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Her gaze slid to his to find him devouring her the same way she’d been doing to him. He let out a low whistle. “I think we have to upgrade you from beautiful to gorgeous.” Stepping forward, he clasped his hands around her waist and leaned in for a light kiss on her cheek.
She breathed in his scent. Her body tingled, and she wished he’d kiss her on the lips.
Instead, he stepped back. “Come on. We’re on a schedule.”
“Where are we going?” she asked, as he slipped his hand in hers.
“It’s a surprise, remember?” He waited as she locked up, set the alarm, and they took off.
He’d driven his Mercedes and they ended up in Midtown where he parked in a lot and gave the Benz to a valet, sliding money into the man’s hand to take care of the vehicle.
He clasped their fingers together and led her down the sidewalk, the warm summer air wafting around them. “I hope you like pizza.”
“Love it.” Her stomach rumbled in agreement.
He led her to a typical New York City pizza place that was ultra-casual. They ordered a large pizza at the counter, then sat down to wait until Dex could walk back and pick up their food.
They talked about his photo shoot in San Francisco and how much he despised being in front of the camera like a model but was looking forward to live broadcasts of the games and discussing the plays as they happened.
A man behind the counter called out their order and Dex stood, walking over to collect their pizza and two sodas. Once he settled into his seat across from her, he handed her a slice and she took a bite, chewing and savoring the piece.
“You cannot get pizza like this in Florida,” she said. “It’s one of the perks of living in the city.”
“This is my favorite pizza spot and I’m happy to share it with you.”
She took another bite and moaned. “I hope they deliver uptown.”
“Do not make that sound in public where I can’t react to it the way I want to.”
A glance at him showed his cheeks were flushed and his gaze darkened.
“Oops.” She grinned but also squirmed because she felt the same desire oozing through her veins.
He shook his head and after he ate some, he said, “Back to your point, they have another restaurant close to where you live that I’m sure will deliver.”
“Excellent.” She was already planning in her mind.
“So, you’re good with being here? Really?” He gestured around the place that had filled up with couples, families, and kids. “As opposed to someplace fancy, I mean.”
She leaned forward. “Dex, I realize you don’t know me well yet, so let me enlighten you. I don’t need expensive meals or restaurants. I just like spending time with you. What kind of women have you been dating, anyway?”
Interesting question, he thought. “Well, I can’t say I’ve been dating much but during my career, women were all about what I could buy for them, where I could take them, and who they could meet when they were with me. I found it hard to make a real connection and given that I was so football focused, I never really tried.”
She hated thinking about him floundering as women tried to use him for his money and fame. “That’s sad. I can promise you my mom raised us right. We all appreciate things being real.” Everything her mom hadn’t had with her father.
He narrowed his gaze. “You seem sad. Does valuing people and not things have anything to do with your father’s betrayal?” he asked.
She nodded, aware that he was ultra-sensitive to her moods and thoughts. Something else that was new to her in a relationship. Not that they were in one. Or were they?
“My father was good at buying us off,” she admitted. “He’d come home from business trips,” she said, using finger quotes, “with gifts for the kids and expensive jewelry for Mom. When we were younger it was exciting. As we grew up, we understood we’d rather have our father at school events than presents and a quick visit. And when we found out he wasn’t working but was raising another family, every illusion we had shattered.”
He reached over, putting his big, warm hand over hers. “I’m sorry. That’s horrible. But you keep saying when we found out, we understood… but how did you feel?”
She swallowed hard. “There were so many of us, we’ve always been a we. The Dare kids.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I guess it’s just easier to lump us together than to deal with my personal feelings about my father.”
As if sensing there was more, Dex waited patiently. The noise around them faded until it was just the two of them and she could think.
“My feelings never mattered,” she said honestly. “I was worried about my siblings. I saw them being strong, so I emulated them. I thought if I fell apart then they’d have to worry about me too. Especially Ian. He took on everyone’s pain.”
