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He shot me a grin. “Tell that to people who think that just because I’m rich, that my life is always perfect and exciting.”
I wrinkled my nose. “That’s a little unrealistic, isn’t it?”
“Very,” he agreed.
“I’m not sure what kind of woman would want a perfect guy. It would be a little scary. I mean, you’re already drop-dead gorgeous, incredibly sexy, off the charts intelligent, ridiculously accomplished, with a wicked sense of humor. If you didn’t have a few flaws, you’d be terrifying, and needing some downtime isn’t exactly a flaw. Okay, the kitchen mess was definitely a flaw, and you do tend to be a little bossy sometimes, but seriously, what woman wants a flawless man?”
He folded his arms across his chest, and I got a little distracted as I watched his T-shirt stretch over his powerful biceps. “What about the orgy thing?” he asked as he raised a brow.
“You said it was a setup.”
“It was, but I put myself into that situation, and all the other ones where I made an idiot out of myself, too.”
I shrugged. “None of us will go through life without some embarrassing things in our past. Not an issue. Especially since you have a very fine ass that was on display in that photo. It’s almost a shame that Damian found a way to make most of the online copies disappear.”
I was trying to make him take the situation a little lighter, but unfortunately, that backfired on me when he said, “Why bother with the picture when you can have the real thing, gorgeous?”
“I guess I have some voyeuristic tendencies,” I said breathlessly, trying to blow his comment off.
“I think I could give you something better than a photo of my drugged and drunken self, showing my bare ass to the entire world,” he said drily. “Is there anything I could have done that would have shocked you?”
“No,” I said firmly. “You weren’t the real Dylan Lancaster back then. You were a guy in so much pain that he didn’t know how to handle it. Knowing you’re embarrassed about it simply tells me that none of the things you did were part of your true character.”
He shook his head. “And if I hadn’t been in pain?” he asked.
“Then you would have been a major jerk,” I affirmed. “Luckily, you aren’t.”
He fixed me with an intense gaze as he said, “What would I have done if you hadn’t stormed into my life, Kylie Hart?”
“Healed peacefully in private,” I quipped. “Without me, my worthless hound, or my presence in your beautiful Beverly Hills mansion. You would have been just fine without all that.”
“I adore you, your worthless hound, and everything about being with you,” he argued. “And if you think for even a second that I’m going to let you walk away when you come back here after the wedding, then you’re absolutely mad. Maybe you can’t trust me yet, and I understand why you can’t after all the things I’ve done, but I’ll wait, Kylie. It took me a very long time to find you, so I’m not about to go anywhere unless you tell me to piss off. You aren’t boring. It’s impossible for a man with any sense to lose interest in you. Luckily, I’m not witless, and I don’t exactly feel sorry for all those other tossers.”
My pulse started to race as I saw the earnest expression on his face.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him.
Maybe it was me I really didn’t trust.
“Dylan, I—”
“Don’t,” he growled as he held up a hand. “At least let me think I might have a chance someday. In the meantime, I’ll do everything possible to make you see I’m that man worth trusting. Fuck knows I’m never even going to try looking anywhere else because the only woman I see anymore is you.”
I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm my heart rate down.
I watched Dylan as he took a large gulp of his tea and stayed silent.
As I took a sip of my coffee, I realized that my hand was shaking just a little.
What exactly had he been trying to say?
It was clear that he wanted more than just friendship and sexual gratification, but I wasn’t sure how much more.
Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure if the answer to that question even mattered anymore.
Whether he realized it or not, he was that guy I could trust.
He was that guy who actually accepted me and didn’t want me to be anything other than…me.
I crawled a little closer to him, and he pulled my body between his powerful thighs, settling me so my back was against his front, both of us facing the water so we could enjoy the sunset.
As he wrapped his arms around my waist, I leaned my head back on his shoulder, wishing I could ask him all of the questions dancing through my mind right now.
