Westmoreland's Way - Brenda Jackson [29]
Dillon tried to switch his concentration to something else, anything else, as he waited. His thoughts drifted to the conversation he’d had with Ramsey a few hours ago regarding the text message he’d sent. Ramsey had gotten an angry call from Carl Newsome. It seemed that Bane was hanging around the man’s daughter again and making her dad downright unhappy to the point he’d threatened to do bodily harm to the youngest Denver Westmoreland if he didn’t leave Crystal Newsome alone.
Dillon shook his head. For as long as he could remember, Crystal Newsome had been an itch his baby brother just had to scratch. If Bane didn’t wise up and leave Crystal alone, that scratch might get him into hot water.
Dillon checked his watch again and after releasing a long breath, he opened the car door and got out. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d sneaked around to meet a woman under the cover of night, but as he headed toward the entrance to the Dream Maker Drama Academy, he had a feeling that tonight such a move would be well worth it.
Pam’s feet had touched the bottom stair when she heard the knock on the door. Without wasting any time, she moved in that direction. It was exactly eight o’clock.
As she got closer to the glass door, she could see Dillon through it. He was standing there staring at her with an intense look on his face. That look sent ripples through her body and made her shiver, although the temperature was warm inside. She nervously licked her lips as she opened the door and shivered even more when she felt a blast of cold air.
She quickly stepped back when Dillon walked in, and when he closed the door and gave her his dimpled smile, she felt heat bubbling up inside of her. As usual, he looked good. He had changed clothes and was now wearing dark slacks and a blue buttoned-up shirt. In place of his long coat he now had on a black leather bomber jacket.
She felt ridiculously happy to see him and for lack of anything else, she said, “It didn’t rain today like I thought it would.”
“No, it didn’t rain.” The warmth of his response matched the look in his eyes. As she stared deeper she saw that his dark depths seemed more hot than warm.
He glanced around and sensing his curiosity, she said, “Come on, let me show you around.” She started to reach out and take his hand and then thought better of it. If she were to touch him now, any part of him, she would probably lose the little self-control she still had. For the next five minutes she took him on a tour of the academy and she could tell he was impressed with everything he saw.
“And the woman who used to live here was once a teacher of yours?” he asked, after she had completed her tour of the upstairs and was ready to show him the basement.
“Yes. Louise Shelton used to be my drama coach and was instrumental in my getting a scholarship to attend college in California. She died within a few months of my returning home after my father died. When she died she willed this place to me, with stipulations.”
He lifted a brow. “What kind of stipulations?”
“That I could never sell it and that it would always be used for what it was intended, which was to be a drama academy. I don’t have to stay here and run the school per se, but I have to make sure it is managed the way I know Louise would have wanted.”
He nodded as he kept walking beside her. A part of her was aware they were wasting time when they both knew exactly what they wanted to do and why they had arranged to meet here at eight o’clock. She was willing to draw things out if he was; however, she doubted he had any idea of how being close to him, walking beside him, was messing with her senses and was stretching what little self-control she had to the limit. When they reached the basement stairs he slowed his steps to let her go first, and she could feel the intensity of his gaze on her again.
It took all she had to put each foot in front of her, being careful not to slip, knowing he was so close behind her, watching