Executive Decision: A Romance Novel Read online

  “Liz, this place is huge.”

  I didn’t say anything. I knew what the hundred and ten year old home looked like. It was three levels, not including the basement. The front of the house had first and second floor porches that spanned the entire length of the front of the house. Three large willow trees provided shade in the front yard and scattered maple trees provided it everywhere else. The fields that ran on two sides of the house were ours but my father didn’t actually farm, he simply owned the land and rented it out to others.

  I veered off the stone path right before the first set of large white doors and pulled Dale with me. I stopped when we’d made it all the way around to the back. I opened a big white wood door and held it open for Dale. He entered and I followed.

  “Wow.”

  I laughed. “I never thought I’d hear you say that about the house I grew up in.”

  “The bathroom here is as big as your room at home.” He walked around the large white room. I watched as he stopped and stared at the huge square glass enclosure. “That’s your guy’s shower. It’s huge.”

  I pointed and smiled. “Look on the other side of that half wall.”

  He did and then stepped back. “That is the biggest bath tub I’ve ever seen. I guess with a family of five, you all need to be in here at once so it works.” The look on his face told me he was only kidding.

  “This was my bathroom and only my bathroom.” Shaking my head, I walked back to the door and pulled it shut. I locked it and walked to the other end of the room. I opened the walnut door there and held it open for Dale. “This is or was my bedroom when I lived here and you are standing in my bathroom. No one shared this with me.”

  “Your father let you have a room with an exterior door?”

  “Uhh, no. The door was bolted shut until after I went to college.”

  Dale laughed and entered my childhood bedroom. “It’s baby blue and white.”

  “I know. Not every little girl is like Paige, hon. Some of us didn’t want everything doused in pink.”

  Dale looked back at me and squinted ever so slightly. “That’s the third time you’ve done that.”

  I did a quick mental recap and came up blank. “What did I do?” I asked as I put the plug in the drain of the tub and began to fill it with extra warm water. I put a few pinches of lilac scented salt in and set the tiny bottle next to the other four.

  “Liz, you have a doll house that’s bigger than Paige’s was,” Dale called out from the other room.

  Peeling my wet shirt and shorts off, I smiled and climbed into the tub. It felt so good to finally be able to take a bath comfortably. The tub in my apartment was a bit shorter than a standard one so short of shaving my legs, I wasn’t getting much done there.

  I sank under the water and stayed there for a moment, basking in the glory of being home. As I came up, I found Dale standing next to me staring in with a needy look on his face. I turned the faucet off. “Take your clothes off. There’s plenty of room.”

  Dale suddenly looked as though I suggest he sacrifice small animals to the devil. “Are you crazy? I am not taking a bath with you in your parents’ home. In fact, I’m going to go wait in your room so they don’t think I’m some sort of....”

  “Man I’m having sex with?”

  “Yes.”

  “Dale.”

  He did his best not to look down at me again. “Yes?”

  “Go lock my bedroom door and then come and get in.”

  He didn’t budge so I took matters into my own hands. I poured shampoo into my hand and washed my hair slowly. Dunking under, I rinsed it and returned to the surface to the repeat the step with conditioner. I stood then, letting the water drip off me. Reaching up, I opened a white wood cabinet attached to the wall and pulled out a washcloth.

  I put my back to Dale and went to work soaping up the washcloth. Slowly, I ran it over my neck, breasts, stomach and then around to my lower back. Dale’s warm hand closed over mine and he took the washcloth from me. I thought he was just leaning over the tub until I felt his entire body press against the back of mine.

  Gasping, I turned a bit, only to have him hold my arms to keep me facing forward. He pressed his lips to my shoulder and chuckled. “You are a sadist. You know that.”

  His cock head nudged at the cleft of my ass. I smiled and leaned forward, needing to feel him deep within me. I gasped as he rubbed it between my cheeks, still kissing my neck. He pushed me forward more and water sloshed in the tub. Bubbles from shampooing my hair moved to the edges of the tub. I put my hands on the edge and braced myself as Dale found my heated core and eased into my pussy.

