Page 9 of Daring to Love You (Priestly Family #3)

Chapter Seven

D orian watched as the eight ball slid into the left corner pocket, and Glen did a fist pump in the air before grinning at her.

She had learned a lot about him tonight.

One: he was an only child used to getting anything he wanted—according to him.

Two: He was looking forward to being invited to her house so she could cook for him.

Because her mother suggested it, saying “ Dorian is the best cook in the country. Get her to cook for you .” And three: Glen was competitive and an awful winner.

“I’ve beat you four games, babe. Maybe we should stop now before I embarrass you too much,” he said with a laugh. Then he reached for her cue stick and hung hers and his back in the rack against the wall.

“I’m not embarrassed at all. I told you when we started I didn’t play often. You beat a rookie. Must make you feel real good.”

She grabbed her purse from under the table and strolled to where he stood. Between the music, the talking and bursts of laughter from other patrons, it was hard to hear in the small building.

“I asked you to give me some pointers, but you acted like if you did, I might turn around and beat you.”

He moved closer, looking at her with a frown. “I didn’t think that at all. There’s no way you would’ve beat me, and I did give you pointers.”

He had, reluctantly, as if her asking was a bother. He’d suggested she hold the stick differently, and there were a few times when he’d explained how to hit a particular shot. All that was during the first game, and it helped. But when she started making more shots by herself, he stopped helping.

Dorian just chalked it up to him wanting to focus on his own game. Shooting pool with him was supposed to be fun, but he had turned it into a competition. Which was fine, but it did take some of the fun out of the evening.

Earlier, they’d gone to an Italian restaurant and dinner had been delicious and conversation flowed easily between them.

Which was when she learned more about his mother and father who had him late in life.

He also talked about how much he loved his job, and it was refreshing to hear someone speak highly of their place of employment.

Everything was going great until Glen brought up her mother and told her about a conversation the two of them had.

According to him, Virginia said she was determined to find Dorian a husband.

Claimed she had vetted a few men already, but Glen was perfect for her baby girl.

That had been only part of the conversation.

By the time he was done telling her all that her mother had shared, Dorian was ready to strangle the woman who had birthed her.

Talk about embarrassing. She wasn’t sure if everything Glen said was true, but enough of it sounded like Virginia that Dorian believed him. She was more determined than ever to keep her mother out of her love life. Assuming she ever talked to her again.

Unfortunately for Glen, this only added to the short list of reasons why Dorian wouldn’t be going out with him again. He was too friendly with her mom, and it would be weird dating him knowing they talked about her.

If that weren’t enough of a reason to make this the last date, her decision had been solidified once they arrived at the pool hall. It was as if Glen had turned into a different person.

Dorian wasn’t sure if he had been showboating for someone in particular or just being a jerk while they played. The way he loudly celebrated himself after each shot he made had been a bit over the top.

Then, whenever she missed a shot, he made a big show of it by saying stuff like, “ Aww, babe, you’ll get it next time .

” Or “ Not bad for a beginner .” And there was the time he wrapped her in a hug, kissed the side of her forehead, and told her, “ With more practice, you might get as good as me someday .”

“Dorian, are you listening to me?” He touched her arm, and her gaze snapped to his.

“Oh, sorry.” She leaned a hip against the pool table. “What did you say?”

“I did try helping you with a few shots during our first game. But you got all weird when I put my hands on you or my arms around you.”

“Oh, you mean when you were trying to grind against my ass,” she said through gritted teeth, trying to keep her cool. “Because I don’t see how that was supposed to help me.”

Glen shrugged. “What can I say? You have a nice ass.” He cracked a smile and nudged her playfully. “But seriously, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I like you, and I like being with you. Since we were on a date, I figured I’d try to get a little more up close and personal.”

Yeah, she knew what he meant. They were on their third date, and if she’d been into him like that, a touch, a hug, and even some kissing would’ve been accepted.

Except she wasn’t feeling him like that.

She was okay with a little touch here and there, but not when he invaded her personal space the way he had.

“Also, I know I’ve been an ass since we got here. I can get a little competitive when it comes to pool or any sport for that matter. I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. How about we get out of here and go next door for some ice cream?”

Dorian nodded. Maybe she was making a big deal over nothing.

It’s not like they were destined to be together.

After tonight, she might never see him again, except when he dropped off packages at the B&B.

And even then, there was a slim chance because he usually delivered to their location in the middle of the day when she wasn’t there.

So, she might as well try to enjoy the rest of the evening.

An hour later, after some of the best ice cream she’d ever had, they were heading back to the B&B.

It was almost eleven o’clock, and Dorian couldn’t wait to climb into bed.

It had been a long, exhausting day, and now she wished she’d had Glen pick her up from home.

Then she could get to bed quicker. Instead, she had to go back to the B&B to pick up her truck.

Rap music boomed through the speakers of the small sports car, and Dorian tried to recall who the artist was. She liked music as well as the next person, but the rapper’s words were so mumbled, she couldn’t understand a word he was saying, but at least the song had a nice beat.

