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"Ahh, yes...please...Oh, God..." She was almost incoherent, pleasure swamping her whole being, as Dylan's hardness stroked her inner walls.

  His thumb moved to her clit, and he rubbed as his thrusting increased, his breathing harsh, heavy and loud.

  "Dylan!!" she cried, her head thrown back as she convulsed all around him, stars swimming in her eyes.

  He wasn't far behind.

  "Arrggh...Ari...arrrggghh!!"

  *

  "That was very naughty, doing it here," she said as Dylan helped her off the dining table.

  He pulled her in his arms, chuckling. "Well, you seemed to enjoy it."

  "Is your hunger satisfied?" she asked, scrunching her face at him playfully.

  He grinned. "Oh yeah. For now. But you already know I never get enough of you," he said softly, kissing her on the lips.

  She sighed as she wrapped her arms around him, revelling in his tender embrace and in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

  *******

  Ari sat contentedly on Dylan's lap while they soaked in the morning sun on his balcony.

  "I have to go home soon, honey," Ari murmured, but she was too lazy to move. It was too beautiful a day, and much too sweet being in his arms to want to be anywhere else.

  "Do you have to?" Dylan asked, tightening his arms around her.

  "Yes. I have to work. Aren't you busy, too?"

  He sighed. "Yes. Can you stay here again tonight? I'll pick you up around dinner time?"

  "Okay, but I'll drive. It will be easier for me to drive home the next morning."

  "Maybe you can bring enough of your clothes here so you won't have to worry about an overnight bag every time," he said against her neck.

  "That's a good idea," she smiled, stroking his arm lightly.

  "And maybe you can set up the other spare room here as your other work room."

  She twisted around to look at him. "Why?"

  "So you won't need to hurry home, like during weekends for example. You can do some work while hanging around with me."

  She stared at him. It made sense. Geez, it was a great idea. But …

  Dylan raised his eyebrows at her in query.

  "I guess I could do some sketching and designing here."

  "Do you need your sewing machine?"

  "No. I can do without it. I already send most of my sewing work to contractors. But wedding dresses are a different story altogether. I do all the hand-stitching and beading on them. I wouldn't trust anyone else with them. And I have another order to work on after I finish Jasmine's. One of my former officemates is getting married, and she asked me to make her dress."

  "So that means…?"

  "That means I still need to go home to work on them."

  "Can you bring them here?"

  "All the materials? It would be impractical, Dyl. I'll end up lugging them in the car all the time and they might get dirty."

  "Okay, then," he conceded. "Maybe we can work something out later. But you'll be spending all of next weekend with me right? From Friday night to Sunday night?"

  She bit her lip. "Yes...but I'll need to spend a chunk of Saturday with other people."

  He grinned widely. "I know, baby. And I'm making all the plans for your birthday, not you. You just have to sit tight and relax."

  "Really? What are you planning to do?" she asked excitedly.

  Dylan wriggled in the chair. "You'll find out soon enough," he said, a frown appearing on his face.

  "What's wrong?" she asked, sensing the shift in his mood.

  The long look he gave made her anxious.

  "There's something I want to ask you, sweetheart," he said.

  "Okay," she said nervously, twisting on his lap so she was facing him.

  "Would you let me help you? You know, when you need it? And not fight with me about it?"

  Her face softened. "Yes, of course. I know you no longer think I'm after your money. So when I need your help, I'll ask you."

  Dylan's smile was filled with relief. "You won't have to ask," he said, giving her a soft kiss.

  "What do you mean?" she asked.

  "I'll just give you what you need," he replied, continuing to kiss her.

  She stilled.

  "What?" he asked.

  "I'll still want you to ask me, not just push it on me."

  "Push it on you?"

  "Yes. I don't want to feel like a kept woman, Dyl. I've always been independent and I don't want to lose that. It would be like losing my sense of self."

  He exhaled sharply and held her close, burying his face in her neck.

  "Dyl?"

  "I get it," he murmured.

  "Are you okay?"

  "If I give you a surprise for your birthday, it's okay, isn't it?" he asked.

