Her warmth radiated through him.
“I had broken my leg, arm, and jaw. They wired my mouth shut so my jaw could heal. I lived on liquids for weeks. I missed Eric’s funeral. Dropped a ton of weight. Lost my football scholarship to Kansas State. I felt as worthless as a human being could. That’s when I decided to chuck it all and move to California. Reinvent myself. Not have to be Dash DeLauria. As an actor, I could disappear into a role and be anyone but me.
“I never took a drink after that night, Sydney. I probably never will.”
She captured his face in her hands. “I never have either, despite my past reputation. We can be sober buddies together. Besides, there are lots of things more productive than drinking. Like this.”
Sydney pulled his head down until their lips met.
Dash fell in love with her at that moment.
CHAPTER 15
Dash knew he needed to do something he’d never done before—introduce a female companion to Herc. That would be the true test. He couldn’t be in love with any woman unless she had met and welcomed his little brother. He prayed Sydney would be up to the challenge.
He broke the kiss and said, “You’ve got to come with me. Now.” He grabbed her hand and began hustling her down the beach.
“Hey, slow down,” Sydney said. “I have long legs but you’re almost running. Or should I say Dash-ing?”
“Sorry.” He slowed his pace.
“Where are we going?”
“Back to my place.”
“Yes!” Her face lit up. “You’re going to cook for me. I like a man who knows his way around a kitchen because I don’t.”
Dash came to a halt. “Seriously?”
Sydney yanked on his arm so they’d keep walking. “Seriously. If I made the effort, I’m sure I could master a few dishes. I told you—I’ve been really busy for a long time.”
“You were a lawyer?” She’d mentioned law school so he stirred the waters a bit.
“An incredibly busy lawyer. First, I was a nose to the grindstone student in college. I took my GED after Craig died and used money he left me to get my bachelor’s degree. Along the way, I had a wild hare idea that law school would be the smart route to take.”
They reached her house and showered the sand off their feet.
“Was it?”
“It was three really tough years. I’m smart, but there were some true brainiacs there.”
“Where?”
“Yale.”
“Ah. Yale Law School. Let me guess. You graduated at the top of your class.”
Sydney nodded sheepishly.
“Are you kidding me?” He stopped, his thoughts jumbled. He’d only been joking but the look on her face told him she wasn’t.
“Don’t think that.”
“How do you know what I’m thinking?”
“I just do.”
“Sydney, you’re a golden girl. You have the Hollywood royalty pedigree going for you with your parents. You have a college degree and you graduated from Yale Law. I barely made it out of high school.” Dash wondered if he’d gotten in over his head. If he were even good enough for her. “I bounced around doing menial jobs until I started landing bit parts. It’s taken me over ten years to get to where I am.”
“You think we’re mismatched.” She began chewing on her bottom lip, not realizing what a turn on it was to him.
He put his hands on her shoulders. “Not necessarily. But I’m thinking that I pushed you into this relationship. I have a tendency to come on strong when I want something. I don’t mean to manipulate people but it happens.”
“I’m not easily swayed, Dash. After all, I have a high IQ. And I graduated first in my law school class. At Yale, no less.”
Dash laughed out loud. He liked her sass. He gave her a bear hug. “Okay. I’m smarter than I pretend to be. I skated through high school because I was bored. Even if I weren’t that smart, I’m at least smart enough to have latched on to you.” He kissed the top of her head. “I’ll try not to embarrass you in public or when we’re with friends.”
“You’ll never embarrass me, Dash.” She sounded so sincere. Her belief in him made him feel as if he were ten feet tall. He would do everything in his power not to let this woman down.
They changed back into the clothes they’d worn up to Malibu. Sydney brushed her hair out and put it back into a ponytail. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck.
“I love your hair pulled up like this. You have a very slender, very