Dating the Player, page 6
“Oh, right. Great. And thank you again, your home is lovely.”
Freddie paused, then she said, “Dakota, go downstairs. I want to speak to Eloise for a minute. Alone.”
Never in my entire life had a guy’s mother disapproved of me, but somehow, I felt that Freddie North was doing just that. It was just such a foreign concept I didn’t even know what to think. Or say. Dak was no help. He rubbed my head like I was his kid sister and strolled right on out of the room.
Freddie stepped into the room and shut the door behind her. She said, “You seem like a nice girl.”
There was a big old “but” at the end of that sentence.
“But Dakota isn’t ready to settle down. I wish he was, but he isn’t. It’s because of, well, a loss we experienced.” Her lips pursed and she swallowed visibly.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, because I could see even mentioning her son who had died was painful. “I can’t imagine what you went through as a family.”
She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “Thank you, I appreciate that. But trust me, if you have stars in your eyes, you’re going to get hurt.”
I could see then she wasn’t angry with me—she was angry with Dak. I wasn’t comfortable with the warning, but I could tell her intentions were good. “Mrs. North, Dak comes on strong, and I don’t always know how to handle that, but trust me. I have no delusions.”
I didn’t. He was having fun because I was different from his usual type and I was stupidly willing to go along with the flirting because someday, when I was old and gray, I figured I would have a hell of a story for the nursing home staff.
The plan was still to wait and date and maybe fall in love and have sex for the first time with the man I might marry.
Sure, I could climb on a star quarterback and make a fantastic memory. With multiple orgasms in the process, most likely. But even Dak’s own mother knew he couldn’t stick and that even if I went in with eyes wide open, I would get my feelings hurt.
“He doesn’t mean to hurt anyone. Even with his big mouth. He’s a good man, truly. He’s loyal, honest, and loving. He has dedicated hundreds of hours to raising money for childhood cancer research. He loves with his whole heart and he would do anything for his family. But he’s reckless.”
I nodded. I couldn’t claim to know Dak all that well. I just saw what he showed the public. His persona. And our teasing flirtation. I didn’t know him. Any more than he knew me.
“My job is important to me,” I said. I meant it as reassurance to her I wasn’t going to be stupid. Maybe I was trying to remind myself. I needed to stay strong.
She gave me a smile. “I believe you, dear. But North men have a way of making a girl forget everything.”
To my surprise, she came over and gave me a hug. She pulled away but kept her hands on my forearms. “Don’t tell anyone but I was sixteen when I had Dakota. I couldn’t have resisted his father if I had been offered a million dollars. That man… good Lord, he was irresistible.”
I was surprised because Dak had insisted she always lied about that. “It sounds like you have a great marriage. That’s amazing in today’s world.”
“It is. It’s a blessing.” She gave me a smile. “Now come on. Let’s go find my husband and do some introductions.”
When we went downstairs Dak had a boy over his shoulder and was pretending to drop him like a wrestler. I assumed it was his brother, who he had said was eleven. The boy was laughing and trying to squirm out of Dak’s hold. Like I had minutes earlier.
I remembered the way his hand had felt making contact with my ass and I got warm inside.
Maybe Mrs. North was right. North men had a way of making you forget everything.
A girl was sitting at the kitchen island eating an apple. She was tall, thin, and blonde. She was middle-school age but there was absolutely nothing awkward about her. No braces or acne or poor makeup choices. I mentally shook my head thinking about my own experience at thirteen where I’d had a phase where I had plucked my eyebrows down to nothing, then had drawn them back in so dark they looked like electrical tape slapped on my brow bone.
This girl looked like she could walk a fashion runway, play varsity soccer, be a shoo-in for homecoming queen, and dominate social media and all the boys with her sheer coolness.
So, the opposite of me in every way.
Mr. North had come into the kitchen and he was an older version of Dak. Huge, broad-shouldered, mischievous grin on his face.
