Umm...what?
My neck itched as my throat went dry. His admission explained a lot, and at the same time, it made me feel uncomfortable. “Dex, if you don’t want to be my friend that’s okay.” You’d just be ripping my heart out and stomping on it but okay.
His laugh was hard. “Honey, you and me, we’re more than just friends.”
And… I was dead. I had to be.
Dex scrubbed his fingers over his lips again, his glare violent. “Look at you. I never stood a fuckin’ chance.”
I blinked at him, refusing to absorb the creamy words that were coming out of his mouth. “I’m pretty sure you’ve made it known to half of Texas that you’re not attracted to me.” Then there were the times I thought he looked at me as his pet.
Dex’s nostrils flared. “Baby, have I or haven’t I, warned you a million times that I say shit I don’t mean all the time? You expected me to tell your brother I wanted to fuck his little Ris the first time I saw you in shorts? Or should I have said somethin’ to you when I knew you were still pissed at me?”
“Charlie…”
“Babe.” He said my nickname like a challenge.
“You told Shane you didn’t like me not even three weeks ago!”
“I never said that, babe. Quit puttin’ words in my mouth.”
Damn this man. I felt like the walls were closing in on me. “You’re the most confusing person I’ve ever met in my life.”
He shrugged. “Forgive me for bein’ so damn stupid and confusin’ you.”
“You’re not being stupid, I just don’t think you’re thinking clearly. “ I swallowed even as my heart hurt. “Maybe you just need to go...you know...with someone.”
“Baby, there’s nothing wrong with my judgment. I know exactly what I’m doin’, and I know damn well that if I ever see you smile at somebody like you did at Trey today, I’ll kill the poor bastard.”
“Dex!”
“I’m not jokin’. I don’t ever wanna see that shit ever again so unless you want me goin’ to jail for murderin’ somebody, quit it,” he stated, not blinking, not breathing, totally focused.
And I stood there just waiting. For what, I had no idea. Maybe to wake up from this dream.
But the beautiful dark-haired man in front of me wasn’t saying anything. His gaze was zeroed in on my face, jaw tight, shoulders pulled back. He must have realized I thought he was on drugs because he kept going. “That shit made my chest burn. I hated it. You know what that’s like for me? Standin’ there thinkin’ to myself that I don’t wanna share you with anybody?” His neck visibly strained. “I can’t ignore this shit between us anymore, and I’m not gonna. Not when it makes so much sense.”
Oh. Dear. God.
I wasn’t sure whether to have a panic attack or run around fist pumping. But still. That fear crept threw my bones, warning me, preparing me, making me wary. “Why does this make so much sense?” The question was hoarse.
“Nobody’s ever made me feel the way you do.”
Was that my throat burning? Oh hell, it was. No amount of swallowing made the sensation go away. “But...I’m like your little rabbit. Your pet.”
”Oh, you’re somethin’ of mine all right, Ris. But my pet? Huh uh,” he said with more conviction than any man should be capable of.
At least a little bit of fear flooded my system because I thought for a moment about walking out of the room to end the conversation.
"You go and I'm comin' after you, babe." Dex ate up those few feet to loom over me on the couch, his body longer and leaner than it'd seemed hours before as he hovered. "I'm not your daddy. I'm not gonna do the shit he did. You don't need to be scared of me."
At the mention of my dad, my spine stiffened. "I know you're not. I'm not scared of you either, okay?"
"Yeah, you are." He bent at the waist to place his hands on the back of the couch at my sides.
Heat exploded on the back of my neck. "I'm not," I insisted.
He lowered his head even more, cornering me like the bully he was. "You are, but I'm not your pa and you gotta remember that. I told you when you tried to quit that I keep what's mine, and I meant that."
Yeah, I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do a single friggin' thing as his mouth came to within inches of mine. I should have moved, should have pushed him away, screamed, anything except just sit there. But the closer he got, the more of him and his lulling body heat, the less I wanted to do that. It was like being in a trance.
"I suck at pretendin', babe." He brushed his mouth over my cheekbone, making my spine tingle. "You suck at it, too."
I don't know what it said that the word ‘suck’ hit me right in the lower stomach.
And really, what is there really to say when Dex Locke brushes his lips against that spot between your jaw and ear?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Mine.
I keep what's mine.
Mine.
Mine.
Mine.
It was the first thing I thought of when I woke up the next morning alone on the couch.
He hadn't said anything else after he'd kissed my jaw and right off the corner of my mouth. Dex had just thrust out a hand to pull me off the couch, and led me toward the stairs. With a firm hand on my lower back, we walked out of the bar without speaking another word. Rode to his house in silence, and then ate dinner and watched television the same way.
It was only when he got up to go to bed that he leaned in to kiss the corner of my mouth, just a hair off from my lips that he said two sentences. "I know you’re confused, Ritz, but there’s no reason for you to be.” With that, he disappeared into his bedroom, leaving me dazed and on the verge of panting on the couch.
It was a friggin’ miracle I’d managed to fall asleep.
I definitely didn't need to think about that right before I went into the shower. Or maybe I did. There was a detachable showerhead...
Yeah, no. I grabbed my bag from its spot on the other side of the couch and rifled through it, grabbing clothes for my shower. The clock on the DVD player showed that it was a little after ten. Normally, Dex would be in his garage working out so that gave me more time to wonder what the hell was going on.
Was I being a pushover by letting him assume that I would want to.... to what? Be with him? Date him? Dex didn't seem like the type of man that dated. Or the type of man that had a girlfriend.
Where did that leave us?
If I was smart, as smart as I'd been my entire life, I'd call Sonny and tell him what was happening.
I wasn't though, not today or tomorrow. I could justify not calling by saying that I didn't want to stress him out or piss him off. Right. It wasn't at all because the thought of making Dex hard—like he'd been back at Pins—turned me on more than any time I'd spent with my ex-boyfriend times a hundred. No, siree.
Who am I kidding? I was a total, complete liar.
The idea of not seeing Dex nearly every day made me incredibly unhappy.
I was screwed.
Twenty minutes later, I was out of the bathroom, teeth and hair brushed, clean, and slightly more alert. Dex hadn't made an appearance yet, so I wandered into the kitchen to make something for breakfast.
I had just stuck two frozen waffles into the conventional oven before pouring the coffee Dex had already brewed when I felt what had become an all too familiar heat pierce through the thin material of my long-sleeved t-shirt. This was right before arms caged me against the counter, one on each side, biceps touching my triceps.