11
“You did what?” Gareth snapped. “Without speaking to Rosslyn or Charles? You’ve really lost your fucking mind.”
“I really think I have,” Dylan said. “All this shit with Granddad and the Hendersons and Aunt Audrey has my head spinning. That’s got to be what is screwing with me. I’ve never asked anyone to live with me. Never.”
“Keep it up Dylan, and you’re going to end up like Charles. Not that it’s a bad idea. I mean, with you off the market, that just means more ladies for me,” Gareth teased.
“That’s a leap, living together and getting married. Besides, she didn’t say yes.”
“Wait, she turned you down? You failed to mention that. You’re in trouble now.”
“Gareth, it means she’s not interested in that,” Dylan added.
“You’re right. It means she wants it all. You know, the house, white picket fence, ring on her finger, and five kids running around.”
“Sofia never said she wanted those things,” he stated.
“Did she say she didn’t?” Gareth asked.
Fuck. No.This was the lecture he’d given Sofia yesterday. If you take on too much, things start to slip. With Dylan, it was how not to get snared. Was that what Sofia was doing, getting him to chase her? What did she have to gain? He wasn’t about to marry her. He wasn’t marrying anyone. The single life was perfect with him. Like Gareth said, there were plenty of women out there, all he had to do was pick up the phone and he had a date.
So what the hell was he doing right now? Sitting down with a family for dinner, one that wasn’t his, definitely gave the impression this was heading in that direction. All of this was supposed to be an act. That kiss last night hadn’t been part of any plan. Her response to him hadn’t been fake, either. Actually, Dylan had asked her to live with him because he enjoyed her company that damn much and wasn’t ready for it to end. She was a distraction, but one he found suited him, not that he’d admit that to anyone, even having a difficult time admitting it to himself.
Yet when she spoke about her future and what she wanted, it seemed like she’d only be in New York City during the run of the play. Once again, he’d found himself caught up in the moment with her and he hadn’t asked her important questions, like how long would that be? One month? Two? Six? Gareth might be busting his balls, but shit, he’d called it. Dylan wasn’t himself right now. Before he moved any further, he needed to figure out why. No woman had ever been so captivating that he lost control before, and surely she wasn’t going to be the first. It had to be something else.
He ran through the list of things he liked about her. One was she wasn’t pushing or demanding in any way. Actually, that seemed to be him. It fit his business motto, but not dating life. She also wasn’t out chasing him. He’d forgotten what it was like to be with a woman who wasn’t looking at him for what she could get. The only chasing Sofia was doing was on her own dream.
Dylan knew he wasn’t looking for anything serious, anything long-term. Sofia probably wasn’t looking to get tied down either. The only way to confirm they were on the same page, was to ask the questions.
“She’s coming to the city in a few hours, we can talk more about it then,” Dylan said.
“And when are you going to let Rosslyn know about the wonderful job offer you put out there? Remember, she has enough to worry about without thinking you’re going to make any drastic changes to her business plan.”
“I guess I should stop over there when I leave here.” Dylan wasn’t worried about Rosslyn not approving; he was more concerned she’d love the idea and expect more like it. He was supposed to sit in her chair, not actually drive the business.
“Want company?” Gareth asked.
“No. The only reason why you’re interested in joining me is in hopes that Charles flips out,” Dylan stated.
“Damn. Maybe I should ask Sofia for some acting tips so you can’t read me so well,” he teased. “What time will she be here?”
“You really have too much time on your hands. Why don’t you be useful and look into Tabiq for us?” He hadn’t forgotten anything Brice had told them, and he wasn’t about to let it drop either. “Brice said our great-granddad was involved. I want to know what that meant.”
“Brice made it clear that we probably didn’t want to know.”
“I don’t give a shit what Brice thinks. He’s protecting his own interests. If I’ve learned anything from all this, it’s that the person who knows the most, holds all the cards. Right now, I feel like that’s Brice.”
“He’s not about to do anything with the information. I actually got the feeling he was hoping to mend the family someday,” Gareth said.
Dylan leaned back in his chair and said, “How do you expect that to happen when the family isn’t supposed to know that we’re related?” Gareth didn’t reply. “Exactly. And while you’re digging into Tabiq, pull everything you can find on all the Hendersons. I never want to be blindsided again.”
“Dylan, that would be like picking a fight. I can’t stress how unwise that is. Hendersons might be blood relations, but they won’t take being fucked with.”
“So you just want to sit back and pretend we don’t know there’s more?” Dylan asked.
“I’m saying timing is everything. This is not it. Let Charles enjoy his new baby and when things settle down, we’ll pull together as a family and discuss the next course of action. Until then, I think we have more to lose than to gain.”
“That’s not what you thought when you went after Maxwell Grayson,” Dylan reminded him.