Page 23 of Daring to Love You (Priestly Family #3)

Chapter Seventeen

L ynix’s cell phone alarm blared from somewhere to his left, and he groaned as he patted the top of the nightstand, trying to silence the device. When his hand didn’t immediately make contact, he lifted his head and searched the tabletop through half-opened lids until he found the phone.

He hit the snooze button, then dropped his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes. It felt like he had just climbed into bed minutes ago. When in reality he’d been asleep for three hours—not nearly enough after working a twelve-hour shift.

All he wanted to do right now was roll over and return to a deep sleep. Another five or six hours would be perfect.

He couldn’t. He needed to get up and get dressed because Dorian agreed to come over to watch a sunrise with him from his rooftop deck.

In hindsight, he should’ve planned this for a day when they both were off work.

Unfortunately, their schedules weren’t lining up.

Her days typically started super early, and he was working second shift this week.

But this was just temporary. In another two weeks, he’d have more control of his work schedule, and he’d plan around her days. She typically worked split shifts at the B&B. Maybe he’d be able to steal her away for lunch or something.

In the meantime, Lynix would figure something out.

If left up to Dorian, they’d only get together whenever they had to put on a show for their parents.

That wasn’t enough for Lynix, even if they were supposed to be pretending to be a couple.

He had a small amount of time during this so-called fake relationship for her to see he wasn’t a man whore.

That he had changed, and they belonged together.

He planned to use every opportunity to bring that message to the forefront.

Releasing a noisy yawn, he reached over and turned off the alarm before it could go off. It was time to get up because if he lay there any longer, he’d risked falling back to sleep.

He sat up and placed his bare feet on the thick carpet before walking naked into the ensuite. Dorian would be there in forty-five minutes, and he had a few things to get together before she arrived.

He smiled thinking about how she had responded when he suggested they hook up early this morning.

“You’re kidding, right? You want me to intentionally get up at three a.m. on my day off?” she had said, and though they’d been on the telephone, Lynix could almost picture the cute frown on her face.

It took some convincing, but when he described the experience of seeing a sunrise over Lake Michigan from his rooftop deck, she conceded.

He had even offered to pick her up from home, not liking the idea of her roaming the streets that time of morning.

Of course, she shot down the offer, claiming she usually started work at five in the morning at the B&B.

Making it common for her to be out and about that time of day.

Once showered, comfortably dressed, and feeling more awake, Lynix re-entered his bedroom and picked up his cell phone. He told Dorian to text him when she was on her way, and he was glad to see she had.

Be there in fifteen minutes.

Lynix shoved the cell into the pocket of his jogging pants and headed to the kitchen to start the coffee. He wasn’t much of a cook, so he’d planned to have a light breakfast prepared for Dorian, but she told him that, if he provided the coffee, she’d take care of breakfast.

One thing he knew about her was she liked flavored coffee while he normally took his strong and black. Since this morning was all about her, he brewed a hazelnut-mocha blend that he had bought yesterday. Within minutes, the enticing aroma filled the kitchen, and he inhaled deeply.

“Hopefully, it’s strong,” he murmured under his breath as he poured the dark liquid into two travel mugs.

Then he went to the guest room closet and grabbed a lightweight blanket.

They probably wouldn’t need it since the temperature was in the mid-seventies when he arrived home a few hours ago, but just in case.

Lynix returned to the front of the penthouse and made sure everything was presentable. He had a housekeeper who came twice a month to clean and do his laundry, but this past week had been her week off. Still, the place looked all right.

It was going to be weird having a woman in his home who wasn’t his mother or housekeeper.

But he was having a lot of firsts when it came to Dorian.

She was the only woman he’d been interested in enough to welcome into his home.

She wasn’t just a hookup like the others and warranted to be treated differently.

Sad to say, he’d met his share of crazy women who had stalker-like tendencies and learned early on to keep them at a distance. So he never brought them to his house, and they had no clue to his net worth.

It was safer that way. It didn’t matter if he was a cop. Some women didn’t care. Hurt their feelings and be prepared to face their wrath.

