Page 32 of Daring to Love You
She secretly liked the idea of him thinking she wasn’t just a nice people pleaser, which was how she reluctantly saw herself sometimes. That was probably why she had a hard time telling her mother to back off—in a way where she knew Dorian meant business.
“But anyway, getting back to my idea. I think we should give it a try. At least for a few months. If at any time you want to stop, just say the word. We can tell people you dumped me because we weren’t compatible.”
Dorian mulled over the idea. If her mother thought they were seeing each other, she would definitely back off, but for how long? More importantly, could she fake date Lynix without feelings getting in the way? Would anyone believe she could actually pull a man like him? Then again, he had been asking her out.
“Wait.” Dorian glared at him. “This is a trick, isn’t it? You’re just trying to get me to go out with you.”
His cool, calm expression remained firmly in place when he said, “I don’t typically have to trick anyone to go out with me, Dorian, and I’m not going to start now. I do, however, like the idea of you being my woman even for a few months.”
Dorian nibbled on her bottom lip as they regarded each other. Even if this was him being sly where she was concerned, the idea was still a win-win for her. She’d get a chance to spend time with a real man, an experienced man who seemed to know how to treat a woman. In the process, she would also get to see how the one-percenters lived—those whose net worth was overa million dollars. Then, when she was sure her mother was done matchmaking, she and Lynix could go their separate ways.
It sounded easy enough, but what if the plan backfired? What if she fell for his charming ass? But then, she thought of something else.
“The thought of lying to my mother…” Her words trailed off as she realized she wouldn’t be just lying to her mother. They’d be lying to everyone, including his family. None of that sat well with her.
“Technically, we wouldn’t be lying.” Lynix ran the back of his fingers slowly down her cheek, and she leaned into his touch before realizing what she was doing. “We’ll be hanging out and going a few places together. It’ll just look like we’re getting to know each other.”
True, but this still felt like a bad idea.
She was a grown woman. She didn’t play games, and she didn’t want to start just to keep her mother out of her love life. But anyone who knew Virginia Priestly knew how pushy she could be, and Dorian was tired of it.
She glanced down at her dress, wiping invisible crumbs off her lap when she said, “What about kissing?”
When she looked at Lynix, his left eyebrow was lifted. “What about it? I already told you earlier that whenever you want to plant one on me, have at it.”
She sighed and shook her head. “If I accepted the offer, we should probably stay clear of kissing—unless we’re in front of others and trying to show we’re a couple. Also, what about Zion? Even if we’d be fake dating, I don’t know how he’d feel about any of it.”
“Don’t worry about Zion. I’ll take care of him.”
Dorian might not have much experience with men, but even she could recognize what Lynix was trying to do. Spend time with her in hopes that she’d date him for real. Granted, his ideawould help her out of a jam, but would the situation be one of those times when she solves one problem only to create another? Probably.
After a long hesitation, instead of saying “no,” like her brain was telling her to, she said, “Fine, we can give it a try but no kissing.”
Lynix laughed. “Okay, if that’s how you want it, but if at any time you change your mind, just do what you did in the restaurant, and I’ll play along.”
Chapter Fifteen
Usually when Lynix made up his mind to do something, he didn’t think twice. He trusted his judgment, and it rarely steered him wrong. However, the idea of meeting with Zion to share his intentions regarding Dorian gave him pause. Their friendship meant everything to him, and he hoped dating Dorian wouldn’t put a wedge between them.
Zion was reasonable. He knew Lynix well enough to know he would never do anything to hurt Dorian. At least that’s what Lynix told himself as he strolled into Roby’s Pub, the local cop bar—a place he used to frequent often.
Times have changed. Since he no longer wanted to be known as the good-time guy who loved women, he didn’t stop by the Pub often anymore. It was all part of his plan in cleaning up his reputation. So far he didn’t miss it at all, especially now that he was making progress with Dorian.
Lynix moved around a couple of tables as he headed to the bar. With it being Sunday, the place wasn’t too crowded. Normally, some of the guys would stop by after their shift during the week or on a Saturday. Sundays? Not so much. If any of them were there, it was mainly to watch sports. There was currentlya baseball game on most of the televisions strategically placed throughout the space.
“What’s up, man? Haven’t seen you in a while,” Percy, the bartender, said and set a drink napkin in front of Lynix when he took a seat at the end of the bar.
“Yeah, been busy. I’ll have my usual and a glass of water.” His usual included a bottle of Miller High Life with the top on and a basket of potato wedges along with a cheeseburger.
Lynix settled in, his gaze taking in the space. As for pubs, Roby’s was fairly large. Most of the booths along the perimeter of the space were filled with customers. Only a few of the tables in the middle and near the bar were occupied. While most of the bar stools were taken. The back of the building held two pool tables as well as a dart board, and they all were in use.
“Here you go.” Percy set the beer in front of Lynix. “Your food should be up in a minute.”
“Hey, Lynix, baby. Where you been hiding?” asked Chelle, a woman he’d hung out with in the past.
Lynix tried not to groan. Chelle was relentless in her pursuit of him, which just made him keep her at a distance. She was cute with a pixie cut, light-brown skin, and an hourglass figure. She was nice enough, but he preferred to be the chaser. Not the other way around, and this woman was as thirsty as they came. It was also a turn off when a woman couldn’t take a hint—even when he’d made himself clear he wasn’t interested.
“What’s up, Chelle?”
