The Patriot Girl (5 page)

“You sure know how to kick a man where it counts, without lifting a foot.” He shook his head and groaned. “Where have you been hiding all these years?”

MaKayla made herself a promise.
Come Wednesday night—no alcohol.
It was not so much because she was afraid of what she’d do under the influence, but because she wanted to discover if being in Dustin’s presence made her feel this comfortable while sober. She stepped closer and looked over his shoulder as they finished their dance.

His spicy aftershave had her clinging to him, unable to get close enough. She suddenly wanted him to suckle her neck at the spot where his warm breath now teased every pulsating nerve. She could stay in this position for as long as he’d allow.

The song ended, as did their connection. He tipped his hat. “Wednesday at seven, then.”

Before MaKayla could reply, Jodi captured her attention by standing beside them with her tongue swirling around in her cheek. Embarrassed, she hoped Dustin hadn’t seen the gesture.

As much as she wanted to dismiss her best friend and slow dance the next song with him, she was there to celebrate an anniversary. She waved goodbye before focusing on what her friend had to say.

“Travis over there wants to know who the hot babe was sitting at my table. I told him you were single. What do you say?”

Now she understood the tongue-in-cheek thing. Telling her best friend she had never performed oral lovemaking would haunt MaKayla until the day she made it happen. For Paul, a woman’s face below the belt wasn’t proper. Since he’d been her first and last, she hadn’t felt she was missing out on anything.

Not according to Jodi. MaKayla doubted that the oral thing was “better than a steak dinner” as her friend claimed. Maybe one day she’d meet a man who would allow her
the honor
, but one thing was for sure, the experience wouldn’t be happening with Police Officer Travis. “I’m not interested.”

Jodi grabbed her arm. “Oh, come on. No harm in meeting him.”

****

MaKayla sat behind her desk at Columbus Bank and stared at the telephone. She’d prolonged canceling her date long enough. Ten hours left to back out or be reminded of the humiliation of growling at the man on Sunday night. What had she been thinking?

Canceling would spoil the opportunity to meet the owner of No Bulls. But that might be better than having to keep apologizing to Dustin for her immature behavior.

With a shaky hand, she picked up the receiver, and then replaced it. First she needed to come up with a reason why she couldn’t show up. He wouldn’t buy her embarrassment.

She could work late. Jodi would allow her to stay longer to make a few phone calls, this way she wouldn’t be lying.

She inhaled then reached for the phone again. Wait a minute. They had not exchanged last names—only sexual tension unlike anything she’d ever experienced before. How was she supposed to get a hold of him?

She typed a couple of words into her computer then removed the receiver and dialed the number she’d found for No Bulls on the Internet. Maybe someone there could give her his number. If they weren’t open, she could leave a message and hope for a return call.

The voice of a little girl came on the line. “You’ve reached No Bulls. Leave a message.”

MaKayla waited for the long beep to end. “Good morning. My name is MaKayla—”

Someone answered the phone, stopping her message from recording. “Don’t even think about blowing me off tonight.”

Dustin.
Her body tensed. The chuckle in his tone sent butterflies to her belly. She couldn’t let his charm change her mind. There was no way she could face him and pretend Sunday never happened.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t cancel?”

“Because I’m looking forward to seeing your next casual outfit.”

Her face warmed. Her hand rested on her chest. Nothing in her wardrobe showed off cleavage except for a few summer tops she wore around the house.

In the store, the bright colors and snaps on the flag shirt had caught her attention. She hadn’t even tried it on until she went home.

She had been going to hang out with friends. There was no harm in feeling feminine for one night, so she’d left the three upper snaps open. Never would she have guessed a man would be holding her in his arms and admiring the exposure. She should have buttoned up, but with the attention and the liquor, she hadn’t thought to do that at the time.

Closing her eyes wouldn’t make her embarrassment go away, but it did help her to spit out the next words. “I’m sorry for whatever I said, or
did
Sunday. I haven’t had a drink in years. I suppose they went straight to my head.”