That had happened to him once when he lived in an apartment near Hyde Park. He invited a woman back to his place, with the understanding that they were just hooking up, only to have her key his truck when weeks later he stopped seeing her.

Lesson learned. That had been many years ago and the last time he welcomed a woman into his personal space.

His cell phone chimed. He had a special ringtone for the building’s concierge, and it let him know Dorian was on her way up. Lynix had already added her to the list of people allowed to come up to his penthouse without an escort.

A few minutes later, a soft knock sounded at his door.

Excitement swirled inside of him, and Lynix’s pulse amped up.

He chuckled at his reaction, feeling like a kid getting ready to go on his first date.

Dorian had that effect on him, though. He had already been crazy about her, and since their lunch at the hotel, his feelings for her had multiplied.

They talked daily, even if it was only for a couple of minutes. When they weren’t talking, they texted.

Granted, he was the one who usually initiated the interaction, but he could feel her guards lowering with each passing day. It was only a matter of time when she’d officially be his. For now, though, he’d keep letting her think they were fake dating.

Lynix opened the door and grinned when he saw her leaning against the doorjamb, looking as tired as he felt.

Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with a few tendrils framing her pretty face that was free of makeup.

Her long-sleeve fitted T-shirt hugged her perky breasts and flat abs, and the white shorts stopped mid thigh, revealing beautiful, toned legs.

On her feet were a pair of yellow Chucks that matched her shirt.

Dorian was so damn adorable. It was no wonder her family was protective of her. Her petite frame and girl-next-door features made her appear vulnerable and tugged on his protective instincts. Which was probably just the caveman in him because he knew she was tougher than she looked.

His gaze traveled back up her feminine curves and his body stirred. Damn, just the sight of the woman did something to him. Forget watching a sunrise. What he really wanted to do was sweep her into his arms, carry her to his huge bed, and familiarize himself with every inch of her.

If only…

He wanted way more from this woman than a quick rump between the sheets. He wanted forever, and one wrong move could destroy his chances if he weren’t careful.

“Are you going to keep staring at me, or are you going to let me in?” Dorian said, snapping him out of his thoughts. She held up a basket of something that smelled sweet and savory. “I brought breakfast.”

“Then by all means, come on in.”

Lynix opened the door wider, and Dorian stepped across the threshold but didn’t move farther into the house. She did, however, glance around the open floor plan that gave a view of the kitchen, living room and dining room.

“You have a beautiful home, Lynix,” she said and took a tentative step forward.

“Thank you. Make yourself at home.”

As if pulled by a magnetic force, she practically floated into the kitchen, only stopping when she reached the long, marbled countertop. She glided her hand over it and smiled. “I love this. Did you pick the finishes?”

“No, everything in the kitchen came that way, except I had all the walls painted. The yellow they had was a little too bright for me.” The space wasn’t super big, but what it lacked in size, it made up with style and high-end appliances.

Dorian set the basket of goodies on the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area as she took in the space. One night, while talking to her on the phone, he had described the three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse, promising to show it to her one day soon.

“Feel free to take a tour, but we only have about fifteen minutes before the sun rises. Actually, maybe not even that long. Let’s head out to the deck. You can look around inside afterwards.”

She turned to the wall of windows in the living room and her mouth dropped open. Lynix smiled. That was everyone’s response at first sight, including his, and it had been the selling point for him.

“Wow! This was not what I was expecting when you mentioned your rooftop deck. I thought we’d have to climb up some winding stairs to get to it, but this is incredible.”

After grabbing the basket she’d brought with her, as well as the coffees and blanket, Lynix followed her across the room. “Here, hold this for a minute.” He handed her one of the travel mugs, then slid the glass doors open.

“Okay, now you’re just showing off,” Dorian said, and they laughed. “Indoor, outdoor. Love it!”

The majority of the glass wall opened to the outdoors, but he rarely kept it open in the summer. Not while running the air conditioner. He’d make an exception today.