Dare to Love (Dare to Love 1)

“That’s not your choice to make! Did you see her face?”

He had. She was fucking glowing. But he wanted to be the one to put that look on her face, not a job.

“She wants this job, Ian. If you want any kind of relationship with her, you have to give her the freedom to make her own choices.”

He didn’t know what exactly he wanted with Riley except that he couldn’t let her go. But the more he felt himself falling for her, the more the fear gnawing at him grew. He didn’t trust her to stay with him, and that was the crux of his problem. That’s why he wanted to manipulate the parameters of her job and keep her in his orbit and his alone.

Olivia’s hand on his arm surprised him. “You give Avery and me freedom.”

“Not easily,” he muttered.

“Okay, maybe you try to meddle in our lives, but we kick your ass when you do. I have a feeling Riley will stand up to you the same way.” She paused. “But here’s the thing. We have to love you and stick by you because you’re our brother. She doesn’t.”

“No shit.” Did his sister really think she was helping him?

“I meant, she doesn’t have to stay with you unless she wants to, so don’t give her a reason to run. All I’m saying is, think carefully before you go all caveman on her, okay?”

He raised his eyebrows, thinking that if his sister knew just how caveman he’d considered going, she wouldn’t use the term so lightly. He already had to share her with his half brother, something that threatened the very foundation of whatever they were building.

In his mind, he’d had the company jet fueled and ready to go so he could beat her to Arizona and be there for every moment she’d otherwise have been alone with Dylan Rhodes.

“I have to go.” He started for the door, finished discussing his personal life with Olivia.

“What are you going to do?” she asked.

“Nothing.” Until he figured out his next move.

* * *

Riley wondered if she’d hear from Ian before she left for Phoenix. His mood in Olivia’s office had been off, and she assumed it had something to do with whatever they’d been arguing about.

She pushed Ian to the back of her mind and focused on her upcoming trip. She packed a mix of professional business clothes along with some casual wear. Olivia hadn’t said how long she’d be gone, so she improvised with mix-and-match clothing.

She called Alex and her stepmom and let them know she’d be out of town for a couple of days. Alex, she knew, had returned to his Tampa place for the week, and she figured they could use the break. She hoped, upon his return to Miami, they could pick up a more rational conversation about his relationship with Ian. And hers.

She’d already decided a complete break from Ian wasn’t what she wanted, but maybe this short time-out would be healthy for her too. Her head and her heart were torn over the best thing to do when it came to getting further involved with him. Her emotions pulled her inexorably toward him, but she worried about the intensity between them and the way he so easily provoked memories she preferred to leave buried.

Yet she related to him on so many levels, from his painful childhood to the way he kept himself isolated from everyone except those he really trusted. If she needed a tie-breaker, however, her body was all in. Especially after the way he’d treated her the other night, so gentle and giving, so at odds with the man she knew him to be.

For the next few days, she wanted to focus solely on business and proving herself to Dylan. Putting Ian out of her mind, she headed downstairs to wait for the car service to take her to the airport. She met Dylan at the gate. He was a good-looking man, tall, dark, and handsome with a goatee, something she’d never thought she’d appreciate, but on him, it worked.

On the long flight, they alternated between companionable silence and talk, some business, some more personal. She appreciated his sense of humor as well as his dedication to the team. He asked about her relationship with Olivia, and she got the distinct sense he had more than a passing interest in her.

Riley turned on her cell phone as they exited the plane, and Dylan did the same. At the baggage carousel, they waited for their luggage and, like most passengers, studied their phones and missed messages. Riley texted Melissa, letting her know she’d landed. She did the same for Alex.

There was no message from Ian, and she told herself not to be disappointed. But she was.

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; They were greeted at the hotel by the night manager, who assured them the owner would be there to meet with them the next morning. He led them to separate suites on the same floor, and Riley said good night before letting herself into the room.

She stepped into a room filled with flowers. Bright, colorful bouquets of various blooms. She released the breath she hadn’t been aware of holding, but clearly she had—ever since she’d run out of Olivia’s office and hadn’t heard from Ian at all.

She picked up the envelope on the table and read the small card enclosed. MISS ME.

“Oh, I will,” she murmured.

Though it was earlier in Arizona, it was still too late to call. She didn’t want to wake him. But a text for him to receive when he woke in the morning would be okay.