Authors: Anna Robbins
It was almost noon the next day when Dylan had returned from dropping Abby off at home. Everything felt right, like it was falling into place.
The night he had spent with her had changed him. She had changed him.
He had never been the type to want one specific woman. To him, one woman was pretty much the same as the next. But not anymore. No one was like Abby.
He didn’t know when that thought had settled within him, but he knew it now. He wanted her in his life, and he was beginning to think it might be a permanent thing.
The idea to take her to New York had been a godsend. He didn’t believe he could buy Abby’s affections, or that he should even try to, but he thought that showing her what he could give her, what her life could be like with him, would be enough to secure a commitment from her.
They had never talked about becoming exclusive. In fact, he had never had that conversation with anyone in his life, but he would now.
She wouldn’t be seeing anyone but him.
Abby was his, whether she knew it or not.
Distracted with thoughts of how to persuade Abby, he didn’t bother to look who was at his door before answering.
“Hello, Dylan.”
The sly tone jerked him out of plotting. “Charisse. What are you doing here?”
“Can I not even stop by now?” She huffed as she moved past him into the house.
He closed the door, turning to face her. “No. You can’t.”
“We didn’t break up, Dylan.”
“It seemed like it to me.”
“I just needed some time away to think.” Her white silk blouse parted, showing ample cleavage as she sauntered toward him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’ve missed you.”
He reached up to her hands, pulling them away from him. “What do you want?”
“You. I’ve thought a lot about our last conversation, Dylan. I was wrong to push. I realize that you might never be the type to make a commitment, but that doesn’t bother me anymore. I just want to be with you.”
“It’s over, Charisse.” He put her hands down, holding them so she wouldn’t cling to him again.
“No it isn’t. I know you still want me.”
He leveled his eyes on her. “There’s someone else.”
“You mean that nobody you brought to the benefit?” Her laugh was brittle as she swirled around, stalking the room, before turning back to him. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am.”
“She can’t give you what I can.” Anger laced her voice. “She can’t give you the connections or status that dating me will.”
“Charisse, you and I both know there isn’t anything you can give me that I don’t already have.”
She screeched. “She’ll only embarrass you. Do you think she’ll survive any other party? She doesn’t have what it takes to be on your arm. To help you in your career.” She laughed cruelly. “She’s more suited to serve at one of those parties than to attend.”
“Watch yourself.” His voice was deadly.
Realizing she overstepped the line, she backpedaled, smiling sweetly at him. “I can see you care about her. She seemed nice enough. But you also have to think about her, how awkward and shunned she will feel in our world. She doesn’t have the manners or grace to make friends. You wouldn’t want her to go through that, would you?”
“Have you forgotten that I’m not from ‘your world’ as you call it?”
“But you are in it now. There aren’t many who can make the jump.”
“She will.”
“And if she doesn’t? If she is ridiculed?”
“Then I won’t give a damn. She means more than any of that superficial crap.” He felt his anger simmering, and he yanked it forcefully back. “We are over, Charisse. Get whatever you’ve left here and leave.”
“You can’t do this to me! I helped make you.” Her eyes narrowed as her nails curled in like claws. “And I swear if you dump me now, I’ll ruin you. I’ll make sure no one ever hires your company again.”
Dylan looked down at the woman he had once thought beautiful, only seeing how ugly she really was. What had he ever seen in her? “I’ll survive.” He turned on his heel, heading for the door. “I’ll be back in an hour. Make sure you’re gone by then.”
He closed the door on her scream.
Charisse screeched, seeing red when Dylan walked out the door. “You bastard! You think you can dump me?” Picking up an empty vase, she hurled it across the room, her eyes gleaming at the resounding shatter. “No one dumps me.”
He needed to pay. She wasn’t about to be left for some backwater girl. Moving through the house, she broke an expensive item or two, smiling when she thought of the anger Dylan would feel when he saw what she had done.
She didn’t care. He could go to hell.
Moving to his office, determined to throw every single paper onto the floor, she marched to his desk. The first stack of papers went flying, sailing through the air in a frenzy before settling down in chaos.
Reaching for another stack, her hand paused as she noticed a bottle with a note tucked inside. Picking it up, she unscrewed it, pulling out the piece of paper before reading.
Unable to grasp what this letter meant, she read through it again, ending with the signature: Abby Carter.
This was how Dylan had found her? He’d found her little note to Santa asking for someone to love?
A laugh sounded harshly from her lips. It was pathetic. He probably felt sorry for her. Probably thought of her as some type of charity case.
