Open Door Marriage (18 page)

Dallas barely held onto his control as he moved within her, wondering how a woman could be so tight, so hot, so wet, so … perfect. He thrust into her with every ounce of power he could muster, then slowed his rhythm and made love to her on that second and third pass, relishing every delicious moment as though it would be his last.

When they were sated and he held her in his arms, he asked that fateful question,
“
Alicia, will you stay for another day?
”

“
I can
’
t,
”
she replied.
“
This was … wonderful, even better than I could have ever hoped for. But I have a life. I have plans to travel and see the world.
”

“
Just one more day, baby,
”
he said, and that was the beginning of a 91-day mantra. Until the ninety-second day when he presented her with a ring, lowered to one knee and said,
“
Alicia Mitchell, will you marry me and be the mother of my children?
”

When she was too stunned to answer, he felt a slight stab of disappointment and stood.

“
Dallas…
”
she whispered and went to him, burying her head in the wall of his chest as tears streamed down her face.

He thought all she needed was some time to get used to the idea.
Only later did he realize that he had forgotten one important part of their process … he didn
’
t extract his usual promise from her to stay
“
just one more day
”
giving them the time to sort things out.

Alicia was gone the next morning and he hadn
’
t heard a word from or laid eyes on her until fate had landed them in that bedroom on Thanksgiving Day.

Dallas shook his head, bringing himself back to the present.
“
When you left me, it was never the same,
”
he said to Alicia.
“
I
’
m not going to let that happen again.
I don
’
t even know why you left me before, bu
t
—
.
”

“
You asked me to marry you,
”
she
said
.
“
To have your kids.
”

He pulled away to look down at her.
“
And what the hell was wrong with that?
”

“
Dallas, you were a wonderful fantasy. An unexpected pleasure. That
’
s all.
”

“
Well, now you know that we
’
re more than that. This time, we
’
re going to
work through whatever issues you might have.
”
He stroked a hand across her face.
“
You feel me?
”

Her eyes searched his for a moment before she said,
“
Yes.
”

With that one word, and her head laid on his chest, Dallas steeled himself against the onslaught of feelings, which were as powerful as a winning half-court shot in the last second of a championship game.

* * *

An hour later, Dallas went up to the loft to give her some time alone.
Alicia settled into a bedroom that was the equivalent of three of her master bedrooms put together. The white walls and ceiling, white natural wood floors, and white bedding was a stark contrast to all the bursts of color throughout the rest of the house.

Dallas
’
room was neat, uncluttered, efficient
—
just like the man himself. But his closet told the true story. She expected wall-to-wall jeans, jerseys and t-shirts; but not only did she find rows of suits, slacks, Polos and dress shirts, but he chose a more classic style, showing a more mature and conservative taste. She checked out the few simple pieces of jewelry laid out on silver trays atop a white wood dresser right next to three Movado watches.
Nothing gaudy or showy. Everything classic and classy. The bedroom and his fashion were Dallas through and through. Simple, conservative and everything in its place.

Later that night, when Dallas came to the bedroom to say good night, she said,
“
You put me here on purpose. The guest bedroom
’
s right next to Tori
’
s room.
”

“
The walls aren
’
t thin, but you are a screamer, baby,
”
he teased, kissing her shoulder as he pulled her close to him.

“
What?
”

Dallas chuckled at her shocked expression.
“
Dallas,
”
he taunted in a high-pitched voice, and put a dramatic hand over her heart.
“
Oh, Dallas. The world rises and sets with your smile, and—
”

The pillow hit him square in the face and he playfully toppled to the bed and spread-eagled.

Alicia settled in the space right beside him and he rolled over to face her.

She stroked a hand across his chest.
“
Dallas, this
is
more than just about sex for you, right?
”

“
It has always been about more than that,
”
he replied, his expression matching his serious tone.
“
You just didn
’
t give me the benefit of the doubt.
”

She reached up and touched her hand to his cheek.
“
I
’
m sorry for leaving you that way, Dallas. I
’
m sorry for hurting you.
”

Dallas nodded, but she could tell from the hard set of his jaw, how much her leaving had hurt.

