Page 6 of The Rules

“Okay.” Dylan’s mouth quirked in confusion.

Slow on the uptake, this one.It was now or never. She pulled her lip between her teeth and wrapped her fingers around his wrist. “Maybe you should come with me.”

Dylan’s whole body went stiff for a fraction of a second, but he quickly recovered. His dark eyes swept over her, sizing her up like he was trying to decide if he could consume her whole or if he’d have to take her piece by piece.

Just when her cheeks started to burn under the weight of his stare and what she’d just proposed, a smile spread across his face, pulling hers with it. Then he went in for the kill.

He dipped his head, his breath warm on her ear. “My room has booze.”

Hey, Bad Decision, it’s Dani Petrillo. Nice to see you again.

Two

Holy shit.Dylan tried tokeep the shock from his face as he led them up the stairs to his room, but the possibility that Dani Petrillo had just propositioned him banged around in his brain making his steps unsteady. He’d been fantasizing about Dani for two years now. All of Cat’s friends were cool, but Dani was the kind of woman he’d always had a hard-on for—classy as hell but with a wild streak she didn’t even try to hide.

Could he honestly have gotten this lucky? Not that he wasn’t confident in the Dylan Pierce effect, but Dani had always seemed to be immune. When he’d given her his classic “let’s move this party to my room” line, he’d expected her to laugh in his face. He’d steal at least one more peek at her in that dress, and he’d wake up the next day with balls as blue as the sky.

But she was still holding his arm, still rubbing her thumb along the inside of his wrist, making his skin burn with that tiny bit of contact. She had to know what she was doing.

Dylan slid his key card into the reader and held the door open, watching as she crossed into his room. He flicked on the small bedside lamp, letting the rest of the room stay dim.

“You ever think about doing this whole song and dance?” she asked, trailing her finger along the nightstand as she floated over to the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. She dropped her heels and took a seat on the edge. “You know, the chapel and the caterers and the centerpieces?”

“I don’t know if this is really my style.”

“That’s right. You’re more the love ‘em and leave ‘em type.”

“Hey, now. You’ve got me all wrong, Dani-pie,” he said with a grin. He loosened his tie and went to the credenza where he’d set up a makeshift bar—top-shelf liquor, a set of engraved tumblers he’d bought for the occasion. He plucked a bottle of Patrón from the flock and she nodded.

“Come on, Dylan. We’ve spent a lot of weekends together since Cat and Josh bonded us all for life. You haven’t brought a single girl to more than one event.”

It was a harsh assessment, but it wasn’t far from the truth. He had a little bit of a reputation for getting in and out when it came to women, but wasn’t it better than leading them on, wasting their time? Ingratiating them to the people he cared about just so they could say goodbye shortly after?

He poured the liquor and thought of Josh and Cat wrapped around each other on the dance floor, all shiny-eyed and hopeful for their future. That was never going to be him. Why pretend?

Though, there was something about the way Cat looked at Josh that made Dylan’s chest feel warm and tight.

And right on the heels of all that warm tightness, was the overwhelming desire to get completely trashed. He handed Dani one of the shots he’d poured, taking a safe seat in the armchair while he waited to see how this was going to play out.

She sipped her shot, hissing at the burn. “How’s your mom feel about your lone wolf schtick?”

His mom. For the captain of team Why Don’t You Find Yourself A Woman, Irene Pierce had an impeccable sense of when to interfere. And the way she’d inspected Dani like a horse at market wasexactlywhy he hadn’t called any of the women in his contact list to accompany him to this event. Dani took it like a champ, though. She hadn’t even flinched.

“I never said I was a lone wolf. I like company.” He winked, and Dani rolled her eyes. “I just don’t like the idea of tying my ship to one dock.”

“I’m glad you didn’t put that in your best man speech.”

He let his eyes wander up her bare legs, crossed at the ankle. The skirt on her bridesmaid’s dress rode up to mid-thigh and he imagined what her skin would feel like under the pads of his fingers. Probably like silk. It probably tasted even better.

“What about you?” he asked, his voice thick. “I’ve seen the constant revolving door of men you ruin.” He meant it. She’d probably ruined every single one.

“Hey, I like company too.” She sucked in a weary breath and stared out the window where they could hear the staff cleaning up after the reception. “I guess I’ve just never really thought about it before.Forever.Maybe if I found the right guy.”

He studied her face, the way her brows pulled together and she chewed her bottom lip. Dani seemed like she was in a contemplative mood tonight. Weddings did that to people, he found. There were two moods at weddings: recapturing your youth or examining your future. He wasn’t sure which one he was in yet. He’d see where this conversation took him.

“And how will you know?” he asked. “Will it be like those two?” He jutted his chin in the general direction of the reception. “Lightning and angels singing?”

“God, please. Not like that.” She finished her shot and set the glass on the nightstand. “I don’t see it going like that for me.”

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