Destiny Calls

Dakota now had firsthand knowledge that Ethan and his boys were regular cutups. Maxwell was hardly the only comedian and Ethan was an absolute riot. She hadn’t seen this funny, engaging side of him before now. She knew he had a great sense of humor, but his sharp wit and quick verbal comebacks had been downright hilarious and intriguing. Ethan and his crew had been successful at making her laugh until it hurt.

At fifteen minutes before midnight, Ethan leaned against the outside door of Dakota’s apartment. He had followed her home to make sure she got there safely.

Wrapping her up in his arms, he looked deep into her eyes, kissing her gently. The next kiss deepened, escalating his heart rate. The third kiss was all he’d hoped for. With a beautiful, sexy woman like Dakota he could easily lose his self-control. So far she had only agreed to build toward an exclusive relationship and he had to respect that. In his heart he already believed she was a woman worth waiting for.

Dakota smiled brilliantly. “I had a beautiful time with you and your friends. I think I passed their muster.”

“I know you did. You were a big hit, lady. Think I can get an encore of the song you sang at the pizza place?”

“You were a big hit, too, with me. As for the encore, I hope we’ll have many.” Laughing inwardly at how his mouth had fallen agape, she wiggled out of his arms and unlocked the front door. “Goodnight, Ethan. Hope we’ll talk soon.”

“Lady, you can bet money on it.”

Chapter 3

Ethan always felt much better after a hot shower, yet the back of his neck still had a crook in it. He’d love to have it massaged out. It was too late to get it taken care of tonight. He’d call in the morning and get an appointment with his therapist.

Dakota had soft hands. He easily imagined her massaging his tight muscles. Her fingers were strong. They’d held on tightly to his digits during the initial fall at the roller rink a couple of days ago, he recalled. Her hands were also as tender as their strength. The tenderness was what he remembered best. Every time she’d touched him he had felt it right down to the center of his core.

A glance at the clock let him know it was too late to phone Dakota. He didn’t want to risk disrespecting her, but it was difficult to ignore the strong desire he had to hear her voice. Whenever he talked to her, he got caught up in her gentle, soothing tone.

Instead of picking up the phone, Ethan settled for getting deeper in thought about the evening he’d spent in Dakota’s company at the roller rink. She had been a megahit with all his friends, especially Maxwell, who’d said he definitely would’ve asked her out had he met her first. The two friends had a rule to never date anyone the other one had been involved with, no matter how casual or serious the relationship was.

Once Dakota had gotten over her embarrassment of falling down, he remembered how she had shown the valiant side of her. Her show of character had made her a major leaguer with Ethan and his friends. Although he still thought she was somewhat reserved, he hoped her demeanor toward him would change as she got to know him.

To distract himself from calling Dakota, he walked down the hall to his office and pulled out a folder from the filing cabinet built into the el extension of his desk. Bent on perusing its content, which held the work he’d done so far on his book, he carried the file back to the living room. After turning on the television set, he made himself comfortable on the sofa, propping pillows behind his back before stretching out fully.

Ethan turned his attention back to the folder. After reviewing the first couple of dozen or so pages, he was unable to concentrate further. He closed the folder and set it aside, taking a quick glance at the clock.

Before Ethan could change his mind again about calling Dakota, he grabbed the receiver and dialed her number, hoping she was still awake. As her sweet voice instantly brought a generous smile to his lips, an audible sigh of relief followed.

“Glad you’re still up. I’ve been dying to talk to you. How was your day?”

“I’m glad, too. Wouldn’t want to miss your call. My day has been busy but good. I accomplished a lot of must-do things. I was just about to turn off the light. Normally I don’t go to sleep until after the late-night talk show. When I don’t have to get up early, I stay up until the wee hours. I love to read before settling in.”

“That makes two of us. I either read or write before shutting down. I’ve been doing a lot of research on the computer this evening. I already mentioned my project to you.” He hadn’t told her the subject matter of his work. His curiosity was strong about an industry very few people knew exactly how it worked or how to go about breaking into it.

