Val made a funny little sound in her throat, and Ethan chuckled. He wondered if she thought he was kidding. He might have to work this new lead for a while. After that, he meant to keep his word.
It was late afternoon when Meg preceded Dirk back into her suite. She’d convinced him to take her and Isabel shopping at the NorthPark Center, home to some of the most exclusive stores in Dallas. Grudgingly, he had agreed.
Unfortunately, as soon as they went into the mall, Dirk began to complain. He didn’t like the limo having to park so far away. It was darker inside the mall than he liked, and more crowded. He wanted to go somewhere else, someplace safer. It took Izzy’s considerable charm to convince him to stay.
“No one even knows we’re here,” Isabel said. “And you’re here to protect us.”
Meg smiled at him sweetly. “We know you can keep us safe.”
Dirk wasn’t fooled for a minute, but clearly he was torn. He wanted to please them, but it was his job to protect them. He was cute when he was frustrated, Meg thought. Of course, he was cute when he was angry and cute when he was being sweet, which he was by taking them to the mall.
Her gaze ran over his masculine carved features, the way his mustache curved down to his hard jaw. Maybe sexy was a better word than cute.
“All right, fine, you can stay,” he reluctantly agreed, as Meg was sure he would. “But you’d better stay close, and if anything happens, you do exactly what I say.” He drilled her with a glare. “Understood?”
“Of course,” she said breezily, because it was true. Dirk wasn’t the kind of man you disobeyed.
Still, the whole time they were shopping, he was moving, constantly on alert, always on the lookout for trouble, which made it hard for Meg to relax. Fortunately, Izzy’s incessant chatter helped keep up her spirits. They deserved to have some fun, whether Dirk Reynolds liked it or not.
Inside the air-conditioned corridors, they continued perusing the mall, darting from one store to the next, shopping until Dirk began to grumble again and even Isabel’s energy was beginning to fade.
Dirk phoned the limo driver and the car was waiting when they reached the exit. They climbed inside, loaded down with purchases, Izzy with a fantastic Chanel designer handbag and three pairs of Manolo Blahnik shoes. Meg had found two pairs of Jimmy Choos on sale and bought a sexy, backless little black sheath at Neiman Marcus.
Mostly, she’d purchased kid’s clothes, stuff for little Charlie, including a pair of miniature Burberry jeans lined with red-plaid flannel that were just darling.
As the limo drove back to the hotel, she looked over at Dirk, who lounged on the seat a few feet away. Every time she’d purchased another item for her son, his mood seemed to darken. It made her chest hurt to know how deep his dislike of children ran.
Once they reached the hotel, Dirk escorted both women through the lobby to the elevators, a bellman in their wake carrying their packages.
“Grazie,Dirk,” Isabel said, “for putting up with us this afternoon.” Izzy leaned over and kissed both his cheeks. “Now, I must have my beauty nap.Ciao,darlings. I will see you on the plane.”
“Keep the door locked,” Dirk grumbled as the heavy door slid closed. They headed for Meg’s suite, the bellman following with her packages. Dirk checked the rooms. The bellman set the shopping bags down on the coffee table, walked out, and closed the door, leaving them alone.
Fatigue rolled through her. Meg felt the weight of Dirk’s dark gaze and, knowing the cause, her heart filled with an aching sadness.
“You don’t have to stay,” she said softly. “There’s a guard just down the hall, and aside from Valentine, none of the other girls have full-time bodyguards.”
“You have the day off and so do I. I’d rather spend my time with you.”
It wasn’t true. He was just overly protective, and for some reason those protective instincts had zeroed in on her.
Meg clenched her hands together. “I appreciate your concern, but really, I don’t need—”
One step and he was there, gripping her shoulders, cutting off her words. “You don’t need what, Meg? I saw the way you were looking at me today. Every time you bought a gift for your son, you looked at me like you wanted to cry. I know you feel something for me. More than something. And I’ve made no secret of the way I feel about you.”
Her chin went up. “You want to have sex with me. You’re a man. I’m a La Belle model. Of course that’s what you want.”
“Bullshit. I want you, yes. So bad I ache with it. But it’s more than that, and I think it’s more for you, too. Just because you have a child doesn’t mean you can’t have a man in your life.”
“You aren’t just any man, Dirk. You’re wild and you’re fierce. For heaven’s sake, you’ve got tattoos! You carry a pistol and ride around on a Harley. You’re not the kind of man who can settle down and raise a child!”
His jaw hardened. “That coming from a woman who’s traveling around the country flashing her mostly naked body in front of a million sex-starved men.”
She jerked a hand back to slap him, but Dirk didn’t give her the chance, just caught her wrist and hauled her into his arms, and his mouth slanted down over hers. Heat tore through her, and a need so fierce it made her dizzy.
Her knees went weak and her pulse shot into the triple digits. Dirk just kept kissing her, first one way and then another, soft kisses, gentle and coaxing, then hot, hard, and demanding.
Meg moaned into his mouth and gripped his hard-muscled shoulders, her body on fire for him.