  Biting my lip, I moaned as he filled me completely. His cock hit my g-spot and my lower half began to tingle. I held as tight as I could to the edge of the tub as Dale continued to pump into me. He was slow at first, then increased his speed. I countered his movements and barely held back a scream as he took our love making to new levels, pounding into me.

  “Argh,” he muttered. “God, Liz. You feel....”

  I reached down and rubbed my clit, causing an orgasm to strike without warning. My body tightened around him, holding tight to his cock. Dale grunted and slammed into me, releasing his seed.

  He planted tiny kisses on my shoulder. “Mmm, thank you.”

  Glancing over my shoulder, I let a smile slide over my face. “No. Thank you.”

  He went to pull out and I felt how hard he still was. “Dale.”

  “Yes?”

  “Stay. I like feeling you in me.”

  He pulled me back to sit on his lap. Water sloshed over the sides of the tub. “And I like being in you, Liz. I love you.”

  A light rapping at the door made us both gasp. “Y-yes?” I asked, my voice shaky.

  “Momma said dinner will be done soon,” Scott said, laughing slightly. “From all that gruntin’ and carryin’ on, I imagine you both worked up quite the appetite.”

  My cheeks flared and Dale groaned, putting his head against my shoulder. “Your parents are going to string me up.”

  “Yeah, and force you to marry me.” I snorted.

  He hugged me tighter. “Mmm, sounds like a plan to me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I stood in the doorway, watching Nathan, Scott, Zach, my father and Dale throwing a football back and forth. My mother came up and slid her arm around my waist. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  I smiled. “I’m thinking about how much I love him, Momma. And that scares me.”

  She kissed my temple. “I thought that might be what was on your mind.”

  “I won’t survive if he does it to me too.”

  “Elizabeth, he flew in first thing this morning, rented a car and found you because he couldn’t stand the idea of leaving things between you unsettled. And,” she hugged me close, “I saw him talking to your daddy in private. Your father looked pretty happy.”

  I swallowed hard. “I know he has a ring. I basically warned him against asking me any time soon.”

  “Why?” She clutched me tighter as a big navy pick-up truck pulled in. “Oh, dear. Umm, sweetie, why don’t you take Dale out to the pool house?”

  “Momma?”

  “We didn’t know Dale was coming, sweetie.”

  “Momma?”

  The second that Zach and my brothers came to a grinding halt, I knew who was in the truck. Dakota.

  He got of his truck and my breath hitched. He was stunning, just as I remembered him being. He was also a good deal more tattooed. I spotted some on his inner, lower arms and what looked to be tribal bands around his biceps. He had a pair of black sunglasses on so I couldn’t see his eyes but I already knew how blue they were. His light brown hair was cut in a messy, short style and it looked like he had gel in it.

  He glanced out towards Zach and laughed. “Don’t tell me your momma made you bring pies out for Doc Rogers birthday too.”

  Zach stilled. “Uh, nope, she’s forcing me to bring out potato salad. Doc’s got a soft sp
ot for it.”

  Dakota crossed his muscular arms over his chest, making his black tee-shirt ride up a bit, showing off his abs. “Okay, I give. I get on an airplane. That’s right, folks, I hate to fly yet I did it, and the hello I get from my best friends is this?”

  My father cleared his throat and smiled. “Dakota, it’s good to see you. Your daddy told me you’d be in, but I didn’t believe him. I thought for sure you’d see it as another chance for him to talk you into taking over the company from him. He doesn’t seem to understand that you’ve done a damn fine job of making a living for yourself all on your own.”

  Dale stiffened, his gaze hardened.

  Nathan, my oldest brother rushed forward and put his hand out to Dakota, who pulled him into a manly hug. “How the hell have you been, Cowboy?”

  “Well, young Doc Rogers, that gold buckle isn’t as elusive as we once thought it was.”

  “He did it? He won?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

  My mother squeezed me tight. “He’s a star among ’em, Liz. Like you always told him he would be.”