“So, you’re Eloise,” he said, coming over and putting out his hand.
I shook it, my hand getting lost in his. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. North.”
“The pleasure is all mine. Call me George. This is Georgia,” he said, pointing to his daughter.
“Hey,” she said, and gave me a finger waggle.
“Hi.” I realized she must be named after her father, but I was slightly disappointed her name wasn’t Carolina. That would have seemed the logical step after naming their first son Dakota.
“And Jagger is that squirt on Dakota’s shoulder.” He gave me a smile. “Do you have any siblings, Eloise?”
“No, I’m an only child. I always wanted sisters though.”
“You can take mine,” Jagger yelled from where he was being held upside down.
“Ew. Shut up,” Georgia said, rolling her eyes. “He’s super immature,” she told me. “I like your outfit. It’s very granny chic.”
I couldn’t tell if a thirteen-year-old was giving me shit or being genuine, so I just said, “Thank you.”
“Do you know anything about science?” she asked, giving me a wheedling look. “I do not understand my homework.”
“My mother is a biology professor at Rutgers. I didn’t major in science but I have a decent grasp of it.”
“Cool, can you help me?” She patted the stool at the island next to her.
I had a feeling she just wanted me to do it for her but I wasn’t in any position to say no. I didn’t think it was just the North men who got what they wanted all the time.
“Don’t feel obligated,” George said. “She’s a lazy student, bottom line.”
Georgia rolled her eyes. “Oh, because anyone in this family is any different? Mom didn’t even graduate high school and you barely did, and yet you manage to run an insurance company. Then there’s Dakota. He basically can’t even spell his own name and yet, he’s a millionaire.”
“Hey!” Dak put Jagger down and came up behind his sister. He pretended to strangle her, while she laughed. “Brat.”
“I don’t mind helping.” I didn’t. Because school was somewhere I felt confident. I didn’t feel on solid footing being here, in Dak’s family home, with these confident, pretty people.
I sat down next to her and glanced over the assignment she had laid out on the Carrera marble countertop. “What are you struggling with?”
She held the paper up. “This.”
I laughed. I read the first question out loud and then I asked her some questions, trying to ascertain her level of knowledge. After puzzling out the first question with her, it was obvious she knew more than she thought she did. She just didn’t want to think. She wanted it to be easy.
Hell, I couldn’t blame her for that. There were certainly times I wished I didn’t think as much as I did. It didn’t take us long to get her through the thirty questions.
“OMG, you are so awesome, Eloise. I feel like I actually understood that.” The smile she gave me appeared to be genuine.
“You’re welcome, Georgia. I’m happy to help.”
“So where did you go to college?” she asked. “I want to go to Tennessee.”
“I went to Rutgers because it was free,” I said. “I didn’t have a choice really but that’s okay. I had a great experience there and it’s a fantastic school.”
“You must be a smart girl,” George said, filling a glass with water at the refrigerator.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that, but Dak saved me from having to answer. “Kitty is basically brilliant.”
That made me snort. If I were brilliant, I wouldn’t be mentally wrestling with the possibility of letting him take my virginity.
Or trying to puzzle out why he had seemed offended when I said no. Or why that kiss had felt so real, even though he had just been trying to get his phone back.
I wouldn’t be thinking about any of it. I would just be focused on doing the job at hand. That’s what a smart woman would do.
I was feeling anything but smart.
* * *
Dak
* * *
Eloise snorted at my comment. Her inability to mask her responses always entertained me. I shot her a grin.
“Why do you call her Kitty if her name is Eloise?” Jagger asked, looking briefly up from his video game in the family room.
My dad coughed and laughed.
My mother, prepping for dinner by slicing cucumbers for a salad, pointed her knife at me. “Dakota,” she said, her voice filled with warning. “Your future rests on how you answer that.”
