Page 15 of Daring to Love You (Priestly Family #3)

Chapter Eleven

I f anyone would’ve told Dorian that she’d be spending part of the day with Lynix Mathews, she wouldn’t have believed them.

Never had she done anything as brazen as walk up to a man and kiss him as if she had every right to do so.

Thankfully, Lynix had played along despite being caught off guard.

Had he not, that little stunt could’ve turned out to be one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

For a person who claimed she wanted nothing to do with him, she had to admit she enjoyed every moment of pretending to be his woman.

The only snag in her charades was the hurt and anger she felt when she came face-to-face with Rodney and Shauna. Painful memories of how they’d treated her before she’d left the agency were forever sketched in her mind.

Seeing them again shook her more than she thought it would, but having Lynix by her side gave her the courage and confidence she’d needed. A calm she had never felt when it came to those two people. For that, she would be forever grateful.

When Cree had instructed her on what to do, Dorian had thought her crazy. She thought there was no way she could be that scandalous and bold. Yet, Dorian had been up for the challenge, determined to follow her sister’s instructions exactly.

In hindsight, it might’ve been childish trying to show Rodney and Shauna that not only had she moved on, but she had hooked up with a man who respected her.

A man who was a part of a wealthy family and had the authority to say yay or nay to a potentially huge contract that they wanted and probably needed.

Seeing the looks on their faces, particularly when Lynix had been ready to leave before hearing them out, had been priceless.

“We’ll get this up to the Harmony Suite shortly, Mr. Mathews, and just let me know if anything else is needed?”

Dorian’s ears perked up. After leaving her sisters’ table, Lynix had mentioned needing to speak to the manager of the restaurant. She had stepped back to give him a little space and had temporarily gotten lost in her thoughts.

Had she heard him correctly? The Harmony Suite? She assumed they’d be having lunch in private but not in a hotel suite.

“Thanks, Bob,” Lynix said, and reached for her hand. He led her out of the restaurant and toward a bank of elevators.

“Harmony Suite?” she whispered when they were out of earshot of the manager. “Lynix, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

She had to take two or three steps to his single one to keep up with his long strides. When he realized she was practically running beside him, he slowed and grinned down at her.

“Why isn’t that a good idea? Are you afraid you can’t control yourself around me?”

She swatted his arm with her free hand. “Be serious.”

She tried to pull out of his grasp, but he held on. “I’m dead serious. After that smoking hot kiss, I’m not sure what to think. You might have more plans for me, and there’s no way in hell I want to miss out if you do.”

“Would you be serious?” She should’ve known that kiss would come back to bite her… even if she did enjoy it.

Lynix chuckled and squeezed her hand. “Okay, but seriously, the Harmony Suite is for my family to use whenever needed. Since it’s empty and has incredible views, I thought it would be a good place for us to talk in private and get to know each other better while we eat.”

Okay, that made sense, but she wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be with him in a room with a huge bed in it.

“My intentions are honorable, sweetheart, but I won’t stop you if you want to ravish my mouth again. I have to say, you caught me off guard with that little show earlier, but I have no complaints. I enjoyed every moment, and I’m here for it if you want to do it again.”

Her face grew hot at his words. She had hoped he wouldn’t give her a hard time about that stunt, but it looked as if he planned to. At least he wasn’t mad. No, it seemed he was more amused than anything.

They approached the elevators where several people were waiting, and she moved closer to him. She didn’t know why her nerves were getting the best of her. Lynix wasn’t the type of man to force himself on anyone. So she had nothing to worry about.

Releasing her hand, he pulled her against his body. Her heart skipped a beat, and unable to help it, she inhaled his masculine scent. It had a hint of spice and citrus, and she almost moaned. It was similar to something he’d worn in the past, but a little more pronounced today.

With a hand on her hip, she shivered against his touch as he leaned close to her ear and said, “It’s just lunch and conversation. You can trust me.”

Ha! He wasn’t the one she was worried about. She wasn’t sure she could trust herself alone with him.

Dorian had never been the type to pursue a man or make the first move.

It just wasn’t in her, but with Lynix she was tempted to step out of her shell.

She finally understood why women gravitated to him.

The man was irresistible and made her body sizzle by just being in his presence.

She could feel herself weakening to the unfamiliar need he stirred within her.

She looked up at him and his gaze met hers, and she didn’t miss the seriousness in his smoky-brown eyes. Too often he clowned around with her, either making her laugh or making her want to punch him, but this wasn’t one of those times.

“I do trust you,” she said just above a whisper.

When the elevator dinged, she and Lynix were the only ones to enter when the doors swooshed open. It made sense that most of the people waiting would be going down since the restaurant was on one of the top floors.

Holding her hand again, Lynix dug out a key card from his pants pocket and held it against the scanner below the numbers.

Then pressed the button for the top floor.

He explained the hotel had a presidential suite on that floor, but it was on the other side of the building away from the other six suites, one being the Harmony Suite.

If the suites were anything like the rest of what she’d seen of the hotel, they were lavishly decorated.

The elevator doors slid open, and they stepped into the quietest hotel hallway Dorian had ever been in. The lush carpet was like cotton under her feet as they silently made their way down the long hallway. The room doors were generously spaced apart, giving her an idea of the size of the suites.

They stopped at the last door on the left, and after scanning his card, Lynix pushed the door open and gestured for her to enter. The moment Dorian stepped across the threshold, her mouth dropped open. In front of her were wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Lake Michigan.

“Wow,” she said on a breath, unable to say much else.

