“Do they know where you are?”
“No. At least, I don’t think they do.” She tried to keep the rest from spilling out, but couldn’t. “Richard is having trouble conceiving with his new wife. I’ve seen a couple of news reports online about it this week. Before now, I was pretty positive that Richard and his family thought I was so insignificant, and so lacking in strength, that they wouldn’t bother trying to track me down once I’d left Washington. Especially given that they’d told me that if I tried to say a word against them, their charity—one that helps disadvantaged women, ironically—would be what people sided with. Not a woman who had clearly gotten knocked up on purpose to try to lock their son into marrying her to set her up for life.” She took a shaky breath. “But now that I know Richard might not be able to have the Bentley heir they were all expecting his wife to give them...”
“I can help you, Grace. I can help keep you and Mason safe from them.”
She gave him a small smile to let him know she appreciated his offer even if she couldn’t possibly take him up on it. God, she could only imagine what a mess that would be, especially since she’d seen for herself that afternoon that at least one of Dylan’s cousins ran in the same circles as the Bentleys. Dylan’s family had been nothing but nice to her and Mason. She wouldn’t drag them into her mess.
“When you were talking about sailing through a storm during our interview, I realized that I’ve been there. Finding out that I was pregnant and then realizing that I was going to have to be a parent all by myself has been one of the most frightening things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most beautiful. My parents raised me to be strong, but I was never really tested before and never knew what I was capable of. Or how tough I could really be. Now I do, and I have a plan for how to fight them just in case I ever need to. But thank you for offering to help us. Honestly, it’s enough that you agreed to do this story with me. That already helps a great deal.”
“You’re so damned strong, Grace, that anyone who can’t see it is a total idiot.” Had anyone ever looked at her with such respect and admiration? “But my brother Rafe is a P.I. And Ian is one of the wealthiest men in the world, with business ties to pretty much everyone. My brothers can help make sure nothing ever happens to you and Mason. Let me talk to them. Let us make absolutely sure that your ex and his family aren’t up to anything.” He took her hand in his. “I promise you that they’ll stay totally below the radar. They won’t stir anything up.”
It was so overwhelming, the way he was offering to help in any way he could to keep her and her son safe. “But we—”
She stopped herself before she could protest that they’d only just met. What did it matter how long she’d known Dylan when he was offering to do whatever he and his family could to keep her son safely with her?
“Yes,” she finally said. “Okay.”
“You’ll let us help?”
Utterly overwhelmed with emotion from all sides, she nodded. “I’d appreciate it, actually, not having everything fall on me for once.”
“Thank you for trusting me not only to help, but also by telling me about your past.”
“I couldn’t let you think there was something wrong with you.” Realizing that sounded strange, she quickly added, “I mean, obviously you’ve looked in a mirror, so you know that’s not the problem.” Ugh, that only made things worse, even though he’d smiled when she said it. “It’s just now that you know where I am in my life and where I’ve come from, you can understand why I promised myself that I wouldn’t make that same mistake again. I can’t jump into a relationship right now and don’t honestly know when or if I’ll be able to again. Not now that everything inside of me has shut down.”
“Shut down?” He shook his head. “There was nothing shut down about the kiss we shared last night.”
She knew he was right. There was no point trying to deny it, even if a part of her argument fell apart. “You’re right,” she said, “there wasn’t. But one kiss doesn’t change anything.”
Grace had spent enough time with Dylan in the past two days to know how to read the look in his eyes. Instinct was vitally important to him, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t take time to think things through. Right now, he was processing everything she’d said.
“After what you’ve been through,” he finally said, “I can understand how hard it must be to trust anyone. Especially another man.”
She was surprised—very surprised, actually—that what she’d said seemed to be enough to make him back down from wanting to date her. It was what she’d told herself she wanted, and yet…
“Good,” she made herself say. “I’m glad you understand.”
“After what that scumbag and his family did to you, anyone would be wary and want to take things slow the next time.”
She was with him right up until the end…when he got to slow and next time. “Dylan—”
“If slow is what you need, I can do slow.”
She knew she shouldn’t let excitement flood back through her. Shouldn’t let it push all of the earlier disappointment aside. Especially since Dylan was a champion racer and she doubted there was even a trace of slow in his blood.
Then again, building wooden sailboats by hand was perhaps one of the most painstaking careers he could have chosen. Maybe he could make a promise to go slow and mean it.
Still, she couldn’t just give in like this, could she? Couldn’t let a simple promise that he would go slow be enough to change her mind about everything she’d been so certain about for so long. She needed to be rational. Strong.
“In the past two days, I’ve met your entire family and have spent two consecutive evenings with you. If that’s your version of slow, we both know it’s not a good idea.”
“That’s not even close to my entire family,” he corrected with a grin before sobering again. “I know I’ve pushed you. It’s just—” She knew from the way he was looking at her, his eyes so dark, so intense, that she didn’t have a prayer of being prepared for whatever he was going to say next. “I saw you and I knew.”
“You knew?” She could feel her breath coming faster as she watched the shift happen inside Dylan—from thinking and processing to pure male instinct. She felt as she imagined a lioness would when her mate found her. Hunted—and just as suddenly hungry for him as he was for her. “What did you know?”
He reached for her then, the barest brush of his fingertips across her cheek enough to send her heart leaping and racing. “I knew this.” She watched him watch her, and when she didn’t pull away—Lord, how could she?—he slowly drew his fingers down to the nape of her neck. “I knew your skin would be this soft, this sensitive.” Thrill bumps rose all over her body as he ran his fingertips down from her neck over her T-shirt, then to the bare skin of her arm exposed by the short sleeve. “I knew you’d be this responsive.” Somewhere in there, she reached for him without even realizing it so that her hands were holding on to his waist. “I knew we would fit together this perfectly.”
Grace knew she should find more words, more reasons that she couldn’t do this, but she really, really didn’t want to. Not when it had been so long since she’d felt sensual pleasure. And not when it seemed like forever since she’d felt even the least bit feminine or had thought about anything but her son and her work.