As Lash talked, Naomi fingered her necklace and kept her eyes trained on Dantan’s phone at the center of the table. Don’t do it. Don’t look at Lash.
She looked and found herself being drawn to him again. Over the last few days, she hadn’t been able to get him out of her head. She kept replaying the feel of his strong hands on her shoulders; the way his chest had moved when he was out of breath after he and Chuy had pushed the car; the way his eyes sparkled whenever he teased her. But what really got to her, what drew her to him like an ocean to the moon, was when he talked about his family. He tried to brush off the hurt by being cocky, but Dantan used his magic on him and pulled strong emotions out of him whether Lash wanted him to or not.
It was Ellen’s turn to speak in the group this week, but since she was still sick, Lash volunteered. Soon, Dantan had him talking about his past relationships with women. At first, she was both annoyed and relieved by his cavalier remarks. He claimed to be at no loss for female companionship—when he wanted it. It was easier for her to keep her distance from him when he acted that way. The problem was that it wasn’t real—it wasn’t who he really was.
“I still remember the look on her face.” Lash, sitting cross-legged with ankle on knee, twirled and untwirled the lace of his hiking boot, avoiding eye contact.
“You mean, your aunt”—Dantan glanced down at his notes—“Gabie? The look on her face?”
Lash nodded. “It was like she enjoyed seeing me get kicked out of the house. We weren’t always on the best of terms, but I didn’t think she hated me that much.”
Dantan stared intently at Lash. “You previously mentioned that you thought she manipulated your Uncle Ralph by telling him things that were untrue about you, hoping that he would see you as a bad seed.”
“Yeah, she did that. A lot.”
“Then tell me, why would you care what someone like that thinks about you?”
Lash’s head jerked up. An emotion Naomi couldn’t identify flashed across his eyes before he placed that signature smirk on his face and crossed his arms. “I don’t care what she thinks.”
“So, remembering the look on her face for—how many years has it been?”
“Three.”
“For three years, is not considered caring?” Dantan held on to Lash’s gaze.
The energy in the room shifted. She glanced at the others, wondering if they noticed. Dantan had everyone transfixed: Andrew’s mouth hung slightly open, his eyes wide with curiosity; Tori had stopped chipping off the black nail polish from her fingers and tilted her head toward Dantan; and Lash’s light eyes darkened as he struggled to keep an appearance of indifference.
Dantan’s voice was hypnotic. “What do you want from her?”
“Respect,” he said softly.
“And as you wait for something that may never happen, you’ll continue to hide behind a wall of your own making. You’re afraid that if you show a woman who you really are, she won’t love you. So you choose to hide your true self behind a mask of arrogance.”
Lash jerked his head up and looked at Dantan, wide-eyed. His eyes flicked to Naomi and locked with hers for a second. One second was all she needed. One look at the raw emotion on his face, and she melted.
Dantan leaned forward. “Tell me, Lash. Who are you really?”
The alarm went off and everyone jumped.
Dantan tensed his jaw and then grabbed the phone. “And that is time,” he said as he turned off the alarm.
“Well, that was intense.” Lash picked up Naomi’s backpack and handed it to her. “I could use a good workout. Do you think Chuy will mind if I crash his class again?”
“I, uh, no, I think he’d be alright with it.” Chuy was covering how to escape when the victim is pinned to the ground. She felt her face grow warm as she thought of Lash’s body pressed against hers.
“Oh brother,” Tori said as she and Andrew passed them on their way out the door.
Why did Tori always seem to catch her gawking at Lash? She berated herself for having such thoughts. Self-defense was serious business and should be treated with respect.
“Lash, I need to speak with you for a few minutes,” Dantan interrupted.
“Next week, doc. I’m going with Naomi to her self-defense class.” Her stomach started doing flip-flops as Lash placed a hand on the small of her back and directed her to the door.
“I’m afraid I must insist you stay a moment. My assistant needs to submit all my financial information to my tax accountant soon and there appears to be a problem with your insurance.”
“I don’t use insurance. I pay cash.”
Dantan looked puzzled and flicked on his smartphone. “Hmm, that’s not what the email from my assistant says.”