  “Oh, umm,” Nathan forced a smile to his face, “this is Dale Corbin. And Dale, this is one my best friends, Dakota Stevens.”

  Dakota walked towards Dale and then came to a dead stop. “I know you. You’re that Ivy League guy Liz took up with in New York.”

  I pushed the screen door open and rushed down the porch towards him. “Dakota, don’t you dare go at him!”

  He spun around and faced me. “Fuck me, how is it possible for you to get even more beautiful, woman?”

  “Dakota,” my mother said. “Watch your mouth.”

  “Sorry, ma’am. I should’ve known it was in her genes. You are her momma after all.”

  His jaw was still tight. I tipped my head and exhaled. “I can tell by the way you’re standing that you want hit something. It will not be Dale. Understand?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it, Liz. Hell, he’s probably one of those men who get manicures. I’d hate rough him up any. Tell me, is he still hanging around as ‘just a friend’ or has he bought your affection yet? Are you bought and paid for, Elizabeth?”

  “Dakota,” my father said. “If we’d known Dale was coming in, we’d have made sure to keep the two of you on opposite sides of the town until you and Liz had a chance to talk things out.”

  Dakota shook his head and laughed. “There’s not a whole lot to talk about, Doc. See, when your daughter had our wedding annulled it sort of summed it all up nice for me.”

  I looked at the ground, not wanting to meet Dale’s gaze.

  My father drew in a sharp breath. “Dakota, you and Liz never got married.”

  “You didn’t tell your daddy?” Dakota asked. “Of course you didn’t. It would mean disappointing him—again. Did you tell anyone that you spent three weeks as my wife, were all set to move to Texas with me and then changed your mind?”

  My mother stepped forward. “She told me, Dakota.”

  “That’s something. But, tell me, Liz, did you tell Ivy League about me? Hmm? Did you finally say it out loud? Did you tell him you loved him then? That you turned your husband away for asking you to leave his precious city? For asking you to leave him?”

  “The marriage was a mistake, Dakota. It was weekend trip to Vegas. I shouldn’t have gone with you. I knew better. I just....”

  “Say it, Elizabeth. You loved me and you were happy to see me again. Happy to know I’d finally got my shit,” he looked at my mother, “sorry, ma’am, my act together. Just admit it.”

  Tears flooded my eyes as I nodded. “You tore me apart on the inside, Dakota. You ended things with us horribly and Dale cleaned up your mess. Then, when you swept back in, making everything seem like it was no big deal, like water under the bridge and then demanded I cut the one man who was there while you were sowing your wild oats out of my life—what did you think I would do?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know, leave with your husband to start a family that I know you’ve always wanted to have. We talked about it all the time. About how we’d do our thing away from here but then how we’d come back when it time to have kids of our own. How we’d raise them here, with morals. With a sense of family. Where they’d never be substandard.”

  I cringed at the word and Dakota caught it. He stiffened. “Elizabeth, they don’t treat you right up there, do they?”

  “It’s fine.”

  “Look at me.” He took his sunglasses off and leveled his blue gaze on me. His eyes glistened. “Liz?”

  I couldn’t hold back. I broke down sobbing and Dakota had me wrapped in his arms in the blink of an eye. He rocked me back and forth. “Don’t cry, baby. I was being an ass ... erm ... jerk. Your momma’s going to wash my mouth out with soap again. Like she did when I was nine.”

  I laughed through my tears and clung to him. “His mother hates me, Dakota. She hates me worse than Mrs. Dermonts hates you and Nathan.”

  “Damn, Mrs. Dermonts fired a gun over our heads once. That’s a lot of hate,” he said, laughing softly, making me laugh too.

  “I think if she knew how to fire a rifle, she would. She thinks I’m after his money.”

  Dakota laughed. “Did you tell her your first husband is worth millions and that I’ve only increased my net worth with age? You should probably mention that you refused to let me buy you a place in New York and that I had to fight like hell just to get you to let me pay for dinner when I took you out.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “Who would have thought my ex would be a vital character witness for me.”

  “Tell me that he told his mother where to stick her ideas about you or I’m going to turn around and do what I’ve wanted to do for six years, beat the living shit out of him.”