Did she know that he had found this? She tapped the paper on her mouth. Dylan hadn’t said how they’d met, but if the letter was still here, she guessed that his sweet Abby didn’t know he’d found it.
A devilish smile quirked her lips. Perhaps she should let Abby know what type of guy Dylan really was. Let her know that he was playing her.
It would be her parting gift to Dylan. One that would be so much more satisfying than trashing his house.
Slipping the letter and bottle into her purse, she walked out of the house, away from the mess she had created.
She knew what she’d be giving Abby for Christmas.
Chapter 10
Laughing as she wobbled on her skates, Abby clutched Dylan’s hand as he led her around the rink in Central Park.
It was their last day in New York, the time having flown by so quickly that she could barely recall the sites they had seen.
With the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty under her belt, Dylan had made sure to cram in a Broadway show, a visit to the Met, New York City’s best pizza, and now ice skating.With their days filled with laughter and their nights blazing with passion, Abby knew there was no denying that she was in love with him.
It had happened quickly, the feeling rushing into her heart, taking her captive, but she didn’t fight it.
There was always risk in love, and even more so with a man like Dylan. But he made her feel safe.
There was something between them, whether or not any words had been spoken. In the last several weeks, she had come to know him like no other, able to read his moods before he even realized what he was feeling.
The only thing she couldn’t read was how he felt about her. He cared about her, she was sure.
Wrapping his arm tightly around her waist, he led her around the rink again. “I’m awful at this,” Abby said, gasping for breath between her laughter.
“I won’t lie to you. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone fall as often as you do.”
She poked him in the ribs playfully. “Watch it, or I might fall again, taking you down with me.”
He eyed her slowly. “You know I wouldn’t object to getting you flat on your back again.”
“You devil!” she laughed, looking around to see who might have heard his comment. “Someone might hear you.”
“You think I care?”
“I might. I’m not used to making an exhibition of myself.”
“Ah, but this is New York. No one pays attention to anyone but themselves.” Leaning forward, he kissed her hotly, deeply, making her forget the surrounding skaters. His eyes twinkled when his head lifted. “See? No one even batted an eyelash.”
Glancing around, she realized he was right. She shook her head in disbelief. “I’ll never get used to that.” He laughed, guiding her through the crowds, her skates crunching over the ice. “When do we need to leave for the airport?”
He looked at his watch. “Two hours. We should probably head out soon.”
When they got into the cab awhile later, Abby gave him a small smile. “I’m sad to see it end.”
She snuggled against him as the driver wove through traffic, jockeying for the quickest route to the airport. “We could always come back, or perhaps go somewhere else. What about for New Year’s?”
She turned to look at him, confused by what she saw in his eyes. “New Year’s? You mean in less than two weeks?” He nodded. “I mean, we could. But that isn’t necessary. All I want is to be with you, it doesn’t matter where we are.”
“Abby,” he took her hand, searching her eyes. “I want you to know that these last few days have been amazing. They’ve meant more to me than anything before. I want—” He was cut off from saying anything else as the driver announced that they were at the airport. He cursed softly. “Bad timing I guess.”
She tried to smile, but she could see that something weighed heavily on him. “What is it?”
He shook his head. “Later.”
“All right.” She nodded in agreement, but a notch of worry remained.
They made it on their plane easily, cruising through the sky with no problems. As the time ticked by, Abby wondered what Dylan had wanted to say, but he hadn’t brought it up again.
After unloading her suitcase from his car, Dylan walked her to her apartment. “I had a really great time.”
“Me too.”
They came together like old lovers, confident in their embrace, exerting the right amount of pressure to bring them both pleasure.
“I’ll miss you tonight,” he said, his forehead leaning against her. “I’ve gotten used to having you close by.”
“You’ll see me tomorrow at the party.” She chuckled. “I think we could both use the rest. And you and I both know we won’t rest if we are together tonight.”
“Damn right,” he said seriously, but grinned. He kissed her once more before leaving.
It wasn’t until he walked into his house, turning on the lights in the darkened building, that he felt the swift loss of her presence. Always at ease before, Dylan couldn’t stand the piercing quiet, the stillness that encased the house. And that was what it was. A house.
Not a home.
But he wanted one. More than he had ever wanted one in his life.
Walking through the empty halls, he wanted to fill them with laughter, with Abby, with their kids.
“Damn it.” He leaned heavily against the wall, scrubbing his face with his hands.
It was too soon, too quick to be even thinking of such a large commitment.
Marriage.
But it didn’t feel too soon. It felt… right. He loved her.
He loved Abby.