My track record with men wasn't all that great, even before Noel. So perhaps I needed to go against my normal MO and date someone who was the complete opposite of what I was attracted to. Hence accepting Dirk’s invitation to dinner.
But now I was sitting in an exclusive, high-end restaurant beyond bored as Dirk yammered away about what I didn't know anymore, since I stopped keeping track when our salads arrived. He didn't seem to notice or maybe he didn't mind that I wasn't keeping up on the conversation. At least I was getting a great meal. The salmon was delicious and the wine was divine.
Finally, we finished our meal and Dirk paid the check. The only thing that kept me from falling asleep as he drove me home was knowing that the date was almost over.
"I bet the beach is great this time of night,” he said as he pulled into my gate.
"Hmmm."
"We should go take a walk on it."
Panic rose that the end of this date wasn't imminent as he parked in my driveway. "It's really not that spectacular."
"I'd love to see it." Before I could respond, he was out of the car and trotting over to open my door. I scanned my brain for some excuse that wasn't obvious in my dislike for him but couldn't find one. So, five minutes later we were on the beach.
"It's like a dating app advertisement. Likes long walks on the beach in the moonlight." He laughed like what he said was funny.
I smiled but couldn’t muster a laugh.
"I always got the feeling you were much more gregarious than you've been tonight. It's funny how your impressions of people are a lot different when you get to know them." His hand slipped into mine and although I tried to withdraw it, he had a good grip.
"People are often a surprise." Sort of like Noel. He was irritating as hell, but also so sweet sometimes when caring for Mo.
I turned and started heading back, hoping he'd clue in that the date needed to be over. As we returned to the section of beach behind my house, he stopped and took my other hand. "This has been a great night, Harper." Then his mouth was on mine. He wasn't subtle. He went from 0 to 60 like he planned to strip me and fuck me on the beach. I didn’t feel any spark. All I felt was annoyance and disgust.
As his hands slid down to my ass, I stepped back out of his arms. "I have a busy day tomorrow, so I need to call it a night." Why the hell hadn’t I come up with that back in the car?
He didn't hide his disappointment. "It's still early."
I shook my head. "I had a lovely evening, Dirk." I hoped he couldn't hear the lie in my words.
He finally took the hint, and we walked back up to the house. Once he was gone, I shut the front door and sagged against it. Why was it that everyone around me was able to find a good man, but me? My last two choices involved somebody that could literally bore someone to death, or a man who was intriguing and sexy as hell, but untrustworthy. Before that I had a stalker. Maybe I needed to consider joining a convent.
Blowing out a breath, I still felt edgy. Instead of heading up to bed, I walked out on my terrace to take in the fresh air and warm breeze.
“Are you alright?”
I jumped and whirled around to see Noel standing behind me. “How’d you get in here?”
He smirked. Oh yeah. He made a living skulking around. And apparently breaking and entering.
“What are you doing here?” I asked instead.
“I saw you on the beach. Your date got a little handsy. It didn’t look as if you wanted the attention, so I came over to make sure you’re okay.”
“You’re not my bodyguard anymore.” I wondered if he’d finally come clean and tell me the truth about Bran’s hiring him.
He looked down and a surprising expression of worry. “Did I misread you? I mean when we had sex.”
I didn’t expect that. It sounded like he was worried he took advantage of me. A part of me wanted to say yes, because then he might leave me alone. But it would be a lie. A dangerous lie at that if it hinted at a lack of consent.
“No. But that doesn’t mean what happened was okay. And it definitely shouldn’t happen again.”
“Because you’re dating a Ken doll?” He stepped closer to me. The moon shone off his face, highlighting his strong jaw. He had his hands on his waist again which pulled his shirt tight over his chest.
The urge to yank his shirt off and run my tongue over his chest had me turning away. “What I do is none of your business, Noel. Even if Bran says otherwise?”
Heat radiating off him clued me in that he’d stepped closer. “Bran, huh? I thought so. I figure I should keep tabs on you since you’re keeping tabs on me.”