Page 29 of Daring to Love You
Who would’ve thought they’d ever be able to have a serious conversation and learn things about each other they hadn’t known?
“Okay, so you got your degree, but why didn’t you want to work in the family business, especially with your brothers?”
“Because of my father. He’s condescending, rude more often than not, and he’s controlling. Since I’m the youngest of my three brothers, he thought he could control every aspect of my life, even when I became an adult. He’s tried for years, in several ways, but when it came to where I’d work after graduation from college, I took control by joining the police force. At first, I had done it to piss off the old man, but once I started patrolling the streets of Chicago, I realized I enjoyed the job.
“Yes, there are days when I question humanity and wonder—what the hell is wrong with people. Then there are other days when I can’t imagine not coming to someone’s rescue or keeping people safe. Each day is different and there’s an… energy, for lack of a better word, that you can’t get from anywhere else.”
“Yeah, that’s what Zion used to say. He liked the adrenaline rush. At least he did before Raven and the babies came along.”
Zion had been in the military for years, and when he’d gotten out, he had joined Chicago P.D. Which was how he and Lynix met, and they’d been best friends ever since.
Dorian stuffed a forkful of strawberry cheesecake into her mouth and moaned. “Oh, my goodness. This isamazing. Thecheesecake I make is great, but this might come in a close second.”
Not only did she cook and bake for the guests at her parents’ B&B, but according to Zion, she also had a side hustle. She provided baked goods several times a week to a bakery near the B&B. She was one of the best cooks Lynix knew.
“You’ll have to make your cheesecake for me so I can compare the two.”
“Okay,” she said.
Lynix reached over and, with the pad of his thumb, wiped off the smudge of strawberry sauce at the corner of her lower lip. He stuck his thumb into his mouth and licked it off before thinking about what he’d done.
“What?” He shrugged and laughed at the way Dorian’s eyebrows shot up. “I wanted to see how it tasted.”
She grinned. “And what did you think?”
“I think it tasted sweet like you. So of course it’s delicious.”
Dorian laughed. “Oh, you’regooood, Mr. Sweet Talker.”
She scooped up another fork full of cake and instead of eating it, she held the utensil out to Lynix. He opened for her, and the moment the cake touched his tongue, he moaned.
She was right, it was amazing and practically melted in his mouth.
He chewed the strawberries as he watched her watch him. Man, she was beautiful. He loved how her hair was piled haphazardly but perfectly on top of her head in a bun. The style added to her sexiness, but it also tempted him to reach up and undo it so her hair could fall around her shoulders. Yeah, she’d probably punch him if he did, and the thought almost made him laugh out loud.
When his attention went back to her eyes, he caught her just as her gaze darted to his mouth, lingered, and then met his eyes. Lynix knew what she wanted because he wanted the same thing.
He reached over and cupped her cheek. Then he leaned forward and boldly touched his lips to hers. When she didn’t push him away, he deepened the connection. The kiss started sweet and gentle, the taste of strawberry exploding in his mouth. But as the kiss grew more intense, he slid his hand behind Dorian’s head and held her in place as he savored her sweetness.
This was not what he had in mind when he invited her to the suite, but damn if he wasn’t glad it happened. Tasting her again made his heart sing and his desire for her quadruple. No way could she deny this… this… whatever this was pulsing between them. Whatever this intense sensation thrumming inside of him was, he could honestly say he had never experienced it with anyone else.
This was what he wanted. Her. Nobody else. Just her.
Without warning, Dorian tore her mouth from his. “Whoa. Okay. Umm, you were saying,” she said, her chest heaving as she returned her attention to the cake.
Hell, he was in too much of a kissing haze to remember anything before their lips touched. One thing he knew for sure was when they did get together, and they would, they were going to burn up the sheets.
Yeah, he was going there with his thoughts because there was nothing he wanted more than he wanted Dorian. Now that he’d had a taste of her again, he wanted more.
“You’ve always been well spoken and seem to always be in control,” she said, her breaths still sounding a little uneven. “I have no doubt you’re going to be great in your new role, but is working in the family business really what you want? What about your father? If you two don’t get along, how are you going to work together?”
How could she think straight after that kiss? Lynix was still trying to stop his heart from hammering and get his body backunder control. Maybe she hadn’t been as affected as he’d been. Or maybe she was just better at hiding her feelings.
He poured a glass of water from the pitcher that the server had left, and he drank half the glass before he felt steady enough to jump back into the conversation.
“It’s time,” he said. “I get along great with my brothers, and since they are the ones running everything, I shouldn’t have too many dealings with my father. At least I hope I won’t. Besides, he’s on another mission.”
“Which is?”