“
You want to put it to the test?
”
he asked, kissing the back of her hand.

Alicia lifted an eyebrow.
“
Put what?
”

“
Whether this is just about sex. Let
’
s test it and take a page from Tori
’
s book .
Let
’
s spend time getting to know each other again.
”

“
You mean, we can
’
t make love for
a whole damn year
?
”
she shrieked, and he couldn
’
t help but laugh.

“
I
’
m definitely not saying that.
”

“
Well, that
’
s great, because that
’
s what got you in trouble in the first place.
”

“
No, what got me in trouble was trying to turn a friend into a housewife.
”

Alicia pondered that a few moments before saying,
“
So now you
’
re trying to turn a one-night-stand into a relationship.
”

“
It wasn
’
t a one-night stand,
”
he protested.
“
We were together an evening, a night and a day.
In total it was ninety-two days, sixteen hours, and twenty-two minutes. I
’
d call it a Three-peat.
”

They laughed together, but then, Dallas became serious once again.
“
Let
’
s take some time and focus on the relationship aspect of this. I want to earn your trust, your respect.
”

She pressed a kiss to his lips.
“
You already have my respect. Please believe that.
”

“
Well, I guess one out of two isn
’
t bad.
”

She cupped his face in her hands.
“
I don
’
t think we know each other well enough to completely trust each other yet,
”
she said.
“
But as far as respect, when I left, I kept tabs on you.
Well, at least I did up until a year ago,
”
she said.
“
I loved your interviews, I loved how you
’
ve lived up to every single claim that you
’
ve made.
You
’
ve walked your talk and that alone is admirable. You have my respect.
”

“
But your trust.
”

“
Let
’
s give that time,
”
she said.

He nodded and then held her in his arms.
As she snuggled into his embrace, Alicia thought about how for the past year, no matter where she went, one thing
remained constant
—
how much she missed him.
Everything: the deep timbre of his voice, his smile and laughter.
The way he felt when he held her.
The way he listened to her. The way he loved her.

Not to mention that toe-curling, panty-ripping fantasies about him always left her wanting more. But then, good sense would kick in and shut things down.

Women like her were not supposed to have those type of experiences. Men like Dallas chose the young and beautiful
—
women who looked good on the arm.
Women who were loved by the camera.
Women like Tori.

But though she believed that, sometimes, she allowed herself to dream.
She
’
d close her eyes and imagine that he was in the room with her.

She rolled herself away from him.
“
Dallas, I can be honest with you about anything, right?
”

“
Definitely,
”
he said, through half-closed lids.

She took a deep breath.
“
This relationship right here,
”
she gestured to him, then to her.
“
I
’
m scared as hell.
”

“
Why?
”

“
The age thing … are you into some mother complex or something like that?
”

For a moment his expression darkened.
“
You
’
ll be everything to me,
”
he replied.
“
My friend, my lover, my sister, my mother
—
not because I
’
m trying to replace my mother
’
s influence in my life
—
but it
’
s about being everything a woman can be to a man. It
’
s because I want an irreplaceable woman by side. You are that woman.
”

Tears welled up in her eyes and spilled over.

Dallas sat up, resting on his elbows as he wiped away her tears.
“
As long as we talk about things. As long as we
’
re open, we can work through anything.
”
Dallas pulled her back into his arms.
“
Give it a chance, Alicia. Don
’
t run away before you see how good things can be.
It
’
s time for you to have a little slice of happiness.
”
She could swear his voice broke a little when he added,
“
Don
’
t leave me before we get to the good parts of love.
”

She nestled her body to his. Dallas was right. She
’
d
damn
near lost her husband behind trying to help Tori. She
’
d made sure everyone was happy
—
even if it was at her own expense. She was forty-five and it was time that she put herself first. Besides, this had all been Tori
’
s idea.

“
I want that, Dallas.
”

“
And I want to give it to you,
”
he said, squeezing her tighter.

Alicia pushed aside the negative thoughts. Hopefully, they could emerge from this arrangement with Tori relatively unscathed, but Alicia
’
s focus was now on her own happiness. And the man lying next to her, who no doubt could provide exactly the type of happiness that could last a lifetime.