As Glen bobbed his head to the music, he maneuvered his car in and out of the busy traffic as if he was part of Formula 1, racing along the Circuit de Monaco through the streets of Monte Carlo. Dorian appreciated him being a skilled driver, but he was driving too fast for her comfort.

While heading to the restaurant earlier, she had asked him to slow down, and he had. But she shouldn’t have to ask him every time he got behind the wheel of the car. Yes, he’d driven faster than needed during their other two dates, but tonight was worse.

Dorian gripped the door handle with one hand and the center console with the other. Not only was she holding on for dear life, but she was pressing her feet to the floor as if she was able to control the brake and gas petals.

She took the liberty of turning the volume on the radio down before saying, “Glen, please slow down. You’re making me nervous the way you’re driving fast and weaving in and out of traffic.”

“Relax, baby. Loosen up, I got you,” he said, his speed remaining the same.

At least he wasn’t cutting off other drivers anymore, but she was still holding her breath while he flew down the highway.

Maybe he was right. Maybe she should just relax.

At the rate he was going, he’d have her back at the B&B in fifteen minutes versus the twenty-five minutes it would normally take.

Glen slammed on the brakes, and Dorian screamed and braced her hand on the dashboard when it looked like he wouldn’t be able to stop in time.

He jerked the steering wheel to the right, barely missing the car in front of them, and jumped into another lane.

He slowed down some, but he was still going above the speed limit.

Glen chuckled. “Whew, that was close. See, I told you. I got you.”

Anger clawed through Dorian as she gritted her teeth and her chest heaved.

Part of her wanted to tell him to just pull over, and she’d find her own way home.

The other part of her didn’t want to call a family member or a car service to pick her up.

If she just hung on a little while longer, she’d be back at the B&B and away from this jerk.

That’s assuming he didn’t kill her first.

“These people can’t drive worth a shit,” he mumbled, still zooming through traffic.

As he talked about inexperienced slow drivers, she stared out the passenger window.

It was self-absorbed buttheads like him who made her want to stop dating.

Instead of a man, maybe she’d just get a dog or a cat to keep her company.

Being in a relationship might be overrated, and if she was honest, she was getting tired of the dating scene.

Asking men numerous questions while trying to get to know them was getting tiring.

Maybe she’d just take a break and regroup.

She startled when Glen touched her thigh, and she pulled away.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“What do you think? I asked you to slow down, yet you’re going even faster than before. It’s too much traffic out here for you to be driving like a maniac. You keep this up, you’re going to get us killed!”

He laughed as if she told a joke. “Dramatic much? I’m just keeping up with traffic.”

Dorian had the sudden urge to slap him, and she wasn’t even a violent person. Yes, some other drivers were driving more than the speed limit, but Glen was passing them up. Besides, he was driving more reckless than anyone.

No sooner than she thought that, Glen cut off another driver and was met with the blaring of horns. All he did was chuckle as if this situation was funny.

“Don’t worry, I’m going to get you home safely,” he said, splitting his attention between her and the road. “Speaking of home, when are you going to invite me to your place?”

She looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Never,” she said, then thought maybe she shouldn’t have said that until he dropped her off. They were still at least ten or fifteen minutes from her parents’ place.

“Oh, so it’s like that. I’ve taken you out three times, and you can’t even cook dinner for me or invite me over? These dates weren’t cheap.”

“I appreciate you taking me out, but you’ve just ruined a fairly decent evening. So no, I won’t be inviting you to my house or anywhere else. I’m not hanging out with someone who doesn’t care that his reckless driving scares me. As for the cost of the date…”

She opened her small purse and pulled out all the cash she had on her. Which probably only amounted to fifty dollars, but it was better than nothing.

“This should cover my portion.” She stuffed the money into the cup holder, then folded her arms, and stared out the side window.

Glen huffed out a breath. “I shouldn’t have said anything about the cost of our dates. I wanted to take you out. You don’t have to pay for…”

A booming siren wailed behind them, and they both jumped. Dorian jerked her head and glanced over her shoulder. That’s when she saw the police car right on their bumper and the blinding flashing red and blue lights.

“ Aww , hell!” Glen pounded on the steering wheel, cursing up a storm.

After some maneuvering across several lanes, Glen eventually pulled onto the side of the highway. He made quick work of grabbing the car’s registration from the glove compartment and pulled out his driver’s license.

He glared at Dorian. “If I hadn’t been arguing with you, he wouldn’t have gotten the jump on me!” he growled.

“If you weren’t driving like a lunatic, you wouldn’t have gotten pulled over in the first place. I hope your ass gets a big fat ticket that you can’t afford. Better yet, maybe they’ll arrest you for reckless driving!” she snapped, then slammed the back of her head against the headrest.

No more dating. No more spending her precious time with an idiot.

Frustrated with herself and the situation, she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, then released the breath slowly. This wasn’t her. She didn’t wish bad things on anyone, and she sure as heck didn’t say crap like that to people. But Glen deserved her anger and more.

When Dorian heard the electric window slide down, she glanced at the driver’s side just as the police officer approached the door.

“License and registration,” the cop said as he leaned down slightly and looked into the car.

Dorian groaned. Of all the people to pull them over, it had to be Lynix?

Seriously?