Protected by the HERO (15 page)

It had a brick façade and was in a higher-end neighborhood. I knew for a fact that reporters didn’t make money that would afford a house like that. I wondered who her family was and what they did for a living. I walked up the steps and rang the doorbell. A minute later Ronnie was opening the door with a smile. She wore another pair of those tight jeans and heels to match her blush-colored blouse that dipped in the front, showing just enough cleavage.

“Holy shit you look amazing,” I said, the words just tumbling from my mouth. If my mother were there she’d have slapped me over the head for greeting a lady like that. “I mean—I apologize, you look beautiful,” I chuckled nervously and Ronnie laughed out loud. The sound was musical.

“It’s alright and thank you. You’re a little early so come in, I was just putting my earrings on,” Ronnie smiled at me and invited me in. Her place was just as nice inside as it was outside. It had a grand foyer with a curving staircase and I could see through to the living room on the right, past the stairs. On the left of the stairs was a hallway that led to the rest of the house. Ronnie stood in front of the end table next to the front doors that served as a place to put keys. She hooked in her dangling gold earrings and then grabbed her purse.

“Okay I’m set. Let’s go,” she smiled and then we were out of the door. I led her to my truck and held the door open for her while she got in, then soon we were off to one of the best steak restaurants in the city.

“So where are you taking me?” Ronnie looked at me expectantly and I smirked.

“To one of the restaurants I sell beef to. They do a great steak.”

Ronnie bit her lip and studied me a moment.

“You raise cattle from birth and to their deaths. Does it ever get to you?” She had her reporter voice on and I smiled.

“No, it used to when I first started out, but it’s just the circle of life. I provide food to the general population. Now if cows were an endangered species then there’s no question about it, I would not be in the cattle business,” Ronnie nodded to herself while she considered this. “I feel like you know so much about me already, you gave me an interview for the paper and all. I want to know more about you.”

I wanted her to tell me something, anything.

*****

Ronnie

I glanced over at his strong profile as he drove us towards the town center. I was usually the one to ask questions and listen so I really didn’t know what to say about myself.

“Well…what do you want to know?” Dayton glanced over at me expectantly and then turned back to the road.

“Anything, tell me about your family or what it was like for you growing up.”

I bit my lip and wondered how much to say. Usually when I told people about my family, that my father was a talented investment banker and my mother an acclaimed corporate lawyer, they wanted to know more about my parents than they did me.

“My parents were very successful in their careers. Growing up was a dream really; to this day they are still spoiling me. I could never afford the house I live in now so I owe a lot to them really…” I trailed off, not wanting to continue. Dayton nodded along; he didn’t ask any questions about them thankfully.

He pulled up to valet at the restaurant. There was actually a line to get into the steakhouse, which was called, The Bull. I smiled, yeah this was definitely somewhere I’d imagine Dayton frequented.

“Here we are, I promise you’ll love it,” Dayton grinned like an excited kid and then hopped down to come and open the car door for me. I really couldn’t believe I was going out with Dayton. If someone had asked me if I would go out with him right after our interview, I’d have laughed in their face. He’d seemed so arrogant during that interview. But actually, he was quite sweet and seemed really eager to make a good impression, and fix the one he left on me the day before.

Dayton offered me his arm to hold on to while we completely bypassed the line and walked right into the restaurant. The host recognized him instantly and we were led to Dayton’s ‘regular’ table that overlooked the open kitchen towards the back of the restaurant. It was cool to see all the cooks at work and of course the smell of food wafting out was amazing.

“You know I was surprised you said yes to going out with me. I thought I had definitely ruined my chances with you,” said Dayton. Dayton’s accent was so cute and it honestly made me quiver inside whenever he spoke. I smiled at what he said though; he had no idea what it took for me to say yes. Three of my female co-workers whose cubicles surrounded mine had been overhearing my phone call with Dayton, pantomiming at me to say yes as if their lives depended on it, or more importantly as if
my
life depended on it. I knew I’d never hear the end of it if I turned down one of Georgia’s most eligible bachelors. And one thing was for sure, if Dayton and I hit it off my mother would be over the moon.

“I figured, why not give you another chance? I was actually surprised you weren’t calling to let me have it about the feature.”

Dayton chuckled and then shook his head.

“Not at all, you portrayed me as I acted then and I can’t be mad at you for that,” I smirked and then finally took a look at the menu while the server came around to take our drink orders. Hopefully the date wasn’t some elaborate ploy to get me to write a retraction…that had happened to me before. My eyebrows furrowed at the thought and I tried to force myself to move on from that line of thinking.

“What you thinking about over there?” Dayton called my attention back to him and I saw he was watching me with a curious expression.

“Nothing…I just um…I wrote a feature once about this billionaire mogul who started out in the town as a farm hand and made his own success from practically thin air. He
was
an arrogant, um,
prick
, for lack of a better word, and I conveyed him just as I saw him. After the feature came out he tracked me down and asked me out…we dated a couple of times and I thought he actually liked me. But in the end he just wanted a retraction written about him,” I explained, speaking in a rush. I bit my lip a bit nervously as I waited for Dayton to reply.

He looked pissed off actually and I wondered if I had offended him. “That guy is a douche
and
a prick for doing that to you. But that not what I’m after here Ronnie. I like you and just want to see where things go between us, that’s the God’s honest truth,” Dayton was sincere and earnest, his clear green eyes were intent on mine. I sighed, I felt much more at ease and then I nodded.

“Okay, that’s good to know. We can continue our date now,” I grinned and Dayton laughed.

“Good, so I have to ask now. Before we continue our date, did you accept my offer out of anything other than you also being attracted to me?” I pressed my lips together for a moment, how could I tell him that I was practically forced to say yes?