  She sighed. He looked truly worried. What had he planned?

  Well, as it would be her birthday present, she would accept it gracefully and gratefully. He was probably thinking of getting her a sewing machine for his spare room.

  "I love birthday surprises, so don't ruin it now," she teased before kissing him thoroughly.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  "Where are we going?"

  "That's about the fifth time you asked me that in the span of ten minutes, baby," Dylan chuckled as he drove out of the garage. "I'm not telling you no matter how many times you ask. You'll know soon enough."

  "Okay," Ari sighed. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see."

  He smiled and put some music on. In less than an hour, they would be picking up Sylvie and Kenny from the airport.

  He was confident Ari would love that part of her birthday surprise. But he didn't want to lie to her anymore. They were back together and he didn't want to do anything that would trip him up later.

  He took her hand and brought it to his lips as he navigated the traffic. God, he loved her so much. He didn't want to lose her again.

  So he would tell her the truth once they got back home from the airport and hope it wouldn't put him in the doghouse. She did say that she loved birthday presents, didn't she?

  *******

  "The airport? We're going to the airport?"

  "Sure looks like it, doesn't it?" Dylan grinned, delighting at Ari's dumbstruck expression.

  "But we didn't pack anything. And we're having dinner with friends tonight...here in Sydney," she said with confusion. "Are we having a joyride or something?"

  He laughed out loud. "Now that's a thought for your next birthday."

  He parked the car and looked at her. "We're going for a walk."

  Ari sighed. "I'm just going to zip my mouth and see what happens next."

  "That's a great idea. Let's go."

  They walked hand-in-hand to the arrivals hall for regional flights when Dylan felt Ari squeeze his hand tightly.

  "Port Macquarie flights use this terminal," she said with suppressed hope.

  "Really?" he asked nonchalantly while he consulted the arrivals board. "You're right. Look. It's says here a Port Macquarie flight just landed fifteen minutes ago."

  His timing was excellent. Their visitors should be walking out at any minute now.

  "So what are we doing here?" Ari asked, her eyes shining with barely contained excitement.

  He shrugged, unable to hide his grin.

  "Dylan! Tell me or —"

  "Aunt Ari!"

  They turned to see a brown-haired boy running toward them, his mother following at a slower pace, grinning widely.

  "Kenny! Sylvie!"

  Ari wrapped her arms around the boy, holding him tight against her. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked in wonder.

  "We won Lotto, Aunt Ari!"

  "What?" Ari cried just as Sylvie reached them and joined in the hug.

  Dylan cringed. Why didn't he think of calling Sylvie first and straightening out the story with her?

  "Yes, we won Lotto," Kenny continued animatedly. "Not millions of dollars but lots. I can get my new leg and mum can enroll me in this special athletics training with
a really great coach. You have to pay this coach some money, you see. But he could help me get to the Paralympics when I'm older," Kenny said before stopping to take a breath.

  "That's great, Kenny," Ari said dazedly. "Sylvie, is this true?"

  Sylvie simply nodded her head enthusiastically, her eyes darting to Dylan.

  "Oh," Ari said, "guys, this is Dylan, my boyfriend. Dyl, this is my sister Sylvie and my nephew Kenny. But you already know that, don't you? Or we won't be here," Ari said to Dylan with narrowed eyes.

  "Your boyfriend?" Sylvie asked, staring at Dylan in astonishment. "Why didn't you tell me?"

  Dylan opened his mouth to say something when Ari piped in. "I told you about him, Vie."

  His head twisted to Ari. When did she tell Sylvie about him?

  "You told me you were going out with a hunk you met through friends, then you broke up with him, then you're back together again. You never told me his name," Sylvie said.

  "Well, now you know. So, how did this happen? Did you two contact each other?" Ari asked, wagging her forefinger between Dylan and Sylvie.

  "Ah, yes," Sylvie responded a tad hesitantly. "I called Jasmine to tell her we wanted to surprise you for your birthday. She said she'd arrange the surprise with Dylan."