I gave my mother a sweet smile. “It’s because she likes cats,” I told my little brother. “She wears a lot of cat sweaters.” I gave my mom a “so there” look. Granted, it was half an answer. The real reason was because those sweaters gave me the perfect opportunity to talk pussy with Eloise on a regular basis.
Damn, I wanted her pussy. Her hot, tight, virgin pussy…
“Oh.” Jagger looked bored by my answer. He went straight back to his game.
I cleared my throat. “Are you done with the homework?” I asked my kid sister. “Eloise and I need to go get a Christmas tree for Mom.”
“I want to go!” Jagger yelled.
“No,” my mother said firmly. “You need to help me with dinner.”
“That sucks,” Jagger said. “I want to go get the tree.”
“I said no. Let your brother and Eloise be.”
I glanced at my mother. Why did it sound like she was encouraging me to be alone with Eloise? She’d never done that before. That seemed off to me. Now I was really curious what she had said to Eloise. Or hell, maybe she just needed Jagger to grate cheese and I was reading too damn much into it.
“I’m done,” Georgia said, hopping up off the stool. “That would have taken me years.”
“Fantastic. Now get Eloise some boots to wear. She’ll ruin her shoes tromping through the woods.” Georgia was only thirteen but she was already five foot eight, so I figured her boots had to fit Eloise, who was only an inch or two taller.
After a flurry of activity, my mother and sister had Eloise outfitted in rain boots, her coat, a knit cap on her head, and fuzzy gloves on her hands.
“It’s not that cold out,” I said, amused.
“You run hot. Not everyone is like you.”
“Yeah,” Eloise said, her tone completely dry. “I don’t run hot.”
“That’s a matter of opinion,” I told her. “Let’s go out through the garage so I can grab the chainsaw.”
“A chainsaw?” Eloise followed me, pushing up her glasses. “On TV they always chop down trees with an ax.”
“Which is time consuming and dangerous. Not to mention stupid. A chainsaw will do the job in three minutes.”
“Oh, well, that’s rather disappointing. All my Christmas tree fantasies are destroyed.”
That was an opening I was going to take. I stopped in front of my dad’s wall of various yard equipment. I looked back at her and winked. “Don’t worry, Kitty, we’ll make some new Christmas tree fantasies.”
“What does that mean?” she asked, looking shocked, but very, very intrigued.
It meant I had every intention of pinning her against an oak tree and kissing her until she no longer remembered that she wanted to resist me. “You’ll see, smart girl. You don’t need to know all the answers all the time.”
“Then you don’t know me well at all.”
I laughed. “I want to get to know you better.”
“Likewise. Your family is being very nice to me, by the way.”
“They’re good people.” I grabbed the chainsaw down and hit the button to open the garage door. “Sorry if my mother made you uncomfortable. Was she pressing you to get me to commit to a relationship?” That seemed like her MO.
But Eloise shook her head. “No. She was warning me that I shouldn’t get attached to you. That you’ll hurt me.”
That stung, more than I expected. I didn’t have a history of serious relationships, that was true, but that my own mother was more concerned with Eloise’s feelings than my own, was well, insulting. “Did you tell her you already have me pegged as an asshole?”
Her comment in the car still pissed me off. Not because it wasn’t true—she was right. I didn’t talk to what’s-her-name in accounting anymore because the woman had expectations I couldn’t live up to. But that wasn’t my fault. I had been upfront it was a hookup. It had been her who had chosen to believe somehow after experiencing the magic of her vagina I would want to marry her. After she had flat-out asked me for money so she could buy a designer purse, and posted on her Snapchat a picture of me sleeping in her bed.
Yet I was the asshole.
Eloise shook her head again. “No, I did not tell her that. I told her I’m a big girl and I can handle my emotions.”
I walked down the driveway, opened the back door, and threw the chainsaw in the hatch of the SUV. “But you think I’m an asshole.”
