“Are you even hungry?”
I am, but not for food.
“Yes,” I reply, dragging the word out.
His hand tightens on my thigh.
“I’ve never have sex against a wall before,” I admit.
“Of course you haven’t,” he says simply. “Because we’ve never done it, so as far as I’m concerned, sex is completely new to you.”
I roll my eyes at his ridiculousness. “And how about you, Dash? Have you done it before?”
Of course he has, but I want to see what he says.
“Not with you, and you’re the only one who matters, so no.”
I look at him with wide eyes. “You can’t make up rules like that! You’ve probably been with heaps of women over the years, plus don’t get me started on how recently you were with another woman.”
“Are you grumpy because you’re turned on but I can’t take care of you right now? Because, for the record, I offered to stay home.”
I tighten my lips and scowl at him. “Don’t change the subject. We’ve both been with other people, and you pretending we haven’t is just silly.”
“Baby,” he says, groaning. “I just don’t want to think about you with another man. That’s it, all right? I don’t like it, so I don’t think about it. Ignorance is bliss.”
I lay my head on his shoulder. “Okay. I’m getting a little hungry now.”
“Good,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
“Food, cars, sex, and spooning,” I say, grinning up at him. “Pretty good line-up, don’t you think?”
“Stop being cute,” he says, changing lanes. “It just makes me want you more.”
“I’ll try.”
“Please do.”
We have a delicious dinner together, and spend an hour at the car show until Dash looks at me and says, “I want to go home. Now.”
I know he wants me from the look in his eye, so we go home, where he fucks me against the wall, and then bends me over the kitchen table.
The man is so good in bed that I don’t care how many women he was with before me. It’s me who benefits from his experience.
And I get more than just his body.
I get everything that is Dash.
*****
A few days later, Dash’s sisters all come over for dinner. I can’t believe how much the twins have grown up, and just how beautiful they’ve become. They’re now eighteen years old and both in uni, living together in a house Dash bought for them. Mari’s dark hair is down her back, just above her butt, while Savannah wears hers in a short, blunt bob. Both styles suit them. Sierra works for a high fashion clothing store and loves life, living with her boyfriend and travelling whenever she can. Jasmine is currently overseas, so is the only one missing.
“So I hear the two of you are going on a little getaway?” Sierra says, looking between us.
“Yeah, just for three nights,” I reply. We booked everything yesterday, plane flights and accommodation, and I can’t wait.
“Sounds fun,” she replies, smirking at her brother.
“I’m so happy the two of you got back together,” Mari says, her bright blue eyes twinkling. “I always loved you, Vi, even as a kid. I remember you looking after us when we were sick once, and at Dash’s basketball games.”
“And I remember you teaching me about girl code at the age of nine,” I tease, making her and Savanah laugh.
Dash wraps his arm around me and says, “I overheard the twins talking one day, about how I needed to ask Vi out and they thought I needed help because I hadn’t made a move, but they couldn’t talk to me about it, because of the girl code.”
We all share a laugh at that.
“That was the moment I knew I had to get off my ass and ask you out though,” he says, watching me and smiling fondly. “So maybe I owe the twins a thank you.”
The girls share a look, and then Mari guilty admits, “Actually, we kind of knew you were there.”
“We wanted you to hear,” Savannah adds, smirking. “You had to go after her. Sierra told us Jamie Derrick was going to ask her out, and we didn’t want her with anyone else except you.”
“Yeah, a few guys had their eye on Viola, but they were scared to ask her out, because of Max and Dash,” Sierra says, playing with the hoops in her ears. “I had no idea you would use that information to manipulate Dash though.” She pauses and nods, looking impressed. “At age nine…not bad, girls.”
“We’ve always been schemers,” Mari admits, high-fiving her sister. “Schemers for life.”
Dash groans and shakes his head. “My sisters.”
“You love us,” Mari says, blowing Dash a kiss.
“You do,” Savannah chimes in.
“He does,” Sierra agrees.
I look around the room and just feel so happy. I can’t even express how much.
“You guys have to come over every week,” I blurt out.
They agree.
And Dash gives me a look that I feel right in my bones.
The softest, most tender look I’ve ever received from him before.
A look that tells me without words that he loves me.
A look that makes today one of the best days of my life.
Chapter Eighteen
“Where were you?” Dash asks, glancing down at his watch. “Everyone’s expecting us in twenty minutes.”
“Sorry,” I say, wincing. “I was at the shopping centre and lost track of the time. Give me a second and I’ll be ready.”
I put my bags down and rush into my room to get changed. I come out a few minutes later and grab my bag. “Okay, let’s go.”
Tonight, there’s a charity event at Knox Tavern. They are charging an entry fee to the bar, and all the proceeds are going to charity. It’s a karaoke night, plus they are doing raffles and other things to raise money. Summer said we have to be there to help out, so everyone is coming along.
“You were shopping?” Dash asks, sounding curious as we make our way out the front door. “What did you buy?”
“Umm, some clothes,” I reply as I get in the car. “And a new pair of shoes.” I pull out my lipstick and apply some in the mirror in front of me, trying to make myself look a little dressier. “I’m really sorry I ran late, babe. I’ll tell Summer it was all my fault.”
“It’s fine, Vi,” Dash says, taking my upper arm and pulling me toward him. “But you haven’t kissed me yet.”
I bring my lips to his and kiss him deeply, only pulling back when things start to get a little too heated.
“Why do we always do this?” I ask out loud. “Whenever we have to be somewhere?”
Dash just chuckles. “I always want you, Vi, but I can wait until after the event.”
“Well, thank goodness for that,” I say in a dry tone, reaching over and placing my hand on his upper thigh. “Are you going to sing tonight?”
“No,” he says straight away. “I’m driving and not drinking, and there’s no way I’ll be getting up there sober.”
“I can drive if you want to drink,” I offer, not minding one bit. “I’m sure the guys will want you to have a drink with them.”
“No, baby,” he tells me. “I’ll drive us home. You can enjoy yourself and have a drink to relax. I know you’ve had a stressful week at work.”
I had. I’d been working overtime and taking on more and more clients. Having a few drinks isn’t going to solve any of my issues, but it might be good to relax and forget about work and my to-do list for one night.
“Okay, if you’re sure. We could always catch a taxi home and get the car tomorrow morning.”
He nods. “True, I guess we’ll just see how we go then.”
The bar is completely packed when we get there, which is definitely a good thing tonight. We pay the entry and then look around for any familiar faces. We find everyone at a table in the corner, having a drink and a bite to eat. Summer and Reid are missing, but Xander, Trillian, Ryan, Taiya, and Clara are there. I look to the bar and see Tag working, along with a few other bartenders I’ve never seen before. We all say our hellos, the music not too loud, which allows us to talk without raising our voices.