  Ari chuckled. "You probably spoke to Jasmine when Dylan and I were on a break." She frowned and turned to Dylan. "But you didn't tell Sylvie you're my boyfriend."

  "Why don't we go home and we can talk about all this," Dylan suggested. "I knew you'd want to be with Sylvie and Kenny while they're here this weekend, so I thought they could stay with us at my place."

  Ari grinned and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly on the lips, before giving her sister and nephew another hug.

  *******

  "Nice car," Sylvie commented as they got into Dylan's Mercedes.

  "Hey, doesn't this car look like the one your old boyfriend had, Aunt Ari? The one Mum calls the arrogant prick?" Kenny asked innocently.

  "Kenny!" Sylvie and Ari exclaimed in unified horror.

  "Don't say those words again," Sylvie reprimanded.

  "Which ones? Arrogant prick?"

  Dylan swallowed his chuckle.

  "What does prick mean?" Kenny continued. "I guess it's a forbidden word for kids like me, huh? Like the F word."

  "Yes! Now behave," Sylvie snapped.

  "Sorry," Kenny mumbled. "I'm sure Dylan's not a pr —. I'm sure Dylan's a nice guy, not like the other guy. Even though they're both rich."

  "Yes, he's a nice guy, Kenny," Ari said with a resigned sigh, reaching to squeeze Dylan's hand. He squeezed it back, assuring her he didn't mind Kenny's ramblings.

  "Yes, I really am a nice guy, Kenny," he confirmed.

  "Good. 'Cause if you hurt my Aunt Ari, Dylan, I'm going to hunt you down," Kenny said fervently. "I can run fast, you know. Faster than kids with two real legs. You can't run away from me."

  "Yes, I heard you're a good runner, Kenny," Dylan said with a smile. "I promise I'll be good to your auntie. I wouldn't want to be chased by you."

  "Good. I'm the only man in this family, you know. That's why I look after my mum and auntie."

  At the corner of his eye, Dylan saw Ari's amused smile.

  "I understand, Kenny," Dylan said. "You're a good boy—looking after your mum and your auntie."

  "Yes, thank you. But you can look after Aunt Ari, if you like. She lives too far away from us."

  "It will be my pleasure. Thank you for your trust."

  "You're welcome."

  For the rest of the trip, Kenny entertained them with stories about school, his favourite sportsmen, and his favourite food. Dylan was glad he could do something for Ari's wonderful nephew. A child like him should be encouraged to follow his dreams, no matter what his circumstances were.

  *******

  "What's this?"

  Dylan watched Ari's face as she opened the envelope her sister handed her.

  "Sylvie," Ari whispered. "Why?"

  "I'm just paying you back, silly," Sylvie replied. "I told you we won some money from Lotto."

  "But this is too much."

  "No, it isn't. I already told you how much we won. That includes your share of the winnings."

  "No. No. You and Kenny need it more."

  "We have enough, Ari. Please take it. You need it, too. If you don't, I'll never let you help us ever again."

  Ari and Sylvie embraced while Dylan's heart pounded like mad. The longer this charade went on, the harder it would be extricate himself from the web of lies.

  Now, how could he start?

  Ari walked toward him with a watery smile on her face. "I have money for capital now, baby," she said happily.

  He smiled at her—well, he tried—but his face must have been more of a grimace because Ari's expression turned to alarm.

  "What's wrong?" she asked

  "Um...nothing," he said weakly. Coward.

  Ari stared at him for long minutes, her eyes searching his face.

  There was nowhere to hide from that scrutiny. All he could do was silently shout his love for her through his eyes.

  Ari inhaled sharply and turned to Sylvie who was watching them with interest.

  "Sylvie," Ari said casually. "How much was that Lotto ticket you bought?"

  "How much? Uh...I can't remember. Five dollars?" Sylvie replied tentatively.

  Dylan almost laughed out loud. Jesus. When the pressure was on, Sylvie couldn't act convincingly even if her life depended on it.

  "How did they send you the winnings?" Ari continued.

  "Ah. I called them and gave them my bank account details."

