss you.”
Is he kidding me right now? He misses me? Instead of saying any of the dozens of retorts on the tip of her tongue, she settled for, “Be careful.”
She heard Josh or someone that sounded like him urging Dylan to get off the phone and have another drink. “Listen, I’ll see you soon, babe.”
Not here you won’t, she thought to herself. “Sure, good night.” With that, she ended the call and immediately begin putting her shoes back on. The evening was ruined for her, and there was no way she was going to stay here any longer waiting for him to decide to come home. He was probably too busy with Carey, Kristen, and whatever other bimbos were hanging around their group tonight.
She knew that Dylan had a life and friends outside of her, which had never bothered her before. But now she had to wonder why he’d kept her separated from the rest of his buddies. They’d been friends for years; shouldn’t she have spent more time with his other friends as well? Sure, he wouldn’t want her along if they were going out with the sole intention of picking up women, but there had to be times, such as the cookout, when it was just a group getting together. Had he been embarrassed about their relationship? She might not have been the best dresser through the years, but she hadn’t been that bad, had she?
Now she had to wonder exactly what went on when all the guys got together. If it was bad enough that he had never wanted her around them, then what where they doing tonight? Drinking certainly; that much had been apparent. This was a side of Dylan that the friendship Zoe could deal with easier than the undefined relationship Zoe. She didn’t like feeling as if she was an afterthought to him. She picked up his hotel extension and dialed the concierge to ask him to order her a taxi. She might be new to this whole being-involved situation, but she’d learned one thing from her mother long ago. You never waited around for a man to make you a priority. To do that set a precedent for something Zoe wasn’t willing to do, even for Dylan.
Twelve
Dylan winced as a shrill sound filled the air. When it became obvious that it wasn’t going to stop, he rolled over onto his back and looked for the source. His alarm clock was raising holy hell, and it took at least another two minutes until he was coordinated enough to switch it off. Shit, it was already six in the morning. Most of the time he awoke well before his alarm, but he’d only been in the bed a few hours, and God help him, it was Tuesday morning so there was no possibility of sleeping late.
Muttering a string of obscenities, he rubbed his blurry eyes and attempted to pry his tongue from the roof of his dry mouth. His body was sluggish so it took more precious time before he was able to move into a sitting position. Hell, he knew better than to do any major drinking on a work night. Not that every day wasn’t that for him, but the weekends had a bit more leeway than the others. Still, when Josh had called and asked for a ride, he’d felt honor bound to go get him. Then he’d discovered that most of their friends were at the bar celebrating Josh’s birthday, something he’d completely forgotten about. As soon as he’d stepped into the bar, a drink had been thrust into his hand—then another and so forth. He’d been unusually careless and hadn’t bothered to keep track of how much he was putting away as he stood around socializing with some of their old friends that he hadn’t seen in a while.
Oh fuck. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Where was Zoe? He’d left her here promising to be back in an hour and it had been more like five hours at least. He felt like an absolute bastard because he’d been so wasted when he got home that he hadn’t even missed her. Wait—hadn’t she called last night? Everything was fuzzy, but he was almost certain he remembered talking to her. Grabbing his phone, he flipped through the call log and indeed saw a three-minute call from her cell phone. Then he checked his texts and found one from her as well. This isn’t good, he thought as he stumbled to his feet and made a quick pass through the apartment, thinking she could have possibly slept on the sofa. But there was no sign of her. Obviously she’d decided to go home . . . quite possibly pissed off at him. It hasn’t even been a week and you’ve fucked up. You’re rocking this relationship thing. How had she gotten home? He’d picked her up for dinner at her mother’s last night so she didn’t have her car. He figured she’d called a cab, but he’d worry until he knew for sure that she’d made it home safely. Little late to be wondering that now, isn’t it?
He quickly pulled up the contact in his phone for the coffee shop and tried it. If she was opening today, she should be there by now. But when the phone was answered, he recognized Dana’s voice right away. Just what I need this morning. He debated hanging up, but figured she would probably *69 his ass and call right back. “Hey, is Zoe in yet?”
“May I ask who’s calling, please?” He stifled his irritation even though he knew damn well that she was aware it was him. Even this early, she liked jerking his chain.
“It’s Dylan. Is your boss in yet?” If he thought he’d get to her by reminding her that she was an employee, it didn’t hit the mark.
“Nope, she’s not.” And that was it. They both remained on the line while she waited for him to beg for the information that he wanted. God, how could Zoe stand her?
“Do you mind telling me when she will be?” he asked in a voice full of sarcasm.
“Shouldn’t you already know that?” she asked sweetly. “You two are dating after all. So if Zoe didn’t tell you her schedule, then maybe I’m not supposed to either. I don’t want my boss to be angry with me. How about I just leave her a message to call you when she does get in? Or better yet, if you have her cell number, you could give that as try. She usually prefers a text, so I’d go with that. Especially if there’s a r
eason that she might be avoiding your call.” I swear this woman hates me. What a bitch.
Refusing to let her see that she’d struck a chord, he said, “You’ve been very helpful. Thanks so much. I’ll be sure to pass my appreciation along to your boss when I speak with her. Now have a good day.”
He was in the process of disconnecting the call, feeling a childish urge to have the last word, when he heard her call out, “Why, thank you, Mr. Jackson, you too.” Then a click sounded in his ear and he knew he’d been bested yet again. Another round to Dana. She owns you.
His throat was dry and scratchy so he walked into the kitchen and got a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Without closing the door, he turned it up and drained most of it before setting it aside and trying Zoe’s cell. And as luck would have it, the call went straight to voice mail. Next he pulled up his text screen with his fingers hovering over the keys for five solid minutes as he tried to decide what to write. Finally, he settled for, Wanted to make sure you made it home okay. Please call or text me back. I’m sorry about last night. I can explain. Xoxo.
Had he seriously just typed the symbol for hugs and kisses for the very first time to Zoe? Hell, he’d never sent that to a woman before. If not for seeing it all over Facebook and the Internet, he wouldn’t have even known what it stood for. Wait—maybe he’d better check to make sure he was right. Oh crap, maybe it meant, “I love you.” He wasn’t sure now. He did a Google search and sagged in relief. No, he was right the first time. It wasn’t that he didn’t love Zoe, because he did. She was his best friend after all. But with them in some sort of relationship now, it might seem weird to say that. Especially after his fuck-up from the previous night.
Dylan took a quick shower, leaving his phone sitting on the bathroom counter in case she called. Then he dried his hair with his phone propped against the mirror so he could see the screen, since he couldn’t hear it. He carried the damn thing in his hand constantly until he left at eight to go down to the office. He wanted to drop by the shop, but didn’t think he could keep himself from killing Dana if Zoe weren’t there to intercede. Of course, after last night, she might hand the other woman a knife and let her go at him. Hell, he even kinda deserved it.