Page 24 of Heart in Waiting
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dane parked his carin front of Reese’s condo and took a deep breath. This was it—he was technically taking her on a date. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it no matter how much he tried. It was for her protection, but it didn’t feel that way. Something about it seemed all too real, and it terrified him. How was he going to make it through a whole evening if he couldn’t get it together outside her home?
“Go ring the doorbell, asshole,” he muttered to himself. “Carter has his own date to pick up.”
He gathered what little courage he could muster and stepped out of his car, shutting the door behind him. His tie seemed like it was hell-bent on strangling him. He wrenched his fingers underneath the silk wrapped around his neck and yanked it loose. It probably looked awful now that he fussed with the damn thing. Reese would think him uncouth and too rough around the edges to take any place nice. He grumbled and pushed her doorbell. The chimes echoed around, announcing his arrival like a prince there to collect the fair maiden—and he was a maudlin fool. He was the last person anyone would think of as princely.
The door opened and Carter greeted him. “Took you long enough.”
Dane lifted a brow. “Have a hot date or something?”
His mouth formed a hard, white line. “She’s definitely something... Come in. Reese is finishing up, so I don’t know how long she’ll be. She’s already been closed off in her bedroom for an hour. I’m afraid to knock again. The last time, she darn near bit my head off.”
“She probably didn’t appreciate the interruption.” Dane made a similar mistake the first morning he’d spent at her condo. “She’s particular about how she does things.”
“I know that,” Carter grumbled. “I did grow up in the same house.”
“Then why are you surprised?”
Sometimes he forgot that Reese was Carter’s sister. They hadn’t traveled in the same social circles and it was a fluke he’d met Reese at all. If she hadn’t been dating someone at the school he went to as a teen, he might not have. Well, that wasn’t true either. At some point, he probably would have since he was Carter’s partner, but he wouldn’t have been in love with her since he was eighteen. It would have just happened a lot later on. Of course, by the time he saw her again after the prom, she’d been dating Nolan. That had soured his stomach in ways rotten food never would. Who knows how he’d have felt about her seeing her on his brother’s arm. He’d hated it when he was already in love with her, and if he met her for the first time in that scenario he might have hated her.
“I thought maybe she’d have grown out of it.” Carter shrugged. “Now that you’re here, I’ll go collect Miss Prissy and meet you two at the Roseland hotel.”
“Wait,” Dane said. “I didn’t realize this was in a different town.”
Roseland was where his prom had been held and not too far from the Shelton Academy where he’d gone to school. The first time he’d held Reese in his arms was there too. He’d relived that moment over and over throughout the years. Now he might get a chance to dance with her again in the same spot. There was something poetic about that.
“Yeah,” Carter paused. “Is that a problem?”
“Were not exactly authorized to act legally in a different town.”
“Well, if a problem arises, we’ll let the locals sort it out. This isn’t a sting operation or something. All we’re doing is taking dates out to this nice little fundraiser thing. Though it is odd that it’s being held in another town... I wonder how they decided on that.”
Dane didn’t like it. Something was off about the whole thing. He didn’t question the fundraiser’s veracity, but the location felt wrong. It was for Reese who worked at Envill East. Shouldn’t it be in the same town as the hospital she worked at?
“What is it?” Carter asked. “I recognize that look on your face.”
“It’s probably nothing...” Dane scrunched his eyebrows together. “But keep your eyes open. I have a bad feeling.”
He wished now that he could talk Reese out of going. If it wasn’t being held in her honor, he might have a chance of doing that. Now though... There wasn’t a chance in hell she’d back out. She would go whether he liked it or not, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“I planned on it anyway.” He nodded at him. “I’m going to leave now. I’ll see you there.”
Carter turned and left Dane alone. There was no telling how long Reese would take. He might as well get comfortable. He headed toward her living room and stood in the middle of it. Several nights ago, she’d tried to seduce him in there, and the memories still haunted him. He wanted her to love him, and everything about that night hadn’t seemed right. A part of him had wanted to believe she desired him, and maybe she had in some way. It hadn’t been real though. Not in any way that counted. Reese had been using him to forget her problems, and if he’d been willing, she might have for a few hours. When they finally came together, he wanted it to mean something. He didn’t doubt for a moment that they would. They were on a path that led to one place—with her in his life forever.
Her bedroom door opened, and Reese exited. The light behind her glowed around her in the dark hallway—almost like an angel stepping out of heaven. He couldn’t make out what she wore, or even her features, but her silhouette took his breath away. If she looked even half as good in the light as she did in the shadows he wouldn’t be able to function. He wanted the right to pull her into his arms and kiss her. By some miracle, he held back.
She flipped the light off in her bedroom and strolled toward him. Her hips swayed with each step like an invitation he desperately wanted to accept. He clenched his fists at his side and remained in place. She hadn’t done anything that should indicate she wanted him for anything other than an escort to the fundraiser. He would not act like a male pig entitled to touch when she hadn’t offered.
The light in the living room was on low, but it was enough for him to see her in all her glory. The hem of her dress floated across the floor. It had a neckline shaped in a V pattern that dipped below her breasts and almost touched her navel. The color was a vibrant red that bordered on fuchsia depending on how the light hit the satin. Tiny gems decorated the waistline and trailed upward on the outside of the straps tied around her neck emphasizing the outline of her bosom. Everything about the dress enticed, and he wanted to strip it off her slowly.
“Are you ready?” She squeezed the small silver purse in her hands. Was she as nervous as him? “It’s a half-hour drive to the hotel.”
He wished he’d thought to ask where the fundraiser was being held earlier. He’d never thought to and he should have. It was his job to protect her and he’d failed in that regard. At least Carter had the foresight to check. His partner would have ensured it was safe. A hotel though? A young man going to prom might have secured a room for the night, hoping to spend it there with his date. A man would do more than hope if he played his cards right. He didn’t have any sway with Reese, but he wished he could convince her to spend the night with him. The temptation was quite real, and he didn’t know how he’d make it through the night.
He cleared his throat. “You look lovely.”
She brushed her hand over imaginary wrinkles in her skirt. “Thank you.”