  “He called her a bitch and made her apologize,” I said, laughing through my tears.

  “So, I take it the two of you are married now? It’s been six years. That’s a long time. Nathan never mentioned it to me but he tends to stay tight-lipped where you’re concerned.”

  I laughed. “No. We’re not married. In fact, since you, I’ve run like hell from the idea of commitment.”

  “Pardon me if I don’t seem broken up about that. A little piece of me is happy you didn’t fall right into his arms, Liz.” He took a deep breath in and held me tight. “Do you love him?”

  “Yes, so much so that it scares me. I’m afraid he’ll hurt me like you did,” I said, so fast I shocked myself.

  Dakota stiffened. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay now. He made it okay. But I won’t survive if he does it, Dakota. I won’t.”

  “Is he good to you?”

  “He has stupid moments but they’re few and far between. In fact, he’s the reason I stay up there. The idea of waking up and not having Dale in my life terrifies me.”

  Dakota kissed the top of my head. “Baby, you aren’t telling me anything I don’t already know. You’ve been scared of being without him for six years.”

  “Eight.”

  “What’s that?”

  I wiped my cheeks. “Eight years. He took a sick day once, eight years ago, about a month after I met him and I remember being so worried that I couldn’t eat or sleep until he came in the next day and I knew he was okay. So, eight years.”

  Dakota drew back from me and laughed. “I think you better talk to him now. I’m guessing Nathan and Scott are getting tired of pinning him down.”

  “Pinning him down?” I glanced over to find my brothers pinning a very pissed off looking Dale to the grass.

  My father arched his brow and pointed at Dale while he stared at me. “That boy’s going to ask you to marry him. You’re to say yes. I’ve been waiting eight years for you to wake up and realize you love that boy. He will be my son-in-law. Understood?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  “And, Liz, there will be no annulling the wedding. Understood?”

  “Yes, Daddy.”

  Beth-Ann came running out of the house, and w
ent straight towards Dale. She bent over the top of him and smiled. “Why are Daddy and Uncle Nathan sitting on you? Did you kiss Aunt Liz? Daddy said him and Uncle Nathan will beat up any boys who kiss me.” She gave Scott a hard look. “Daddy, how am I supposed to get cousins if you beat my Uncle up? Nana says she will die of old age before Uncle Nathan finds a wife who can put up with his temper. She also said that it takes a very patient man to be Aunt Liz’s husband. I don’t understand that but Nana says Uncle Dale has been waiting on Aunt Liz longer than I’ve been alive so can you get up?”

  Dale began to laugh as he stared up at her. “I can see why they named you Elizabeth too. You are so very much like your Aunt that I almost feel bad for your daddy.”

  “Hey,” Beth and I said in unison, making everyone laugh.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Are you cold?” Dale asked, pulling the blanket over me as I sat on his lap, watching the lightning in the distance. The night air was chilly and damp from the storm moving in.

  I put my head on his chest, enjoying the feel of him. We’d been in Ohio for a week and it felt like only a blink of an eye. I didn’t want to leave but was having a hard time bringing myself to tell Dale. He seemed to have haven taken to the area and the people nicely. They took to him as well which meant a lot to me. “I’m good. How about you? Are you okay?” I asked, meaning more than just cold or not.

  “I would never turn my back on you or what we have, Liz. I’d never call you and break our engagement. Never. I’m not like him. I’ve said stupid things and I’ve teased you over the years, not understanding that I was playing into that. I love your accent. Sometimes, I’ll get you riled up, just to hear it. I love how hard and yet how incredibly innocent you are. You’re not jaded. You’re you and I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He gasped.

  “What?”

  “That’s the first time you’ve said that to me.”

  “No it’s not. Is it?”

  He held me tight to him. “Why didn’t you tell me about Dakota?”

  “Because then I’d have had to tell you the truth about why I sent him away. And,” I cupped his face, “I wasn’t ready to understand why, Dale. I wasn’t ready to admit that I’ve been in love with you for a very long time.”