“I won’t let you back out of our date because you think you might have embarrassed yourself.”

Date?
This wasn’t a date. She wasn’t ready to start dating and she didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. “This wouldn’t be a date. Remember? It would be a glad-we-weren’t-killed dinner. Beside, isn’t the owner of No Bulls coming?”

“Yes, the owner will be there, and you can call this date whatever you like. I’ll meet you tonight at seven.” The phone went silent.

What just happened? Way to go on canceling for tonight.
Now she had to figure out what to wear
and
get a pitch together for the club owner. After all, this could be the break she needed at starting her new business.

MaKayla’s usual ten-minute lunch break turned into seventy-five minutes. In all the five years working at Columbus Bank, she’d never taken advantage of Jodi being her best friend. And she wouldn’t start now. Preparing for her pitch tonight had made her lose all track of time. She could chalk it up to comp time for all the days she’d never taken her full hour.

A knock on the door made her look up. “Come in.” Jodi hid behind a glass vase filled with the largest long-stemmed red roses MaKayla had ever seen.

“These came for you.” Jodi set the vase on the desk, sat in a chair, crossed one petite leg over the other, and stared at MaKayla. “Spill. Who are they from?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Maybe they’re from Travis. He practically drooled when you stood next to him. Seemed a little too desperate, huh? Or maybe they’re from that hot cowboy.” Jodi’s brows rose. “You know, there’s something about him I like. I bet he’s a romantic
and
a generous lover. Maybe you should find out. It’s time you saddle up and get back on the horse.”

“I have more important matters to worry about. Nailing a business contract for No Bulls is more important than nailing any cowboy.”

Jodi’s voice softened. “The public relations business idea is great, but you can still have a relationship. The trick is finding a supportive man. When you do, take out the whips and chains and have a hairy ball…or two.”

MaKayla laughed. She pulled the card from the plastic holder inside the roses. “Let’s see who they’re from…Dustin? How’d he know I worked here?”

“Ah. He asked me how we knew each other. I told him your mom and I have been friends for years, and that you and I worked together.” Jodi popped a mint candy from the dish on the edge of MaKayla’s desk into her mouth. “Why did he send you flowers?”

“He’s looking forward to our meeting tonight.”

“You have a date?”

“No.” Letting on she had any connection whatsoever with Dustin would have Jodi on the phone with Duke, getting a background check. She had to keep the meeting exactly as she planned—business. “It’s a get-together. He’s introducing me to the owner of No Bulls. Maybe I can land my first client.”

“He’s supportive.” Jodi tapped her fingers. “I’m liking him even more.”

MaKayla pressed the card to her chest. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

“No way. I’d be lost if that happened.”

“Anyway, between this job and my new business, I won’t have time for a relationship.”

“You can
make
time. Duke works the night shift, and I work days. There’s a reason I don’t have lunch in the break room with you girls.”

“That’s different. You’re married.”

“No. When you find that special someone, you’ll be all over him like a lioness. Then, you too, will skip lunch to be with each other.”

If Jodi only knew MaKayla had growled at the man—not a reminder she needed six hours away from having to face him.

“With Alex leaving, you can’t use him anymore as an excuse not to date.”

MaKayla had never used her son as an excuse, although he
had
been the largest part of her staying single. She’d been content with raising him alone and working her job.

“First things first, tonight’s meeting could ignite an entirely different kind of love interest. I need to explore this business idea.”

“Yeah, you have a good time tonight. If you get rid of the third wheel early, go saddle up. Look at me. When have you seen a frown on this face?”

“It’s your nature to be happy.” MaKayla laughed and walked to the front of her desk. “Thanks for bringing me the flowers. Now get back to work.”

She closed the door behind Jodi then stared at the vase. Sunday night
had been
an eye-opener as to what she’d been missing out on. Maybe she should explore the possibility of dating again, sooner rather than later.

But first, she was determined to find out if she could live alone. She didn’t want to cling to some man to replace the one who no longer needed her.