  "You gave them your bank account details over the phone?"

  "Oh no. No. I didn't. That would have been a bad idea. Bad idea."

  "So, how did you get the money?" Ari said, squinting at her sister.

  Sylvie's deer-in-headlights gaze darted to Dylan.

  He sighed, knowing they were caught. He sauntered over to Ari and took her in his arms. She was tense, but thankfully didn't push him away.

  He brought his lips close to her ear. "I didn't tell you because at the time I spoke with Sylvie, I was convinced you didn't want me anymore. So I thought it would be better if you guys didn't know where the money came from. I was sure you wouldn't have accepted it, if you knew it was from me."

  "What do you mean I didn't want you anymore?" she asked with a scowl.

  He smiled, glad that was the part that caught her attention.

  "Well, you didn't want to see me. You weren't even talking to me after all those phone messages and texts I left you. And I thought you'd never mentioned me to your sister."

  "But why did you still want to help us, if you thought that?"

  "Because I love you, you silly woman. How can I just sit back when I knew what you were going through?" he chastised her gently, kissing her face.

  "How did you know what I was going through?" she asked, leaning back.

  With that question, he was reminded of how she couldn't open up to him, how she didn't want to share significant issues with him, how she didn't want him to be a part of the solution to her problems. His heart compressed and he dropped his arms to his side. God, he thought he was fine with all that. Evidently, her capacity to hurt him was greater than he thought.

  "I asked Jasmine. At least she understood," he said flatly. He was aware that his face showed pain, but he didn't care. It was about time she knew how much she hurt him.

  Ari's jaw dropped in surprise at his sudden change in demeanour.

  He turned and put some distance between them. "I told Sylvie that a friend of mine, who insisted on remaining anonymous, won Lotto and was feeling charitable."

  Ari turned to Sylvie with arched eyebrows. "You bought that story?"

  Sylvie lifted her shoulders. "He was very convincing," she replied then turned to Dylan. "So the money was really from you?"

  He gave her a small smile. "Yes."

  Sylvie gazed at him for long
seconds before bringing her palms to her chest. "Thank you," Sylvie said, trotting to him and hugging him tight.

  "It's my pleasure, Sylvie," he replied, touched.

  "You're a lifesaver," Sylvie continued.

  He chuckled. "Now, that's a bit of an exaggeration."

  "No. It's not. All you need to do is take a look at Kenny and see how excited he is about his new leg and new athletics coach," Sylvie said. "Anyway, I think Kenny and I would go for a bit of walk before we all have lunch."

  Sylvie called to her son, who was busy staring at the vista outside the balcony. "Kenny! Come with me, darling. We're going for a walk."

  Sylvie turned to them before walking out the door. "If you guys don't let go of your baggage, your hands will be too full to hold each other."

  When the front door closed, Dylan returned his attention on Ari. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you," he said softly.

  Ari sniffed and ran to him.

  He caught her and held her tight, placing butterfly kisses on her face.

  "I'm so sorry, honey," Ari cried and held his head between her hands, ensuring he looked into her eyes. "I trust you. I do want to confide in you. I promise I'll be better at sharing from here on in."

  "So does that mean you're not going to give me a hard time about the money I gave you guys?"

  She smiled, her eyes swimming in tears. "No. You're off the hook, this time."

  "I'd want to take care of you all the time, Ari. Not just this one time. Would that be okay?"

  "As long as you don't ask me to stop working so I can be a useless trophy girlfriend," she said readily.

  He laughed before taking on a serious countenance. "I think too highly of you to treat you like that, Ari."

  "Well, I have your money in my hot little hands which I'm going to use as capital for my new design business," she said, waving the envelope Sylvie handed her earlier. "But I want to pay you back."

  "Sweetheart," he said in a warning tone.

  Ari pressed a finger to his lips to stop him from talking. "There are two options I could think of off the top of my head. Option one is for me to pay you back every cent once I make a profit—with interest, of course. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee when I would be able to pay you back in full."

  "It doesn't really matter when you'll be able to pay me back," he replied. "What's option two?"