The view was like nothing she’d ever seen before.

It was no wonder he had suggested they meet there.

The open space offered unobstructed views between the rooms and was larger than her two-bedroom apartment.

The walls were a deep gray with white trim and black and white accents.

The paintings gracing the walls were eye-catching abstracts that added pops of color to the large space.

The kitchen was separate from the living room with a long island. That area wasn’t huge, but it was modern with marble countertops and stainless-steel appliances.

Still checking out the space, Dorian strolled through the living room and around the cocktail table that sat between the two sofas facing each other.

One wall held a huge television, and on the opposite side of the open floor plan was the dining area.

The long table included six upholstered chairs but looked as if it could handle at least two more.

Beyond that space was a room with the door opened, but from where she was standing, she couldn’t see inside and assumed it was a bedroom.

Not wanting to think about them being so close to a room which probably had a huge bed that she and Lynix could test out, she glanced away. They were just there to talk. Nothing else.

“You like it?” Lynix asked from beside her.

“Are you kidding me? This is gorgeous, and I might never want to leave. Deciding to eat up here was a good choice.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, her stomach rumbled as if punctuating the comment.

Lynix chuckled. “Food should be here shortly. Make yourself comfortable.” He strolled into the kitchen. “What would you like to drink? We have everything from water to bourbon.”

“A bottle of water, and if you have iced tea or lemonade, that would be great.”

“I have all the above, and there’s also a bottle of Arnold Palmer if you want a combination of lemonade and iced tea.”

“That would be perfect.”

Her attention went back to the windows as she moved closer to them.

If she ever saved enough money, she’d get an apartment or buy a condo with a view like this one.

A calmness engulfed her. She could already envision a reading nook near the windows where she’d probably sit for hours devouring a romance or just thinking about life.

What would it be like to feel as if she was living on top of the world?

Because where she was standing, that’s exactly how it felt.

Her life was great but simple and uneventful, well, except for her date the other night and the meeting that she had just crashed.

She’d definitely been out of her element with both, but if she had a place like this…

Dorian startled and jerked away when something touched her arm. Lynix. He stood beside her with drinks in hand and looked at her with amusement in his eyes.

The man was so fine, sometimes it was hard to look at him without drooling or wishing she could be wrapped up in his muscular arms. The olive-green button-down shirt he was wearing was beautiful against his cinnamon tone skin.

He had rolled the sleeves neatly up to his elbows, and the way the garment hugged his biceps, it looked as if they were trying to burst free.

She always liked tall, built men who could carry her around if ever she needed. They also usually gave good bear hugs, which she had experienced with Lynix.

“Dorian? You okay?”

She blinked several times, realizing she’d been staring at him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Just thinking.”

“What were you thinking about?” He held a drink out to her, and it was sweet how he had poured it into a glass.

“I was imagining what it would be like to live in this type of luxury.”

“Well, if you ever want to experience that, let me know. My condo is a few blocks up, and I have a similar view.” He nodded toward the sofa. “Let’s have a seat.”

Her eyebrows rose. “You live in a place with views like this?” She pointed her thumb at the window as he gently grasped her elbow and led her to the sofa.

“Yes,” he said, and they both sat on the overstuffed furniture that seemed to wrap around her like a loving embrace. “You’re more than welcome to come by, check it out, and stay as long as you want.”

All Dorian could think about was how many women he’d probably invited to his place in the past, but she shook the thought free. No way would she allow her mind to go down that road.

As they sat next to each other, close enough to breathe the same air, Lynix told her about his grandfather leaving him a trust fund. He hadn’t splurged on much, but she found it fascinating that he lived a life of luxury and could buy anything he wanted.

Just looking at him, he didn’t come across as wealthy. Sure, he dressed nicely, and his clothes always looked of good quality, but he wasn’t flashy. The only flashy thing she’d seen of him was his BMW, and even that, Dorian hadn’t known about until a few weeks ago.

This was a reminder that he was way out of her league. He was financially stable, while she was just getting by. They might only be a few years apart, but she was positive her life experiences didn’t come close to his. Yet, he insisted they were perfect for each other.

What could she possibly offer him when he seemed to have everything he could ever want or need?

But there was one area of his life that didn’t make sense—him working for Chicago P.D. He definitely didn’t need the money. So what was it about being a cop that kept him going to work every day?

Before she could pose the question, what sounded like a doorbell, rang. She glanced around, and then she heard it again.

“That’s probably the food.”

Dang, the place even has a doorbell.

As Lynix stood, he dug into the front pocket of his dress pants and pulled out a money clip.

Dorian stood too, watching as two people strolled in, one pushing a serving cart piled with covered dishes.

Enticing aromas filled the space, and Dorian’s mouth watered as her stomach growled.

She hadn’t eaten since that morning, and right now, she felt as if she could eat everything that had been ordered.

The staff made quick work of setting up the food and more drinks on a side table near the dining area. They were efficient, and within minutes, Dorian and Lynix were fixing their plates.

When she had perused the menu earlier, she had struggled with what to order because she wanted to try several dishes.

That was no longer a problem. Lynix had ordered a sample of everything on the menu, and it was as if Dorian had died and gone to food heaven.

Everything from avocado toast to braised ribs was tempting her, and if that wasn’t enough, petite size desserts were also included.

“Did you know I was a foodie?” Dorian asked.

Lynix flashed her a crooked grin. “Yes, I know a lot about you, and what I don’t know, I’m looking forward to learning. So how about we start with you telling me what those bastards you used to work with did to you?”