Page 46 of Daring to Love You
“So I need to give Rodney a call, huh?”
Oh crap!
Chapter Twenty-One
Lynix struggled to keep his anger in check. After putting the babies down and hanging out with Onyx, who made himself comfortable on his dog bed outside of the nursery, Lynix returned to the kitchen. He stopped short when he heard Dorian on the phone.
At first, he started to walk away and give her some privacy. That was until he realized she was talking to Rodney, and when she’d raised her voice, it took herculean strength not to rush in and snatch the phone from her. Whatever her ex had said to her had cut deep for her to snap on him.
One thing Lynix knew for sure was that Rodney was going to regret the day he ever met him. From the one-sided conversation he’d heard, Lynix wanted to hunt the bastard down. He wanted to pay him a personal visit and shove his fist into the man’s face for upsetting Dorian.
When Lynix had made his presence known, and she whirled around to face him, the tears in her eyes were like taking a punch to the kidneys. For that, Rodney was going to pay.
“Come here,” he said as he moved farther into the kitchen and was glad that she walked into his arms without arguing.
She held on tightly, sniffling every few seconds. They stood that way for several long minutes before he felt her relax. When he thought she might be ready to talk, he kissed the top of her head and slowly released her.
“What was that all about?” he asked, watching her closely.
“Nothing,” she said, trying to put a lightness in her tone, but her voice cracked before she cleared her throat. “Rodney is not worth our time. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.”
“Dorian, what did he say?”
“Lynix…”
“Dee.”
She sighed loudly. “He wanted me to put in a good word with you for Concept Marketing, but I told him no. You can pick whatever company you want to work with, but I’m staying out of it.”
She diverted her gaze and smoothed down her yellow sundress. The fitted dress was cinched at the waist and stopped above her knees, showing off her legs—which he loved. What he also liked was how the outfit fit like a second skin, highlighting her petite but curvaceous body.
The color was beautiful on her, and she looked like a ray of sunshine when there weren’t tears in her eyes.
Lynix reached out and lifted her chin with the pad of his finger, forcing her to look at him.
“What else did he say? And before you consider lying, don’t,” he said harsher than intended and reined in his anger. “I’ll know if you lie because you have a tell.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, and he smiled.
“What kind of tell?”
“I’m not saying because you’ll try to hide it, and I won’t know if you’re being honest with me.”
She didn’t really have a solid tell, but he noticed that, when she was debating on something, she nibbled her lower lip, and her eyes moved back and forth.
Her shoulders slumped. “Before he asked me for that favor, he said some not so nice things about me. And before you ask, I’m not telling you.” She glanced away, but he got in her line of sight, forcing her to return her attention to him.
“What if I want you to tell me?”
She shook her head, and more tears filled her eyes.
Shit.This was bad.
“Dorian, sweetheart, you’re killing me here. Talk to me. You know you can tell me anything. What. Did. He. Say?”
She took so long to respond, Lynix thought she wouldn’t tell him, but then she recounted the conversation. He had heard her side of it, but now hearing Rodney’s side, Lynix really was going to make the man regret meeting him. Not only were the words mean-spirited, but as far as Lynix was concerned, Rodney had been calling on behalf of the agency. Dorian might not be the client, but he was, and she was his.
It was taking all Lynix’s self-control not to blow up, but he had to be careful what he said next. This was about building Dorian up, telling and showing her that Rodney’s words had no merit. He had to play this right and not say something that would make her feel worse or make her cry more.
