Page 17 of Daring to Love You (Priestly Family #3)

Chapter Thirteen

L ynix understood Dorian wanting to change the subject, but every fiber in his body wanted to hunt Rodney and Shauna down and kick their asses.

Dorian was one of the sweetest people he’d ever met, and the thought of them mistreating her didn’t sit right with him.

Especially when he had the power to do something about it.

He couldn’t let them get away with pushing Dorian out of a job she loved. She might’ve moved on and accepted what led to her resigning, but he couldn’t. He’d come up with some way of making them pay, but for now, he was going to enjoy their time together.

But first, there was something he’d been wanting to do for the last few minutes.

He wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin, laid it on the table, and stood. “Come here so I can give you a hug,” he said, opening his arms to her.

Dorian stared wide-eyed at him, and then her eyes narrowed. “Why do you want to give me a hug?” she asked.

He chuckled. “Just come here for a minute.”

He was relieved when she finally pushed her chair back, then walked into his open arms. Lynix held her close, enjoying the feel of her softness against him, and her fresh scent that met his nose. When her arms circled his waist, she buried her face against his neck and sighed.

This was nice. Dorian fit so perfectly in his arms that he never wanted to let her go.

“I needed this,” she mumbled, her breath hot against his neck and her body relaxed into him.

Lynix placed a lingering kiss against her temple.

“I’m glad, but this hug technically wasn’t for you.

It’s for me,” he said with a laugh. “Woman, you took ten years off my life when I thought Rodney had physically abused you. I needed this hug to help settle my nerves and keep me from doing something crazy like finding him so I can give him an old-fashioned beat down.”

She snorted. “I don’t know exactly what that entails but forget it. Forget him. Lynix, I didn’t tell you the story so you could go off and fight my battles. That was a part of my past, and I don’t want you doing anything that will get you in trouble. Neither one of them is worth it.”

Still holding on to him, she lifted her head and met his gaze. “Thank you for being so great today. I appreciate you listening without judging me.”

As he stared into her kind eyes, Lynix ran the back of his fingers down her soft cheek. “Dee, you can always talk to me and tell me anything, and I’ll keep it to myself. I know that conversation wasn’t easy, but I’m glad you trusted me enough to share what happened.”

This was what he’d been wanting—them opening up to one another while getting to know each other better. He wanted Dorian to know she could trust him. Not just with her heart but everything.

Lynix just hadn’t expected to feel some kind of way after all she’d shared earlier.

He had already sensed she didn’t have much experience with men.

Now, knowing for sure ignited a protectiveness inside of him.

Not in a brotherly kind of way, either, but in a way a man felt when wanting to protect his woman.

Dorian might not be his yet, but that would change one day soon. He didn’t know when or how, but like he told her before, he wasn’t giving up. And now that she had lowered her guard some with him, it was only a matter of time when she’d see how he was different from what she first thought.

“Thanks for the hug,” he said, giving her another squeeze. He wanted to kiss her incredible lips again, but he settled for a kiss against her silky hair before releasing her.

“It’s funny you should ask about me meeting with that marketing agency,” he said after they reclaimed their seats and got back to their meal. “I’m leaving Chicago P.D. in a couple of weeks, and I’ll be officially joining WBM Enterprise, my family’s business.”

Lynix didn’t realize just how excited he was about the change in his career until he was telling Dorian about his new title—Vice President of Operations. It had a nice ring to it, and it came with a significant pay increase and great benefits.

Once he left Chicago P.D., Lynix planned to take a week off before officially starting in his new position.

He had only hosted the meeting today at Wes’s request, but he wouldn’t meet with anyone else until after he started the job.

After that, Lynix would shadow Wes for a few weeks, or at least until he felt comfortable in the new role.

“When I graduated with my business degree, instead of working in an office at one of our businesses, I opted to join the police force.”

“I’m impressed,” Dorian said between bites. “I didn’t even know you had a college degree.”

“Hey, I’m not just another pretty face. I have brains too,” he joked, and when she laughed, the lyrical sound made him want to keep her laughing.

This moment, of them eating a meal together and talking, felt perfect, and he wanted it to last forever.

