It would be a travesty if her plane flew into a mountain and all the passengers jumped out before impact with parachutes. All except for her, who was too drugged out on Valium to wake up. Then she dies in the fiery explosion.
I climb in the back seat and ignore her. Dex’s cologne fills up the space and my mouth fills with extra saliva. His eyes cut to mine and there’s a spark inside them that makes my heart somersault in my chest.
Outside the car, Julia talks to the driver as he packs everything into the trunk.
Inside, Dex and I stare at each other. Oh my God, I’m really going to miss him. I’m going to miss all the orgasms. They were so perfect. I’m going to miss our stupid late-night talks and our Netflix binges. I’m going to miss that smirk and the way he looks at me.
Don’t say it. Don’t say it. “Dex, I—”
“You’re going to miss my dick, aren’t you?” His lips move to say more, but he bites down on the rest of the words and his jaw stiffens and ticks.
I laugh nervously. If I say the words and he’s not ready to hear them, I am so screwed.
“I’m freaking out, I have to be honest,” he says breathlessly.
Oh, thank God, it’s not just me. Maybe I won’t have to say it first, maybe he will. I sit up straighter and grab his hands in mine, my stomach fluttering and rolling with excitement. The words want to burst out of me, I feel them tingling and burning at the tip of my tongue.
He takes a long deep breath and whispers, “This is a big story and I’m way too excited to start. I don’t want to look like a newbie.” He shakes his head, his cheeks reddening, “I’m really freaking out here, like it’s my first day on a job.”
Sparks spread across my collarbone and my stomach drops fast, almost sickeningly. He’s not even thinking about me. Telling me he loves me is probably the furthest thing on his mind right now.
“Dex Vanstone, you are one of the most talented writers I know. This gig is going to be the best writing you’ve ever done, you’ll see.”I love you,my heart whispers.
He shrugs one shoulder and twirls a strand of my hair around his finger. “Hey, when are you leaving for London? With all this rush to get ready I didn’t get a chance to ask about your trip.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I understand.” I wave him off like it’s no big deal. “I leave tomorrow.” And today I’ll keep my mouth shut and suffer my goodbyes in silence.
“Are you excited to go? They say Damian Miles is wild as fuck. Think you can keep up with him?”
I blink and look away quickly, pretending I’m trying to see what’s holding up Julia and the driver. His question shouldn’t have bothered me, but it does. Of course I can keep up. The problem is why would he want me to? Why would he want the woman he’s been having a relationship with to keep up with a wild-as-fuck rock star? Shouldn’t he be worried? At least a little bit? “Are you worried about me keeping up?”
“Nah, Nash. I think you’ll run circles around him.”
Our conversation cuts short as Julia opens my door and shoves her face into mine. “I need to put some luggage in the back with you guys. Gail ordered the smallest compact car in the universe. She’s so cheap.”
I climb out and she wedges two of her giant-sized bags in the middle of the backseat, erasing any view I had of Dex.
It’s like a thirty-minute drive through Hell.
Dex and I are both squashed against the car doors while she sits in the front with plenty of leg room, laughing and flirting with the driver. There is something jutting into my waist from one of her bags and I need to use the bathroom. I somehow maneuver my cellphone out of my back pocket and send Dex a text, but it goes unanswered. I can’t even see him over the bags. I text more. I’m lonely all the way over here.
Jane:Are you alive over there?
Jane: Did her bags eat you?
Jane: Do you think the driver is looking at her legs more than the road?
Jane: Ouch. How did he not see that giant pothole?
Jane: Worst. Car. Ride. Ever.
Jane: It smells like dirty socks in here. Must be Julia.
Jane: You’re right though. I’m going to miss your dick.
Jane: Honestly. I’m really going to miss all of you.
The ride feelslike it takes forever, and then there’s a mad dash to extract ourselves from the sardine-packed car and I’m sweating in places that don’t even produce sweat. I’m grumpy and a little car sick and there’s a thousand-and-one things I want to say to Dex but don’t have the guts to.