She filled her face with the bouquet of flowers, and read aloud the card she’d removed from the plastic holder. “Your flowers won’t be complete until we meet again.”

She pressed the card to her chest and counted the bunch. “One-two-three, four-five-six, seven-eight-nine, ten-eleven…”

Chapter Four

Arriving an hour early at Steak-On restaurant had paid off. Landing the corner table in the back gave Dustin the privacy he’d need if MaKayla decided to slug him once she found out dinner would be just the two of them.

He paced the wood floor. He had asked that the blinds on the window be closed so the sun wouldn’t shine directly on them. The dim lighting generated a romantic atmosphere he needed to impress her. Hopefully, this would work.

Nothing ever came easy for him. With his luck, keeping his identity of being the No Bulls owner a secret would blow up in his face.

He fidgeted with the single rose that would make her dozen complete. The complimentary bottle of wine from the restaurant’s owner, his friend Wesley, was in the ice bucket.

His nerves hadn’t been this on edge since the night he took his three-year-old daughter to the emergency room with a one-hundred-and-three temperature.

Of all the women he’d been hooked up with, no one came close to MaKayla’s beauty, wit, and charm. No wonder he couldn’t wait to be in her presence. He had made special arrangements for his daughter and at work to make sure nothing ruined this evening. There was no way he could have allowed MaKayla to back out this morning.

Even though this might end up being a one-time meeting, he wanted to enjoy it. She’d made it very clear this wasn’t a date.

Maybe she’d accepted a date from that Travis cop her friend had introduced her to Sunday evening.
Travis.
He drummed his fingers against his legs. What did he have that Dustin didn’t?

It’d been a while since Dustin had had sex, but a man knows what’s about to happen when a woman’s tongue twirls around the inside of her cheek. He wanted to know why Jodi had made the gesture to her friend…and if Travis had been the lucky recipient.

MaKayla was a mystery he needed to solve. The same way he used to try to figure out whether his clients were guilty or innocent. Only this time, his verdict wouldn’t end in the courtroom.

For the first time, he wanted to take his work home. But he had a daughter to consider, and he had to make sure his positive instincts about MaKayla were right.

He turned and his heart skipped a beat. The restaurant’s host escorted her toward him.

Black curls rested on her bare shoulders. A white, sleeveless shirt started around her neck, clung tight to her breasts, and ended neatly tucked into the waistband of black slacks. She’d ditched the cowboy boots for white heels.

Dustin met them halfway. He couldn’t wait any longer to hold her. “I’ll take her from here, Rob. Thanks.” He took MaKayla’s chilled hand into his own.

Why did he always wear a goofy smile when she was around? The one that started with her presence and he knew wouldn’t disappear until his head hit the pillow.

He’d warned her he wouldn’t keep his hands to himself, so he didn’t hesitate to hold one hand and wrap his other around her waist. “Hello.” Her apple scent jump-started every dead cell his body had let shut down since becoming a single parent. “You look”—he pulled out her chair, and whispered—”gorgeous.”

“Thank you. I know you said to dress casually, but I wanted to look professional for the club owner.”

“I see.” He sat across from her.

She raised an eyebrow. “You look extremely handsome.”

“Thank you.” He was dressed in slacks and a button-up shirt. He’d tossed these clothes, along with his briefcase, in the back of his closet, planning to return to both when the time was right.

“How’s the head on your shoulders feeling?”

He chuckled. “Better.” For as inebriated as a woman could be and still be able to keep her eyes open, he wouldn’t have expected her to remember most of Sunday’s conversation. Maybe that’s why he found her so attractive. She was unlike any woman he’d met.

Since the moment she’d been tossed into his arms, his body and mind hadn’t been the same. His body was too aware of how little he’d been touched since Liz’s death, and his mind had begun to have sexual fantasies again.

MaKayla lifted the rose from the placemat to her nose.

His elbows rested on the table and his hands overlapped beneath his chin. He admired how her hair glided against her cheeks. “We’ve been waiting for you.”