“Okay, I’ll be honest Dayton. When we met initially I was attracted to you, I mean what straight woman wouldn’t be? But then after our interview I wouldn’t have if not for my co-workers urging me to do it…” I watched for his reaction, but he actually cracked a grin and then shrugged.

“I’ll take it, as long as it got you here.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Dayton really wasn’t bad at all.

*****

Dayton

Our date went really well. Ronnie relaxed after we got those awkward questions out of the way and she started looking at me with increasing tenderness as the night progressed. Her soft smiles and big brown eyes worked their way into my heart and by the time dessert came around I knew I was done for. We left the restaurant and decided to have a walk around the town center, a nice plaza full of shops and restaurants. There were many other couples around and in a small farming town like Waynesboro the town center was a date night favorite.

“So how am I doing so far? Better than you expected?” I teased. Ronnie smiled up at me shyly and then shrugged. She was being coy.

“Well I don’t want to tell you now and then you turn off the charm and let your pot belly out, because you think you’ve won me over. I really like
this
Dayton,” she said. I laughed hard at the visual of me unbuckling my belt and letting out a pot belly. Mostly I laughed at what Ronnie’s face would look like if that actually happened.

“I
assure
you, I do not have a pot belly. If I did you would have seen it after dinner and I would have completed the look by throwing my feet up on the table and lettin’ out a belch,” Ronnie laughed and I grinned boyishly while she did. She had a really great laugh. “Plus, you already admitted it, you said that you
really
like me.”

She rolled her eyes at me playfully. “Maybe I said it, maybe it was a figment of your imagination,” she said.

I pretended a mocking laugh and then shook my head.

“I’d have to be really arrogant to make that up,” she said. Ronnie gave me an obvious sort of look and I laughed for real that time.

“You got me, that was a good one,” I chuckled and she grinned. Ronnie would get along great with my brother that was for sure. He lived off of making me the butt of his endless jokes and commentary.

“I want to show you something, back on the ranch if you’re up for it.” I studied her while she bit her lip in consideration.

“Sure…what is it you want me to see?” she asked curiously.

“The pasture at night. It’s one of my favorite places to visit and think, you’ll see why.”

I took her hand and then we went back to my truck to head to the ranch. I drove past my parents’ house, my brother’s house, and the barns and stables, back to where the vast majority of fields where the cows grazed. My house was at the edge of our family’s land and it was your everyday colonial-style house with the big wraparound porch, white fence and all.

“Your house is beautiful…” Ronnie tone was hushed and she smiled fondly while she looked out the window. “It’s like something out of a children’s story.”

I pulled into the drive and we got out. I took her hand in mine once again and led her away from the house, towards the oceans and oceans of grass. The cows usually didn’t come out this far, but occasionally I’d get one sniffing around the gate.

“Oh wow…it’s so peaceful here,” said Ronnie. Her eyes were rapt as she tried to see what we both knew was out there, lots of grass and some cows. It was too dark to tell. We walked farther away from my house.

“It is, it’s almost like a blank canvas. I sometimes imagine this is what the Earth looked like before God created light. Just blank with some vague outlines. It’s good for concentration, let me tell ya,” I said. I smiled to myself as Ronnie held on to my hand firmly.

We stopped a good way’s out from the house and the porch lights. Surrounded by the smell of rye from the neighboring farm and the quiet of night. It was really easy to see the stars from where we stood, and Ronnie couldn’t stop looking up. I could faintly make out the soft smile on her face.

“I think you’ve made me love this as much as you do Dayton,” she said softly. I felt like there was a lot more behind those words than what she said aloud and I took the opportunity to explore that. I tugged her gently against me and her hand fell against my chest as my arm wrapped around her waist, I dipped my head and found her lips with mine. She tasted just like chocolate and caramel, from the dessert we shared, and that mixed with her natural taste was both sweet and intoxicating.

My blood heated instantly as her plump lips moved against mine. My tongue caressed hers in a heated embrace and I pulled her tighter against me instinctually. I ran my tongue along her bottom lip and pulled it in between my teeth to bite down gently. A small moan escaped the back of her throat and my blood heated further at the sexy little sound. I could already feel my penis stiffening and I was sure she’d feel it soon also.

All of a sudden a loud moo broke through our heated moment and Ronnie jumped from being startled. I felt a large nose nudge me on my lower back and it huffed. I couldn’t help but laugh and soon Ronnie was cracking up with me. I tugged on her hand and we let the cow by, still giggling as it passed.

“Can we go back to my place?” I asked her and she simply led the way.

*****

Ronnie

Once we reached Dayton’s white picket fence, he opened the gate and gestured for me to go ahead of him. He led me up to his front door and held it open for me. I supposed when you lived in the middle of nowhere you pretty much didn’t need to lock your doors.

I never did this, I never went back to a guy’s house on the first date. But Dayton was special and I knew he wasn’t going to dump me in the morning.

His house was just as picture perfect on the inside as it was outside. It was definitely welcoming and felt cozy, even though it was a pretty big house. Dayton led me from the foyer and up the stairs that led out to a family room. There was a hallway tucked into the back corner of the room that led to his bedroom, or suite I should say. As soon as I caught sight of the king-sized bed all the feelings that had been running through me from before the cow incident came back. I wanted Dayton bad.

Dayton closed the door and turned me around. His hands gripped my waist and pulled me firmly against his hips. I felt just how hard he was and my clitoris throbbed with arousal, while my sex clenched with need. Dayton’s lips crashed down onto mine and I loved every bit of urgency in his kiss. He was desperate for me and it turned me on that much more to know he really was crazy about me. Dayton picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his hips while he walked backwards towards the bed. He sat down and I straddled him, my arms rested on his shoulders and my hands in his silky curls.