Page 17 of Dylan (Bad Boys After Dark)
DYLAN LEFT A little something for Tiffany on his way out for a run Monday morning. He took off in the direction of Central Park, looking forward to meeting his brother Carson for their five-mile loop. Even at six in the morning the city was bustling with cars and pedestrian traffic. Dylan turned into the park, passing other joggers and women pushing strollers while they talked on their Bluetooth headsets, and spotted Carson waiting for him at their usual spot near a particularly large and beautiful tree. They tried to run together a few times each week, and Dylan looked forward to it. It gave them a chance to catch up.
“Hey,” Carson said, falling into step beside him. “How’s the kitchen reno coming along?” He was younger than Dylan and older than Brett, and the most introspective of the four brothers. Carson was also the only brother who rarely gave any of them shit, but when he did, they knew they deserved it.
“Great. Painting today. Want to help?” Dylan had renovations down to a science. When he did a full renovation, it took a few days to tear out all the cabinets and repair the walls, a day or two of painting, and then a few days of cabinet installation and countertop work. This year he’d chosen to only reface the cabinets, replace the appliances, and paint.
“Can’t. Have a meeting that’ll last all day. We’re trying to sign the Greystone account I told you about. Working security for their East Coast division.”
“The media company. I remember. Good luck.” Carson had been wooing Greystone for months. Dylan didn’t know squat about international security, but his brothers were magnates in the field. He had no doubt they’d secure the account.
They ran in comfortable silence for a few minutes, and Dylan’s mind traveled back to Tiffany. She was one tough nut, but in the next breath, she was soft as butter. Strangely, he was equally turned on by, and intrigued by, both. Her voice sailed through his mind.Not happening, and he couldn’t help but laugh.
“Either wipe that grin off your face or spill it,” Carson said as they rounded a bend and ran alongside the reservoir.
“How much did you and Brett wager?” Dylan knew Brett would have told Carson about his leaving flowers for Tiffany and about Tiffany not calling to thank him. He also knew how much Brett loved a good bet, and he was just cocky enough to bet against Dylan getting together with Tiffany.
“Hundred.” Carson glanced over. He wore his wavy dark hair a little longer than Dylan and parted on the side. He had angular features and a serious air about him that he’d had since he was a kid. He always looked like he was deep in thought, and knowing Carson, he usually was.
“For or against?”
“Always on your side, bro.” Carson kept his personal life to himself. He’d had a close friend in college, Tawny Bishop, and Dylan had thought that if anyone could bring his brother out of his shell, it was her. But as far as Dylan knew, he and Tawny had never taken their relationship past friendship. In truth, Dylan had no idea if Carson dated at all.
“You’re a good man,” Dylan said. “And you just won yourself a hundred bucks.”
“Yeah?” Carson laughed. “Brett’s going to eat crow this afternoon.”
“So?” Carson said. “You were dead set on going home with her after Mick’s wedding. You’re not really a once and done type of guy, so I assume you’re still seeing her?”
“Depends which one of us you ask.” She’d fought him hard on seeing him again. He wondered if she’d call Phoebe, whose number he’d left her this morning. Phoebe was a real estate mogul and owned five of the best office buildings in Manhattan, as well as the Ultimate, one of the most sought-after hotels in the area. If anyone could find Tiffany suitable space for her agency, it was Phoebe.
Carson shot him a confused look.
“She’s like this beautiful disaster, and I mean that in the very best way possible. You know how some people wall themselves off and you get glimpses of who they are but they won’t let you in?”
“You’ve just described Mick to a tee.”
Dylan thought about that for a minute. Their eldest brother definitely fit that bill, at least until his new wife, Amanda, had come along.
“Yeah. Maybe I need to talk to Amanda.”
“They’re on their honeymoon, and besides, no woman is going to give you pointers on getting through to another woman. It’s part of their girl code or something. They like to see us squirm.”
“You never squirm.”
“I never chase either.” Carson bumped Dylan with his elbow and nodded in the direction of two brunettes doing yoga on the grass. Normally Dylan would be all over that view, tracking them for as long as he could, but his only thought was how they didn’t compare to Tiffany.
“You saw her, bro. She’s hot as fuck. She’s bright and smart-mouthed. You know how I love a smart-mouthed woman.”
“I know how much you like women’s mouths,” Carson quipped.
“I do have a thing for a fine, sexy mouth,” Dylan conceded. “But it’s more than fantastic sex. Part of what makes her so hot is her inability to accept beingtreatedlike she is. It’s like she works really hard to prove she’s not a gorgeous blonde, and yet when we’re together, she slips, you know? She lets her guard down and there’s this softer side of her that I want to hold on to and get to know better. She’s fascinating and charming in this totally uncharming way.”
“She’s got your briefs in a knot, all right.” Carson laughed under his breath and then his tone, and his expression, went dead serious. “Dyl, not all women need a knight in shining armor, and from what I know about Tiffany, she’s a ballbuster. I think you’re setting yourself up to be either hurt or made a fool of. Neither one sounds like a good outcome.”
Dylan ground his teeth together. His other brothers would come right out and tell him not to waste his time, but not Carson. Carson’s mind worked through a pattern of reasons and best- and worst-case scenarios. It was what made him excellent at his job. He cut right to the heart of the matter. Dylan could make light of that truth and make an off-the-cuff remark, tell his brother all women were needy and he was giving herexactlywhat she needed, but while that was a response he’d give to the others, with Carson he could bring it down a notch and make it real. And right now he needed real, because he couldn’t get Tiffany out of his fucking mind.
“That’s the thing. Ilikethat she isn’t a pushover who needs me. She’s challenging, and when I finally get her in my arms, it’s…explosive and it’s like she belongs there regardless of whether she says something sharp or if something sweet slips out. I can’t explain it, because it makes no sense. She’s the exact opposite of the type of woman I usually go for. But Ilikeher. And in those brief moments when she lets her guard down? She’s so muchmorethan any woman I’ve ever been with. When I’m with her, whether we’re verbally sparring or making out, it feels real and raw and…” At a loss for words, he shrugged.
Carson didn’t say anything for the longest time as they rounded the North Woods and headed back the way they’d come.