They had always gotten along well. They’d clowned with each other good-naturedly over the years, except for when he was egotistic and full of himself.

Yet, even then, they were able to share some laughs.

Who would’ve thought they’d ever be able to have a serious conversation and learn things about each other they hadn’t known?

“Okay, so you got your degree, but why didn’t you want to work in the family business, especially with your brothers?”

“Because of my father. He’s condescending, rude more often than not, and he’s controlling.

Since I’m the youngest of my three brothers, he thought he could control every aspect of my life, even when I became an adult.

He’s tried for years, in several ways, but when it came to where I’d work after graduation from college, I took control by joining the police force.

At first, I had done it to piss off the old man, but once I started patrolling the streets of Chicago, I realized I enjoyed the job.

“Yes, there are days when I question humanity and wonder—what the hell is wrong with people. Then there are other days when I can’t imagine not coming to someone’s rescue or keeping people safe.

Each day is different and there’s an… energy, for lack of a better word, that you can’t get from anywhere else. ”

“Yeah, that’s what Zion used to say. He liked the adrenaline rush. At least he did before Raven and the babies came along.”

Zion had been in the military for years, and when he’d gotten out, he had joined Chicago P.D. Which was how he and Lynix met, and they’d been best friends ever since.

Dorian stuffed a forkful of strawberry cheesecake into her mouth and moaned. “Oh, my goodness. This is amazing . The cheesecake I make is great, but this might come in a close second.”

Not only did she cook and bake for the guests at her parents’ B&B, but according to Zion, she also had a side hustle. She provided baked goods several times a week to a bakery near the B&B. She was one of the best cooks Lynix knew.

“You’ll have to make your cheesecake for me so I can compare the two.”

“Okay,” she said.

Lynix reached over and, with the pad of his thumb, wiped off the smudge of strawberry sauce at the corner of her lower lip. He stuck his thumb into his mouth and licked it off before thinking about what he’d done.

“What?” He shrugged and laughed at the way Dorian’s eyebrows shot up. “I wanted to see how it tasted.”

She grinned. “And what did you think?”

“I think it tasted sweet like you. So of course it’s delicious.”

Dorian laughed. “Oh, you’re gooood , Mr. Sweet Talker.”

She scooped up another fork full of cake and instead of eating it, she held the utensil out to Lynix. He opened for her, and the moment the cake touched his tongue, he moaned.

She was right, it was amazing and practically melted in his mouth.

He chewed the strawberries as he watched her watch him.

Man, she was beautiful. He loved how her hair was piled haphazardly but perfectly on top of her head in a bun.

The style added to her sexiness, but it also tempted him to reach up and undo it so her hair could fall around her shoulders.

Yeah, she’d probably punch him if he did, and the thought almost made him laugh out loud.

When his attention went back to her eyes, he caught her just as her gaze darted to his mouth, lingered, and then met his eyes. Lynix knew what she wanted because he wanted the same thing.

He reached over and cupped her cheek. Then he leaned forward and boldly touched his lips to hers.

When she didn’t push him away, he deepened the connection.

The kiss started sweet and gentle, the taste of strawberry exploding in his mouth.

But as the kiss grew more intense, he slid his hand behind Dorian’s head and held her in place as he savored her sweetness.

This was not what he had in mind when he invited her to the suite, but damn if he wasn’t glad it happened.

Tasting her again made his heart sing and his desire for her quadruple.

No way could she deny this… this… whatever this was pulsing between them.

Whatever this intense sensation thrumming inside of him was, he could honestly say he had never experienced it with anyone else.

This was what he wanted. Her. Nobody else. Just her.

Without warning, Dorian tore her mouth from his. “Whoa. Okay. Umm, you were saying,” she said, her chest heaving as she returned her attention to the cake.

Hell, he was in too much of a kissing haze to remember anything before their lips touched. One thing he knew for sure was when they did get together, and they would, they were going to burn up the sheets.

Yeah, he was going there with his thoughts because there was nothing he wanted more than he wanted Dorian. Now that he’d had a taste of her again, he wanted more.