“I don’t think you’re an asshole. Stop putting words in my mouth. There is nothing wrong with you wanting to have sex with me and nothing more. I’m adult enough to understand that.”
I realized then what the problem was and why I was so angry.
That wasn’t what I wanted but I hadn’t informed Eloise of that fact.
She was handling things the way I had wanted the girl from accounting to handle it, like a one-night stand. Where you didn’t question or care or wonder what the other person’s opinion of you was. You just wanted casual, mutual pleasure.
Yet that wasn’t the way I saw this going down.
Eloise’s opinion mattered to me. Her opinion of me. To have a woman like her respect me would be something important.
I wanted to date Eloise, get to know her mind better and all of her body. I wanted to take her out to dinner and the movies, to sit on the couch and watch TV with her. I wanted to fly to the Caribbean for a weekend with her and meet her cats, Eli and Peyton.
Even knowing that with sudden lightning clarity didn’t make me say the words out loud though. I wanted her to fucking like me first before I laid my hand out on the table.
“Get in the car, Kitty.” I opened the passenger door for her.
“Why are you mad?” she asked, frowning up at me as she stepped up into the car.
“I’m not mad.” I gave her a wicked smile. “I have blue balls, that’s all. Just so you know, Sunday night we’re staying in a hotel.”
“Why?”
“Because our flight is at six a.m. and I’m not getting up at two in the morning to drive the two hours back to Knoxville. So, we’ll drive to a hotel by the airport the night before.”
“I see.” Her eyes widened and she licked her lips. “Are we sharing a room?”
“Yes, we are.” I slammed the door shut and went around to the driver’s side. Schooling my features so she wouldn’t see what a kick in the dick both her and my mother’s words had been, I gave her a sly smile. “And fair warning, I sleep naked.”
Eloise just blinked at me. “That’s okay, so do I.”
Hot damn. It was on.
Then she ruined it by saying, “Two beds though, Dak. I’m serious.”
I eyed her and gave a soft laugh. “And you think I’m a game player?”
“Am I game playing?” She bit her lip, which was sexy as hell even though she probably didn't mean it to be. “That’s not my intention. I’m just trying to keep my job and my dignity.”
I didn’t like the use of the word dignity, but I wasn’t going to dig too deep into that right now. “What about your virginity? Are you trying to keep that? Because sleeping naked three feet away from me is giving me a totally different message.”
She groaned and briefly closed her eyes. “This is so unfair.”
“What’s unfair?”
“It’s so hard to resist you.”
That was all I needed to hear. I knew how to play this game. “Then I’ll get two rooms. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
“What?” she asked, sounding startled. “Oh. Great, thank you.”
She had two and a half days to contemplate one room or two. I felt confident I could be persuasive. With Kitty, it required reverse psychology.
“I was thinking about meeting up with some old friends in Knoxville anyway. With two rooms I won’t disturb you when I come in late.” I said it casually, my best poker face on.
Eloise narrowed her eyes. “This is a trick, isn’t it?”
She’d caught on faster than I expected. She could be a little gullible, but not this time.
“No trick. Two rooms or one. It’s whatever you want.”
“I can’t have you sneaking out of your room and doing something crazy,” she said.
That amused me. “I wouldn’t sneak out, first of all. I would just go.”
“Just one room.” Her tone was emphatic.
There it was. Exactly what I wanted. I restrained the urge to grin.
“Perfect,” I told her. “We can stay in, order room service, watch a movie.” I parked the truck and cut the engine. “Let’s go tromp in the woods.”
It was a perfect opportunity to get to know my future girlfriend better.
Eloise might not know it yet, or believe it, but I was going to win this game.
She was going to be mine, because I needed to see what this was between us.
It was something and it could be so much more.
Chapter Six
Eloise
I can’t say that I’m a girl who hikes. My idea of being outdoorsy is drinking wine on my apartment balcony. But it wasn’t super cold out, the view was gorgeous, and Dak was hot wielding a chainsaw.
