Page 213 of The Bluffing Game

“I’ll be done in a minute,” Dalton calls out. He gives me one last kiss. “Do you want me to let you finish before you go back to the table?”

“Finish?” I push him away and slide back down to the ground. I pretend I don’t know what he’s talking about. Like I wasn’t close to having an orgasm. “I think I need to finish placing my order.” I touch my hair to fix any damage from his roaming hands. “You need to go first, and I’ll come right out.”

He strides out of the restroom, and I stand there, gasping for air. I catch sight of myself in the mirror and don’t recognize the girl standing there with the flushed face.

I’m definitely in over my head, and I have no idea what to do. I have no idea how I’m going to go back to the table and deal with Parker because all I really want is Dalton. There’s no way that I’m going to let him know that.

I count to twenty and then walk back to the table. Parker is busy chatting with Sandra about something, and I’m grateful he’s not looking at me as I slide into my seat.

“There you are.” Dalton smiles innocently. “I wondered if you were finishing off your⁠—”

“Dalton—”

My heart races as I think about where his fingers just were. I can’t believe I’m in this situation.

I turn to face Parker, who has a smirk on his face, which is surprising.

“I’m willing to bet that this will be the best meal you’ve ever had in your life.” Parker grins at me and then at Dalton, and Dalton nods knowingly.

“I dare say you’re right. The appetizer was already fairly scrumptious.”

Chapter 22

DALTON

“I want to go to the beach.” Toby tugs on my shirt and looks at me with big brown eyes. “Please, Daddy, can we go to the beach?”

I stare at him with a wry smile and run my fingers through his hair. “Hey, maybe later on, but I’m just doing some work right now.”

“But I want to build a sandcastle, and I want to go in the water. You promised last night, and Miss Sage told me that she would help me make a fort.”

“She did what?” I ask him, curious that he’s brought up Sage’s name.

Ever since she babysat him, he’s mentioned her every day.

“Miss Sage says she likes to go to the beach, and she would take me, and when she takes me, she’s going to get me ice cream.”

“Yeah, well, Miss Sage is actually on a date today,” I say, though I’m not sure if I should be giving him that information. He’s still young, and I don’t even know if he really understands what date means.

“What’s that, Daddy?”

I don’t have the answer, and I shake my head. “She’s gone to the beach with someone else today.”

“Let’s go and surprise her and say hello.”

“I don’t think she’d be happy with me if I surprised her right now,” I say, laughing. Now, that is an understatement.

After the first couple of dates, I can see how it would look like I was deliberately trying to sabotage her love life, and I’m really not. If Sage and I are to be, then it will happen. But the fact of the matter is, I like her, and I do want more, but I can’t give her what she really wants, and so I am going to let it go.

“Daddy, I want to go to the beach, please.”

“Toby, what about you give me thirty minutes? And then I’ll go and get my boogie board,” I say.

“And can we take sandwiches, and can we call Miss Sage and see if she wants to meet us?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think she’ll be free today, but next time I go to work, I’ll ask her, okay?”

“Okay, thank you. You’re the best daddy ever.”