Chapter 91 Stay With Me
Dakota's P.O.V.
"I'm sorry, but Dakota and I need to leave. Thank you for a very interesting evening," Ari says as we stand. The twins also stand, but no one else moves; they just stare.
"You have to leave so soon? Can we interest you in dessert?" Dustin asks as we head for the door.
"Maybe next time. We have to be up early tomorrow," I reply. Colton tries to take my hand, but I ignore him and reach for the door.
"Don't be strangers," Dustin says. I sigh with relief when we get outside. It was suffocating in there.
"Thank you. I don't think I could stand it in there much longer." Ari pulls me into his arms and kisses me as he opens the car door. I slide into the car and watch him walk to the driver's side. I'm going to take the next step with Ari. I smile when he gets in and starts the car. We pull out of the driveway, and I bite my lip so I don't laugh at the way he’s driving.
"Why are you driving so slowly?" He takes my hand and smiles.
"I don't want to get to your house too quickly because I don't want to say goodbye." He's so sweet. I'll admit, for just a second, I thought he would say he wanted Aubrey when she surprised us at the twins' house, but when I saw how he looked at her, I knew he had no feelings for her.
"What if I said we don't have to say goodbye?" Ari glances at me.
"What do you mean?" I lean over and kiss his cheek.
"I want you to stay with me tonight." The car swerves, and he quickly corrects it.
"Are you sure? You're not just doing this because you're afraid I'm going to change my mind about Aubrey, are you?" I shake my head and squeeze his hand.
"If I thought that, I would kick you to the curb. I trust you, Ari, and I want you to spend the night with me." He pulls over to the side of the road and kisses me. I should worry about moving too fast, but I hear Sarah in the back of my head. If it feels right, then why fight it?
"In that case, let's get you home right away." I giggle as he pulls back onto the road and drives much faster. One thing from the dinner sticks in my mind. Jacoby said some people in my family don't want me to be the boss. I ignored it at the time because I didn't want him to feel like he was getting to me.
"Are you okay?" Ari asks as we pull through the compound's gates.
"Jacoby said that people in my family don't want me to be the boss. I know I shouldn't pay him any attention, but he had to have gotten that from somewhere." He stops the car and turns it off.
"How about having a family dinner? When my grandpa or dad believed there was a rat, they had a family dinner to sniff them out. If you let me come, then I can keep an eye on anyone who looks suspicious. I don't know your family, so consider me an unbiased audience." I think I love this man.
"That's a great idea, and it won't look suspicious either. Tyler just returned from overseas, so we can say it's a welcome-home dinner, and I can use it to introduce you to everyone. Let's go inside. I really want to get out of this dress." Ari is out of the car and opening my door before I can move.
"Well, by all means, let me help you get out of that dress faster." He reaches behind my seat and pulls out a duffel bag.
"What's that?" I ask.
"I packed it when I went home to change. I wanted to be prepared in case you ever asked me to stay. I didn't think it would be tonight." He puts his arm over my shoulders, and we walk to the front door.
"Always prepared, like a Boy Scout. I like it." The door opens before I can touch the knob.
"What's going on?" Sarah asks, looking from me to Ari and the bag in his hand.
"Ari is staying here tonight. Why is that a problem?" I raise my eyebrows at her, and she laughs.
"Of course not. You're just home earlier than I was expecting, that's all." She opens the door, and we walk in as Tyler is coming down the steps. He stares at me, and when he sees Ari, he looks angry. That reminds me that I need to talk to Sarah about him.
"Hi, Tyler. Is everything okay?" I ask when he reaches us.
"It's fine. I take it you're dropping her off, so goodbye," he says to Ari coldly.
"He's not dropping me off. He's staying with me. See you guys in the morning." I pull Ari past Tyler and Sarah and up the steps. I don't know what Tyler's issue is, but I've dealt with enough jerks tonight, and I don't need another one right now. When we reach my bedroom, I kick off my heels and turn to Ari.
"I know you're a pro in the bedroom department, but I've never done this. No man has ever seen me naked or anything." I wrap my arms around his neck, and he tosses his bag to the floor so he can put his arms around me.
"Are you asking me to be gentle?" He asks, running his hands down my back to my bottom.
"No, I'm just stating a fact. Do you get checked for diseases regularly?" He kisses me and pulls me against him so I can feel his erection pressing against my abdomen through his pants.
"I get checked after every new woman I'm with. I always use condoms, too." I remove his suit jacket and smile.
"Have you been tested since the last woman you were with before me? If so, then we don't need condoms. I've been on birth control since I was sixteen." Thank goodness my mom pressured me to get on it. I told her I would when I was ready for sex, but she said it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Yes, I was tested a few days ago, and everything came back clear." I pull away and look up at him.
"A few days ago? We just met yesterday. Are you telling me it's been a few days since you've had sex?" He chuckles and kisses me.
"Dakota, I'm honestly not a man whore. I can go long periods without having sex. It's been a couple of weeks since the last woman." I sigh with relief. That makes me feel better. I step away from him and unfasten the collar of my dress. I let it fall to the ground and stand in front of him in nothing but my red thong and the knife on my thigh. Ari's eyes widen, and I smile.
"Come on, Mr. Buccheri, let's see just how good you are."