“That’s great! I’m sure you’re excited about getting tenure?”

“It’ll be nice. I’m working my butt off to earn it.”

“It’s just a matter of time. You should be proud of yourself. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks. That’s nice to know. When can I see you again?”

She smiled, happy he’d asked. “Maybe you should tell me when.”

“If it wasn’t so late, I’d say tonight. I miss you. What about tomorrow evening? We can either go out to dinner or I can cook for us at my place. I’m a decent chef.”

“Dining in or out is okay with me. You decide. I’m excited about seeing you.”

Dakota’s last statement made Ethan feel good inside. He was excited, too, more than she knew. “Call you tomorrow with the details. Cool?”

“Noon is a good time to call my cell. There’s a long break between classes. What was your day like?” Dakota asked.

“Crazy, like all my days are. I love my job, but my students are a handful. I have several outspoken ones, mainly the females. Getting them to stop talking long enough to listen to me is a daunting task. They usually have the last word.”

“I find that one hard to believe, Ethan. To me, you seem like a man in control.”

“I wish I was more in control in these instances. Sparring with these particular sisters can wear down a brother.” Ethan chuckled. “Sometimes I just want them to stop talking before I stop breathing.”

“Well, in that case, I don’t want you to stop breathing on me. I’d love for you to stick around.”

“That was sweet of you, Dakota. I want to continue hanging out with you. But I’ll let you go.”

“Have a good night, Ethan. I’ll look forward to your call.”

“Me, too. Good night.”

Ethan suddenly felt displeased with himself. There were specific questions he wanted to ask Dakota, but once again, he’d held back. Being clueless about her and who she was and why she kept him at a safe distance wouldn’t set them on the right track. Snatching up the receiver, he hit the redial button, sure she hadn’t gone to sleep that fast.

“It’s me again. Can we talk? I mean really talk?”

Dakota felt apprehension creeping in. “Is something wrong? What is it?”

“I don’t know. I feel so damn good when I’m with you, but everything doesn’t feel right. Is there something about me you’re uncomfortable with? If so, I’d like to know what it is. Something’s standing between us. What can it be?”

Contemplating her response, Dakota pressed her trembling fingers into her lips. “You’re right. I’m standing in between us and so are my past experiences. I’m afraid of getting my heart broken again. Can you guarantee me that that won’t happen with you?”

“I wish I could. I think you know better than that. Please tell me what happened. Maybe it’ll start the healing process.”

Dakota blew out a stream of shaky breath. “What happened to me occurred months ago. The betrayal still feels current. A couple of gal pals betrayed me in ways I’d never stoop so low to return the favor. One of my so-called best girlfriends, Lori Taylor, had taken up with my boyfriend, Everett Washington, while we were still dating. They’d been going at each other long before I found out.”

Ethan heard the raw pain in her voice. “That’s the toughest kind of heartbreak.”

Dakota knew worse heartaches, but she didn’t want to overwhelm him. “I was having a hard time when we met. I’ve been through a lot of stuff. Two people I trusted most disappointed me deeply.”

“You mentioned a couple of gal pals. Who was the other one?”

“Mercy Winters claimed to be a best friend. She stole convenience checks sent to me by my credit card company and tried to cash one for a big sum, which would’ve gone against my card. Suspicious of the check, her bank took the appropriate action. It’s a long story. I was stunned when she wasn’t prosecuted. It was simply put on her credit report that she’d committed check fraud. Yet another bitter disappointment to deal with.”

“Everyone who calls themselves friend doesn’t always meet the criteria. Do you still have feelings for the guy who hurt you?”

“None whatsoever. I’m cautious. Maybe overly cautious, but it has everything to do with me and nothing to do with you. I believe you’re trustworthy.”

Ethan was glad she wasn’t harboring feelings for the heartbreaker. That wouldn’t have felt so good to learn. “So tell me what I need to do to get closer to you and to help you get through the bad stuff, past and present.”

“Patience is all that I ask of you. Is that doable?”