All She Ever Wanted - Barbara Freethy [33]
Frowning, she realized that's exactly what she was doing now, trying to impress Dylan Somerville, because, dammit, he'd never seen how great she was. She hated when the shrinks were right. But so what? This wasn't a big deal. There wasn't a woman alive who hadn't at one time felt the need to find the "guy who got away" and show him what he'd missed. And Dylan had missed a lot. She was even better now than she'd been at nineteen. She'd acquired sophistication over the past ten years, not to mention a better understanding of what men wanted. She could get Dylan—if she wanted to. That was still to be determined. He might have grown ugly in the last decade, gained weight, gone bald, sprouted a hairy mole on his face. Any number of things could have happened to him. She wouldn't know what unless she opened the damned door and walked inside.
Squaring her shoulders, she did just that, letting the heavy door swing silently shut behind her. The lobby was small, round, and dimly lit with dark wood paneling, thick black carpet on the floor, red leather benches that wound around the room, and a series of monitors along one wall that flashed with animations. A reception desk sat between two doors but was currently empty. Stepping farther into the room, Madison noted a wall full of newspaper and magazine clippings. Taking a closer look, she saw that Club V had been written up in a number of publications, including several articles in the Parish family newspaper. Trust Cole to take care of his good friend Dylan. She would have expected no less. The men had always been as close as brothers, although Madison had sometimes wondered if Cole had any idea that his best friend had a raging crush on his sister, Emily.
A door opened, and Madison caught her breath, not letting it out until she realized it wasn't Dylan, but a young woman approaching her. Wearing low-rise blue jeans and a clingy tank top, she came across as young and very hip, probably not more than twenty-one years old.
She offered Madison a smile and said, "I didn't realize anyone was out here yet. We don't officially open for a few more minutes, but I can get you set up. What are you looking for today? A trip down Niagara Falls, a walk across a tight wire under the big top, or a lap at the Indy 500? We offer virtual experiences for every fantasy."
"Really?" Madison wondered if she could purchase a fantasy that involved Dylan. She'd certainly had a few ideas over the years.
"Absolutely. What's your pleasure?"
"That's a loaded question."
The woman laughed. "I'm afraid all of our virtual adventures are rated PG-13."
"Actually I just want to speak to Dylan Somerville. Is he here?"
"I'm always here," a man said from behind her.
Madison whirled around, caught off guard by Dylan's unexpected appearance. She'd hoped to see him first, catch him by surprise, instead of the other way around. She should have known it wouldn't be that easy. Well, she wouldn't make it easy for him, either. She flashed him the smile that had won her legions of admirers and deliberately ran her gaze up and down his body.
Dressed in black leather pants and a black turtle-neck sweater, Dylan was all male. He was only of average height, but he was well built, broad shoulders, flat stomach, narrow hips, tight ass. And his face, all angles and planes, thick eyebrows and dark eyes, a long nose, full lips, and a sexy stubble darkening his jaw. All that marred his face was his expression, which was exactly the way she remembered it, irritated and grumpy. His mouth had always been set in a perpetual frown, at least